LIKE YOU MEAN IT
CHAPTER ONE !

NELL LIKED A FAIR. What wasn't to like after all? Thrill inducing rides and tasty funnel cakes. It was the stuff fair goers dreamed of. So far the young girl had been on the Puke and Duke twice. It was absolutely disgusting and the aftermath lived in her brain rent free for weeks after she visited the state fair, but there was just something so enticing about willingly boarding a ride that made you puke your guts up.

She had just stumbled her way off of the ride, stomach held in her hands as she held back the urge to heave when she caught sight of her friends, (they only really spoke in school) passing by.

"Josie! PJ." Nell called out, her voice dripping with excitement. The two girls halted all movement as they watched the dark haired girl rush towards them. "Hey guys, how was your summer?"

"Just as boring as last years." PJ complained with a roll of her eyes. Her fingers played around with the loops of her light brown coloured pants.

Josie nodded her head in agreement with her best friend. The summer definitely could have been better. Especially considering she now sported a sling that clashed with every outfit and just got in the way of doing daily activities.

"Yeah. Hey, where were you all summer? You literally vanished." Josie inquired from the Hewitt girl. The last either of them had seen Nell had been when school finished for summer. Usually, they would have seen her at least once during the summer but she'd been basically M.I.A the entire time.

"Oh, I didn't go anywhere. I just stayed inside and binged a couple box sets. Have either of you ever seen Buffy The Vampire Slayer?" Nell bit down hard on her bottom lip to stop herself from laughing at the confused look that painted itself across Josie's face.

PJ huffed and puffed beside them though neither paid her much attention. She was like a toddler in some ways, give them what they want and they never stop asking for it. Nell very rarely gave PJ any attention cause most of the time it just resulted in her being dragged into a boring conversation about Brittany and her 'smoking hot' PJ's words not Nell's, cheer uniform.

"If not, you should. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Eliza Dushku are so fine." Nell continued with a grin. Watching those two women on screen, kicking ass and looking good while doing it has been an amazing way to spend her summer.

PJ pulled a face. "If you say so."

Before another word could be exchanged between the trio, their school friend Hazel Callahan stepped up. Her outfit consisted of a pair of black pants, a colourfully embroidered white shirt and a corduroy vest. She looked good. At least Nell thought so.

Hazel was cute, Nell could admit that. A little ditzy at times and definitely couldn't detect sarcasm to save her life but that was part of her charm. She seemingly wasn't aware of how attractive she actually was and that honestly made her that much more endearing in the Hewitt girls eyes.

A grin was pulling at the corners of Hazel's lips as she dashed in front of them all. "Hey guys."

"Hi, Hazel." Josie and Nell greeted the short haired brunette.

"Ugh, hey Hazel. How was your summer?" PJ sarcastically quipped, her voice practically dripping with ridicule. "Were you with your uncle at the slop farm?"

            Hazel quirked up a brow. "If you mean volunteering at the National Meat Association, yeah it was good."

The Callahan girl continued. "What are you guys doing here? You guys never come to the fair. Not you, Nell you're here every year." Hazel finished up, flashing Nell a smile. You could always guarantee that Nell would be there, eating funnel cakes and riding the Puke and Duke.

The Hewitt girl nodded. She smiled back at Hazel as the overhead spinning lights cascaded along her face. "Every single year. It's like a tradition now."

            Hazel's gaze was pulled away from Nell once she caught sight of the sling wrapped around Josie's arm. "What happened to your arm?"

            A deep chuckle rumbled in PJ's chest at her friend's expense. "Oh my god, she ate shit is what happened." PJ uttered, her words tumbling out in a laughter enveloped spew.

            Hazel laughed along. "She ate literal shit? What the fuck." Her question caused the three girls faces to screw up in perplexity.

            Surely not? They were well aware of Hazel's inability to pick up sarcasm but surely she didn't believe that Josie are literal shit, right?

Unfazed by the looks sent her way, the Callahan girl continued to guess on what happened to Josie. "Did you get beat up again?"

