beautiful Mistake

chapter 1

"I know it's not that big of deal quinn "Quinn,” I stressed, as my best friend tried convincing me into going shopping for back to school, even though school was starting today, and it would be pointless to go now. She rolled her eyes, knowing how I felt about shopping, trying stuff on, it was all just pointless—at least that’s what I thought. She on the other hand, always was having new clothes on hand, always pressuring me into trying on some of her older clothes that she didn’t like the styles, in hopes that I would fall under her spell of shopping,You need new clothes,” she stressed, picking up the sleeve of my hoodie sweatshirt in her hand in a mock disgust, “This…this is a disgrace,” she shook my arm, and I jerked it back. Feigning like I was hurt, “What is with my clothes"

“Everything,” she laughed out, and I rolled my eyes, looking very similar to what her face had looked like only seconds ago. I really didn’t think anything was wrong with how I dressed, it was just simple jeans, and normally t-shirts and when it got colder, of course sweatshirts. I wasn’t all that clever in the fashion field and stayed clear of it as much as I could. We continued walking down the sidewalk, towards our high school, deciding we wanted to enjoy some of the warm air, while it was still here, both of us were positive that soon enough the presence of school would suck up the nice weather. I kicked a stone in our way, watching it slowly hop and tumble off the side walk to settle somewhere
in the underbrush where I couldn’t see. The underbrush was shadows by the tall boughs of the trees in the forest flanking us on our side, so dense that when you tried to look into the thick wall of trunks it was dark, grainy and eerie. I didn’t dare sweep my foot in that unknown underbrush to get the stone to kick again. “I’m comfortable, and don’t look terrible, that’s all that matters,” I said with a shrug, “I have no sense in fashion, might as well be shopping for parts to a fridgerator for how much statistics I would know…wait, never mind, I would actually know what to look for in afridge,” I said with a grin, and she let out a defeated sigh, maybe this time for good. Most likely not.

“Can you believe that this is going to be the last first day of school…” she sighed wistfully, clasping her hands together overdramatically. I chuckled, “Not really, well at least for me…I actually plan on going to college,” “I plan on going to college,” she bristled defending herself, “Just don’t know what for yet…or why, really,” I couldn’t comprehend how she couldn’t know what she would be going to college for, I had had my whole career planned out since ninth grade, knowing exactly what college I was going to, the statistics of the programs I wanted in on, and even the grade point average and test scores I would need for the best of scholarships. It was incomprehendable that she had not a clue, but then again, neither did I about fashion, so I guess it was even, sort of. Anyway I have a year to decide, I’m fine,” she waved my worries of her
future off, but that’s what she said at the beginning of the summer, I quote, “I have the summer to decide, I’m fine,”. It was no use to try and get her to change, she was who she was, and I loved her for it. We passed the clearing of the forest, that was a gentle park, its swings still without the early morning breeze, and the slide, its metal surface shining in the sunlight that was creeping up on us,as the day approached. I had the sudden urge to run up to the swings and swing until I could taste the sunlight, but I glanced at my watch. “We have to hurry, or we are going to be late to chat with Kyle and Rebecca,” I sighed, the swings can wait. She walked a little faster, but I had a longer stride and managed to keep up with her at a lower pace, she glowered at me. “When did you get so tall?” she grumbled, looking up at me, and I smiled down at her. I had grown overthe summer, not by much, but enough to secure my spot at five inches taller than
her. “When did you get so tan?” I remarked, she had spent the summer in Texas, and the sun must be beating down on her the whole time, because her normally pale skin was the color browned cookies. We had an easy friendship, it was pretty effortless, we got into fights, but always we got back to our equilibrium point of gentle teasing and laughs. All of a sudden, she wasn’t walking baside me anymore, and I saw her form shoot forward in a run. “Bet you I can beat you there?” I was caught in surprise, my mouth an open ‘o’. Blinking rapidly, I caught on with a grin, and tightened my backpack closer to myself before running after her. The slap of my feet against the sidewalk was paced and my breathing even. Spending your summer doing yard work had its advantages, as I laughed as I saw the fleeing form of Quinn; grow into more focus with each step. She glanced back her eyeswidening as she saw me running after her, a predator aimed after her prize of pride
I could see the school growing larger as each footfall brought us both closer to its doors. It looked different, bigger somehow, but I couldn’t make out the details as I took my strides longer, practically jumping like an antelope across the sidewalk. Pushing through a group of juniors, they glared hatefully at me and I through an apologetic glance back, Quinn had managed to slip through the space in between them. Sometimes I wish I was taller…sometimes, definitely not all the time. I was close enough I was positive she would be able to hear my breathing in her ear, and a dastardly plan formed in my mind. I reached forward and tugged harshly on the handle of her backpack, making her stumble to a stop and backwards while I propelled forward. I reached the flagpole just in time, resting my hand on its smooth spherical surface, my breath was uneven now, and I was trying to catch up on it when she finally came to a stuttering stop by me, in the same condition.
have an evil mind,” she frowned as she eyed daggers at me. I grinned, “The evilest,” “Hey, what are you two doing all the way over here?” a new voice perked in, and we both turned to Rebecca, Kyle trailing behind her as they approached. Her hair was waved down her back, a sea of light blonde curls that highlighted her bright eyes. She had changed over the summer, I guess I was in for a ton of changes, everything was shifting. But one thing that hadn’t was Kyle, whose hands were in his pockets as he grinned and walked towards us all. His dirty blonde hair still fell slightly in front of his left eye, the curl just making it bouncy enough to jiggle as he walked, but when you ran your hands through it, you wouldn’t get your fingers caught. I blushed a deep red at the thought, trying to put the past behind us, that was years ago, we had both moved on. “Hey,” Quinn said smoothly, obviouslynone of them noticing my newly rouge cheeks. I smiled a little, pretending tobe trying to catch up on my oxygen debt. I leaned into the flag pole as I watched as Quinn and Rebecca got into an animated discussion over their summers, I had already heard both ends of the story. “So I guess we should get to class?” Kyle suggested, I turned and somehow he had managed to be standing right beside me without my knowing. I nodded, “Yeah, I want to know if I got into the lower classes,” I said pushing my self away from the pole. They were all giving me pointed looks, “What?” I asked. “We all know—especially you, that you are going to get into the highest classes,” Kyle said with an eye roll. “Well you didn’t have to say it, you ruined all my fun,” I said, with a grin falling back easily into the foursome that had been so since the middle of eighth grade. We started walking, and I noticed that me and Quinn were falling behind, Rebecca and Kyle taking a slight lead. Then something totally unexpected happened, I saw Rebecca reach out and grasp his hand in a way more than just friends. My eyebrows could’ve hit the ceiling, and I gave Quinn a questioning look. “I don’t know—it just happened,” she said, and we all headed to scheduling. My first mistake was to start paying attention to the people around me inclass. If I hadn’t I wouldn’t have noticed Tristan Everdeen