UnEnchanted (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale #1)(3)

“Well maybe if you got a cell phone, you could have texted me you were running late,” Nan quipped, pulling out her latest iPhone, fingers flying over the touchpad.

“What are you doing? Are your chirping?” Mina asked accusingly.

Nan rolled her eyes and laughed, “Really Mina, it’s called tweeting.”

“Okay. Are you tweeting?”

“Of course,” Nan smirked.

Mina’s stomach sank. “About what?” She had a feeling she already knew the answer. She saw something in Nan's hand when she had previously opened the window and leaned out.

“Oh, nothing much, just tweeting the picture of you running like a madman after the bus to all of my followers.” "Followers" made it sound like some sort of cult.

“Nan, how many followers do you have?” Mina hoped the number hadn’t gone up.

“Well after yesterday’s rant about the garbage they pass off as lunch, I’m up to about three hundred.” She clicked "update" and immediately chiming could be heard from multiple phones on the bus. Snickers and heads turned Mina’s way pointing and whispering the words, loser and nerd.

“Nan! How could you?” Mina whispered scrambling over Nan so she could be by the windows and out of direct line of sight to most of the riders. Pulling her backpack up over her head, she hid behind the bag.

Nan made a chiding sound. “Mina, you need to learn to laugh at yourself; I’m trying to get you noticed. Hardly anybody knows who you are.”

“I can’t imagine anyone wanting to be the center of that kind of attention, I certainly don’t.”

Nan raised one eyebrow in disbelief. “Nonsense, everyone wants to get at least some attention. Well except for you. You are the only one who doesn’t care whether people even know your name. Really Mina, It doesn’t even matter whether it’s good or bad, lies or truth, everyone wants to be popular; to be known for something.” Nan was the friendliest and most outgoing girl in the school. Everyone seemed to like Nan, not because she was popular or smart, but because she was fun and real.

“Not me,” Mina shrugged nonchalantly.

“Does that go for gossip as well?” Nan asked slyly.

“Yep, not interested in others’ either,” Mina snipped.

“So, I guess in that case, you wouldn’t care about the current eligibility status of a certain boy?” Nan knew that her best friend had a secret crush on Brody Carmichael ever since her family moved here.

“Brody and Savannah broke up?” Mina sat up straight in disbelief, knocking her backpack to the floor.

“Ah ha! See you are interested,” Nan smirked knowingly.

“No, I’m not,” Mina shrugged, trying to act disinterested.

“Yes, you are,” Nan taunted. She was right, Mina did want to know.

“Okay, fine… Did they?” Mina felt a flower of hope start to bloom and then shrivel up dead at Nan’s next statement.

“No, but see! Wouldn’t you want to know if they did?”

“I hate you Nan Taylor!” Mina shot out. “You’re a dream killer, you know that right? KILLER. K-I-L-L...”

“Gee Grimy, keep it down,” a male voice shot out from behind their seat.

Mina’s face flushed red and she finished spelling at a softer level, “E-R.” Mina hated her last name. Grime was an easy target for name-calling: Grimes, Slime, Grimy. She couldn’t wait until she got married and could legally change her name; if Mina could ever overcome her awkwardness and talk to a boy.

Sitting back, Mina let Nan talk on about the latest episode of Glee and even sang a few bars from the new hit single she downloaded on her iPhone. Mina didn’t even own an iPod, the closest thing she had was an old CD player. That was something else about Nan, she was addicted to Glee and every popular reality show on TV. Mina didn’t understand her best friend’s infatuation. Mina’s own life was already a reality show; why did she need to watch someone else’s life?

The bus reached Babushka's Bakery, and all of the wary and bored teenagers filed off and waited in groups. This was Mina’s chance to scan the crowd and find the tall blonde-haired Brody Carmichael. Sure enough, he was standing next to Savannah White, who looked every bit a princess, with her long white-blonde hair, porcelain skin, and big blue eyes. Brody seemed distracted as Savannah latched possessively onto his arm, marking her territory as only a female could.

Brody was the fantasy of every girl’s dream. He was a perfectly blended cocktail of aristocrat and jock. The Carmichaels prided themselves on family lineage and could follow their founding members to when they first came over on the Mayflower. They raised race horses, owned a clothing company, and were by far the richest family in the state. Yet, Brody never let it get to his head. He never raised his voice, never bullied anyone, and seemed completely oblivious to his social status and effect on girls.

Mina’s daydreaming was interrupted as a short plump man hurried out of the gray brick factory.

“Welcome, we are so glad to have you here. You can call me B.J.,” the man said, smiling and wiping what was obviously the remains of his breakfast, consisting of powdered doughnut, from his face. “Let me introduce your tour guide, Claire. She will take you around the factory and answer any questions you have.”

Claire walked out of the factory in a white lab jacket, yellow helmet, and goggles, but they did nothing to impede her model-like beauty. There were some obvious whistles and jabs among the boys, and even Brody stood a few inches taller as they tried to impress the tour guide. She smiled warmly at them and motioned the class to follow her into the factory. Her walk sashayed and her red heels clicked on the cement sidewalk to a rhythm that only she could hear.