Student Bodies

Abby

"Vice!"

My eye twitches and I stop dead in the middle of the hall. I take a deep breath before turning around to face the most aggravating person in my life.

"Yes, Joshua?"

Joshua Whitney.

The boy I hate more than anyone else in the entire world. The boy who stole my presidency. The boy who squandered my chances of getting into Harvard.

"Whoa, why are you so formal?" He folds his arms and raises an eyebrow.

"Why are you so—"

"Watch yourself," he smirks. "The president and vice president are supposed to get along."

Ever since he won the student election last year, he has been taunting me. He never calls me by my name and he emphasizes the fact that I lost to him by calling me Vice instead of Abigail.

That's how it works in our school. Two candidates. The winner is the president and the loser (me), is the vice president.

I have to admit I had more faith in our student body than to make the whole thing a popularity contest. I don't know why I thought I would win other than the fact that I'm smarter than him, I've been a part of the student council since my freshman year, I'm more qualified, and actually care about the school's interests.

"Is there something I can help you with?" I try to ask nicely through my gritted teeth.

"Yeah, I need you to run the student council meeting today. I can't go after school. Mandatory practice."

Joshua adjusts his tie before shifting his blazer back to fix his hands in the pockets of his black slacks. As much as I hate him, I can't deny he's kind of handsome. Even in our stupid school uniform, he looks good standing before me.

Joshua has really light brown eyes and chocolate brown hair that's straight but unkempt in a wild way. He's always brushing it back when he's writing in class but it falls back in his face all the same. It's never neatly styled and also holds the noxious smell of chlorine since he's a swimmer.

I don't think he knows how to use shampoo properly.

"This is the third mandatory practice this week! Why are you even president if you can't attend the meetings? Perhaps you should just step down?"

"Step down?" He scoffs. "The school voted for me. I can't let everyone down by ditching."

I don't know why he's saying this. I do all the work anyway. He's already let them down. They just don't know it because I'm the one holding everything together.

"Joshua—"

"Ew, stop calling me that," he cringes.

"Stop calling me Vice and I'll think about it."

"But that's what you are," he teases. "Besides, Joshua is my father's name. Why don't you just call me... Mr. President."

I want to smack the smug look he's wearing clean off his face.

"Never," I roll my eyes.

"Okay well just call me Josh like everyone else."

I flip my blonde hair off my shoulder and put my finger to my chin as if I'm thinking deeply.

"How about... no."

"Look, we'll figure out the name thing later," he says squinting past me. "I gotta go."

Josh is easily distracted.

He's like a dog or something. A squirrel could run by in the courtyard and he'd probably have to refrain from chasing after it.

He pats my shoulder and starts walking away from me. I turn around to see what's caught his attention. Of course, it's his girlfriend Megan Strait. 

Even though her family donates money to the school, she's really pretty and she's nice, there's something about her that rubs me the wrong way...

Her kindness isn't genuine and she knows she's pretty so she often flirts with every other guy in the school.

She's doing that now and that's why Josh is walking away from me. He has to rein her in from cheating on him with the football player she's currently got wrapped around her finger. Although, no one is wound tighter around Megan's finger than him.

Looks like I'm running the meeting after school...

And that's exactly what I do.

I sit there in the student council room with our Treasurer Vincent Moretti, our Secretary Jason Lancaster, and the class presidents of each grade. From freshman to junior year, they are Amanda Spinelli, Matthew Carrigan, and Ethan Crest.

"Where's Josh?" Vincent asks.

"Where do you think?" I mutter under my breath.

"Swim practice?"

Oh, so his brain does work.

"Since our President is absent... again. I'll be running this meeting...again."

I pull the papers from my binder that is specifically for student council affairs. The first and most important agenda on the list is our school's winter formal.

If I had it my way, the most important thing I'd focus on is the fact that our vending machines are stocked full of harsh chemicals and GMO's but of course, Josh only cares about this stupid dance.

"Alright, the winter formal... Do we have any themes yet?"

Amanda raises her hand.

"Yes!" She shouts before I even call on her.

For a freshman, she's rather bold.

"Shoot," I say as she pulls a list out of her folder.

