The Spider in my English Book.

Chapter 1: It Started With A Smile

It was the very first day of my first year at high school. Being a very awkward, anxious girl, the day was filled with excitement, confusion, and fear. I desperately walked from class too class, hoping that I would get through the day without dropping my incredibly heavy textbooks, or bumping into an attractive senior, because I knew that if I did, I would be too embarrassed to go back to school, ever again. I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I didn't belong in high school. It seemed like i had just barely gotten into middle school.

By lunch I was already getting the feeling like it was going to be a long year. I had some really cool classes that I was excited for, mostly choir, but I could feel the weight of responsibility already being put on my shoulders. I finally got through most of the day and was starting my last class, English. I was so lucky to be sitting around some friends I knew in middle school, because they were the only people I really knew out of the entire class. We played two truths and a lie as our "get to know you" game, and man was that awkward. I had to stand up in front of the class and talk about myself. Great times.

Once that was over Mrs. Letus, our teacher, handed out a worksheet so that we could become more familiar with our textbooks. I got out a pencil and opened the cover of the enourmous yellow book. I saw something scurrying across the front page. At first I didn't realize what it was, but a split second later I knew it was a spider. So I rationally slammed the cover shut and started smashing it with my fist. After I decided the thing, which was nearly the size of a quarter, was dead I looked up to see everyone in the class staring with concern in their eyes. I sheepishly opened the cover and lifted the book to show them the squished remains of the now deceased arachnid. With my cheeks burning I said with a shy grin "there was a spider..."

Most of the people in the class half chuckled then got right back to work, but one boy near the center of the room with looked and me and gave me a goofy grin. I smiled back, but quickly looked away. Eye contact has never been a strong suit for me. I started working on my paper when I could feel his eyes still on me. I glanced back up and saw him staring, no longer with a goofy grin, but now with a warm smile. He quickly got back to his paper, probably realizing that I could see him staring. And I knew, this boy would be trouble for my heart.

I finished my paper and got up to turn  it in. At almost the exact same time, the boy from the center of the room also got up to turn his in, even though I could tell that he had finished it almost 2 minutes before me. I put my paper on top of the stack in the wire basket marked with a large 6 on a sticky note and turned to go sit down. The boy stepped in front of me, grabbing my attention.

"Hey, my name's Jacob."

"I'm Megan."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he said holding out his hand.

He had that big goofy grin on his face again, the world seemed to melt away and time seemed to stop. how cliche. I felt that familiar burning in my cheeks as I put my hand out to shake his. "The pleasure is all mine."

We parted and went back to our desks. I took out my notebook and started drawing making sure my eyes never left the page. I couldn't bring myself to look at him again, it I did, I would have gotten lost in his golden brown eyes.