Bloom

Chapter 3: New girl

Beep beep beep beep bee- I groaned loudly and slammed my hand on the alarm clock placed on my nightstand, begrudgingly getting up to get ready for this...interesting day. I freshened up, looking at the now more set up apartment I'd been in. Looking at the bag Tony labeled as 'high school stuff.' I sighed as I braced myself for the cringey things to come. As I unzipped it, the first thing I saw was a fluorescent pink skirt. You have got to be kidding me. On the back of it, there was a note that read 'Just kidding. There's a black one in here ;)'

I shook my head with a smile as I grabbed the black one along with some leggings to put on with my mossy green shirt and put on the leather jacket Cap had given me with the note 'It's not necessarily my style but I know how much you like men's jackets.' Grabbing my bag and an apple from the surprisingly filled fridge, I headed out to the elevator. As I locked the door, I heard the one next to me open and shut. Glancing next to me, I smiled in hello to Peter and he smiled back awkwardly.

We, of course, ended up going to the elevator at the same time and awkward silence collected until I decided to say something this time. "Hey, so were you serious about helping me or..." I asked nervously. I wish I could say I was faking the nervousness I felt but truth be told, I hadn't really spoken to many people my age in a while so it was a bit new to me. "Oh! Yeah, totally! Do you have your schedule on you?" he asked. I took it out from my bag and handed it to him, letting him look over it.

"Oh wow," he said. "What is it?" I asked, mock innocent. "You have the exact same schedule as I do so I could guide you this whole day," he said smiling at me with a small blush. "Are you sure?" I asked him with a smirk. "Of course. What are neighbors for?" he beamed, seeming to grow more confidence. And so we got on a train to get to the school together, sharing some interesting conversations regarding the science pun on his shirt. He didn't seem like that much of a troublemaker now but I guess I had to stay tuned to find out.

~~

As we entered the doors, I felt eyes all over me, making me feel so self-conscious I tried to keep my eyes on the ground. There were a few wolf whistles as I walked with Peter and I bit my lip. I already dislike it here...As Peter guided me to my locker, he took note at the change in my behavior. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked out of concern. Snap out of it, Vivian! Stay strong for the mission. If they stare at you, glare back at them! Thinking that, I picked my head up, still biting my lip but nodded at Peter with a smile. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" I said confidently. He sent a small smile and nodded.

"Right, well, um, here's your locker. Mine is conveniently just across the hall from yours," he said as I tried to unlock the locker. It appeared to be jammed. "Oh, here. Let me help-" Before he could even move, I knocked on it, making it fly open. He looked at me in awe and I placed some of my books in there, slinging my bag over my shoulder. "So, where to first?" I casually asked the blown away teen before me. He stammered for what to say and laughed nervously before an Asian guy, who I assumed was his friend, ran up to him with a picture pulled up on his phone.

"Peter! I just got a new Star Wars lego set yesterday. Want me to come over to build it?" he asked, looking up and widening his eyes as he glanced over me. "Ned! U-uh, he's, uh, h-he's just kidding. We're not really doing that," Peter apologized for who I learned was Ned. I glanced between them with an evident smirk on my face. "Hi, I'm Ned," the guy introduced quickly. This only made my smirk grow and I looked down at my schedule, looking up to see the classroom I'd been looking for was right in front of us. "Oh man, that's too bad. I like Star Wars," I said walking away, leaving them stunned.

"Dude...who's your friend?" I heard Ned breathe out and I rolled my eyes. Maybe this would be more fun and easier than I thought. "She's my new neighbor," I heard Peter say as they followed me.

~~~

I'd surprisingly survived to lunch and now was the fun part. Looking for somewhere to sit. As my eyes scanned the area, I felt my nerves bending and the water in my bottle began to shake. Keep it together, Viv. It's just a lunchroom. I took a deep breath and the shaking stopped. "Hey, New girl, come sit with us," a nasally voice rang full of cheerleaders and jocks that stared me over like a piece of meat. Indecisive, I hesitantly walked over before I heard someone call my name from a few tables down. There, I saw Ned waving happily at me, Peter sinking into his seat, and a girl who seemed unimpressed by their actions.

"Hello? Are you deaf?" the girl, who I assumed was the head cheerleader, snapped. My eyes then went to hers in a glare. "If I continue to hear your voice, I might as well be," I plainly stated as others 'ooh'ed. The whole cafeteria had heard that and a crowd gathered as she stood up and walked over to me, now realizing I was taller than her. She tried to act as though she wasn't intimidated but I knew she was. "What did you just say to me?" she tried to say threateningly.

I looked down at her with a smirk. "Hm, maybe I'm not the only one going deaf. Sweetie, maybe your voice is affecting you too!" I pretended to gasp, leaving her stunned as I walked over to Ned, Peter, and the girl from previously. "Hey guys," I sighed, throwing my things down next to Peter. "Dude! You just stood up to the most evil, popular girl in school! You're honestly so cool," Ned gushed, sitting down. I scoffed, denying it.

"Oh, come on! Not just anyone can stand up to her like that. Wasn't she great, Peter?" he asked him as Peter seemed lost in thought, staring at me. "Huh? Oh, y-yeah," he said absentmindedly. "He's right. That was pretty dope," the girl said with a smirk. "I'm Michelle," she smiled shaking my hand. I smiled back. "I like your style," she said. "Thanks. I like yours," I replied.

"So, you like Star Wars, huh?" "Here we go again," Michelle rolled her eyes. "What? It's a simple question, alright?" Ned said. "They just want you to be in their nerd cult and be their queen," she joked. "It's not a cult. It's a hobby," Peter defended. "Call it what you'd like," she shrugged. "Point is, we were wondering if you'd want to come over to build the Millennium Falcon with us?" Peter asked nervously. I pretended to give them a hard look and right as their hopes seemed to be broken, I broke out into a smile. "Only if it isn't the super freaking tiny one," I said. "Really? Yes!" Ned rejoiced. "I'm surrounded by nerds," Michelle shook her head.