Another Teen Love Story

I had never known a day longer than today. And I wasn’t even halfway through with the day! Percival Prep had this weird schedule thing where we only had half our classes each day. Today I only had to go to History, Gym, English and Physics. Tomorrow it would trade off and I would have French, Calculus, French and Lifestyle Choices. It was confusing, but I liked the fact I didn’t have to go to math class every day.

So far I had only been to history and gym. History was cool enough; the teacher, Mr. Harris, was a (comparatively) young guy who understood teenagers and had a real casual way of teaching. Gym, however, couldn’t have been more different.

Coach Guy taught the class. He was a fit fifty-year old who once played football for Texas State University. He was a no-nonsense man who favored athletic kids, A.K.A., not me. After we suited up for class, he made us go through a series of obstacles, shooting lay-ups with basketballs, serving volleyballs, returning a serve in tennis, and sprinting to see our athletic levels. According to our score, he would split us evenly into teams (which we have to stay with the rest of the year) so there would not be a team of super-athletes versus a team of weaklings. But that didn’t change the fact that I had a fool of myself, getting hit in the face by a volleyball, tripping during my layup, and accidentally hitting the coach in the leg when I returned the ball in tennis. All eyes were watching me as I fumbled around the gym. There wasn’t a question as to how disabled I was when it came to sports.

So here I was, sitting alone at the lunch table, sweaty and with a stinging face, picking at the pasta on my tray. I had to hand it to Percy Prep, the food here was exceptional. Much better than the slop back in Seattle. Not to mention lunch was an astounding forty minutes long. That in itself was both a blessing in a curse. On one hand, I had a lot of time to relax between classes. But on the other hand, I had no one to hang out with.

With a heavy sigh, I looked at the large clock that hung on the South wall in the cafeteria. 10:45. I still had thirty-five minutes until lunch was over. Maybe I should work on my Physics homework, I thought, pulling the book from my bag.

Not even a split-second after I plopped my heavy text book on the table a tray was placed down next to mine. I looked up. Who was interested enough to sit next to me? It was a tall, pale girl with long dark hair tied into a single braid. Did I know her?

“Hi! So I guess you ended up going to Percy Prep after all, huh?” she said, smiling. “It’s Anna, right?”

I blinked several times. Who was this girl? Why did she act like she knew me? Suddenly I remembered, the friendly hostess from Puccini’s Pizza Parlor. How could I have forgotten such a verbose girl?

“Uh, yeah. It’s Anna,” I answered her fragmented question.

“I thought so. Everyone’s been talking about you and your sister; “The new girls at Percy Prep,” they keep saying. It’s always a big deal when we get new students, since everyone here has been together since first grade. It’s rare for some new meat to be tossed into the mix.” She laughed at her wording. “I’m Donna, by the way.”

“Hi, Do—“

“So what’s your schedule? You have to be taking Lifestyle Choices this year. It’s a requirement for all seniors. When are you taking that class? My first class is tomorrow, fourth period.”

“Me t—“

“Miho! Heidi! Over here!” Donna shouted, beckoning two girls across the cafeteria. I turned around. Two girls wove their way through the cafeteria. One was tall and lanky with frizzy brown ringlets hanging around her face, thick black glasses framing her eyes, and a mouth full of braces. The other girl was shorter, thin, and of obvious Asian descent, with olive skin, dark brown eyes, and black hair styled around her shoulders. I recognized the Asian girl from my History class. I remembered Mr. Harris calling her “Miho,” which would make the girl with braces Heidi.

The two girls, Miho and Heidi, sat down beside Donna. Now the table was almost half-full. It’s funny how things can change so quickly. Not even thirty seconds ago I was sitting here, alone. Now, to anyone else in the cafeteria, it would appear I had friends. Strange.

“Heidi, have you had chemistry yet? I heard Mrs. Garner was giving a test,” Donna said.

But Miho and Heidi weren’t paying attention to Donna. Their undivided attention was centered only on me, the new girl. It had been this way all day long. In my classes, in the hall, in the dressing room (which was beyond awkward) and now here, in the cafeteria.

