It's before school, October second, my tenth grade year. In any other state the leaves would be turning crisp right about now, but we were in Florida where fall was a couple leaves on the ground, a bit of rain and some wind. I sat in a booth in the cold cafeteria of my school. Across from me was one of my only actual friends, Levi, and his girlfriend Samantha. Samantha was small, barely five feet, with a platinum blonde grown out pixie cut. She wore thick black eyeliner, a black dress with black tights with black combat boots and a collar-style choker. Levi was the most laid back dressed guy, unlike his girlfriend. He always just wore jeans, converse, and a band t-shirt. He never touched his slightly long ringlet hair. Next to me was the only other person I considered an actual friend besides Alex & Levi, Carter. He had the physique of a preppy kid and he definitely could have been one, since his dad was a doctor, he had a cool car and lived in the upper-middle class neighborhood that the majority of the preppy kids in our school all lived in. He had light brown Justin Beiber inspired hair, green eyes and, like me, pretty much always wore khakis.
Levi and Samantha were being all lovey dovey and disgusting, and Carter was texting his long-distance girlfriend whom lived in Chicago and he had never met.
"Don't you worry that Ella is a 50-year-old man?" I asked him. We always teased him, telling him that he'd been in a relationship with a catfish for three months.
"No. I know she's not. We Skype, you fucking donut." He retorted, stealing his favorite insult ever from some famous chef he was obsessed with. He watched all of those famous food people, hoping to be one some day.
"Okay dude but you know technology is really advanced these days and-"
"Would you fucking shut it before I deport your ass?" He retorted.
"Mmm the race card. Not very progressive, my friend." I shook my head at him. "I know your dad voted for Trump, but come on." I got closer, putting my hand on his shoulder. "I know he pays the payment on your 2017 Mustang, but that doesn't mean you have to give into his mind control. I believe in you, Carter. You can fight this."
"Shut up, it's not my fault my parents are racist cunts."
"I'm sure they love your choice in friends. A black guy and a Hispanic that you can barely tell what race he is because he looks so fucking mixed." Levi chimed in. And then the bell rang, summoning me to hell. My first period class, Anatomy & Physiology, was possibly the most awkward class ever. I knew no one in there. Not even like sat-next-to-in-middle-school knew. The kids in there were mainly juniors, but I had taken an extra science class as an elective last year so I was plopped in with them. They were immature, loud, and insensitive. I sat at my desk, pulled out my book and began to read in attempt to ignore the chaos of this class.
The door opened even after the entirety of the class was already in. Curiously, I looked up. The rarest thing walked in; an unfamiliar face. She had dark almost black hair that framed her pale skin and accentuated her beautiful grey eyes and long black lashes. She had thick brows that were perfectly shaped to frame her beautifully shaped eyes. She exuded confidence. Her walk was strong and fearless. She did not seem to be bothered by the murmurs of the people in the room, all obviously speaking about the new girl. We got new students very rarely. It was not a stuck up kind of confidence, but a secure one.
Most of us grew up in this town. We went to the same elementary school, then middle school, and now high school. I knew pretty much everyone in my grade. New students, especially new girls, were seen as a shiny new toy. All the girls would try to induct her into their little social circles and all the boys would try to get with her. I realized a second after thinking about how amazing she was that I had no chance. I was just a dork. I didn't play any sports. In my spare time I read books and played video games. A girl with those looks probably partied and was on her phone twenty three hours out of the twenty four in a day, despite the little fantasy I had already begun developing in my head.
