Invisible (On Hold)

Chapter 2: I Actually Make Friends ~ Charlie

I arrived at English trying to not look like a nervous wreck but it was hard as I saw everbody staring at me. I look to my feet trying to ignore the the people looking at me. Mr Johnson handed me over to my English teacher Ms Flint, she kindly guided me to my seat. I looked at some of the other students who gave me a reassuring smile before returning to their conversations with their friends. At least one thing hasn't changed. I take out my notebook, laptop, pencil case and start taking notes while Ms Flint explains the unit of work this semester. She was just about to start handing out the semester outlines and equipment requirements when a student burst through the doors. I turn to see an Asian girl with a bright red school bag panting while trying to explain why she was late.
"Slept (breathe) in (breathe) alarm (breathe) didn't go off (breathe)."
"Sophia, sit down next to Charlie. She's new here." Ms Flint said with a kind smile.
"Sup. I'm Sophia but you shall call me The Soapy Dolphin, God of Soap." She said with a huge grin on her face when she sat down next to me.
"Um.... Hi I'm Charlie but err... I don't have any funny nicknames"
She gasped dramatically as she got her stuff out. Her notebook was covered with Pokemon and Minecraft stickers.
"The Soapy Dolphin is not a nickname!"
"Sorry! I didn't know"
We both start laughing really hard.
"So do you like video games, judging by your notebook I guess you do?" I ask her.
"I don't just love them, they're a passion, a culture, a way of life" she responds seriously.
"What about you, any passions, hobbies?" She asks this time.
"Books, I love reading, any genre, any novel."
"Any novel huh?" She asks with a mischievous smile on her face. I nod.
"Even Fifty Shades of Grey" she's laughing now.
I laugh as well. "Maybe not any novel"
"What's your favourite novel then?"
"The entire Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan" I reply with no hesitation.
"Cool I haven't read it though"
Now it's my turn to gasp dramatically. "You have to read it, you'll love it!"
The bell goes and we realise that we have been talking for the rest of the entire period. I follow Sophia outside into the courtyard. Dozens of teenagers sitting in clumps around benches. I notice that every bench has a group of kids doing a specific thing. One bench was full of muscular guys showing off their muscles while holding soccer balls or basket balls. One group was full of girls with mirrors in one hand and lipgloss in the other, they looked incredibly skinny. Another group was full of people just staring blankly onto their laptops.
"So at this school, you join a specific friend group/ social status based on things you like and your personality. You then stay there or move either into a higher social class or lower class, it depends on your popularity." Sophia explained.
"So how do you know which friendship group you're in" I ask curiously.
"You can choose, it's also up to fate to decide." She adds mysteriously.
"Like Divergent"
"No it's nothing like Divergent! And you say you love books. But seriously what kind of things are you into instead of reading?"
"I like watching movies, going shopping, I love coffee, I played on the Girls Grade Soccer team at my old school, and reading. Those the things that come to mind as my favourite things." I shrug.
"Well you seem to like everything that I can think of to decide which group belong in. You kind of belong in a lot of them. Say do you want to join our friend group"
"Okay what social class are your friends" I ask excitedly.
"We call ourselves the Invisibles" Sophia said with a big smile.