The Wonderful Life Of April Fontaine

Chapter 1

Rain pelts against the window as I sit in the dreary geography class. Tap, tap, tap... My pencil hits the desk like a drumstick as I build up to the chorus of my favourite song. Mr Phillips begins to write something on the board in his barely legible handwriting and I pretend to pay attention by silently nodding my head. Tap. Mr Phillips shoots me a look of death and I stop tapping. "Miss Fontaine, would you please refrain from drumming in my lesson and at least pretend to not look completely bored out of your mind?" He asks in his dull monotone voice. 20 pairs of eyes turn to stare at me as my cheeks flush beetroot. I almost throw the pencil as far away from me as possible but I suddenly stop myself thinking about how much people would laugh at me. I hate being the centre of attention. Mr Phillips eyes bore a hole into my head as he stares at me waiting for an apology. My cheeks grow redder as I stutter an apology, "Sorry Mr Phillips it won't happen again". I tuck a piece of mousy brown hair behind my ear as my pulse returns to normal. My foot taps against the laminate floor and the fluorescent light strips give off horrible light. Like a mouse trapped in a cage of cats I am stuck in high school. It's like a prison with gates and plain brick buildings. My mousy brown hair suits me because I am so quiet. I barely think anyone notices me outside of my friends Sasha, Vanessa and Poppy. I know I'm not a loner, I'm told that I'm clever but I am most definitely not one of the "populars".
My pen glides across the page creating a web of spiderlike writing scrawls some notes about earthquakes. Then I hear her laugh. It's so fake but somehow the person that owns the laugh is deemed as superior above the rest of us. She is the queen bee. Her name is Macey McGovern and she is confident, attractive and has guys drooling at her feet. Oh yeah... I forgot to mention she has an amazing figure and eats whatever the hell she likes. Curse her good genes! I think to myself as I stare down at my average figure. I'm not morbidly obese or beautifully curvy I'm just plain. She's been in my grade since kindergarten but I doubt she would even know my name! Her posse crowd around her engulfing every word that comes out of her Botox lips. I stifle a giggle at how fake they are and go back to staring at the clock willing it to go faster. Finally the bell sounds in the corner of the room sounding my way to freedom. I flip my folder together and tuck it under my arm pulling my backpack strap over my shoulder.
I race out of the class room escaping a lecture from Mr P. I shut the door behind me and I am instantaneously bombarded by one of my best friends Sasha. "Hey April!" she squeals giving me a massive hug. She has a larger than life personality and hair to match. Her frizzy fro sticks out at all angles making me jealous of its pure coolness. "Sasha you're squeezing the air out of my lungs. I can't breathe!" I whisper. She lets go and air returns to my lungs as I gasp dramatically. She just stands their laughing hysterically before sliding her arm through mine leading me to the cafeteria. "It's so not funny I could have died!" I reply theatrically placing my hand on my forehead pretending to almost faint. We burst into the cafeteria laughing.
The chaos immediately makes me jump back as people run around like wild animals. The clash of the cutlery is enough to give you a full scale headache and the sound of thumbs ably typing at touch screens could drive you insane. My eyes search for our table; I soon spot our friends Poppy and Vanessa wave madly. I give them a quick shy wave but Sasha yelps and makes massive motions with her arms. I bury my face in my hands trying not to draw any more attention to myself. We simultaneously grab a tray and survey today's menu: Beef Lasagne and Apple pie. I point towards the lasagne and decline the sloppy apple pie. As we walk past the vending machine I quickly grab a bottle of water before heading to the cashier to pay. Sasha races to the table and her tray creates a massive bang as it collides with the table. She takes a seat at the table and begins to gossip with Pops and Nessa. Picking at my lasagne with my fork I don't feel hungry; deciding to take a few bites before leaving it. The conversation carries on as I sit in silence thinking.
"So April, what's up you haven't spoken a word?" Poppy realises that I'm being and gives me sympathetic smile.
"Huh...oh right! Sorry Pops I'm a bit out of it." I reply yawning. She rolls her eyes.
"I can tell!" She laughs revealing her stunning row of pearly whites. Her Dad's the best dentist in the state so she has great teeth.
"Hey did you guys hear about the new kid? He is supposedly super gorgeous, it's a bummer I never caught his name." Poppy asks us on the hunt for more information.
"I heard about him. He's apparently tall, tanned and from California! Jeez Louise there he is. Holy sweet Jesus he is smoking." Vanessa whispers in her Texan southern drawl so that he doesn't hear.
I turn to look in the direction that that Vanessa's eyes are almost popping out of her skull. Every girl is drooling over him. Then our eyes meet. He has warm caramel eyes flecked with gold. They're unlike anything I've ever seen. He starts to walk towards me. Vanessa taps my shoulder and squeals. He walks past me and winks. The whole cafeteria goes silent as they try to listen into what he's about to say to me. "Take a picture it will last longer." He says cockily and the whole room erupts into conversation.
"What a jerk! I'm gonna kill him." Sasha hisses glaring into the space that he just stood in. I dismiss her with my hand and stand up running out of the cafeteria whilst Pops, Nessa and Sasha call my name. I run to the girl's bathroom and stare at my reflection. I have gone bright red for the second time today and my hair looks a mess. I apply some lip balm to my chapped lips and pull my hair into a high ponytail. Then I hear the bitchy cattiness of Macey McGovern and her posse Amber and Beki. I rush to the cubicle and hide; escaping the wrath of her fake-ness. My heart pounds as I try to keep deadly silent.
"OMG! Who was he talking to? I have been flirting with him all day and he has barely noticed." She squalks as Amber and Beki try to console her. What a bitch! She can have him. He's a jerk anyway.