penny.

2; Fresh

 My alarm blared into my headphones at seven AM, alerting me that it was the first day at Northview High School. Fun. I had fallen asleep listening to Led Zeppelin, trying to drown out my thoughts. I forgot my sleeping pills at home, leaving me with a whopping five hours of sleep. Again. I rubbed my eyes and got out of bed, stepping into the shower to relax my body. Looking into the mirror, my eyes had huge bags under them and my eyes were bloodshot and swollen from crying. I hadn't been able to sleep without pills since dad died, always either waking up sweaty and scared from a nightmare or simply staying up the whole night.

After blow drying my hair and doing my makeup to cover up my bags It was already 7:30, half an hour until school started. Tia said she would already be gone by the time I was leaving since I didn't need a ride, so I grabbed my board and headed out, not bothering with breakfast. According to my phone, Northview was only four miles away and it was basically a straight shot from the house, easy. The views here were so much prettier than the ones in Ridgecrest; Tall palm trees lined the streets and the sun was getting ready to come up, tinting the sky orange.

The school was in sight now, a tall white brick building that had at least three floors. Two other buildings were connected to the center, one on each side. A gym? Auditorium? I had no clue. Kids loitered on the grass in front of the school, some on the steps or benches surrounding the buildings. I kicked my board into my hand and walked up the front steps, ignoring the lingering gazes on my jacket. The girls I could see were all dressed in nice clothes; Dresses and frilly tops, making me feel plain in my ripped black jeans and white shirt. I didn't really feel the need to change up my outfits since I was only ever around the gang. I made my way to the main office, following the signs hung from the ceiling to get my schedule.

The receptionist looked me up and down before telling me to 'have a seat'. I had less than ten minutes to figure out where my classes were and I really wasn't enjoying all the looks I was getting today. I wanted people to stay away from me, not look at me like I was a human trash bag. I popped my headphones in and leaned my head into the back of the cushioned chair, waiting for someone to address me.

"Hey, are you Isabella?" I heard an unfamiliar voice ask not even a few seconds later. I sat up in the chair to find a tall boy standing in front of me, smiling wide. I looked him up and down involuntarily before nodding my head at him. He pushed his shoulder length blonde hair behind his ear before nodding his head to the side, instructing him to follow me. His tall frame led me outside the office, letting me trail behind him. He turned around to face me, his bright blue eyes gleaming under the fluorescent lighting. You could tell he worked out, even from under his letterman jacket there were definitely bulging biceps under the material.

"So, I'm your guide for today, and any day you need it," He winked at me and handed me my schedule. I took it from him and rolled my eyes at his pass. I had all the basic subjects and lunch in the middle of the day. There was a dance class last period, thank god.

"I'm Owen, by the way, and we actually have first period and lunch together." He smiled at me, showing off a perfect set of teeth.

"So you walk me to all my classes or what? How does this work exactly?" I asked him. We never had a 'buddy system' at Ridgecrest, it wasn't really needed since the school was only one floor and the only seperate building was the gym.

"Yeah basically. But I think you should sit with me and my friends at lunch," He said. The confidence radiated off of him. I kinda hated that.

"Why would I do that?" I scoffed at him. I didn't mean to sound rude or anything but I had a plan, and becoming friends with a group of hot boys really wasn't included. Wait, hot? Did I really just think that? He's not my type. At all. Oh god, shut up Isa!