Flakes

Ch. 1 ~Welcome To Seaside Academy~

"I... I have a condition" I find myself responding for the thousandth time, shrinking as I say the words. Every time we changed schools it went this way. People would ask about my chronic dermatitis. One school coined me Lizard-Girl and another school called me Flakes. My name is actually Jenna Porter if anyone's asking. They probably aren't. The girl in front of me seemed friendly and helpful despite asking some pretty invasive questions. She happily took me by the arm to show me the next classroom on my schedule.

"My grandma has a condition too, it's called shingles. Very itchy I hear. And contagious" I watched her ponder whether it would be obvious if she let go of my arm. I shook my head "I just have dry skin, definitely not contagious."

She seemed relieved "Oh good! I definitely wouldn't want a best friend I couldn't touch."

"Best friend?" I asked, shocked. We'd known each other 15 minutes and all I knew about her was her name, Kayla, and that she was also a 11th grader. I didn't even know if I liked her yet... though, hearing the words best friend made my heart ache with wanting. I'd never had a best friend. Admittedly I hadn't made a true friend since 9th grade when my skin condition got worse.

Kayla smiled, "Well, I suppose we'll see! But I have a good feeling about it, Jenna. Anyway. This is your last class. It's Biology with Mr. Moore. He's ancient. People say he's over one-hundred, and he's as wise as he is old." The bell rang loudly, directly overhead. Kayla smiled sweetly and said, "Happy first day of school. If you want to know more about California, please ask me! I've lived here my whole life!" And with a twirl of her eccentric teal skirt and a wave of red hair, Kayla was off to her first class.

I walked to art studio, bracing for the "tell me about yourself" questions the teacher might ask, to which Jenna would fumble with words until she remembered to mention that she had a dog, liked to paint and play piano. But she'd never mention that she loved to sing. That was strictly reserved for the shower or when Aunt Mere drove she and David to school and certain Disney songs were on.

Mrs. Carlton was a kind-eyed woman who had an effect on her Art class that caused every student to feel serene. She welcomed Jenna, and instead of asking those dreaded questions, she had the class play a game about Jenna.

"Class, raise your hand if you think Jenna has a dog."

Most of the class raised their hands. Jenna nodded. Then Mrs. Carlton said, "Now, raise your hand if you think Jenna can... surf!" A few raised their hands. Jenna shook her head. She actually couldn't even swim.

"And lastly, raise your hand if you think she is from another country."

A few raised their hands and Jenna shook her head. A boy in the back of the class said, loudly under his breath "Or from a different planet!" And a few boys snickered. The fun game was over. Mrs. Carlton's soft eyes went cold. "Jason, the office. Now."

He grabbed a skateboard and ratty backpack, leaving the room before giving Jenna one last glare.

I will never talk to that menace. Jenna thought, angrily as he passed. Mrs. Carlton tried to smooth over the introduction, saying "Jenna, can you tell us a bit about where you're from?"

I answered, "Well, everywhere. My aunt and uncle move around a lot because of work. Now we're here to stay, hopefully."

Mrs. Carlton scanned the class

"And we'll all do our best to help welcome Jenna into our community, yes?"

They nodded, some half-heartedly.

At lunch, my stomach grew into a tiny, tight knot. The thought of sitting alone was awful, but the idea of asking to sit by others and being rejected seemed much worse. With a lunch tray in hand, I wavered indecisively. There was a group of beautiful, rich looking girls, all with the same headbands on. They must be the populars. At another table were some skater boys, drawing with permanent marker on their converse sneakers and talking boisterously. Among them was Jason from Art, who looked up and sneered my way. I quickly averted my gaze, seeing a group of drama students excitedly talking about auditions and already wearing the Oz shirts. Where was Kayla?

A finger tapped my shoulder and a familiar voice said "Hey, I was looking for you. I see you found the caf."

I turned, seeing Kayla's friendly, braced smile. She pointed to a small group of girls and a couple boys leaning against a wall.

"That's my group over there. I'm sure they'd like to meet you."
We had to walk past the skaters to get to that wall and I could tell they were thinking something mean.

Jason blurted "There goes flake-face!"

Great, the first nickname. I pretended to ignore the comment, But Kayla would not have it.

"Jason West, don't you have a braincell to lose?"

He cracked a smile, and motioned to Kayla's auburn locks. "Don't you have a soul to find?"

She rolled her eyes. "So original. Come on, Jenna."

Kayla introduced,

"Hey guys, this is Jenna. She just moved here from Nevada. Jenna, These are my friends, Jayda, Mackenzie and Ellie. That's Ellie's boyfriend Sam, and that's Eric Grace, the principal's son."

They all nodded or waved, unsure of Jenna. Mackenzie asked, "What's it like to live in Nevada? Did you go to Las Vegas a lot?"

I shrugged, "We actually didn't live there long, my aunt and uncle move us around a lot for work. It was nice, kinda boring honestly. We lived too far from Las Vegas but went once. It was really cool."

That answer seemed to satisfy the crowd. 

Ellie pulled me aside just as lunch was finishing up, and said, "Hey, I couldn't help but notice your skin. I... I'm sorry for just starting a conversation that way, but I think I can help."

A small smile was tugging at the corners of her mouth and I wasn't sure she was being genuine or about to release a cruel joke. I cautiously responded, "Okay... how?"

She replied, "My mom is a dermatologist and she sells products that literally do wonders for people's skin. I've seen skin much worse than yours turn supple and beautiful. If you want a bottle of her cleanser it's only forty bucks. You can just pay me in cash and I'll bring you a bottle."

I shook my head, "Thanks, I'll keep it in mind, but I don't think I'm interested right now."

Ellie looked me up and down and shrugged, "If I were you, I'd be trying anything. You'd actually be very pretty if it weren't for your skin issue, but it's your choice. Just let me know if you change your mind."

And with that she flitted away, off to class.