The new boy in school is from England. So what?

For a month, he'd been acting all condescending and playing hard to get. He didn't spare a look at the girls who swooned over him. He didn't care to make friends. He skipped Gym and instead, he spent the extra time sitting on a bench in the school yard, drawing or blocking out the world with his earbuds.

He didn't join any of the sport teams. He didn't even eat lunch with the rest of us, because he brought his gourmet food with him. Something about his attitude was screaming 'stuck up jerk!'

Sure, he was tall dark and handsome. He had those deep-set dark eyes and a gorgeous mess of golden-brown hair that tended to fall over his forehead, especially when he curled forward over his sketchbook. His accent made every girl in school drool over his classic English charm, but it seemed like he thought he was Prince William or something. He obviously believed he was better than everyone else.

I don't like arrogant guys. They get on my nerves.

"Hey! Mister English Guy. You're living on earth with us, aren't you?"

That was the first thing I told him since he moved here. I was frustrated with his snobby silence all the time. I mean, who did he think he was? He was just a guy after all. And guys, never ignored me. Me, Chastain Morris, a.k.a. ' Queen of Campus.'

Not one guy in this school didn't dream of a touch of my soft blonde curls or a look of my emerald eyes. I didn't like to brag but I was sort of the town's beauty queen.

Mr. Uppity slowly raised a set of confused eyes to meet mine. Confused, yeah, but they made me even more confused. They were too pretty and expressive, but this wasn't going to get to me. I was on a mission to knock him down to size as I promised Dana and Lydia, who were watching me from across the schoolyard. I was doing this on behalf of womankind, actually. I considered this my duty.

"Excuse me?" He said. His vocal tone was deep and hoarse in a way that didn't match his lanky exterior, but it sounded really... nice.

" You know I'm talking to you, so don't play dumb." I narrowed my eyes, hands on my hips.

" Do I even know you? What are you talking about?" He asked, dropping his pencil and crossing his arms over his plait shirt, his thick brows knitting together.

I snorted, shaking my head. " You don't know who I am, Mr. Too Important? I'm Chastain Morris. Head of the cheerleading squad. I practically keep this school together."

He blinked once, staring with the same confusion. "Brim," he said.

"What?" I thought he was cussing or something.

"My name is Brim. Brimley Watson," he clarified with a blank expression.

"Yeah, I know that. " I waved it off. Of course, I knew his full, snobbish, overly British name. 'Brim' sounded much better, but I didn't tell him that.

"Aren't you going to tell me what you want, so I can get back to my work?" He asked after a moment of awkward silence. He tilted his head up to look at me, then he turned and pulled a bottle of water from his backpack. He knocked down half of the water, and wiped his lips with the back of his hand.

The casual gesture irritated me. Was he doing this to mock me? Was he trying to tell me he had more important things to do than talking to me? How rude!

Not needing an invitation, I stomped closer and sat down next to him. I crossed one leg over the other and shook it nervously. My pointy heel almost grazed his jeans-clad leg.

His brows flew up in a 'what's-wrong-with-you?' Disdainful expression.

"Okay. Let me get this straight. I don't like what you're doing. Coming from a 'Kingdom' doesn't mean you can act like a king, alright? So you really should cut it out." I demanded, glaring to his face.

The thick layers of his hair glistened in the sun as he raked it with his fingers, eyes wide with shock. "Seriously, what does this have to do with anything? Are you trying to pull a bloody prank? Is it like 'Candid Camera' School Edition?"

I huffed, lifting an open hand in front of his pretty face. " Listen. It's this kind of attitude that gave you the bad reputation. Walking around with your nose in the air won't help you fit in at this town. So let me give you a healthy piece of advice. Stop acting all high and mighty, pretending to be better than everyone, because you're not. "

"Dear God! I know I'm not! But you don't even know me to assume I'm this piece of rubbish you're talking about!" Brim Watson looked hurt. Really hurt. His eyebrows furrowed intensely. His face reddened like a ripe tomato. He sucked in an audible sharp breath and brought the water bottle again, drinking up the rest of it.
Pressing his temples, he closed his eyes for a few seconds and opened them to glare at me.

I knew I should be angry. I should prepare a snappy comeback, but something about his reaction made me change my mind.

