Dance to This Beat

On the morning of the first day of school, I woke up to a huge thunderstorm happening just outside my window. I sat up in my bed and stretched after turning off my alarm. I was one of the few people that thunderstorms didn’t bother. Seattle would be a great place for me. Kicking my legs over the bed, I looked at the painting Ty had drawn me before we came all the way across the country,

It was a picture of us when we were younger. We were sitting in a field of grass and flowers and we were grinning like fools. His mom had taken the picture and Ty did an amazing painting of it. He had gotten the colors in the sunset perfectly.

Ty, as you’re probably wondering, was my childhood best friend. I missed him a lot, too. He was still in Mississippi.

Sighing, I pushed myself out of the comfortable bed, down the hall, and into the bathroom to take a shower. I slipped into the warm water and relaxed, feeling more comfortable with starting at a new school. After the shower, I walked back to my room in just my towel. My hair was blow dried, so I wouldn’t have to worry about dripping on the carpet. I opened my closet door and stood back, thinking. Eventually I settled on black skinny jeans, a black tee shirt with a rib cage and a heart on it, and Converse. Let these kids think what they want, this is me.

I heard mom downstairs in the kitchen and decided to go down and see what was up.

I entered the doorway carrying my Hawthorne Heights tote and a purple Gabe Saporta-inspired hoodie. “G’mornin’ momma.”

She placed her hands on her rather large belly and stopped making my fruit salad long enough to smile at me and kiss my forehead.

“How’s the baby?”

“It’s all good,” she grinned.

“Your doctor appointment’s today right?” I asked running over today’s events in my head.

“Yeah, then I’ll call and update you on the gender, ‘cause I know you’re dying to know.”

I nodded, stealing a bite of mango. “And I’ll update you on my first day of school.”

“You’d better.”

“I will,” I giggled.

------

I got out of Jon’s car and looked at the huge high school. Then I looked back at him.

“Come on. You’ll be fine.”

A rush of nervous, first-day-of-school butterflies floated around in my stomach.

Jon grabbed my hand and we walked to the giant school. I bumped into a girl a little taller than me and immediately apologized. “I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to run into you.”

“Don’t sweat it,” she replied. “You new here?”

“Yeah. How'd you know”

"You look scared shitless." She played with her lip ring. “So what year?”

“Senior.”

“Cool. Me, too.”

I nodded.

“I’m Kaity Gilmore.”

“Claire Williams.”

“So you’re from the South, huh?” she asked as her, Jon, and I walked down the hall.

“Mississippi,” I nodded.

“I’ve been there before. I’ve got family there.”

“Yeah. Alabama’s better though.”

She made a face.

“What?”

“I don’t really like country.”

“Oh.”

“The music anyway.”

“Well, I like Hawthorne Heights,” I laughed, gesturing to my bag.

She laughed. “Ohio is for lovers.”

“Hey, babe, here’s my homeroom,” Jon said suddenly.

I turned to him. “Okay. I’ll see ya later.”

He bent down to kiss me then went into the classroom.

“So you and Jon Walker, huh?” Kaity asked curiously. “How long’s that been?”

”Since June eighteenth,” I grinned.

“Three months. Wow. How’d you meet anyway?”

“I moved in to the house next door to his.”

“That’s gonna suck when you break up.”

I sighed. That’s what Ty had told me when I spoke to him on the phone about it.

“But you look cute together,” she assured me.

We reached a classroom and both started to walk in. I knew someone in my homeroom! Big grin from me.

------

I sat down at the lunch table with my lunch (which consisted of a salad, no dressing, and a water). I wasn’t very hungry, but I knew I had to eat.

“Hey,” Jon said, sitting down next to me.

I grinned up at him and looked back at my tray.

“What’s wrong?”

I shook my head. “I dunno.”

“Liar.”

“Am not.”

He poked my side and I fought back giggles.

A cheerleader passing by gave us a dirty look. After that, it was even harder to not laugh.

“Hey, chem lab buddy,” Ryan said, sitting across from me.

“Hey, Ryry.”

“So who do you have classes with?”

“First period: English with Kaity Gilmore; second period: health with Spencer and Bren; third: chem with you; fourth: history with Bren and Jon; fifth: Spanish with Kaity; sixth: calculus with Jon; and seventh: choir with you and Bren,” I replied.

“Cool. So at least you know pe--“

“Oh my God, Claire. How funny was health,” Spencer interrupted, sitting down at the table.

“Hilarious,” I laughed.

“What happened in health?” Kaity asked, sitting down on my other side.

“Miss Chaimberlin walked in with her clothes all messed up and make up running down her face,” Spencer and I said at the same time.

“Ew. You have Miss Chaimberlin?” Jon asked,. “I had her last year. Can you say sex addict?”

I laughed some more. “God Jon, you get right to the point, don’t cha?”

“Well, duh. I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t,” he grinned.

------

“Yo, Claire.”

I turned around to face Dillon, “Hey!”

He embraced me in a hug. “I haven’t seen you in, like, a month.”

“I know! How are you an’ Tanner?”

“Good as ever,” he grinned happily. “What about you and Jon?”

“Great. Speaking of which, I gotta go, he’s waiting for me.”

“Okay, see ya tomorrow.”

“Bye!” I called back to him.

I walked out to Jon’s car. “I just saw Dillon.”

“Cool,” he said flatly.

Jon knows that Dillon and I ‘d become friends over the summer. He also knows that Dillon’s gay and taken. Why’s he acting like a total asshole?