New Girl

Chapter 3

I shuffle my books, trying to make this situation less awkward and pull out my schedule. I have honors math first period. According to Tara, Hunter is in that class too. Can this get any more awkward?
"So Emily, how many people have you met here already?" Hunter asks. I look up and recall all of the people I have talked to in the last hour.
"Well, I met Nicole." I say, waiting for Hunter to say that they are dating, and he does.
"Oh, you've met Nicole? She's pretty sweet. She's a really great girl once you get to know her." He says, nodding. I remember all of the stuff Tara and Claire were saying this morning about her.
"Uh, yeah I guess." I say, smiling. "I also met Claire McMaster, and Tara Adams." I say with confidence.
"Cool! Oh and by the way, you don't have to refer to everyone by their full names here. This town is so small that I can practically name all of the kids in our grade off hand." Hunter jokes. I let out a little giggle. In the corner of my eye, I can spot Tara watching me like a hawk. What if she thinks I'm trying to steal Hunter away from Claire or Nicole? Trying to avoid that thought, I turn away from Hunter. At that moment, the morning announcements come on.
"Good Morning North Oak Middle School and High School! It's Principle Wilson here, and...." I stop listening and just daydream. Suddenly, I see Hunter pull out his black iPhone. Were phones allowed at this school? I see him texting a contact named "Nikki ;)". He must be texting Nicole. Suddenly, I hear Mr. Maul yell.
"Hunter! You come back here and give me your phone right now. You can get it at the office at the end of the day!" Hunter strolls to the back of the room, acting like this situation has happened many times before, and drops his phone in Mr. Mauls hands.
"Thank you. Sit back down!" Mr. Maul commands. Tara and I give eachother that oh-my-gosh-that-was-so-intense look and then the bell rings.
"So, where are you heading now?" Hunter asks me as we file of of room 209.
"Oh, uh, honors math with Miss Guzman." I say, glancing at my schedule, re-assuring myself that I'm right.
"Oh, what a coincidence, I'm going there too!" Hunter laughs. I knew it!
"Oh, wow!" I say.
"Would you like me to show you the way there?" Hunter offers.
"If you don't mind." I say.
"Ok. Follow me right this way." As I'm walking next to Hunter, we pass Nicole and her crew. Nicole smiles and waves at Hunter, and when she sees me next to him, she glances at me in that queen-bee-of-the-school kind of way. I look at Hunter and he's still looking at Nicole, even though she is 15 feet away from us now. We walk into math, and I immediately spot Claire. Her face lights up and motions me over. I sit down in the open seat next to her and say hi.
"Oh my gosh, Tara told me you were talking to Hunter in homeroom!" Claire explains. I suddenly have to pee. Is she mad at me? "How did it go?" Claire asks.
"It went fine. All he did was talk about Nicole." I say. Claire suddenly looks disappointed. Oh no. Was I supposed to tell her something else? Claire's face suddenly lights up again when the bell rings and Miss Guzman starts teaching us about volume. She did nothing to announce that I was new, which was ok because I didn't need any more embarrassment in my life right now. The rest of the morning flew by like a blur.
Then came lunchtime. Deciding where to sit is the most important decision in a new students life. I try to find Claire and Tara, and then I spot them. I sit down next to Claire, and Tara sits across from us.
"So, any drama lately?" Tara asks us.
"Well, Hunter showed me the way to math class today and Nicole walked past us and gave me a look." I say. Claire groans.
"See, you can't associate with Nicole's friends or boyfriends, because she can turn our whole grade against you if she feels like you are a "threat to her popularity" Claire explains in a snobby voice, sounding much like Nicole.
"Yeah. Even though he is cute, you can't talk to Hunter when Nicole is around. Claire found that out the hard way." Tara explains as she looks at Claire. Claire nods and tells us this 5 minute long story on how she was talking to Hunter during a pep rally last month, when Nicole and Hunter first stated dating. They were simply talking about a science project they were assigned to do, and Nicole must have thought that they were flirting. So, the next day, Claire checked her Instagram and Nicole posted a photoshopped picture of Claire, making her look 500 pounds. The caption said "fat face loser girl" and Claire had to miss school for 3 days because she was afraid of being made fun of.
After Claire told her story, I suddenly became afraid of Nicole. I really don't want her to make fun of me. After lunch, I go back to my locker and get my books for Spanish Class. The afternoon also flew by. After school, I pack up my things and head back to the bus stop. I see Nicole and her posse of cheerleaders waiting for the bus.
"Hey Emily!" Nicole shouts, motioning me over. I run to her and her crew. Hunter isn't there yet.
"Wanna come to a football game tonight at 7pm at the High School football field?" Asks Nicole. I didn't know what to say. Should I go?