All We Are

By the time we got to school, I could barely contain my nerves. But I felt that facing all of the uncertainty and craziness of my first day at St. Matthew’s would be ten times better than dealing with Felicity’s icy demeanor toward me and Jude’s awkward attempts to include me in his conversations. I didn’t want to be an annoyance that he was forced to drag around all day.

As soon as the car stopped, I quickly got out. “I have to go check in at the office,” I told Jude, before hurrying away, not waiting for a reply.

Inside, there were people everywhere. It seemed like everyone was hugging one another, and laughing and joking, talking about summer vacations and pool parties and such. I could feel how alone I was weighing heavily on my shoulders; in the brightly lit main entrance, I was the only one by themselves. I kept my head up, though, as I made my way to the main office; I didn’t want to look like the lost, scared new girl.

The office was easy to find, I still remembered where it was from my tour. I waited at the front desk for my papers and a copy of my schedule. After the receptionist gave it to me, I went back into the hallway and waited for the bell to ring.

When the bell rang, after double-checking my schedule, I made my way to my first period class, English, all the way up on the third floor. By the time I get there, all of the desks but one are taken. Slowly, nervously, I made my way to the empty desk smack in the middle of the room. Of course, people stared at me as I went, and I couldn’t stop myself from blushing under their scrutiny. It felt like a year, but finally, I made it to my desk.

Right away, people began to bombard me with questions. Nervous as I was, I tried to be as open and friendly as possible. I answered most of the questions, accept for ones about my parents. People seemed enthralled by me, and I thought back briefly to when, back in Michigan, new students would arrive. They were always immediately the center of attention; everyone wanted the bright, shiny new toy. And it seemed, now, that I was that toy.

Most people would have loved the attention, but not me. I felt uncomfortable and awkward with the whole classroom gawking at me and demanding to know my life’s story. And it wasn’t just that first period class; the whole day, everywhere I went, I was attacked with questions. By lunch, I was completely exhausted.

Although there were the occasional jerks, most of the people that I’d met were really nice. At lunch, I ended up sitting next to this girl Mandy and her friends. They weren’t part of the “popular” group, but there were quite a few people at our table. As we ate, they chattered amiably, occasionally shooting questions my way or asking my opinion on the latest movies and music. I found myself laughing along with them and felt more comfortable than I had all day.

Near the end of the lunch period, I saw Jude walking through the cafeteria, holding hands with Felicity, of course. As they passed by our table, he waved at me and winked before smiling and continuing on his way. I waved back, smiling to myself, and trying to hold back a blush.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Mandy grabbed my arm. “Oh my God Willow, do you know who that is?”

“Jude?” I replied slowly, confused. “Yeah I know him.”

“You know Jude Sullivan!?” Mandy demanded, eyes practically bulging out of her head. “How?!”

I blushed when everyone at the table turned their attention to me. “Well, we’re kind of living together,” I stammered, flustered from all of the bewildered stares I was getting.