I understood exactly why people were so interested in me. It was the same way back in Seattle. Whenever there was a new student, people would obsess over them for a few weeks until they joined a clique. Then all interest would fade and life would go on. Normally I was the insider obsessing over the mysterious outsider, but now the tables were turned, and I didn’t like it.

I sighed and went back to my pasta. Maybe if I ignored these girls then they would leave me alone.

“Heidi,” Donna said once more, grabbing her friend’s attention.

“Huh?” Heidi sounded, tearing her eyes from me. “Oh, yeah. Don’t worry, it’s pretty easy. Just review the chapter on redox reactions.”

“Cool,” Donna said, reaching into her backpack for her text book.

I tried to concentrate on my pasta, picking out the chunks of tomato present in the sauce, but it was difficult to do so when I felt Miho’s eyes trained on my every move. I could just feel the burning need to question me emanating from her. Finally, I raised my gaze. “If there is something you want to ask, just ask it,” I spat. I hadn’t meant to sound harsh, but the words came out that way.

A blush crossed over Miho’s features, and she shook her head, promptly lowering her eyes. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to stare. It’s just—“

“Is it true that you went to boarding school in Switzerland, but you were kicked out for committing arson? Or that your father is a music producer and invites his famous clients over to dinner all the time? And is it true that you were an extra in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring?” Heidi asked, the questions falling from her mouth faster than she could properly form them.

I blinked several times and my jaw went slack. “What?” Where the hell did these stupid rumors come from? Who could come up with such absolute rubbish?

Donna sighed, and with a dramatic eye roll, said, “Those are just rumors, Heidi.”

“How do you know?” Heidi countered with a defensive frown.

“First of all, Percy Prep wouldn’t accept a student convicted of arson. Second, if her dad was a music producer, they wouldn’t be living in Maine, but somewhere more cultural, like Hollywood, or Miami,” Donna answered.

Heidi slumped a little in her seat, defeated. “Well, the Lord of the Rings rumor could still be true…”

This time, before Donna could create an explanation, I answered for myself. “I’ve never been in a movie. And, for that fact, I’ve never been convicted of committing arson. And my dad is an electronics engineer. There’s nothing exciting about me. Really, I’m as average as everyone else.”

That shut Heidi up. She looked down at her food, like a child after being scolded. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to offend—“

“It’s cool,” I interrupted. Heidi looked up at me and I smiled. “Stories are always more interesting than the truth.”

Donna aimed a smile at me. I couldn’t read the meaning of that smile, whether it was out of appreciation or just plain niceness. She flipped through the pages of her chemistry book casually, and then asked me, “So, Anna, do you like Percy Prep so far.”

I guess it was no longer possible for me to be ignored. But I wasn’t as disappointed as I originally thought. I was comfortable talking with these girls. They were nice. Much nicer than a lot of the other girls I’ve encountered here. So, things could have been worse.

“Yeah. It’s early to tell, but everything has been alright. Gym totally blows, though,” I said.

“Who do you have?” Miho asked, finally getting involved in the conversation.

“Coach Guy.”

All three girls grimaced. “Coach Guy is the worst,” Miho stated.

“He’s a total Nazi,” Heidi added.

“I would try and switch out of that class, ASAP,” Donna advised. “Especially before Spring quarter starts. He goes crazy during soccer season and trains everyone as if they were Olympiads.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. Here I was, sitting, listening to these girls rant about how mundanely terrible my gym teacher was. They sure weren’t your everyday welcoming committee.

Without warning, a fifth girl sat down in the open seat next to me. Two girls stood behind her, one on either side. She was tan, the kind of tan that comes after a summer lounging on the beach, with blonde hair that didn’t seem to blend well with her coloring. The navy blue blazer she wore strained across her unreal chest. She drummed her fingers against the wood surface of the table, exposing long, filed fingernails. The girls standing behind the sitting girl were fashioned similarly, with tanned skin, unnatural blonde hair and manicured nails.

