No Footsteps To Follow

The next morning was the same as any other Monday. Get up, get ready, eat a bowl of Cheerios, and play my guitar with any spare time I had left before driving to school...My parents hated that I spent so much time playing my guitar...They always gave me the "School is more important right now than playing your dumb guitar" lecture. Obviously they don't think I might want to use that skill after I graduate high school this year.

Since my first 3 classes were Guitar, History and Spanish, I went straight to my locker to dump my backpack there. I got there to find a group of girls gossiping right it front of my locker. Not the one to the left, not the one to the right, but Mine. Out of any other in the school. Of course, it's mine they decide to stand it front of.

"Uh. Can-- Can I get to my locker please?"

They all turned around; looked at me, glared, then went back to gossiping. I stood there awkwardly for a couple seconds standing there...I finally decided to just tap one of them on the shoulder and ask them. I tapped the closest shoulder to me.

"Hey." I said.

"What?!"

"Can I get into my locker?"

"Uh. No. This is my locker." she said. Pointing to the one next to mine

"Oh. Well that one is mine. Can I get into it?"

"Fine." she said rolling her eyes.

I quickly dumped my backpack in my locker and tried to get out of the group of girls as quick as possible.

"YOU'RE WELCOME" She yelled as I walked off.

The rest of the day went smoothly with all the guys. The four of us had most our classes together...Except last period. We all split up. I never looked forward to it. I also knew I had to go to my locker again. Which didn't go well earlier. I walked around the corner only seeing the one girl down the hall at our lockers. The girl I had tapped on the shoulder this morning. I walked down the long hall with my eyes down at the floor, trying to figure out what to say to her. I got to the lockers and didn't say a word. Opening my locker awkwardly... the silence was killing me...

"Hi." I said smiling.

"Hi?"

"I'm the g--guy from this morni--"

"Ya. I remember you."

"S--sor-rry for bothering you this morning."

"It's fine." she said looking back in her locker.

After a minute or two, I broke the silence again.

"So, What's you--r name?"

"I'm sorry. I have to go." She said slamming her locker and walked into the bathroom.

I took a deep breath and headed to my last period...I headed to class early and took the first seat I saw at a long black lab table. A couple minutes later she walked through the door. Except this time, I noticed the red stain spilled down her shirt. She looked across the classroom until I came across her view. Once she saw me she looked straight to the floor again;embarrassed.

Throughout class I tried to concentrate on what Mr. Johnson was saying...But instead the result was either; me dozing off, or me attempting to make quick glances at the mystery girl without her noticing. It all worked out until Mr.Johnson announced he was assigning new lab partners since there were new students in class...

"Alright class...If I say your last name then go sit at the table I point to." He said with his monotone voice.

"Jones, Smith"

"Jacobson, Adams"

"Cameron, Madison"

"Taylor, Hansen"

I let out a huge sigh and walked towards the table I was assigned to, to find the mystery girl already sitting down...

"Great!" I mumbled.

We both sat down awkwardly and spread our books out. I wasn't sure if I should introduce myself or just leave her alone this time...I was debating for at least five minutes before finally deciding to just leave her alone...

I rested my elbows on the open pages of my science book and put my hands in my face...Except, my elbows slipped and everything went wrong. Not only did I knock down all my books, papers, and folders off the table...but I knocked hers down to the floor. Everyone started laughing and I got the death glare from my lab partner.

"I'm so sorry!"

"Just leave me alone from now on."

"I'm sorry!!"

I didn't get any responses the last couple minutes of class when I said I'm sorry every few minutes. If I was lucky I would at least get a half smile...but mostly it was just glares.

When the bell rung I stood up quickly looking around the table picking up the rest of the folders and papers spread across the floor...I stood up looking for her to say sorry one last time, but the second the bell rung she was OUT the door...

About a half hour later, I got home and sprinted up the stairs avoiding my parents. I got to my room and pulled out my homework to get it over with...Except, I didn't have my science homework...I had "Skye Hansen's" homework...Then it finally clicked.