California

Chapter Nine

Like most kids my age I really hated calculus. I know I wanted to study business and that would involve some kind of mathematical knowledge but that was my least favorite part of it: numbers. I loved to read and study and debate, but solving equations that involved more letters than numbers really ground my gears. Amanda was a math prodigy, so she chose AP Calc with a smile on her face, just like she said she would when we were at her house. As soon as she finished putting her schedule together she made room for me at the front desk.

"Are you here for your schedule as well, honey?" Asked this elderly lady with moon-shaped glasses.

I said yes and she turned her eyes to the computer. She typed and clicked and soon printed out a form which she then handed over to me. It was full of options, ranging from Earth Sciences to Art History. I had to choose at least five, which was the minimum, so I did. I went with Civic Studies, AP English - which I was quite good at, for a change - and also PE. I had to maintain at least some level of physical activity going now that I wasn't playing volleyball anymore. Even though Amanda told me to try out for the varsity team, I didn't feel that comfortable yet.

I handed the sheet back to the old lady and she examined it thoroughly. 

"No Calculus, huh?" She remarked, looking over to Amanda. "You've finally made a friend who's not a mathlete!"

She laughed and blushed a little, clearly embarrassed. Maybe Amanda wanted me to think she was cool and all, but I couldn't care less about that. She was being nice and welcoming, and no amount of popularity - or lack thereof - would make me overlook that. 

The lady printed out the final version of my schedule, which was actually faster than I had imagined, and we compared our time tables. We had no classes together, except for first period on Mondays, which was homeroom. We walked up the stairs to the second floor where the room was located and I took a second to look around. 

It looked like a typical, run-of-the-mill american school, with the exception of how fancy everything was. The students walked around in groups, and I could very easily identify the clichés: there was the geeks, who ran around in packs so that other kids wouldn't pick on them separately; the jocks, big muscles and burgundy shirts, the only difference being which sport they played; the cheerleaders, which paraded their velvet and white uniform around the halls; and the regular people, who wore regular clothes and usually faded into the background in YA high school movies. 

It's not that I felt like an outsider - it's just that I didn't really know where I fit in yet. I hoped to figure that out sooner rather than later, much like I had back in Seattle. It's not that Sarah, Emma and I were the most popular girls in school, but we had a good reputation. We had a lot of friends and were invited to every party. Now, amidst those clear blue corridors, no one knew me at all. I felt invisible for the first time, and couldn't decide whether that was a breath of fresh air or something over which I would agonize.

"Here we are!" Said Amanda, pushing the door open.

We strode in and found ourselves two seats seconds before the teacher walked in. She greeted us and welcomed us back just like every first homeroom of the year. She talked a lot about working hard and focusing on our future and our careers since it was senior year and colleges were looking for the best only. I sort of drifted off a few minutes into the speech and watched the palm trees rock with the wind through the window. Everything was so different, happening so fast... Cali's volleyball had only grazed my shoulder, but was it a coincidence that it happened on the first day of school? I smiled absentmindedly, finding it amusing that I was starting to sound like one of those wackos that believe in fate. I ran that by Amanda later on when we were on our way to the cafeteria for lunch.