My Little Mona Lisa Told a Lie - Mike Fuentes (COMING SOON)

-Ella's POV-

"Calm down, Ella. They aren't staring at you. They're not talking about you. No one's looking at you. You're invisible," I tried to convince myself as I slowly made my way down the hallway of my new school. I have to start my senior year at a completely different school. It's not like I really fit in at my old school either. I'm originally from New Hampshire. My parents died in a car accident when I was nine. I was shipped down to Mississippi to live with my incredibly conservative grandparents in the incredibly conservative town of Tutwiller. It's the kind of town where if you blink, you miss it. School was hell. The kids beat on me for liking alternative music and called me a dyke for cutting my hair short  freshman year. Even the teachers were convinced that I worshiped Satan. They never stopped the bullies. They told me I was asking for it by being different. I hated everything about that place. 

I was happy, but nervous when my grandfather announced that he had accepted a job offer in San Diego. My grandparents had very little money, so he was never able to retire. I just make matters worse. We moved into a small house a week ago and now I was starting school. I barely had time to get used to the place. I have no friends. I'm completely alone, but it's nice to have a fresh start. Besides, no where can be as bad as Tutwiller. 

I hid my face in my schedule and map as I tried to draw as little attention to myself as possible. I just have to get through this year without anybody noticing me. My first period class was American Literature. I found it hard to navigate the large high school. My old school only had about 300 students. Here there were well over a thousand. It was quite overwhelming. I found my classroom just as the bell rang. I was the last one in. 

"Ah, I see we've got a few stragglers," the teacher hissed, "I'm Mrs.Faecher. What is your name, miss?"

"Ella-um," I stammered. My face felt hot and my palms were sweating.

"Yes, Eleanor Ross?" 

"Yes m'am," I answered nervously.

"Take a seat, dear." I hurried to the back of the room where there was an empty desk. Several students turned around to look at me. I bowed my head in embarrassment. I look down at what I was wearing. My hair had grown out since I cut it. It was a little past shoulder-length and almost black. I fiddled with the hem of my navy blue tank top. I observed my fingers. They were short and fat. My hands were pudgy and so was everything else about me. I stared at my pasty white legs. I was never able to tan. Instead, my skin was cursed with a million nasty freckles. My teacher interrupted my trance of self-hatred.

"Miss. Ross?" the teacher looked at me irritably.

"Yes?" I squeaked.

"Would you please care to tell us what you think the message John Steinback was trying to convey to the readers of Of Mice and Men?" 

"Oh...um," I looked around desperately. I didn't know I was supposed to read it over the summer. Now I would look even more stupid in front of my classmates. I guess there was no way around this one. "I-I didn't know I was supposed to read it," I said quietly, "I just moved here." I looked down.

"I see..." she gave me a disapproving look. I'm off to a great start.

--

First period finally ended. I managed to find my locker with time to spare before my next class started. I was putting my books in when someone interrupted me.

"S'cuse me," the boy grunted and he began to open the locker next to mine. This boy was quite tall and very lankly. A beanie covered his dark brown hair that hit his tanned skin at the bottom of his neck. On his left arm he had a tattoo of a heart in a circle with an "X" through it. He was wearing a NOFX shirt. I love that band. I tried my best to avoid eye contact with him I as retrieved my items. I breathed a sigh of relief as he slammed his locker door and walked away. No awkward conversation.