"Do you want to be partners?"

I looked up and saw Ashley Stratham, senior, captain of the JV cheerleading squad. I shrugged. She rolled her eyes and sat next to me. "So... do you know what we're doing?"

I shook my head and looked over the sheet our calculus teacher had passed out. We were supposed to make a real-world situation for what we were learning.

She sighs and grumbles something to herself. 

"What was that?" I ask.

She sighs again and looks at me. "I don't know why Sarah is your friend. She must pity you."

My mouth dropped. I couldn't retaliate, because her pitying me was one of my fears already. I knew that she loved me, but just how much of that love was pity? And besides, she didn't love me in the way I love her. I felt a hungry tug towards her. She thought of me as a little sister that can't find her way.

"Well, you can work on this. I don't feel like it." She stands.

I glanced at her sharply, scrunching my eyebrows together. "But we're partners."

She leans in close and gives me a fake smile. "You're on my cheerleading team, friend. Do the work, or you won't be anymore. And you wouldn't want to disappoint Sarah, now would you?"

I flinched at the jab towards Sarah. I didn't like it when people made fun of me, of course, but it was worse when they made fun of Sarah because of me. If she wasn't so lovely, I would have shattered her reputation just by hanging around her.

I smile grimly and nod. "I'll do it."

She grinned. "Thanks, dearie." And she walks away. 

I blink rapidly to keep from crying.