//------------------------------// // Chapter One // Story: The Girl Behind the Books // by TheLadyTwilight //------------------------------// "Hyyah!" I grunted as I dove, skidding on the sand, my hands just barely hitting the volleyball, bouncing it into the air. I watched with a smile as one of my other teammates spiked the ball over the net, my smile turning to a grin as the sand exploded around it, and the whistle blew. The game was over, and the Wonderbolts won. Again. Of course they did, with a captain like me. I stood up and dusted myself off, then walked over to the bleachers to find my friend, Applejack. She sat in our usual spot at the front of the crowd, cowboy hat tipped down to shade her eyes, hair tucked into a wild and messy ponytail, just like mine. "AJ!" I called out, and she turned to face me with her trademark smile. "Howdy, Rainbow! That sure was a good game." She said to me as she walked up to me, clapping me on the back. I cringed. AJ's version of a 'pat on the back' was more like a 5-star. I even bet that there's a hand-shaped mark. "Thanks." I said as we began to walk towards the school building, shrugging off the injury AJ had inflicted. Curse my goddam sensitive skin. The sun beat down on us, the grass beginning to turn brown in the tail end of spring. School wasn't out for another three weeks, unfortunately. The large brick building loomed in front of us, which I would gladly compare to a gate to hell. We walked inside along with the rest of the crowd, and made our way to our lockers, which happened to be right next to each other. With a sigh, I grabbed my math textbook and spiral, then loudly slammed the door shut. Applejack had her math book as well, and together we navigated through the winding halls of Canterlot High until we found the library. I flopped down at an empty table and groaned loudly. "C'mon, Dash, it ain't that bad. Its just one test we gotta study for." She said. Easy for her to say. Its not like she actually expects me to study…right? I opened my math book, but instead of actually studying, voted in favour of looking at everything else. I watched as Rarity tossed a paper ball into the garbage can, then pretended it wasn't her as said paper ball bounced off the rim and landed on the floor. I watched Pinkie Pie secretly pull some type of cracker from her pocket and shove it in her mouth the second the librarian turned away, and I watched Fluttershy watch all of this as well, from the table behind Pinkie. I watched Sunset Shimmer drink from the drinking fountain, and cringed as Trixie whacked both Snips and Snails on the head with her textbook. Shifting my eyes to the right, I saw the back of someone's head, belonging to a blue-haired guy. "Applejack." "Shh." "Applejaaack," "What?" "Who is that?" "I dunno." Said Applejack. She shrugged her shoulders, but I hardly noticed. I was fixated on the boy two tables up and to the right of me. His hair was short, and he was sitting alone. The book in his hands was smaller than a textbook. Is he…Is he reading for fun?! I didn't understand how someone could enjoy reading...maybe I could ask him about the book...or ask if he's new.. maybe ask for his name or his number...honestly I just wanted to hear his voice. But, alas, I was bucking nervous. I didn't understand how on earth I could be so fascinated with someone I hadn't even met. I couldn't call this a crush, could I? "I want to meet him..." I mumbled to myself, not intending for anyone to hear. But of course Applejack had to hear. I couldn't say a damn word without someone else picking up on it. "Well when the bell rings go talk to em', then." She said. "Applejack," I snapped back. "It's not that simple." If I did that, he was bound to think I was weird or creepy. One does not simply 'go up and talk to them'. It just doesn't work that way, even if they are new. So I spent the next ten minutes just staring at him, trying to form a good mental picture. I tried to imagine his face, and his voice...how tall he was... if his smile was bright...the way he laughed...I was picturing him waving at me when the goddam bell rang and interrupted my thoughts. Groups of people gathered and cliques formed, everyone cramming at the door, wanting to leave as quickly as possible. Only a few stragglers were still in their seats, either finishing reading, packing their bags, or simply waiting out the crowd at the door. Within these stragglers, were me, AJ, the mystery guy, and Rarity. I watched with discontent as Rarity began to waltz up to the boy. I unconsciously found myself walking forward, interjecting Rarity's path, leaving both AJ and our stuff at the table. "Rarity! Hey…" I said, wincing as the girl stopped walking and turned only to glare at me. "What do you want, Rainbow Dash?" She said, making no attempt to hide the venom in her voice. She made an effort to flip her long, royal purple hair as noticeably as possible, which she knew ticked me off. God, how I wanted to grab some scissors and chop that shit off. "Great to see you too, Rare. Anyway, who's that boy over there?" I asked, gesturing over to him. "She, is Twilight Sparkle. She just transferred here and is actually very kind. Don't give her any of your usual trouble." Said Rarity before walking off. I could feel the heat rushing into my cheeks, and my eyes grew wide. I stiffly walked back to the table and a smirking Applejack, who handed me my things. As we were walking out, I heard Twilight laughing at something Rarity had said. 'Shit…' I thought. She really was just as cute as I had pictured.