Sound Effects and Overdramatics

Tap, tap, tap…

I concentrated on the soft tap of my shoes to keep my mind off the fact that I was about to go into a room I’ve never seen before that would have a classroom full of staring teenagers I didn’t know, in just a few moments.

Tap, tap, tap went my shoes.

My father had just started his new business, and “hey,” he must of thought, “oh my family will love to leave their life all behind and start a new one in a different place. Even though there is plenty of building space in the city we live in right now.”

We lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico my whole life. Now here I am in my junior year of high school, having to forget my friends and everything that city met to me and move on in just a few months. It’s not that simple for me to do of course. How could I even think of doing something like that? I grew up there. I had my first steps, my first bike ride, my first concert and my first kiss there. Albuquerque is the only place I’ve known. Now I’m here in this new city, feeling utterly helpless and let down by my father. I’m here in Seattle, Washington.

Ta-crunch.

I look down to see I’ve stepped on a crumbled up piece of paper. My tour guide, a senior named Chelsea, looks back at me and says, “Don’t worry about that, the janitor will pick that up.”

Okay, what the hell is wrong with you? I felt like asking. Instead of opening my mouth and yelling at her like my gut was telling me to do, I listened to my mind and picked up the paper ball and threw it in the nearest trash can and followed my tour guide again. I hate litter bugs. Indeed, I care for the environment, so what?

Chelsea stopped in front of a door at the end of the science hallway I believe we were in. She looked at me in her I’m-still-better-then-you way and said, “Well I guess you have advance chemistry with us seniors.”

Chelsea opened the door and everyone fell silent. Great, I was hopeless. There were about 21 pairs of staring eyes burning holes in my back as Chelsea led me up to the front of the class where the teacher stood. Chelsea handed the teacher my schedule and retreated to the back of the room to talk to what seemed to be her boyfriend, for she kept touching his shoulders and standing awfully close.

Mr. Duson was the teachers name. He looked to be between the ages of 35 and 39. After looking over my schedule and handing it back to me, Mr. Duson made me turn around and introduce myself. This act automatically got him on my most despised list.

~•~

After my embarrassing introduction to the students in my chemistry class and taking a quiz on the periodic elements I handed Chelsea my schedule. Chelsea looked it over for a moment and motioned me to follower her to my next class; advance Algebra III, with the seniors again.

As we were walking through the hallways people would stop and wave at Chelsea or smile and say hi. It wasn’t until then that I realized Chelsea was a popular, as the kids at my old school would call the most noticed kids in our high school. It also wasn’t until then that I knew the reason why Chelsea might not want to be around me. I was a newbie, a nobody and a lower class man. All the seniors at my old school would never pay as much attention to a lower class man as Chelsea had in just a few hours.

Again, for the second time that day, Chelsea stopped in front of a door. Instead of me waiting for her to go in first like I had the last hour I started to walk in first.

“Hey,” Chelsea said. Oh shit. Bad move?

I turned around to face her, like a child being caught trying to steal a cookie before dinner.

“I don’t have this class, mine is further down this hall to the right. So, if you need me or whatever, you know where to find me, alright?” She asked and I nodded in response. Chelsea smiled and waved.

Interesting, just an hour ago she was acting like a complete bitch to me. Maybe she’s being nice because she doesn’t have to see me for a whole hour. Oh well, just deal with it Hailey.

I opened the door slowly as if it would bring less attention to my entrance. Of course I was wrong, all eyes turned to me to look. You’re an idiot Hailey, I mentally screamed at myself.

“Hello, can I help you?” A lady, who must have been the teacher asked. She had stopped writing an algebra formula on the board and started to walk toward me.

Instead of talking I reached into my right hand pocket of my blue jeans and pulled out my folded class schedule. I handed the wrinkled piece of paper to the teacher and dropped my hands to my sides again.

She took the paper and opened it and looked at it just for a moment and walked back to her desk. She scrolled something on the paper and motioned me to her desk. So I slowly walked up to the front of the class room, cautiously as if I moved too fast I’d fall to pieces in front of everyone.

When I approached the desk I glanced down to see a notebook paper with what seemed to be her name on it. Mrs. Duson. She must be married to my Chemistry teacher?

“Miss, Lexington is it?” She asked me as if she didn’t just read it on my schedule, but I nodded without getting mad.

Mrs. Duson looked around the room for a moment and pointed to the back of the room and told me to sit next to the boy who looked like the same boy Chelsea had been flirting with earlier. She ordered, Zachary; the boys name I guess, to get an extra Algebra book from the back cabinet. He pushed his chair out and walked to the left side of the room from my view that is, and opened the cabinet and pulled out a black and red Algebra III book.

Hesitantly I walked to the back where the conjoined desk was where I would be sitting for the rest of the year I figured. Zachary came back and handed me the Algebra book and sat down again. He gave me a quick smile and turned his head to the chalkboard and began to take notes. I copied him.

After that class was over I flipped the Algebra book closed, lifted it up and put it into my messenger back. I then stood up putting my bag strap over my right shoulder, picked up my paper that had my work on it and walked up to the front of the class where all the students were going to turn in their work. I placed it in the red basket and started to walk out of the classroom.

“Hey,” I stopped in my tracks and turned around to see that Zachary had called to me. “Your name is Hailey right?” I nodded in response.

He smiled, which made my stomach start to flutter.

“My names Zachary Gates” He finished putting his stuff in his bag and walked over to me and reached out his hand. I stood there staring at his hand for a second before I realized what I was supposed to do.

“Hailey Lexington” I said while taking his hand and shaking it.

“It’s nice to meet you Hailey Lexington” He said letting go of my hand and smiling again. Once again I got the same funny feeling in my stomach. “What’s your next class?” He asked me.

We started to walk out of the Algebra class and I handed him my class schedule. He stopped on the side of the hall and looked at my classes. He laughed a bit, a beautiful laugh I must add, and turned to look at me.

“Well Miss Hailey Faith Lexington,” He stopped to see my reaction for using my middle name then continued, “You have all the same classes as me. You’re not the only junior in advanced classes.”

When I was about to respond, Chelsea came walking up and grabbed Zachary by the arm.

“Hey you” She said in her best flirty voice. “Uh, hey” Zachary responded in what seemed to be discomfort.

She finally looked at me, “Oh hey Hailey, I didn’t notice you there, ready for me to show you to your next class?”

“Well actually,” Zachary said getting his arm out of Chelsea’s grasp, “I was going to show Hailey to her next class.” Oh shit, what did you just do? Chelsea glared at me when he said this, Zachary didn’t notice though because he was staring at me too.

“Fine, whatever, I’ll see you later then Zachary.” She said her fake smile returning as she glided her left hand up Zachary’s shoulder and walked off.

Zachary rolled his eyes, and said "I hate her" when she was out of ear and seeing shot.

“Glad I’m not the only one who thinks that.” I said in a serious tone. He looked up at me and laughed, “Good.”

We stood there in the hall for a couple minutes not talking, just looking at each other. When finally a teacher came walking down the hall and told us to get to class. That’s when we walked to our next class.