Maisie

Tiny & Invisible (Chapter 1)

Maisie

I stared at the red paint peeling off my locker, trying my hardest to drown out the whispers of the girls around me. They were buzzing with excitement for the winter dance. 

I, however, scoffed. It was two months away, and yet here they were sounding like a bunch of crazy's over something they just found out about not even twenty minutes ago.

But I suppose I had no right to talk since my opinion was biased. As a senior in high school, I had never been to a dance. I hadn't even had my first period yet, but I was kind of grateful for that. I wouldn't have the faintest clue what to do or how to handle it since I had no one to teach me.

I have no friends or family to teach me or show me what to do since my mother died when I was six, and my father was never in the picture.

As for friends, no one even looked my way. I'd been attending Sacred Grove High Schools since my freshman year, and it wouldn't surprise me if not one person at the school so much as new what my name was.

"Maisie Brooks!"

I turned my head to see the schools principal yelling through the locker room while his eyes moved from one girl to the next. I wasn't surprised when he scanned right over me and kept searching. 

"I apologize, ladies. Is there a Maisie Brooks in here?"

It was their turn to look at each other in confusion, but in the end, they just shrugged and shook their heads. 

The principal sighed. Why did he have to do this to us.

I tensed and slowly took a step forward. 

Naturally, everyone's head turned my way. I shrunk back under the weight of their stares, which was easy because I was only five foot four and about one hundred pounds even. 

The principles lips pressed into a tight line. "Come with me" was all he said. Staring at the tiles of the floor, I followed him out the door, into the hallway and all the way to the office where he asked me to take a seat. I sat down, confused and scared.

For anyone to call attention to me was a first, and I was finding that it made my stomach tighten aggressively, and I didn't like it. 

It was a good ten minutes before I heard someone call my name, making me look up from the spot I'd been staring at on the floor.

She was a tall middle-aged blonde with a wide smile.

"Are you Maisie?" she asked with a voice as smooth as honey. I nodded. "I'm Miss Jones, I'm going to be taking your measurements for your cap and gown."

Relief flooded through me as I stood and followed her. It was just measurements for the graduation. Why had I been so worried?

When we entered the room that they had set up for the arrangement, she had me stand on top of a crate.

"Spread your arms out." I did as she said, and she ran the tape across the length of my arms and wrote down the number she found.

"You're quite tiny." At her words, I shifted uncomfortable. I knew it was just her attempt at small talk, but I wasn't sure what to say or if I was supposed to say anything at all. She continued running her tape and taking my measurements as she spoke. "I have a daughter your size, and she is still in elementary school. Though she is considered tall for her age," she added. "I'm not used to taking such tiny measures for a high schooler.