I wanted him, but I couldn't have him. He was the legendary Derek Silvers, class valedictorian with a 5.0 because of his perfect grades in AP classes but also one of the proverbial "nerds".
He made Eros himself look like a leper. His dark brown hair fluttered in front of his dark brown eyes, which complemented his tan complexion. His clothing always consisted of jeans paired with a button up shirt, usually striped or plaid, sometimes unbuttoned with a white undershirt underneath.
His easy grin won over the teachers, making him one of those 'all teachers' pet'. The teachers, when allowed to be subjective, always graded papers in his favor and answered his questions immediately. If he didn't understand it, nobody else would have.
I was class salutatorian and captain of the varsity cheerleaders. I had worked for my grades; unlike me, Derek made even the advanced placement classes appear to be no harder than reciting the alphabet, effortlessly earning a five on all the AP exams. He was brilliant at every subject, bar none. Even though he wasn't on any sports teams, it was commonly said he would have the most colleges offering the most scholarship money fighting over him.
High school ethics didn't allow me to interact with him as anything but a classmate. Even though his schedule mirrored mine, the only conversation I ever had with him was during class discussions. During those class discussions, defiance and arrogance would shine in his eyes, daring his opponent to challenge him. Few ever did; who would disagree with the student who argued with the teachers and won?
I watched him everyday at lunch, his phantom smile when he found something his friends said amusing, his coruscating eyes when he was silently mocking someone, his animated facial expressions and hand gestures when he was engaged in a battle of wits.
I was the girl at the table across from his, the one whom he could have had with one acknowledgment but wouldn't dare to. My current athlete boyfriend would sit near me, but I could never concentrate on him; how could I when the protagonist of all my dreams was right in front of my eyes, there for me to look at to my heart's content?
My best friend and co-captain, Victoria, also Derek's sister, noticed my constant trance. She guessed I was thinking of a guy, and she always tried to guess whom. She claimed that I changed my dream man too often for her to guess correctly, but I always told her it was the same one from last week, much to my boyfriends' chagrin.
She never guessed her brother; of course, she wouldn't have. She and I were on a social level miles above Derek's; even though Derek and she were related by blood, people in the other's group always referred to them as "Silver's sister/brother", her friends sneering, his friends cowering.
I watched couples around me, totally in love, complete with truly passionate kisses and cheesy but cute lines. Never with any of my boyfriends had I experienced this kind of passion; after about a week, I would break up with each one, only to be courted by a dozen more, desperate for the head cheerleader's affections.
None of them were whom I craved. If the only reason I couldn't have him was my captaincy, I would without any procrastination or doubts relinquish it to Victoria, even if having him did ruin my reputation.
I wasn't going to wait any longer for him. At lunch, I went to his table and seated myself right beside his usual seat. His friends quickly shifted aside to allow me room; even though I wasn't the kind of person who looked down on them as inferiors, they knew better than to refuse their Homecoming Queen anything.
He was chatting with his best friend, also Victoria's secret crush, when he noticed I was sitting in his friend's spot, which was right beside his.
After placing his tray on the table, he asked me, his tone formal but not wholly unkind, "May I be of assistance to you, miss?"
His manners befitted a butler, not a high schooler, but they were part of what had made me fall for him. His veiled insults could be taken as compliments by those who didn't understand them solely because of the humble tone he used on those who were known to him by only name.
I stood up, nodded, and then kissed him full on the lips, in front of the entire cafeteria, knowing full well that the entire school would know by the end of the day.
He was at first slightly hesitant but soon responded to my kiss. Before I could have my fill, he pulled away, apparently stunned that I would approach him.
"How much did you win?" he asked, his tone conversational instead of the expected bitter.
It took me a while to comprehend his question. I shook my head when I did. "Nothing." Though he said nothing, his eyes betrayed his skepticism.
I kissed him again, trying to disprove his theory. This time he believed me, not stopping the kiss until both of us were completely out of breath. He smiled at me, and I felt myself smile back. I spent the rest of lunch with him.
I asked him shyly at the end of lunch, "Will you be my boyfriend?" This was the first time I myself had to ask the boy that.
"Do you mean it?" he asked. "I'd rather not be dumped tomorrow." Of course, he knew how ruthlessly I had ditched my previous boyfriends, but he didn't know why, did he?
I nodded my head, my eyes blazoning my sincerity.
He kissed me again, this one with more passion than the other two, his hands around my waist pulling me closer to him.
"Yes," he breathed. I didn't hear the shrieks and yells of disapproval from the rest of the school.
A/N: Thanks for reading. So what did you think? Yes, I know it's very cliched, but I had fun writing it. PLEASE REVIEW!!! You know the list: Wow, Brilliant, Great, Good, Decent, Bad, Terrible, Horrendous, Corner.
If enough people seem to like the general idea (cheerleader/nerd instead of jock/nerd), I might do another story with the same cheerleader/prince of nerds characters but with a different plot.
EDIT: The cheerleader/nerd idea has been made into a full-fledged story by the name of Of Variables, Frisbees, & Basketballs.