Damn, You're Cute (Michael Clifford)

Chapter 2

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" my mother asked as I put my backpack in the passenger's seat of my car. Unfortunately it was just her and I this morning since my dad rushed off to work with a sloppy kiss to my temple. I shut the door, hurrying over to give my mother a tight hug.

"No," I whispered into her neck, revealing how scared and extremely nervous I was about being accepted by my new classmates or getting through tough classes.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. You’ll be wonderful,” she assured me, releasing my waist from our embrace. ”They’ll love you as much as I do.”

I smiled softly at her basic motherly statement, stepping away so she could examine my outfit.

"Does this look okay?" I asked and dangled my arms at my sides, questioning my choice of clothing. I didn't want to be too over the top and wear a dress but I didn't want to be too casual and wear a sweatshirt or something. I was really over thinking it, all the way to the choice of colored or white socks to which I chose neither. Instead I stood in cuffed, slightly ripped jean shorts with a random band t-shirt, flip flops which are called something totally different in Australia.

My mother beamed at my straightened hair which reached an inch or two above my waist. I was feeling confident in my outfit until I stepped out of my room and stared blankly at my backpack in horror of what was going to take place today.

"Of course, sweetie, you look beautiful as always. You better go, though, or you're going to be late,” my mother informed me, kissing my forehead before I nodded and not-so-eagerly hopped into my car.

When I arrived, students were swarming through the parking lots, backpacks slung over their shoulders. They hugged one another, laughed, couples kissed, and I-well, I tried to be as invisible as possible for the time being. My schedule said that I had math first in Room 123, but that was Greek to me because I had no clue where that was. The campus was split into several buildings, and figuring out which one contained the math room 123 was seemingly impossible.

I could already feel the terrifying anxiety creeping into my veins and I figured that best way to find out where I was going, before I full on panicked, was to ask. However, everyone was engulfed in a friend group or clique and talking quickly to each other. I was too insecure to break apart a friend group to bother them so I gathered everything I had left and pushed through the door of a random building. The walls were pale with blue lockers on each side, and students were shoving books inside. I didn’t even allow myself to worry about finding my own locker. The first class was most important.

Checking my phone, I only had ten minutes until class which meant I had to hurry. Searching down the hall, all the rooms were in the 400s, and I obviously was not where I needed to be. Backtracking, I found my way out of the building and gasped in a breath of fresh air from outside, hoping to calm my nerves. I knew I needed to think rationally, and that my heart was pumping way too fast. School was not meant to be this stressful.

I can do this, I told myself. I would do this.

Thankfully, as I was frantically searching, my eyes found a tall blond boy with those blue eyes that I remembered. Luke stuck out like a sore thumb, his height giving me the advantage of seeing him first. He was surrounded by other sophomores, I assumed, but that was not on my list of things to worry about. If I didn’t interrupt the loud group which laughed every few seconds, I wouldn’t make it to class so I nervously walked over and tapped Luke’s shoulder. His friends all stopped chatting and paused to look at me with a deafening silence to follow.

Luke whirled around to face me, his eyebrows furrowed as he sent an embarrassing glance to the other guys. I suddenly felt that this was a bad idea and wanted to cringe for even trying because Luke probably didn't want me around. We weren’t in the same high school species, or however he wanted to put it.