"Alright. Then, why are you shutting everyone out? Why don't you eat with us, or join the school team, or talk to girls? Why are you staying alone when you can be Mr. Popularity. We're not good enough for you?" My tone quieted against my will. I really wanted to know. I had a feeling I'd regret this.

He gazed into my face, a wistful half-smile on his lips. "That's it? That's how you made your judgment?"

I opened my mouth to reply but then a sudden loud music interrupted me.

Sugar, honey , honey, you're my candy girl...

Brim's head snapped and he muttered a curse under his breath. He stuffed his hand inside his pocket and brought out his cellphone.

"Hey, mom. Ok, I got it. Don't worry... Yes, I will. Love you too, " he answered quickly and hung up.

A sarcastic smile rose to my lips. Mama's boy. His mother probably controlled his life. Maybe she'd told him not to mingle with the 'Muggles'.

"Mommy calls you at school?" I chuckled. I thought he was arrogant. I had no idea he was a big baby.

"Well, yeah. I literally cannot live without her," he said, rummaging through his backpack again and producing a large pen that looked thicker than normal pens.

"You know what this is?" He asked, rolling the pen between his fingers.

"Well, duh! Obviously. " I rolled my eyes.

My eyes bulged out of their sockets when he pulled his shirt up to reveal his flat abdomen. There wasn't much muscle in there. He was too thin, actually. I stared like a creep and nearly fainted when he stabbed himself with the tip of the pen.

I gasped.

He pulled it back in a second and gave me a sideways smile. "Welcome to my world, Chastain Morris."

The truth of how ignorant and unfair and stupid I was drowned me in a feeling of being utterly despicable. I wanted to puke on me.

Brim straightened his shirt and folded his arms tightly, his eyes fixed on me. "I have Type 1 diabetes since I was thirteen. Four years and I'm still adjusting."

" I...I... I'm really sorry. I didn't know," I mumbled.

"Sure. So you see, I don't eat lunch at the cafeteria because I'm on a special diet. My mom handles it. She also reminds me of the insulin shots. I don't do most sports to avoid injuries. They don't heal easily in my condition." He paused, his head hung down. He looked up with a scowl tainting his face. "Sometimes, I have nerve pain, and I feel dizzy so I'm not allowed to do gymnastics, even though I want to."

"Is that why... you don't talk to anyone?" I asked hesitantly, feeling like crap, covered in puke and topped with garbage.

"No, that's not true. I don't talk much because of that reaction you just gave me when you saw my injection. Plus, nobody tried to talk to me like normal people. You guys think I'm some kind of alien species for being from another country. I don't mind if anyone came to talk to me, really."

"I'm really sorry," I repeated.

"It's alright. Now if you'll excuse me, I really have to eat, or I'll pass out." He grabbed a paper bag and began to unwrap his lunch. That was my cue to get my sorry butt out of here.

I said another 'sorry' and dragged my feet to the pair of morons who talked me into this crappy situation.

"You girls are a bunch of jerks, you know that? I'm not going to listen to you again," I growled

"Hey! What did we do?" Dana whined.

" Come on, girl. He just showed you his abs." Lydia wiggled her eyebrows.

"Idiots!" I muttered and turned on my heels, leaving them behind. I felt horrible. This was not enough, I was still guilty. The boy stirred something inside me that I didn't feel before.

I have to go back.

I stood midway, contemplating what to say. Hesitantly, I strode back to where he sat on the wooden bench. He was focused on his sketches once more after he'd finished his lunch.

I stopped two feet away, biting the inside of my cheeks.

" Brim."

He raised his eyes again. A serene look nestled in the darkness of his eyes.

"Can we just pretend that this conversation never happened and start over?" I pleaded. I needed a second chance to do things right.

He sighed. Then, a smile began to grow across his lips. The most genuine, bright and incredible smile I had ever seen.

He dropped his pencil and offered his hand to me. "Hello. My name is Brim Watson. "

I smiled and shook his hand. "I'm Chastain Morris. It's a pleasure to meet you Brim."

★★★★
Hello lovelies

This story won FIRST PLACE in (Teen Fiction challenge) contest by storytellers-saloon.
I hope you enjoy it and Please vote and comment if you do. ♥♥

P.s. this old song is a private joke between Brim and his mother. I hope you like it. Anyone knows it??? ;)

* The blue Circle is the universal symbol of diabetes, in case you're wondering about the title ;)