"So I did some canvassing around the school and these are the top three themes that the student body is interested in: 'Under the Stars'. Very astrological. I'm thinking twinkle lights, a night sky sort of vibe—"

"Next!"

She lost me at astrological.

"Okay, well there's also 'A Night in Paris'—"

"Please," I scoff. "That is so cliché."

Amanda huffs as she moves down to the final item on her list.

"Well, this one has the most votes anyway. A Christmas Ball."

I rub my hands down my face and groan into them as she goes on and on about her ideas for this ball. Red and Green colors, a giant Christmas tree with party favors underneath, tinsel and holly everywhere, mistletoe above the photo booth.

It all sounds disgusting.

"Christmas?" I interrupt. "That's too religious. Not everyone here celebrates Christmas."

"But this is a Catholic school..." Vincent chimes in.

"You actually like this idea?" I eye him down suspiciously.

"Well... yeah," he shrugs.

I look around the room at every one of their faces. They all seem charmed by the idea of a Christmas ball.

"What about you guys?" I ask curiously.

They all look at one another with hopeful expressions. I know they're too scared to tell me what they're really thinking so I sigh and give in to their silent request.

"Alright," I concede. "I'll run this Christmas Ball idea by our 'president'. He'll have the final say."

Unfortunately.

I know he's going to approve. He approves of everything because it's easier that way. I know everyone in school thinks he's charming but I can see right through him. He's not kindly giving in to everyone because he cares about what they want.

He's just lazy.

All he cares about is Megan Strait, swimming, his reputation, and his big, fat ego.

After running through the rest of our agenda, it's getting close to five o'clock. Whenever we reach the end of our meetings, the clock on the wall seems to move slower the more I peer up at it.

I have nothing against these morons. They can't help who they are. I just have bigger things to worry about. I take care of the real school issues at home after I've finished dinner and eaten my homework.

That's a joke. You're allowed to laugh.

Anyway, when I'm finally in my bedroom alone, away from my annoying parents, I roll my whiteboard out of the closet and grab the dry-erase marker off my desk. My laptop sits open on my bed with the Excel spreadsheet I've created and all of my notes from our previous council meetings.

Just as I go to erase the winter formal off my written agenda, there's a knock on my bedroom door.

"I'm busy," I call over my shoulder.

I sigh when I hear the door open anyway.

"What do you want?" I groan, annoyed.

I anticipate seeing one of my parents standing there but I'm shocked to find Josh in the doorway. My eyes widen momentarily before I fix them into a glare.

"What are you doing here?"

He's obviously just come from swim practice. His hair is wet and his eyes are bloodshot. He's got sweats on and a pair of athletic slides. If I wasn't mistaken, looking at his face, I'd think he had been crying. I know it's just the chlorine.

"Your parents let me in. I came to catch up on student council stuff."

Josh wanders into my room without an invite and begins looking around speculatively. He's unapologetically picking things up on my dresser and inspecting them. He even reaches out to touch a photo of me from when I was eight years old at SeaWorld.

No, I was not enjoying my time there with all of the poor, trapped animals. I made my mother take me for a protest against the diabolical corporation.

"Your Dad is really nice. Your Mom scares me though," he chuckles.

Of course, she does. Where does he think I get my Type-A personality from?

"How do you know where I live?" I ask suspiciously.

"You gave me this," he holds up a business card I had made for when I was supposed to be made student body president.

I glare at the card that I wish I never ordered.

I take that back.

Those business cards were beautifully made.

I turn back toward my whiteboard and continue to look it over. In the corner of my eye, I see Joshua reach out for my laptop cursor.

"Don't touch that," I hiss.

"Okay..." he backs away from it slowly and puts his hands up in surrender.

He comes and stands beside me but I don't look at him.

"Jesus," he remarks. "This is insane."

"What is?" I ask absentmindedly.

"You have all of this stuff just for student council?"

When he goes to touch my whiteboard, I quickly smack his hand.

"Don't touch that," I reprimand him again. "Better yet, don't touch anything."

Josh squints his eyes at me before shaking his head with that smirk he wears way too well.

