Why Can't Love Be Easy?

Chapter 1

Dear Journal,

I made the soccer team, which is cool. What isn't cool is the JJ cheated on me. But you know, it's whatever. She was kind of ugly anyway. I got a 62 on my chem test, so I should probably get a tutor. But who needs a tutor when you have strong muscles and skills on the field? Plus, the cheerleaders are hot. So that's always good.

JJ didn't get onto the cheer team last week, but I talked to some people, and now she's cheer captain, which I now regret ever helping her. Girls are assholes-that was sexist, wasn't it? Who cares, the real problem is that I'm the talk of the school, but for the wrong reason. JJ told Katie, who told Heather, who told her boyfriend Johnathan, who posted it on Twitter, that I cheated on JJ. Isn't that fucked up?! I knew I shouldn't have trusted her. Never trust a pretty girl who can't even make the cheer team.

Today, I should have told my best friend, Grey-Man, that JJ was wrong, so everything should be good by tomorrow; and by good, I mean he will spread a simple rumor about how JJ slept with Johnny. Technically, it's not my fault since she started it. I simply just strategized. Be smart about it, that's all.

"Popcorn, get your ass down here before I take your spot in the game Saturday!" Grey-Man yells in my ear. I glare at him, before placing my beloved journal back in its place, my locker. "Ha, like you can play like me. Just wait and see Grey-Man, MLK High is going to get their asses beat, easily." I shrug, slamming my locker shut, before shifting to look back at Grey-Man.

He was always named that, at least by me before it spread to the whole school. I named him that because, in the second grade, he accidentally got hair dye on his face, making him Grey-Man. He still rocks a line of grey, in a memorial to the name. "Yeah, we'll see," Grey-Man says, pushing himself off his shut locker.

"As Martin Luther King said himself, I have a dream, that we will beat their asses." Grey-Man rolls his eyes at the slick comment, before turning his back to me, to walk in the direction of the school exit. "Anyways, you going to ride with me and Jonathan?" Grey-Man asks, holding his backpack in one hand, and his football cleats in the other.

"Uh, last time I check, I had no practice, so I guess- "I start, but I instantly stop talking when I hear a familiar voice. "-Not. He guesses not. Besides, I have to talk to him." JJ says, venom in her voice. I groan. "Uh, well technically, didn't you sleep with like 5 different men JJ? Oh, sorry not 5 men. One of them was a girl." Grey-Man says, turning around to face her, me doing the same.

I could hear the smirk in his voice. JJ was pretty, but plastic. She didn't have that nerdy, stubborn, sweetness that most romance movies seem to force you to endure, but she was pretty, like a barbie. "Ha, your funny, and you know that's not true." She says, placing her hands on her hips, and leaning to one side. I guess I'm not in this conversation anymore.

I could hear shuffling around me, so I turn around, watching as Grey-Man reached into his bookbag, his cleats now on the ground. I just noticed how silent the hallways were. I looked around. We're the only ones left.

Grey-Man, once finally finds his phone, taps it viciously, then smirks. You could see him typing, so I watched in intently, trying to find out what. "So, I found JJ's phone today, and the screen showed her contact list. Please tell me why four of her contacts were named Fuckboy, and the last one was Fuckgirl. Exclamation mark, exclamation mark." He says, before looking back at her.

"Would you like me to post it?" He says, showing me and her the phone screen, and the typed-out tweet. "God! Why do you boys have to be so annoying, I just wanted to talk to Popcorn." She groaned, though her voice changed from agitated, to sarcastic in a second. Well, anyway, I have some stuff to do at home. See you later boys!" She says waving, before skipping off.

I turn back around to Grey-Man, to see him placing his phone back into his backpack. "Dude, you didn't have to do that." We usually don't say thank you, so it seemed foreign when the words rolled off my tongue. Grey-Man just rolled his eyes. "Save the fag shit for your boyfriend, got it?" Grey-Man said though he joked.

He slung his backpack around his arms, then started walking again, me running to catch up. "Whatever asshole."

"Whatever, dickhead."

I and Grey-Man walked out to the bus loop, shocked that the busses were starting to leave. I looked over at him, and he looked back at me. "So, do you have a ride?" He asks me, and I simply shake my head. He sighs again. "Guess we have to walk." He says simply, stepping off of the concrete and onto the road, making his way to the highway. "But your house is like, five miles away?" I complained, looking at him skeptically.

"Then let's go to your house." He says simply like he's talking about girls. "Uh, my house is a mess. Also, like, why." I whined, and yes, I know I'm not acting my age. "Stop acting like a bitch, and come on." He says already halfway across the way. I look both ways, before following.

Usually, I don't act like this, only Grey-Man sees me like this. Everyone else thinks I'm some badass, awesome, handsome, and strong, and- "Can you hurry up?! I'm trying to get to your house before the lights turn on. My ma will kill me otherwise." He says, glaring at me.

'Yeah, I'm coming, I'm coming." I say rolling my eyes. I run over to him, wondering if it's necessarily safe to stop in the middle of the street to turn around and yell at someone. We both start walking across the highway, as coolly as possible. All we need are a couple of explosions behind us, and we'll be good.