All We Are

The next morning, I got up at 8:30, still unused to the time change and jet lag. I decided to get ready for the long day ahead of me. It was the day that Jesse was talking me to enroll at Jude's school. I couldn't stop the butterflies in my stomach. I dressed in a pair of white-stained jean cutoffs and a pale pink tee shirt. After pulling my hair into a loose ponytail, I went downstairs in search of breakfast.

No one else was awake yet, so I decided to have a bowl of cereal for breakfast. Katie had shown me around the kitchen a few times, but I still wasn't sure where everything was. I searched through the cupboards, desperately looking for a bowl.

"Can I help you find something?"

I jumped and looked around me for the speaker. Jesse was sitting at the breakfast table, reading the newspaper. I hadn't even noticed him when I came in. He set his glasses and the paper down. "I didn't mean to startle you. Do you need something Willow?"

"Um, a bowl.... Please," I added as an after thought.

"Second cupboard to your left," he told me. "There's cereal in the pantry."

"Thanks," I mumbled sheepishly. I grabbed a bowl from the stated cupboard and a box of raisin bran crunch from the pantry. I sat down to eat next to Jesse.

He absently passed me the stack of the newspaper that he'd already read. The gesture was unexpected, but I appreciated it. Normally, I wouldn't have bothered to read the paper, or sit and eat breakfast in absolute silence with a man I barely knew, with a man who was supposed to be my legal guardian. I felt though, that I could have a new start here, that everyone deserved a new beginning. So I took the offered paper and began reading.

After Jude was ready, dressed in a thin white tee shirt and a pair of navy exercise shorts, we left. Jesse's car was silver and expensive looking, although I wasn't one for cars, I did realize that his was what would be considered a "hot" ride. Jude and I both sat in the spacious back seat. As Jesse drove, Jude pulled on his shin guards and cleats, neglecting his socks. Once we pulled into the huge school's huge parking lot, Jude jumped out of the car and ran off to the soccer field, dribbling a ball as he ran.

Jesse and I went through the main entrance and into the guidance counselor's office. I tried to pay attention as they outlined my schedule and classes for me. Everything seemed similar to my old school; the only perceivable difference, aside from the monstrosity of this school, was the mandatory uniform requirement. The ridiculous amount of money that Katie had spent on me for new clothing seemed even more ridiculous now.

The counselor gave me a tour of the huge school. Many of my classes were on the same floor, but my locker was two floors above the majority of my classes. I asked about switching, but the counselor said that there weren't enough available lockers.

The whole ordeal lasted about 2 hours. After it was over, Jesse gave me some money to go to the vending machine in the cafeteria while he informed the counselor of my "situation", The way that he said it made me angry, so I gladly took the money and left.

I wasn't really hungry, so I pocketed the money, deciding to save it for a later date. I figured that Jesse would want me to stay where I was, but I didn't feel like sitting alone in the empty cafeteria. I decided to go outside and check out the soccer and football fields.

Behind the school, Jude and a bunch of other guys were still playing soccer, many of them had taken off their shirts. I saw a girl sitting alone on the bleachers, watching. She didn't look lonely, but I decided to go introduce myself and maybe find a new friend. As soon as I was close enough, I could tell that she was ultra gorgeous. The type of girl that I would be extremely jealous of. The type of girl that I would normally avoid.

She had long, rich, dark brown hair that fell around her shoulders in large, loose ringlets. She was very thin and petite, reaching probably only an inch or two above my shoulders. I could see that her eyes were bright blue and piercing, framed with thick, long eyelashes.

As I approached and sat down next to her, she looked over at me.

"Hi," I said, smiling timidly.

"Hi," she responded slowly, confused. "Do I know you?"

I shook my head. "No, I just moved here. I-uh I'm going to go to school here in the fall." I felt like an idiot for my lame introduction.

"Oh, well, I'm Fee," she said, offering her hand.

"I'm Willow," I said. I wondered if she'd given me her nickname; Fee wasn't a name that I was familiar with.

She nodded in acknowledgement and then glanced over her shoulder at the guys,

"Is your boyfriend playing?" I asked.

She nodded and pointed to the guy next to Jude. They were shoving each other around playfully. "He's over there. How about you?" she asked.

"No, I'm just waiting for my uh, for my dad to finish signing papers." I didn't feel like trying to explain my "situation". I didn't want everyone to know me on the first day as "that new girl whose parents died".

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Fee's phone rang. She talked for a few minutes, and after hanging up, turned to me.

"I'm so sorry, I've got to run." She didn't sound very apologetic.

"That's okay," I said.

"I guess I'll see you around Winter," she said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. It sounded like she'd gotten my name wrong on purpose.

"By Fay," I said, smiling at her as she scowled and walked away. I wondered why I'd even bothered introducing myself to her. She seemed like the exact type of person I'd typically avoid.

Jesse found me a little while later. He didn't seem upset that I'd left the cafeteria, which I was grateful for. We waited in silence for Jude soccer practice to end. Once it was over, we went back to Jesse's car.

"I saw you met Fee," Jude said once we were in the car. He looked over his shoulder at me as he took off his equipment. His feet smelled.

"Yeah,"I said. I could hear the unenthusiastic tone in my voice.

"Don't worry, she's a little cold when you first meet her. She gets alot better. I'm sure you guys will be friends in no time," Jude said.

I almost laughed. Instead, I nodded. "I'm sure we'll be great friends."

Jude smiled. He seemed, for some reason, to really want this Fee girl and I to get along. Maybe he didn't want to be stuck with me on the first day of school and was glad that I'd met someone else to bother.