No Smart Kids Allowed

Chapter 1: Johnson City Middle School

Looking in the mirror is something I never will get used to. Summer's over and I'm less than an hour away from starting middle school. I lay the floss next to my toothbrush, then gargle some mouthwash for the eighth time. When I'm done, I fix my glasses to make sure they're perfect on my face. I check my face once more. Eyebrows are even, eyeliner is perfectly drawn, lip-gloss... I forgot to add some. I open my cabinet behind the mirror and pull out a light pink lip gloss then gently slide it over my lips. Perfect.

Using my hands, I even out my dreads letting some hang on both shoulders. Many kids would question my nose ring. I'm only 12 in the seventh grade. I've never seen people my age with a nose ring. It wasn't easy to get. It took years of begging and getting straight A's in school for my mom to let me get one.

"Hey, Cos!" My stepdad knocks on the bathroom door. "The bus is outside."

I already hear the excitement in his voice. He can't stand me and I can't stand him either. Me going to school five times a week will be a win for us both. I look in the mirror one last time. "You got this, Cosima," I tell myself.

  ***

A new school year begins. I quietly make my way down the hallway and spot the homeroom, I've been searching for. The sign on the door read: Mrs. Riker/7th Grade.

I walk inside, looking for an empty seat. There are a bunch of kids standing up, talking to each other. I find an empty seat way in the back next to a window and hang my book bag behind my chair. Mom's words echoes in my head, "Remember, it's the kids who have no friends who will want to be yours." This advice seems to make sense, and yet it keeps me from wanting to talk to anyone. Everyone around me seems to know each other well.

There's a boy laughing really loud along with two other guys. One notices me then makes a face at me like, what are you looking for. I quickly look away and try to focus on nothing but my desk. The bell rings and this short woman with red curly hair down to her shoulders walks in. Some guys are pointing at her butt and laughing, making inappropriate gestures with their pencils. Gross. The teacher claps her hands together. "Hello, everyone! I see a lot of familiar faces here."

Some kids smile and wave at her. The boy that was laughing really loud points to me. "Four eyes is new."

"Yeah," another boy says. "The four-eyed smarty pants is new."

Mrs. Riker looks at me for a second and gives me a weak smile. She then looks at the boy who called me four eyes. "Estaban!" she yells at him. She walks to her desk and pulls out this long wooden ruler. I'm thinking Mrs. Riker is going to slap him on the hand, which is crazy because I thought they stopped doing that in schools years ago.

Mrs. Riker raises the ruler, then swings it across his face. I really was not expecting that. Estaban hides his pain behind a fake smile. His friends hold their laughs as Mrs. Riker walks back to her desk to set the ruler down. I still can't fathom what had just happened. 

Mrs. Riker starts writing on the board with a black marker. "Okay class, we're going to talk about the importance of summer vacation and why it's so important to take long breaks from school." Mrs. Riker says.

I move my head slightly. Did I hear her, right? Is she joking? I look around and see people smiling and nodding their heads.

"I wish we took longer breaks!" a girl yells.

The teacher nodded in sympathetic agreement. "Well, I'm working on getting you all a three-week break next month."

A three-week break in October? For what reason? Were they serious right now? I feel like this is all a big joke and I'm the new student getting played. The class continues talking about breaks and vacation while I just listen to the stupidity of their conversation. I want to say something so bad, when the bell rings.

Thank goodness.

I happily walk out of the classroom hoping science class will be better. I'm walking down the hallway when all of a sudden I accidentally bump heads with a student. His books fall to the floor, but he quickly picks them up and runs past me. A few other kids and even some teachers are shouting at him from behind me. They're yelling, "Smarty pants! Smarty pants!" over and over again.

I'm completely shocked at the teachers here. First, the ruler incident now name calling? What kind of school is this?

*Don't forget to point out any mistakes I missed! More chapters coming soon. Enjoy! If I told you that you would be in this story please tell me. I lost my list -.-*