"You know, I think you wear your hair too tight or something."

I feel his hand on the back of my head and he grabs the elastic holding my hair up. When he tugs on it, there's some resistance but he frees my hair successfully and it falls down to my shoulders.

I put my hand to the back of my head before finally turning to face him

"What are you doing?" I snap.

"Relax," he shrugs. "You're always so uptight."

I turn back to my whiteboard and place the marker to my chin as I continue to stare at it.

"My therapist says I'm neurotic," I half-correct him.

Then, he's touching me again.

My body grows rigid as I feel his fingertips brush my hair back over the strap of my tank top.

"What are you doing?" I ask through my held breath.

"Helping you relax..." he says quietly.

Josh's hands find their way to my waist. He turns me toward him and I can't help but drop the marker from my hand. My heartbeat is elevating and I peer at the watch on my wrist to make sure I'm not going into cardiac arrest.

"What are you—"

I'm just about to repeat myself for the umpteenth time when his lips come crashing down on mine.

For a moment, I'm stunned as he begins to kiss me. My eyes are wide open and I can see that his are closed. His face, even this close and against mine, looks handsome.

He looks so focused and it's like all of his attention is on me.

My body relaxes in his grip as his lips move slowly against mine. I allow myself to close my eyes as a blissful feeling takes over my body.

Josh's hands tighten on my waist and I place my hands on his shoulders. I don't know why he's kissing me but I almost, sort of...like it.

When he forces my mouth open with his, I whimper softly. Joshua moves one of his hands to the back of my head and deepens this kiss forcefully. I try to keep up with what he's doing but he begins to move faster.

Both of his hands are now on my shoulders and I can feel him brushing my straps off. When he hooks his fingers into the top hem to pull it down, I grab his wrists tightly and rip them away.

I quickly get my bearings as I realize what he's trying to do with me and shove him back.

"What the hell?" I shout.

"What?" He asks cluelessly as he runs his hands back through his wet hair.

"What are you doing?! My parents are home! Are you seriously trying to have sex with me right now?!"

"I mean..." he shrugs with a smirk.

"Ugh," I gag. "Who do I look like? Monica Lewinsky?? Wait, don't you have a girlfriend?"

"Not anymore..." he mutters as his smug face drops.

Oh, so that's what this is...

He breaks up with Megan and tries to get with me as a rebound. What is he thinking?! That I would go along with this?!

"Well that's not my problem," I sigh annoyed. "If you want to get your dick wet, go do it somewhere else."

"Alright, I'm sorry," he sighs. "I just... I don't know, my mind is all over the place right now. Megan cheated on me and I thought that maybe if I—"

"If you what? Slept with me you would feel better?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Guess again, idiot. It doesn't work like that."

"I said I'm sorry, okay?" He says quietly.

I huff exasperatedly as I reach down on the floor for my elastic. After quickly tying my hair back up into a sloppy ponytail, I grab the marker down there as well.

"The council wants to do a Christmas ball for the winter formal. Do you approve?" I ask, trying to ignore the fact that he just tried to get in my pants.

"Uh- I... well... yeah I-I guess."

Josh is giving me a quirky look as I regain my composure.

"Great," I state irritatedly. "The girl's locker room needs new stall doors, we need to find a new classroom for the chess club to meet in and the football team is fighting with the soccer team for the stadium to use for practices. That sums up the meeting. Need anything else?"

"Abby..."

"No? Okay then. Bye Joshua."

I still don't look at him as he stands there awkwardly.

What more does he want? He already tried to use my body, I ran the student council meeting for him and he got the entire run down.

"I just... I really am sorry."

I nod my head and turn toward him. I still don't look at his face though. I just stare past his body at the door, signaling for him to leave. He rubs the back of his head sheepishly as I look down at my feet.

"Thanks for the play-by-play. I guess I should head home now."

"You do that..." I say quietly.

It isn't until Josh turns his back to me that I finally look at him. I watch as he walks out of my bedroom, shutting the door behind him. When I know he's finally gone, I sit down on my bed and place my hands on my cheeks.

They're probably blushing because even though he's a total dickhead, I have to admit...

That kiss was amazing.