Crushes, weirdos and the little things

A Touch of Weird

I'm staring at my own reflection in the girl's restroom on the ground floor of my new school. My bare face is slightly tanned, but sticking with SPF 50 all summer has made me less so than someone else might have been.

The door opens and a couple of animatedly talking girls walk in. It feels as if they're taking up the whole space."...so dad wouldn't let me go to the concert and like oh my god he's so clueless!"
"That sucks, but it was over 18 anyway. You would never have gotten in."
"I can look 18! I can totally look 18. Abby?"
"I don't know..."
"Gee, thanks Abby."
"You're 15 Mel, you don't actually look like a senior."
Their sounds and scents assault my senses and I hurriedly wash and dry my hands. I've made it through my first day at a new school. I wonder how many days I'll get to stay here. It's nice and clean and most of the students seem alright, it's an upgrade from the last one for sure. I step outside and turn my phone back on. There's a text from my uncle waiting for me and I dread reading it.
I volunteered staying late at work. There's food money in the jar. Make enough dinner for a couple of nights.
Relief floods my systems. He got a job and he's kissing up to the boss, looks like we're staying the week. At least. I smile and stuff my phone into my bag.

"You look like you would like some waffles." The guy talking is a head taller than me and wearing a pale green Adventure Time t-shirt and orange cargo pants.
"Waffles?"
"Why yes! I'd love to go have waffles with you! How nice of you to ask!" He does this half-bow and "after you" gesture, peeking at me through locks of brown hair that have fallen in front of his face.
"Dude. I'm sure you're like super cool and shit, but I'm going home." He straightens and pushes his hair back, brown eyes gleaming with mischief. Somewhere in the back of my mind I remember seeing him in one of my classes. I can't for the life of me figure out which one though, they all melt together into high school boredom.
"Are you saying you're taking a rain check on our date?"
"I don't even know your name. I'd say it's a rain check on everything until I figure out just how crazy you are."

He laughs and I see that his teeth are all crooked, which somehow makes him less of a weirdo. Perfection would have really put me off. "Well, New Girl, I'm Stack."
"Stack?"
"Yeah Stack. As in: I bet you can't eat 10 stacks of pancakes in under 3 minutes. Which I totally can, by the way."
"Wow."
"Yeah, that's what they all say."
"No. Wow as in: you're so much more weird than I gave you credit for. Anyway. I really do have to go home. See you around. Stack." He flashes me a grin and salutes me as I walk off.

I glance back towards him and he's fist bumping some friends before throwing his skateboard down and setting off in the other direction. My hands smooth down the skirt of my dress as I'm walking home. I made it myself last year after finding the fabric at an outlet. It's Princess Bubblegum, Marceline and Flame Princess holding hands in never ending lines across the fabric. Maybe tomorrow I'll wear one of my Transformer dresses?