Don't Worry, I'll Save You

I walked in the school with my head down, watching my feet. One step, two step, don’t trip, three step. I was hoping no one would come up and talk to me. Hah. Who was I kidding, I laughed at myself, no one talks to me. Fine with me. In fact, I prefer it. I walked slowly up to my locker, entering the combination casually, eating up time. After all, there was 30 minuets before the first class. 20-15-7, open the locker slowly, but not too slowly. Don’t want people to look at you weird. Grab your science book. Put it in your messenger-style bag lying limply at your side. Shut your locker. Change the song on your iPod.

My parents had gotten me an expensive iPod for my 15th birthday years ago. We were what some people in this town called “rich”. I knew that’s why I wasn’t popular. I was “rich” and “smart”. I got good grades, a goody-two-shoe. They didn’t know a thing about me, and I didn’t want them too.

I flipped through the songs on my iPod. Mostly Oldies. Carly Simon, Carol King, Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel. I stopped on my favorite: “All Along The Watchtower.”

“Hey you!” someone was shouting. Oh great, people started to fill the school. Wet shoes squeaked on the tiled floor. “Hey!” they called again. I realized once I heard someone walking beside me that they were talking to me. I shot my head up and took out my headphones.

A girl, pretty, about my height, was standing next to me. She had circles under her eyes, lack of sleep I assumed. She was wearing a tight shirt with ineligible red writing on it. A heavy metal type band name, I assumed. Her jeans were tight. Too tight for comfort. Well, for my comfort anyway. Her shoes looked too big for her feet, and the tongue was sticking out in front of her pant legs.

An alarm that my parents had installed in my brain when I was young started screeching.
“NOT AN OUTSTANDING CITIZEN!” It warned. I shut it off. Good. Just what my parents hate.

“Do you know where…um…”The blonde haired girl looked at a piece of paper in her hand, “Mr. Banser’s Geophysical Science class is?” She read every word off of the paper at a slow pace. Not the brightest crayon in the bunch, I observed. My parents hate that too. I smiled deviously on the inside.

“Yep, that’s my first period class. You want me to show you there.” I asked politely.
“Yea. This place is huge. Have you lived here your whole life?” She asked casually.
“Pretty much.” I laughed. We were arriving to science now, the silence was a bit awkward.
“I’m Cassie, by the way.” She smiled.
“Alexandria.” I smiled back.

I took a seat in the back, and unexpectedly Cassie sat next to me.

“So, where’d you move from?” I asked her as the clock changed to 8:25. 5 more minuets till class.
“California.” she replied.
“Wow.” I said. That’s a big move.
“Yea, my mom and dad sent me here as an attempt to stop my partying and drug use.” She laughed, as if that was just casual information. I was at a loss for words. Thankfully she just kept talking.
“I mean, I’ve been thinking about it lately, and it’s going to be hard, but you know, I do want to change, y’know Alex?” She asked.

It was weird, because she didn’t feel awkward, and I’ve never been called Alex before. My parents never called me Alex, most likely because it wasn’t lady like. But I liked it.

Cassie was just the type of person my parents hated, and I liked that too.

You may be a Sinner
But you may be justified
Just keep your mouth shut
And your Guard up
I swear I’ll make it right