A Not So Ordinary High School Life

Chapter 1- Hello San Francisco

Great.  Haven’t I moved to enough countries, cities and schools enough? My parents don’t think so. San Francisco? Sounds good but I don’t think I’m just ready yet. In this case, I don’t really have a choice. Everybody says wait till you graduate, you will be independent and free from your parents. In my case that does not happen, my family will live with me till I’m married. It sounds so miserable but I’ve gotten used to that fact. The one thing that keeps it going is that I don’t have to pay my own bills, so yeah it’s all good.

  “Congratulations, you have passed the admission exam, here’s your schedule and I’ll see you tomorrow Maria,” says the Guidance counselor Miss Swan. I smile and walk out with my mom. I’m usually a very bubbly person but right now I wish I was back in Dubai with all of my friends. Wood West High School? Weird name. I can honestly guarantee it won’t be the same as my last school. My mom is the conservative kind, like legit. It gets really annoying. I don’t really get to say anything because I’m Muslim and Pakistani and that’s just the way it is. As we walk through the high school hallway, everyone just stares, not at me, at my mom. I obviously know why. Her hijiab. Oh well I already am not a big fan of this place. Why can’t everyone just be normal and treat everyone else the same? That stupid event of 911 had to ruin everything and make everything 10000 times harder.

“Maria, put your shirt down”, my mom whispers. “Fine”, I mumble. My mom and I are pretty close; we talk about everything except boys. As you can already tell, they are against dating. I wish they could be a little open minded but yeah not so much. There isn’t even much to say about them. I can’t even remember the last time I even had a crush on a guy. They are not my type and plus they all want gorgeous, skinny and available girls. I’m different. I usually am the type of friend for guys, not the dating kind. I love helping them out, it’s so cute when they are so confused and lost in the world of girls. For some reason I believe in love, I think it’s because I watch too much movies and shows. I’m such a loser, oh well. When I fall in love, if I fall in love, I’ll make sure he’s the one and make it last forever. So cliché but true.

It’s the first day of school, I’m so nervous. As we are walking to school I start making weird faces. “Maria, stop being such a sissy, it’s going to be alright, just be silly old self,” says Alia. Alia’s my big sister, she’s a junior and I’m a sophomore so there’s not much of an age difference. She’s my best friend. We tell each other everything. The weird thing is that we are like opposites. “I know, I know but like where am I going to sit at lunch?” I say with a shy smile. Alia just gives me a look as in shut up but then says “Hahaha crap, I don’t know where I’m going to sit either, oh look we are here!” She says.

I look at my schedule, World History. Yay. I walk into Miss Sandi’s class. Then that awkward moment comes when everyone looks at you from top to bottom. I HATE that, so much. The smart thing to do is not to stare back. “You must be Maria Satti, Welcome, and I’m Miss Sandi your History teacher.” I Shake her hand and say “Thanks” with a nervous smile. “Everyone, this is Maria, I want you all to be very welcoming to her and who is willing to show her around?” Crap, I hate that feeling, staring at a zero number of hands, it’s not like I expect them to but it’s just so embarrassing. “Umm, Max, can you please show Maria around?” asks Miss Sandi. “Uhh umm yeah whatever.” He says with a sigh.Did I mention I how much I hated this moment? I sat in a empty chair behind him. He was a jock; I could tell by his jersey, he looked hot but as well as a big ass jerk. This will not be pretty.

Surprisingly he was in most of all my classes except Art. I asked him when he could tell me the things I’ve missed. He told me to wait for him at the cafeteria. He came but was with his football team …eating. Wonderful, it wasn’t like was going to go up to his and say “Well like aren’t you like totally like going to help me?” Yeah um no. I just sat down at an empty table and started staring outside the window like a loner, but instead of embarrassing myself any longer I took out a book and started reading. I hate reading.

When the bell rang for the end of school. I saw him walking to the bus stop. I stopped him and said “Hey, so like it’s pretty obvious you don’t want to help me out, you could just say so, it would’ve been easier for me to ask someone else instead of wasting my time waiting for you at lunch, so your off the hook, you really don’t have to help me.” He just stared at me and starts laughing. “What’s so funny?” I say with a bit of a chuckle. I couldn’t help it; his laugh was so weird in a funny cute way. “I’m so so so sorry, please forgive me! I’ll never do that again I swear! Give me another chance pleeeasee!” he says sarcastically. “You should be in the Drama Club, just sayin” I say. “ Hahaha umm yeah sorry for the shaft, I wasn’t really in the mood, but yeah I’ll help but it’s not every day a hot jock like me helps out the new girl so be flattered” he says with a smile. “Sure sure,of course I’m like so honored.”