Nobody Likes The Gray Area

The New Girl in Woodcrest

I tried my hardest to beg my parents not to move us. Being a new girl freshman year is already Hell, so it's beyond Hell being a new girl your senior year. Everybody's already got their cliques figured out and seniors are pompous idiots who think they're "mature". To make matters worse, Woodcrest High is a private school. I am so not here for all the snooty rich kids.

Sorry for being negative—I'm just nervous for my first day.

It takes me a while to find a place to park my car in the senior parking lot. I had to order a designated space that would be mine online before the school year started. I park my car and step out with my backpack, my phone, and a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks. Don't judge me—they're delicious.

I look at the school map on my phone. Thankfully, the campus is small, so I don't have to walk too much to get to my classes, unlike my old school. There are four buildings that form a square around the courtyard and the cafeteria in the middle: the auditorium, the gym, the English building, and the Math building. Social studies classes are also held in the English building, and science classes are held in the math building as well. Other electives are held in both.

Because of traffic and my stop at Starbucks, I'm already late to school and hurry to the auditorium for a school assembly that's being held to start the school year. I don't feel very good about this school. When I first looked at the website a couple weeks ago, there was a picture of some angry guy with a Afro on the front. He looked like he didn't want to be in the picture, but...at least, there's diversity?... It doesn't really matter if there's diversity—I wouldn't fit in either way.

Anyways, I find the auditorium to the far left of the large square of buildings and approach its glass double doors. Walking inside, I'm showered in cold A/C and find myself in what seems to be the lobby. It's an empty room with fancy paintings on the walls and a sculpture of the school mascot in the middle. This is a fancy school, I'll give it that.

I hear a man's voice coming through the speakers on the walls and see a crowded room of students in the room to my left. I walk towards it and enter quietly, still attracting eyes. I spot some empty seats in the back of the house of seats and walk up the stairs to get to them. When I get to my seat, I see who I will be sitting with and immediately recognize the boy with the Afro from the website. A bad feeling stirs in my gut, and I have second thoughts about sitting somewhere else, but there's only room available here.

Maybe if I just sit down and keep to myself, nothing bad will happen?

I take a quick breath to calm myself and go sit next to him. As I approach him, he looks up at me and our eyes accidentally connect. My heart leaps to my throat, and I quickly look away.

Idiot! Why were you looking directly at him?

I tune into the principal speaking at the podium on the stage:

"...And now, students, we will stand for the Pledge of Allegiance," he says.

He then turns around to face the large American flag behind him and puts his hand over his heart. The rest of the auditorium stands and follows his lead in reciting the pledge. I do the same, but the boy next to me stays seated and silent.

When The Pledge is over, everyone sits back down and the assembly continues. It lasts for about thirty minutes, then the first block bell rings. Everyone rises out of their seats and heads for the exits. I grab my bag and empty latte cup, and I head for the exit too, the guy following me there.

On my way out, I throw the cup away and head to my first block, AP Literature. It's boring, as expected. Next, I have AP US History.

As I walk inside, I spot the same guy from assembly reading a book in the middle of the room. He looks up at me again, and my stomach lurches. I don't know why making eye contact with him is so disturbing. Maybe it's just the mystery is his dark wine irises. Maybe I'm just shy?