I picked up my lunch tray, rejected by yet another lunch table. With a sigh I escaped outside, into the light, drizzling rain. I pulled my hood over my head and went to sit underneath my favorite tree. It was an elm, like me. My last name at least.
I picked at the food, thinking about everything and anything. Then something in the lunchroom caught my eye and I saw the new kid, Joel Beckham, staring at me. As I met his eyes, he turned and asked one of the people sitting at his lunch table a question.
They glanced up at him in confusion, then glanced at me and it turned into recognition. I could tell he was telling him that I always sit here, that Joel shouldn't pay attention to me.
I never ever found out why everyone dislikes me so much. Ever since preschool I'd sorta been the odd one out. I'd just been part of the wallpaper, never noticed in the yearbook. Which nobody ever asked me to sign.
But it was nearing Christmas. Maybe this year someone would ask me. I'd been before, in the first year of high school, but I'd gone alone and soon realized that that was as lame as you could get.
I've never been able to figure out what makes a person popular. I know you need to have a good attitude, good looks, and good clothes. I was nice, I was sort of pretty, and I shopped at the stores anyone else would.
I sighed again and stopped thinking about that. It would just depress me.
As the rain started to pick up, I decided maybe I should go inside. I stood up carefully so I wouldn't slip and headed for the door.
As I walked across the lunchroom, I heard someone call my name. Everyone went quiet as the person called my name again. I turned and saw Joel smiling at me, beckoning me to come closer.
Even though I was pleased at the thought of being included, I knew it would upset the social order if I sat there. I'd just end up getting Joel shunned. Not to mention even more shunning for me. And I didn't need to drag people down with me. That just wasn't fair.
So I instead gave him a long, shocked, weirded out look and hurried to dump the rest of my lunch and go to my locker.
"Psst," someone around the corner hissed. I figured it was for someone else so I just closed my locker door and left, not wanting to intrude on their conversation.
"Psst!" the person hissed a little louder. Then something poked my shoulder so I finally turned around.
"What?" I demanded, a bit angrily.
Joel smirked and I rolled my eyes. "What do you want?" I asked calmly.
"Why didn't you come sit with me?" he asked, the smirk still glued on his face.
"'Cuz I barely know you," I pointed out.
"So?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I didn't want to," I said truthfully. The smirk dropped from his face.
"What?" he asked, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"I said, I didn't want to," I repeated slowly, looking him straight in the eye.
"Why not?!" he spluttered. I frowned deeply.
"Well, I dunno," I said. I really don't know why I didn't want to sit with him. I suppose it would've been nice to sit with someone, but I guess I'm just more comfortable being alone.
Now he frowned. "Well, whatever. Sit with me tomorrow?"
I smirked. "No."
I could hear him cursing under his breath as I walked away, towards History. I laughed to myself. What a jerk. I bet he was the kind of guy that dumped a new girl every other day. The kind that went for the girls that had the short skirts, the blond hair, and the low cut shirts.
I was definitely not that. I had dark hair, dark eyes, pale skin, jeans, t-shirts, and not one high-heeled shoe to my name.
Suddenly, I frowned. If he liked those kinds of girls, why would he go for me? Well, maybe my rejection would send him off on his path toward Barbie Land.
"I'm home!" I called to the secretary at the desk in my orphanage. Only one more year of this place. Then I'd buy an apartment and be able to work full time at the coffee shop on the corner. I'd have just enough money to live off of, and I'd be happy.
I'd have a laptop for writing, and a cat named Turnip. I had it all planned out in my head.
I threw my backpack onto my creaky old bed and walked over to the dinosaur computer sitting at my desk. As I waited for the Internet to dial up, I looked around at my dingy room. Flowery wallpaper, a flowery comforter, and white sheets with an old, scratched wood floor.
Something on the wall shifted suddenly, and I focused on it, my heart beating faster. The dark smudges grew in size and took on the face of a young lady with a child at her side.
By now, my heart was like a helicopter in my chest, about to explode with fear. I glanced at my bed, about to dive under the covers. But that would do no good at all. None.
So I stayed planted in my chair. Maybe somehow my computer had heard what I was thinking about it being a dinosaur and attacked me. Maybe I was dead and the ghosts were coming to take me to their ruler.
"Hello, Audrey," the lady whispered. I could hear her voice in my head, and I saw her lips move on the wall. "I'm Maria. It's nice to meet you."
"Um...," I said, unable to think coherent thoughts.
She laughed delicately. "I'm not hear to hurt you. I was sent with a message."
I calmed down slightly. "What is it?"
She glanced down at her son, who was tugging at her... skirt, I suppose. "Be prepared."
Then she walked away, like the shadow of a real person would. And that was when I fainted.