A deep sigh fell from Josie's lips, her shoulders slumping as she replied, "No, I just tripped—"

"Or where you jumped?" Hazel kept going. She shuffled on her feet, glee swimming within her eyes. "Was it spycam? Did you go to Juvie?"

Josie snorted at the notion of either her or PJ going to Juvie while her best friend sneered, "Yeah, we went to Juvie." Her voice was filled with derision though neither Hazel nor Nell had picked up on it.

"Oh my god, it was Juvie?" Hazel exclaimed, her eyes growing wide and wild in disbelief.

"Wait, I thought you said your summer was boring?" Nell was confused. Why hadn't they told her that they'd gone to Juvie? How could they leave out such an interesting detail about their summer. "Juvie doesn't sound boring."

PJ was astonished. The Hewitt girl was quite smart, usually always got high grades in any test they had and was typically quick to catch sarcasm but clearly not now. "Nell..." she muttered in disappointment.

"Oh my god, what did you do?" The short haired brunette questioned the pair. Her inquiry would go unanswered as a loud, booping voice came over the crowd via bullhorn.

"Let's hear it for Jeff!"

Cheers from the crowd, people who adored the jock despite his shitty personality, enveloped them as they all watched on in disinterest. Not a single one of them was intrigued by the football culture that consumed their small New Orleans town. Something that was pretty clear by the roll of their eyes and PJ giving them the middle finger.

At the sight of Isabel, Jeff's girlfriend cuddling up to the boy, PJ groaned. "Ugh, I just don't get why girls like guys like that. It's like their like dogs, or pigs, or is there—what's the grossest animal?"

Nell followed the football gear clad idiot with her squinted eyes. "His stupidity makes me mad." She mumbled in annoyance, her words receiving a snicker from the three girls beside her.

"Oh fuck. Hazel, give me that." PJ suddenly exclaimed loudly, causing Nell to gasp in shock. PJ quickly swiped the stick of cotton candy from a protesting Hazel's hands. "Josie, take this."

The two bickered for a moment with PJ trying to get Josie to take the cotton candy and Josie adamantly refusing to take the treat. Hazel and Nell glanced at the two in confusion, not understanding why they were suddenly acting so skittish. Before either could question it further, the answer to their query was given when Isabel and Brittany, the schools head cheerleaders and object of Josie and PJ's affections respectfully, stepped out in front of the group.

"Hey, Brittany!" PJ eagerly uttered. Her grip on the cotton candy stick tightened considerably at the sight of the tall and beautiful brunette in front of her.

Brittany pulled the straw of her soda from between her lips as she greeted, "PJ."

PJ swallowed hard. She found her hands twitching in the air as she nervously gestured to Brittany's clothing. "I am loving all the—holes in your pants."

Brittany contemplated her reply for a split second. "Thanks. You look like a little Dutch boy."

Brittany's comment had Nell giving PJ a quick glance over, scanning her outfit. She let out a small laugh that was mostly muffled by her hand as she muttered, "She kinda does." to Josie and Hazel.

"Thank you." PJ accepted the comment in stride. She didn't seemed fazed at all by the comparison. "So, Britt. Can I call you Britt?"

Brittany shook her head from side to side. "I'd prefer if you just called me my name."

"Britt-a-nay!" PJ continued to nervously chatter.

A grimace formed amongst the features of Brittany's face. "No, not that." The tall girl said, voice dripping with contempt for the ugly sounding nickname.

Finally, after much awkwardness that was beginning to choke those around her, PJ settled on calling the girl by her actual name. "Brittany. Are you thinking of riding the ferris wheel at all tonight?" She feigned disinterest though it was obvious she was dying to know.

"I wasn't. I'm going on the Puke and Duke." She held up her soda cup and gave it a quick shake causing the ice inside to audibly jostle about. She shot PJ a tight-lipped smile while saying, "I need to pull trig."

As a novice Puke and Duke rider, Nell figured she could offer up some advice. "I've been on it twice. Eat something doughy beforehand. It comes up softer. Doesn't burn as much." She spoke earnestly. Stomach acid burning the oesophagus ruined the experience.

"Don't listen to her. I'm gonna say something crazy." PJ brushed off Nell's suggestion with a wave of the hand. "I think you could eat food. Digest it, let it marinate, poop it out."

