High School Years

Chapter Four

"Hey babe," Alex said to me when I walked out to the bus stop the next morning.
"Hey, I have a question for you," I began.
"What is it?" He asked.
"Does Jackson like Winter at all? Or even maybe think she's cute?" I got straight to my point.
"Well, I dunno we never actually talked about Winter. Why?" He asked. I thought it was pretty obvious why I was asking, but boys will be boys.
"You can NOT tell Winter I told you this, but she has a huge crush on your friend Jackson." I told Alex.
"Well, I'll see what I can find out, I guess." Alex said, not sounding as enthusiastic about the idea of Winter and Jackson being together as I was.
"Look, there's the bus," I said as I saw the bus round the corner onto our street.
When the bus pulled to a stop we got on and sat down in our seat at the front of the bus. The back of the bus is highly overrated. The front is where the fan reaches, and you actually have a chance to sit before the bus driver starts moving. Seriously, are bus drivers aware they could get in serious trouble for not waiting until we are seated before moving?
The bus pulled up in front of the school and everyone on the bus began to file out the door. As usual, I was one of the first off of the bus with Alex right behind me. When we walked into the school's enormous and friendly lobby through the welcoming doors I said good-bye to Alex and we went our separate ways.
"Hey girl!" Winter said when she made her routine appearance at locker 1182, A.K.A. my locker.
"Did you hear the news?" She asked,
"No, what news? About who? Or what? Tell me!" I exclaimed.
"Give me a chance to speak and I will, Sum! The school announced the date for the Halloween dance!" She squealed. My face fell a little bit, I was expecting something bigger by the way she was acting. It was Winter, I should have known better.
"Really? That's awesome, when is it?"
"Thursday October 30th. That was the exciting part!" She continued to squeal, and I got a bit excited, too. I've had several school Halloween dances, but never on my birthday.
"Move, freshmen." A random senior said to us. I closed my locker and went to walk down the hall with Winter.
"I totally forgot the older students were going to be here today!" She said. I nodded. The halls seemed a hundred times fuller with all the sophomores, juniors, and seniors floating around.
"When can you mention Ally?" Winter asked me.
"She told me to wait till lunch." I replied. My sister was a bit of a legend at this school. Homecoming Queen, Prom Queen, Queen Bee, Miss Popularity, Cheerleader, and lead of every school play. In short, the ruler of Xavier High, New Jersey.
"Speaking of my sister she wants to tell you something later, can you come over after school?" I asked. Winter laughed.
"When can I not come over?"
"Fair enough," I laughed back with her.
All day I was careful to not draw attention to myself, I promised Ally I wouldn't until I started talking about her. I could only hope she wasn't lying when she said her name could get me hanging out with sophomores, possibly even juniors. But I would have to work to maintain status, using her name could only take me so far. Sooner or later I would have to prove I could at least live up to her name, maybe even out-do it.
I basically snored through my morning classes. It was only the second day of school and I was so done.
Finally the lunch bell rang. In another school I might have ran to the cafeteria to make sure no older kids were at yesterday's table, but in my school there was an unofficial grade-based seating chart. The freshmen were on one side,the left side. Then sophomores sat in the left-center of the room. The juniors sat on the right-center and the seniors claimed the right side of the room, by the windows. There were a few irregularities, like sophomores in junior section or a junior with the seniors. Only on very rare occasions did a freshmen sit with any older grade. Knowing this seating arrangement I trusted the table was safe.
When I arrived at the table and joined Winter who was already there I stopped to take a survey of the room. Seeing how crowded the lunch room was made me miss middle school, just a little bit, where there were far less people in the lunchroom, because there were more lunches.
While on line buying food, I talked in a kind-of-but-not-so-much-it's-obnoxious loud voice to Alex.
"My sister, Ally said the food here is good. "
"Ally Martin?" A (by the looks of him) sophomore behind me asked.
"Yeah," I answered.
"Oh, you're her sister? That's cool!" The supposed sophomore said.
"I'm Summer." I told him.
"Jason. I'm a junior." Jason the junior, not sophomore, junior, introduced himself. I have him a smile as I went to go pay for my food. As I walked away I heard him turn to his friend and say
"That was Ally Martin's sister."
"No way!" A female voice, most likely junior boy's friend said.
As me and Alex walked back to our seat I continued to talk about Ally.
"Sum, could you chill I wanna have an actual conversation."
"We are." I said as I tossed my granola bar into the trash.
"Why'd you throw out your lunch?" He asked.
"No reason. Oh, Gia's looking this way. Quick! Kiss me!" I said.
"Why are you so obsessed with her?" He asked, not listening to my request.
"I said kiss me." I repeated. So he did, but only quickly. I looked at Gia with a victorious facial expression.
"Can we talk about something besides your sister now?" Alex asked me.
"Ok. Gia." I said.
"I can't take it anymore Summer! Your obsessing over Gia! I don't know what you're trying to win but I'm over being a chess piece for you to get it! You really are becoming a slut telling me to kiss you or something every time she looks! I can't do this anymore Summer!" He yelled at me. I bit my lip.
"I... I guess I'll go now." I said and stood up to let myself out of the lunch room.
"Summer wait!" Winter called after me. I kept walking.