Forever

When My World Stopped

Chapter one: When My World Stopped

My high school sucks. Everyone is unconsciously labled, and sorted into different categories. It's shallow and conceited and harsh. Its ruled by the social pyramid, the sport stars and partiers on the top and the smart kids, and band geeks on the bottom being crushed under their weight.

I float somewhere in the middle, no one bothers me since  I keep to myself. Well that and because of Lisa, no one messes with Lisa's friends.

Tiffany juts her head out over my shoulder. Her eyes wonder around the room before they "oh, so discreetly" land on my paper.  

Mr. Mathers was helping a student in the front so he didn't see Tiffany's poor attempt at cheating on a freaking pretest.  

Nothing irritates me more than stupid people.

I let out an exasperated sigh and move my arm so it covers my answers.  

"Shit" she says under her breath as she falls back in her chair.  

I laugh inwardly at my small victory.

Tiffany gave a new meaning to dumb blonde, because she wasn't stupid at all, she just acted like she was. It's a shame because she could've had it all, brains and beauty.

She had long blonde hair an a petite hour glass figure, and really deep blue eyes. I was rag doll compared to this Barbie. I had rebellious shoulder length dark brown hair, plain brown eyes to match. I didn't have much of a figure, at least one I want proud of, I was busty at the top which I tried to conceal through loose clothing. I dressed in plain tees and jeans. I was a vet private person, I didn't crave attention.

It's the beginning of September. The start of the semester. I'm lucky enough to have calculus as my first period class with the fabulous Tiffany, which I say with extreme sarcasm.

Once I finish my test I turn it over. I take my book out of my bag and begin reading where i left off. Hamlet is one of my favorite plays by Shakespeare. Its crazy, clever, and seriously depressing. I'm just at the part where Hamlet discovers Ophelia is dead when I feel someone kick at my chair.  

"Pssssst!"  

Ignore. Ignore. Ignore. 

"Psssssssssssst!!" 

I mentally slap myself.  

"Yo!" Tiffany shouts. "girl in the gray sweater!"

I turn around. we had three classes together last year and she can't remember  my name?

"What?" 

"What's number 7?" Are you kidding me? All you had to do was use the quadratic formula to solve the equation. Its just plugging in numbers and that's review from two years ago!  

"C." I say randomly. 

"Oh I knew that, I was just checking." She says as a matter of fact. 

The real answer was A.

"There is no talking during a test Ms. Watkins!" Mr. M. yells at me. 

I spin around to face the front. I put my head down on the desk. F.M.L.

The bell rang and everyone jumped up like there was a fire. I turned in my paper on the teachers desk. He shot me a dirty look as i walked by. Well eff you too. I hate math anyways. 

People swarm out of their classes like a giant tidal wave.  

I"m engulfed whole by the crowd. I had exactly five minutes to get to my locker, switch my books and get to the science building on the other side of the school. That shouldn't be too difficult... 

I try to push my way through but instead I get shoved and tossed around like a football.  

I stumble out to the edges of the mass when someone shoves me into a locker from behind.  

I whip my head around to see who pushed me but people were blurring pass like rain drops.

I stick to the sides till I locate my locker. The dial is covered in fresh blue chewing gum. Delicious.

I pull a pencil from my bag and try to twist the sticky stuff off some way. Its pointless, nothing holds better than newly chewed gum. How do I know this? Well, let's say its happened before.

By the time I pull enough gum off to clearly see the dial numbers the halls are eerily empty.  

Great now I'm late for class.  

I use a loose leaf paper to turn the dial instead of actually touching it. With one strong tug I pry my locker open. I swap my Calculus book with my Physics text book and grab a few extra pens. I'm rummaging around for my lab binder when I hear a door slam shut. "Someone's late." I comment to myself.

Whoever it is starts down the hall towards the other end. I close my locker and glance in their direction.  

Then I saw him, the whole world seemed to stop. I know that sounds really lame. I'm sure you've heard this before, but it feels that dramatic. Like nothing matters in that moment. I'm sure any girl obsessed with some fandom can relate to this sudden exploding gush of emotion.

I feel like that guy off of those cheesy beer commercials. "I don't always fall in love, but when i do the world stops to acknowledge it."  

I just stared at him. But could you blame me? He was gorgeous. He had messy-in-all-the-right-places light brown hair, with enchanting grey eyes. He was about 5'11, a good 6 inch difference between us.

There was something so riveting about him. I felt connected to him somehow, like I already knew him..yeah that sounds crazy, stalker crazy.

Above all else there was this sense of urgency. Like if I didn't hold onto him tight enough he might slip through my fingers, he might disappear. Like he wasn't real.

He walked right passed me. Too engrossed into some paper he held in his hand to notice the strange girl watching his every move.  

I had become a creep in only a nano second of seeing him. I was in a trance by his face. Wow I'm so shallow.

Who is he? A new student? He seems familiar but I know I have never seen him before. I wouldn't be able to forget a face like that in my life time.

Almost to the door leading into the main office he abruptly turns around and looks directly at me. 

I had the audacity to be embarrassed. Perfect, now he would know I was a freak even before hearing it from someone else. I think about retreating before he calls me out for looking at him too long to be comfortable.  

"Just turn around and act like it never happened." I advised myself. One problem with that plan. My class is through the main office hall, which is where he was standing.  

I brace myself for the confrontation, but he does something unexpected. He smiles.

Then he pushes the door open into the main office and disappears.  

I feel like I've died and gone to heaven. Because he looks like an angel. How's that for cheesy?

That's probably the last time I'll ever see him. I sighed.