"Mm, gross." Brittany mused.

With her hand that still clasped tightly to the cotton candy, PJ held it up and said, "Maybe this? You want a bite of this?" Her offer was turned down by another shake of the head from Brittany.

"Yeah, it's fucking disgusting." PJ chucked the sweet treat stick away, feigning revulsion. She released a sigh as she thought over her next offer of food. "You want a hotdog? We could go get a hotdog?"

            "I don't know." Brittany impishly laughed. She didn't oppose to the idea right away.

            Sensing she may have found her in, PJ swiftly began to integrate some top-notch flirting. "Yeah. We could get the bun."

            "No bun."

            "You gotta get the bun."

             "No." Brittany firmly said. The playful smile has dropped from her lips and her gaze had become hardened. She said no and she had meant it.

             A chill coursed through PJ as she fought back the urge to shudder. A shaky laugh tumbled from her lips as she gently replied, "No bun."

Desperate to shift the conversation away from the now frosty atmosphere that existed between herself and Brittany, PJ decided to drag Josie into the situation. "Okay, Isabel, Josie was just saying similar to me." She lied to the curly haired girl, gesturing to a frowning Josie.

Josie immediately shook her head. "I don't think so."

            "I think so. It was really good. It was super funny." PJ refused to relent. I mean here was a perfect opportunity for them to get somewhere real with Isabel and Brittany. She couldn't let Josie quash it.

            "You're just so—you're skinny too, as well." Josie awkwardly stuttered out, meekly gesturing to the beautiful Isabel. "I'm Josie, by the way."

Josie then proceeded to tip her imaginary top hat. "Good evening."

            A somewhat shrill giggle fell from her lips. "Yeah you're real—you're a real skinny-minnie, aren't you?" It was like watching a train wreck. You couldn't watch but you also couldn't look away. "You probably should eat. Probably gonna send you to the hospital with how skinny you are."

            "Uh-oh, call the doctor. Skinny girl, I see."

            This is awkward, Nell thought. Really awkward in fact.

            "Okay! Do you guys want any of our tickets?" PJ questioned, swooping in to save Josie from a potential drowning in her own tears later that night. In her hands, she held out the entire collection of their tickets.

            The whole thing was ripped from her grip by Brittany who simply said, "Yeah, thank you." before taking off towards the rides, Isabel in tow.

            "That was the worst thing I've ever seen." Nell confidently admitted not even ten seconds later, forcing a grimace onto her face to hide the grin that fought to appear. The effort was futile in seconds as she snorted at the two girls expense. "I got embarrassed for you."

            "Whatever, Nell." PJ grumbled in a huff before stomping away towards the parking lot like a toddler who just got told she couldn't swallow a piece of Lego.

            Laughter bubbled up within the Hewitt girl's chest as she watched Josie rush after her friend. A slight rouge painted her cheeks as her temperature rose despite the slight chill in the air that night. Now feeling a little hungry, after throwing it all up on the ride, Nell chose to not ignore the rumbling in her tummy.

            "You wanna go get a funnel cake?" She found herself asking. Her doe eyes peeled away from the retreating figures of Josie and PJ and moved to focus on the short haired Hazel that remained standing beside her, chuckling along at the embarrassing sight that had been before them.

A flustered expression overcame the Callahan girls features as her laughter suddenly ceased. "Together?"

"No, I'll go first and you can follow after." Nell deadpanned at the girl as she sarcastically quipped. When Hazel still seemed bewildered, Nell allowed a soft smile to form upon her lips. "Yes, Hazel. Together."

Not giving Hazel a chance to say no, the Hewitt girl reached out and grabbed hold of her hand, intertwining their fingers in seconds. "Come on." She gently coaxed the short haired girl along with her, shooting her an encouraging grin that caused Hazel to begin walking so as to avoid being dragged along.

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jamielee's thoughts.
chapter one. not proofread.
I literally died of second hand embarrassment for PJ and Josie in this scene, it was so awkward! anyway I hope you all like Nell so far and I hope you enjoyed :)