The Girl Who Met A Boy

Chapter 3

I made it through the school's old front doors, still drenched from the two asses from earlier. I swear if I wasn't afraid of getting into major trouble, I'd key their car as it sat in the lot. I got my schedule and school map from the office, but it wasn't like I needed it. The school was so small that a map was unnecessary, but I suppose it made me feel better. I located the nearest bathroom, as I was slightly early to school, to try to clean up a little to try to save at least a small shred of my dignity. I had barely achieved the goal I had come for, but there isn't much you can do when all you have is flimsy toilet paper and an outdated hand dryer to help you dry off. I guess I'd just have to deal and hope I could summon my powers of invisibility to get me through my day. I just prayed that I wouldn't run into my cocky offenders.

I snap out of my thoughts when I realize that the starting bell for class had already rung and that I was officially late. Crap. I tried to gather my things as best I could so that I could try to hurriedly book it to homeroom, but luck was not on my side. This was the time that one of my backpack straps decided to unfriend the pack itself. I held a useless piece of fabric that I once called my left strap in my hand, while I continued to look lamely, as my sad backpack remained on the floor. Awesome. 

I bent down to haul my whole pack into my arms and began my trudge to my designated class, my converse squeaking loudly against the hard tile floors. The halls were nearly empty, other than a few students scuttling along with books stacked in their hands. I was about ready to give up, to decide that too much had already gone wrong today, so I'd just have to go home and try again tomorrow. As I started to turn towards the front doors to leave, thinking about how this wasn't a good way to start off with my teachers, the doors swung open to reveal a guy around my age stumbling in carrying a giant diorama in his hands. He had bright green eyes and crooked glasses balanced on a thin nose. His freckles sprinkled on his nose were now red as he made an exasperated face.

After just pausing and staring, I jump forward to help steady him with one free hand and sincerely asking, "Are you alright?" 

He seems to laugh it off quickly, without answering my question. It's almost as if he's used to this sort of thing. He finally decided to drop his paper mache monster on the floor beside him. This is when I notice his muddied khaki pants bottoms, as if he was another victim of a drive-by soaking. It amazed me that the diorama had made it out of whatever that altercation was unscaved. He pulled a folded towel out of his backpack and began drying himself off a bit and that's when I concluded that this must be a routine thing. When he looked at me, he showed a tight smile of understanding, while offering me the towel in his hands. I must've still looked pretty bad. Without a word, I accepted the generous offer of the towel and cleaned myself up as best I could, before nodding my thanks as I handed it back.

As he was stuffing it back into his backpack, I rambled out an awkward, "So...thanks for that. I'm Abigail." I waved my hand in a short stiff motion, while focusing my eyes to some paper littered on the floor. 

"It wasn't a problem. I'm Matt. Not to pry, but did your assaulters happen to be driving that obnoxious red car out in the lot?" He said, while grinning and motioning back to the parking lot outside the doors. He seemed quite upbeat for having gotten soaked on a cold morning while coming to school. 

I proceeded to nod my head and ask, "Are they known for this sort of stuff around here, or are they newbie assholes?" I was only trying to lighten up the situation, considering this was probably going to get me sick. He only chuckled, picking his things back up again. We sat staring at one another for a minute before he spoke up again.

"So you're new. What's your first class? Maybe I can show you the way? They should let you off with a warning for the whole tardy thing, since this is your first day here and all." He seemed kind enough to not trick me, so I complied and gave him my homeroom, which I happened to share with him. 

So we went off to face the early morning that was soon to be filled with a droning lecture about how to write an essay. I realized that I might've preffered my lazy, prompt-giving teacher from my old school.

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Matt and I had talked like good friends would as we carried on through our day, where we learned that the joys of reading our classic english literatures, the frustration of jumbled numbers, and the tortures of our middle aged gym teacher, would be learned together. After suffering through the most of our day, we met at a lunch table in the far corner of the cafeteria, most likely to begin a conversation of dark humor surrounding our shared bad luck of the day. I suppose I viewed my luck had turned around though, since I did met him that morning and he's been a great help in surviving my first day.

I was really beginning to like this guy. He seemed the most welcoming at the school and I thought that he and I really shared some similar perspectives on people. I learned that he was the fraternal twin of Connor, or should I say the head asshole of the school. It really surprised me. Apparently while his brother grew up more athletically inclined, he became quite close to what Matt called his 'dickhead of a father'. On the other hand Matt had more of an affinity to things like the piano and violin, leading to a closer bond with his mother. This somehow gave his brother the impression that it was okay to bully him around and with his father being the head of the football team, there wasn't much he could do. 

Even though we got along well enough, I still felt sort of alone in some aspects. It seemed as if Matt had to deal with quite an awful hand, considering he couldn't take a break from his bad family life even at school. Despite all this, he was rather optimistic. He focused on goals that he actually held for himself in the future, where I felt as if my future was still very much undecided. It was scary to hear about how he wanted to leave here and go to school to become a conductor of some reknowned orchestra, when I still didn't know if my life had any meaningful purpose at all. 

All these flitting thoughts in my head led to Matt leading a majority of our conversation through the lunch period and while my mind was off again, the bell had rung and we were dismissed. Matt and I were separated once more and wouldn't see each other till tomorrow, unless we were to casually see each other while leaving the campus. I wasn't sure I was ready to see and talk to him again, or really talk to anyone for the rest of that school day. While I enjoyed his company, I felt my anxiety wearing on me by now, and I just wanted to go home and decompress away from people. 

With my mind still wandering, I walked to the rest of my classes. That was until the school day ended and I pushed my feet in the direction of a house I was to call 'home'.

 I choose to note to myself that the grey-eyed boy had never shown his face at the school. I suppose he could've and I just didn't see him, but my gut was saying that if he was there I'd know. That the stranger would've made some sort of appearance to me. I realized then that even though I felt put off to the idea of being around people at the time, that I wasn't completely put off by being around the mystery man with no name. 

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So thank you so much to whoever is reading this for giving my story a chance! I appreciate everyone who is here. I hope to make updates at least once a week or more. I really like writing this so far and I hope that you like it too. 

Happy Reading!! :) :)