All the other girls at the table tensed when she sat down. I could tell by their guarded expressions that this blonde girl wasn’t one of their friends.

“Hello, Miranda,” Donna said icily.

The new girl, Miranda, smiled, her white teeth flashing venom at Donna. “Hello, Donna. How was your summer? Go on any fun vacations?” She didn’t give Donna the chance to answer. “Oh, that’s right; you had to work at the family restaurant. What a shame. A hard working girl like you deserves the chance to relax in the sun. I know I had a wonderful time in Milan.”

Wow. I'd known Miranda for a total of ten seconds and already I hated her.

Donna smiled back at Miranda with matching venom. “I can see that. I hope you used plenty of sun block, though. Malignant Melanoma can get to be very serious.”

“Yes, well…” Miranda’s smile faltered. “I just want to make sure there are no hard feelings between the two of us. You know, the election was very close. You have nothing to be ashamed of. It was me you were running against.”

Immediately Donna’s teeth clenched. Miranda struck a nerve. “Why would there be any hard feelings? You won fair and square.”

“Exactly. I am so happy we’re at an understanding. Oh!” She smiled, and looked at me as if she only just noticed I was here. It wasn’t like I was the reason she showed up here in the first place. “Are you the new girl everyone’s been talking about? Annalisa Hirsch?”

“It’s Anna,” I corrected. “But yeah. I am.”

“Well, as senior class president, let me be the first to formally welcome you to Percival Preparatory Academy,” she recited a practiced speech. “If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask me. If you’d like, we have a seat open at my table,” she said, tilting her head back and to the right towards a table overflowing with people. Where is the open seat she is talking about? I thought.

There were blonde girls, muscular guys who looked like they were part of the football team, and various other groupings. That table just screamed “Popular Table.”

“We would really like it if you joined us,” Miranda offered.

I didn’t even have to think about her offer before denying it. “Thanks, but I’m rather comfortable here.”

Once again, Miranda’s smile faltered. She hadn’t expected someone to turn down her generous invitation to the popular table. But she quickly regained her composure. “Well, our table will fill up soon, so think about it.” She couldn’t even mask the bitchiness in her voice. It must be natural for her.

Without another word said, Miranda left the table, her two cronies following close behind. They retreated to their table.

Donna exhaled slowly, releasing her anger. I expected her to go on a rant about Miranda, but she didn’t. She simply started interrogating Heidi for the specifics on her the chemistry test.

I tried to pay attention to my physics book, but I couldn’t get rid of the feeling that I was being watched. It wasn’t the normal stares I had been experiencing so far; this one was more intense, burning. On a hunch, I carefully peered over my right shoulder and at the popular table.

Immediately I came into contact with a pair of vicious silver eyes that burned a hole through my skull. The hairs on my arms stood up, the same way they did when a thunderstorm was brewing. It was the same guy who’d bumped into me this morning. Slowly, I turned my head back towards the table.

“Miho,” I started, not wanting to interrupt the conversation between Donna and Heidi, “who is that boy sitting at that table?”

Miho knew who I was talking about, despite my vagueness. “Gray eyes? Kind of tan? Short brown hair? Scowl on his face?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s Aiden Wright. He’s captain of the soccer team. His dad is the creator of Wright Engineering.”

“Oh.” A sudden sinking feeling claimed my stomach. This Aiden kid was my dad’s boss’ son. This was the guy my mom was so keen on setting me up with. There was something in his hostile gaze that told me that would be a bit of a problem.

“Why? Do you know him?” Miho asked.

I shrugged. “Our families know each other.”

“Well, if I were you, I’d stay away from him. He’s a grade-A jerk who believes he gets anything and everything he wants.” I smiled at Miho’s words, as she seemed to have such strong feelings about this guy. “Don’t even bother with him”

I took Miho’s words to heart. He didn’t seem like the nice guy you’d be proud to take home to mom. But I couldn’t deny there was something alluring about him. And I hated myself for that.