Alternate

1. The Girl In The Crowded Room

There she was. I had to stop myself from staring. Regardless, I couldn't help but notice. Her blond hair was tied back with a rubber band, freckles lined her cheeks and some parts of her face. She had this little gap between her two front teeth. By the time I'd gone to get another look, people walked in front of my view. I lost to her to the crowd.

I rested my head back into my arms, deciding to snore it off until class started. Little did I know, the new girl would sit so close to me.

She sat with Missy Baxton. Diagonal from me. I smirked to myself as I leaned forward. I looked around, waiting for the teacher to enter the room now that the bell had rung. Given that she still wasn't through the doors, I took advantage of my free time.

"Hey, new girl." I poked her with the end of my mechanical pencil.

She turned, and it felt like a slow-mo from some romance movie. "Yes?"

"What's your name?"

"Won't the teacher make me introduce myself when she gets here?" She grins. "I'm Haylee. Two E's. What's your name, regular kid?"

I can't help but chuckle. "Connor... With an O. Nice to meet you, Haylee with two E's." I hold out my hand for her to shake.

With a shining smile, she takes my presented hand and shakes it. "Nice to meet you too, Connor with an O."

Just as she pulls away, our grouchy teacher emerges. She has her usual messy hair and hot coffee, sighing as she shuts the door. For a second, she scans the classroom. As her eyes meet Haylee, she takes a sip from her coffee and gives her best fake smile.

"Class, we have a new student today. Please come up and introduce yourself."

She looks shy, but goes up anyways. I watch her carefully. All I can do is admire the confidence in her walk despite how shy she seemed.

"Hi. My name's Haylee Richardson."

Ms. Fowly takes another sip of her piping hot brew and glances at her non-existent watch on her wrist before looking back up at Haylee. "Go on, share a little bit about yourself."

"Well, I have D.I.D., I moved here from Washington, and I like to read. I look forward to spending the year with you all." Finishing with a cherry on top, she walks back to the her desk. Almost immediately, her desk partner strikes up a conversation. Of course she had Missy. She was riddled with drama and was excessively talkative.

A kid in the back of the classroom raises his hand. An exaggerated sigh leaves Ms. Fowly's parted lips before she calls on him.

"What is DID?"

Haylee turns around to answer, but Ms. Fowly beats her to it. "Don't know, don't really care. Just look it up if you're so interested. Any other questions?"

I decide to lighten to mood. I take a breath before I raise my hand. "Are you free tonight?"

The classroom erupts in laughter, but I'm more focused on Haylee. An angelic sounds escapes her lips, her laugh sends butterflies into my stomach. The teacher, though, is not very amused.

"Mr. Grimes, that's not funny. Ask those questions on your own time." She takes a sip of- more like inhales- her coffee. "Besides, not that it's any of my business, but you just met the girl."

More laughter. This time, they're not laughing with me. All but Haylee chortle in mockery. She just looks at me with an empathetic glance. Missy is pointing at me, laughing so hard she's wheezing, but Haylee can't be bothered. She tries to reach out to me, but I turn my head. I'm embarrassed. My cheeks are surely red. I can't face her now. Not after that.

The entirety of class, I avoid her gaze. I'm frustrated and can't stand the sound of my own voice. The moment replays in my head like a broken VHS tape. I wish I could take it back. There's no point in being the funny one anymore. Not when they're laughing at you.

When I go home, I walk through the front door. My mom calls for me, "Connor baby, how was your day?"

I'm too frustrated to respond though. I ignore her and walk to my room, slamming the door and collapsing on my bed. I go to sleep, hoping it was all a dream.

But alas, my wish was unfulfilled. I awoke to my mother beside me, her soft hands rubbing over my forehead.

"Hey baby. You gonna eat dinner? Are you hungry?"

I not and sit up. "I'll be there in a minute ma." She nods and walks out, closing the door and leaving me to wake up. I grunt as I stretch and roll out of bed, cursing myself for not taking my shoes off before I got into bed.

The whole dinner is awkward and silent. The tension is so thick you can cut it with a knife. "There was a new girl at school today."

My mom perks up, finishing her bite of peas before she responds. "Oh?" Her eyes are lit with intruige.

"Yeah. Her name is Haylee Richardson."

Her eyes grow bigger. "Oh!" She repeats herself, but with more emphasis this time. "Mr. Richardson just moved in next door! That's so great, you guys are neighbors!"

As happy as I would be, I feel myself only growing more frustrated. I grip my fork and try to collect my breathing. She looks at me with concern. I've never been able to hide anything from my mother. It's not surprising how quickly she notices my distress.

"Did something happen? Baby, is she being..." She pauses and looks around like she's about to commit a crime, "a... Bitch?"

I almost choke on my mashed potatoes. My eyes are wide like saucers. "What?" I gulp down the rest of the food that's in my mouth and look at my mom in shock. "No! I just... Had a bad day." My mom tries to speak, "I don't want to talk about it."

She doesn't bother me anymore than that. We finish our dinner in silence, clean our plates in silence, give each other a hug goodnight in silence, and go to our rooms in silence.

I lay down on my bed and think to myself before going to sleep.

I wonder if she'll be there tomorrow.