Make My Way

Chapter One

Aria's POV

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The first day of junior year, I thought. School again. Expectations to keep. Friends to see. Ex-boyfriends to ignore. It was a lot to think about. I glance down at my outfit again. My high waisted skinny jeans and olive green crop top were a little wrinkly but that didn't bother me. I didn't want to look like I was trying too hard, but I had curled my long strawberry blonde hair into soft waves so that it looked like I was at least trying a little.

High school was a place where people judged people by their outward appearance more than their personality, no matter how many times they were told it was wrong. That was something that always bothered me, so when I was a freshman I made a promise to myself; I would never judge a person before getting to know them better.

I had stopped caring what other people thought about me a long time ago- seventh grade. I had joined the high school and junior high production of the Sound of Music and was cast as one of the children. I met so many people who were great role models and none of them cared about society's expectations or what anyone else thought of them.

With my promise to myself on my mind, I pushed open my door and swung my legs out of my little tan Oldsmobile, and headed for our recently finished school.

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I pushed open the glass front doors and was greeted by the smiles of the yearbook committee. A sign hung above their heads reading, 'Welcome Back.' My friend Vivian ran out from behind the information table she was at to greet me. She was significantly taller than me so she proceeded to use my head as an armrest. "Aria! Long time no see!" That wasn't true. We had gotten together for coffee last weekend with a bunch of other friends, but it was a phrase she loved to use whenever she got the chance. "Welcome back! You ready for junior year?" She continued, as I nudged her arm off.

"As ready as I'll ever be. Where do we get our schedules?" I ask, adjusting my gray backpack on my shoulder.

She smiled and responded eagerly, "In the office. Then go to the cafeteria to pick up your planner."

"Thanks," I told her as she turned and walked over to the desk again, dyed dark brown to blonde ombré hair bouncing on her broad shoulders.

Unfortunately, the office was quite a walk from the main student entrance. As a began my trek, I was attacked by my two stampeding best friends. "ARIA!!!" Aurora screeched, her her light brown curls bouncing as she ran. She was moving so abruptly as she ran, that her bright red glasses flew off her face. She stopped with some difficulty and fell because of all the momentum she had built up, but laying on the floor she managed to reach out, grab her glasses, and pull herself to her feet before proceeding like an angry bull at me. Still laughing uncontrollably, I braced myself for contact. When she hit, she wrapped her arms around me and somehow immobilized me in the way she positioned her hands. She was soon pried off of me by my other best friend, Stella.

"OW!!!" Aura screamed, "Hey! You stepped in my foot in those stupid heels!" I glanced down at Stella's feet. She was wearing bright yellow pumps and a floral mini skirt with a mint green flowy top tucked into the top of the skirt, held in place by a thick, brown, leather belt. Stella's style was proof that, although her parents weren't millionaires, they certainly weren't poor. Aurora, on the other hand, was not coordinated so nicely. Always a bit of a free spirit, she was wearing a gray sweatshirt with an image of young Simba and Nala from The Lion King on it with dark galaxy print leggings and mint green colored knock-off Vans.

I looked at Aura again and shook my head. "What are we going to do with you?" She just shrugged and I gave out a small sigh. "Have you two gone to get your schedules yet? That's what I was doing before this happened," I asked and jerked my thumb towards Aurora.

"Well, I was already in line when little miss Aurora here pulled me out to go find you. She said we could all go get our schedules together then," Stella sighed in annoyance.

"Well," Aura cringed, "About that.... I kind of already got mine so I'm just going to go find my locker, bye!"

"What?!" Stella yelled.

"It's fine. Let her go," I said, wrapping my arm around her, "we can just go without her."

Stella sighed and started us off. We walked in silence for a few minutes before Stella elbowed me hard- right in the boob. "What the heck was that for!" I exclaimed, pulling away. She jerked her head to the side twice, right at my ex-boyfriend. "No," I stated firmly, "No."

Before I knew what was happening, her cold hands made contact with my arms, spun me around, and gave me a little push. The next thing I knew, I was laying on top of my ex with his hands so kindly supporting my head and legs so that I wouldn't have the unfortunate experience of touching his friends. At first he looked confused but soon he smiled at me and winked. "Give me a minute," he said to his friends. He proceeded to stand up and take me over across the hall and opened a door letting us inside, all with me in his arms.

He set me down and looked into my eyes. I started to question him, "What are we-" He cut me off by ramming his lips into mine. I felt my heart grapple for footholds in my chest, not knowing what to do. I felt his hands on my waist and I gave up fighting but I didn't quite kiss back. The bell rang and I pulled away.

He leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Friday night." I jumped back and slapped him on the right cheek with all my strength. He just smiled at me and put his hand on my back again to pull me closer. I was about to wriggle away when the door creaked open to reveal Stella, who looked up from her phone and jumped, so surprised that she dropped both her phone and the two schedules (one of which was mine) she was holding.

And that's how I was found guilty of kissing my ex-boyfriend in a janitor's closet before class even started on the first day of school. As I quickly push past Stella and back into the open, I thought to myself, I can already tell that this was going to be an interesting year.