The Geek Project

My name is Florence Brown. I know, awful right? What kind of mother names her child Florence? Well, I wouldn't know, my mum died when I was born. Don't go feeling sorry for me though. I can't miss someone I never knew, right?

So, I go to Milton High. I might as well not though, because no one even knows I exist. That may sound dramatic, but I'm serious. If you asked one person in that school (especially the popular ones), they wouldn't know the first thing about me.

I sat by myself, hiding in the shadows and keeping to the corners. I also tried in school. I know, I know, GEEK, you're thinking, but it was the only thing I was really good at. I barely even spoke to my own father. Florence Brown was her own little person. Well, that was until I met Ruby Carron...

It was the regular old Tuesday, sitting in English, listening to Miss Bradford drone ON and ON, about verbs and nouns and a load of other stuff (even a geek like me get's bored at that) when she saunters in without even knocking.

As soon as she walked in the popular girls were eyeing her up, seeing if they had any new competition for their (dumb as bricks) boyfriends. To be honest, at first I thought she was going to sit with them and be an immediate 'popular'. She certainly looked the part. Long blonde hair down to her waist, pirecing green eyes framed by long lashes, with high arching eyebrows. And she was, to my dismay, tall and skinny like a supermodel. But instead of taking a quick pass into cool world, she explained to Miss that she was new, and came to sit in an empty seat, beside ME.

"Is it ok if I sit here?" She whispered.

"Oh, um yeah, sure." I stuttered, as she drew out the chair and sat down. Once she had gotten out a pencil case and a notebook, the girl introduced herself.

"I'm Ruby, Ruby Carron. Any you are?"

"Florence Brown." Was all I managed to get out.

"Florence." Ruby rolled the word around in her mouth as if tasting a boiled sweet. "You know what? I'm gonna call you Flo."

"Oh, um, uh...ok." I didn't really know what to make of it. No one had ever given me a nickname before. Well, I'd never had friends to give me a nickname.

"So Flo," Ruby whispered, "I think we're going to be good friends.

"Um... Uh huh." I mentally scolded myself for being so tonge-tied. Just say something to her!

"So, um, are you new to this area?" I blurted out. Ruby suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"Yeah. Well, my mum lived here as a kid, and she moved us all back here a couple of days ago. My... my dad died six months ago." She looked down. "Sorry if I freaked you out."

"No!" I said. "No, I mean, my mum died when I was born, so I kinda know what it's like."

"It sucks." Ruby said. "But hey, life goes on right?"

"Right." I replied, just as Miss Bradford looked over and shushed us angrily. "Guess we've got to get back to those verbs!" I joked, and Ruby laughed. Had I actually made someone laugh, without me being the butt of the joke? You know what they say, first time for everything.