Seize the Day

The next day as I strolled down the hall to my locker, I found I wasn't able to reach it. It was being blocked by that aggressive looking boy who I sat next to in U.S. History. Since Zack was also standing at his locker, I assumed he was a friend of Zack's. 'Mr. Sanders' was leaning against my locker with his arms crossed, and he had an unhappy look on his face. But then again, I had never known him to have any other facial expression. He turned his head toward me as I approached the two of them.

"Uhm... d'you think you could move please?" I asked politely.

He just looked at me. "No."

Zack stuck his head out from behind his locker door. "Matt, just move. You're in her way," Matt rolled his eyes and moved out of the way, so that I was standing between him and Zack.

"Sorry about Matt, he can be a dickhead," Zack apologized.

"Hey, fuck you Baker!" Matt said from my other side.

"And now he's just trying to be all tough in front of you," Zack said, turning to me with a smug smile.

I smiled shyly back at him and got my locker open, putting my bag in it.

"So Kim, you've lived here forever..... so how come I've never seen you around before?" Zack asked.

"I... well... I don't really... go out," I replied uncertainly.

"And that private school... it was all girls.. wasn't it?" he asked after.

"Yeah... What, did Brian tell you that?" I asked. He shook his head 'no'.

"Naw... you just have this kind of... dyke aura surrounding you," he joked with a smirk.

"HEY! I am NOT a dyke! Just because I went to an all-girls school doesn't mean I'm a dyke!" I said, rather loudly, earning a couple of dirty looks from people walking by. "I mean... I fucked Brian... He's not a girl," I defended.

Zack and Matt both started to laugh. "Are you sure about that?" Matt asked.

"Okay.. so maybe he's a girl trapped in a guy's body," I laughed.

"Ooohhhh... I'm so letting him know you said that," Zack said smugly.

"So seriously... how did you know it was an all-girls school?" I asked again, hoping for a straight answer.

"I don't know. I was a guess I suppose," Zack smirked. "And another thing... I know your parents are loaded and stuff, but.. how come you don't like to show it off? Like... you don't even have a car, you don't wear the clothes rich people wear...." he asked.

"I don't know. I think using my parents' money for things like that is stupid. I should have to pay for my own stuff. And just because they have money doesn't mean I need to waste it. I'd rather be middle-class and normal like everyone else... like you and your friends. Except Brian... he's not normal," I chuckled at the end of my sentence.

Zack smiled. "Mmm... I'm not normal, doll. And the people here... they're not normal either. Take a look around you," he said.

I turned and looked and noticed how he was right. How I hadn't even noticed how non-normal the people at that school were after I'd been there almost two weeks was beyond me. I'm not going to lie and say I don't label people, because I do. Its like a natural human habit.

There were the preps with their pretty hair and high maintenance attitudes; the jocks with their toned bodies and tanned skin; the gangsters (and a few 'wiggers') with their do-rags and 'bling'; the nerds with their out-of-date glasses (that magnified their eyes about a million times over); the goths with their... gothyness; and the girls who were 'daddy's little girl' - perfect in every way, but just as stupid as a rock.

I looked back at Zack, and got a real good look at him up and down. I could see his arms were quite muscular, he had spiky black hair, gauged ears, and he was quite short really. Only a few inches taller than me. And then... I saw his eyes. The brightest green eyes I had EVER seen those past 18 years. Of course, everyone would counter that by saying Billie Joe Armstrong's were greener. I tell you, this boy definitely gave Billie Joe a run for his money...

"You okay?" Zack asked, bringing me back to reality.

"Oh... um yeah. Fine. So... what are you, then? You've got the body of a jock, only shorter... but then there's something else," I said.

He smiled. "I'm a nothing. Not rich, not poor, not smart, not stupid, not 'Ohmigawd lyke hi!'... I'm kinda nothing.. but everything. Its weird. I guess I'm..." he started.

"He's a misfit of sorts. As am I... and Brian... and a few of our friends," Matt spoke up for the first time in a while. I had almost forgotten he was there.

"Oh... well... what am I?" I asked curiously.

"I dunno.... turn for us and we'll find out," Zack said.

So I did a slow turn, not sure what they would find in my non-tanned skin, non-dyed light brown hair, and my plain flared jeans, blue fitted tee, and worn out shoes.

"Hmm... well, are you a goody two shoes?" Matt asked with a smirk.

"Umm... I don't know?"

"Well, have you ever done drugs?" Zack asked.

"Once..." I said slowly, not sure if I should tell people that.

"Alcohol?" Matt asked next.

"Like.. substantially? Three times, but I never got drunk," I replied.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Zack asked, smirking. I couldn't tell if this was really a crucial question, or if it was for his own benefit.

"No..." I said slowly again, shaking my head. "I've never had a boyfriend," I admitted.

"Well, we can skip over asking if you're a huge slut... 'cuz you slept with Brian so of course you are," Matt smiled playfully.

"You jerk!" I said as I punched him in the arm, only to recoil in pain. "Jesus! You're both fucking ripped!" I said. They both chuckled.

"Well, since you've done drugs, and alcohol, and you've had sex... then you're not a goody-two-shoes," Zack informed. "So... maybe you ARE normal... wait no I take that back. Not after what happened with Brian. If you want... you can be a nothing with us," he offered.

"Oh... I guess," I shrugged. A bell sounded in the distance. "Shit! Gotta go to class. I'll se you boys later!" I said as I grabbed my things and shut my locker.

"Except for me... duh you moron," Matt said as he caught up with my and we walked to U.S. History.

I strolled into the Chemistry room 5th period, and sat down in my seat at the back of the room, right by the door. There were mere seconds until the bell was die to ring, and Zack was nowhere in the room. I heard pounding footsteps before I saw him come barreling into the room, getting there just as the bell rang.

"Smooth," I smirked as he sat to the left of me, farther from the door. "Where the hell were you?" I asked.

"Outside," he said, before coughing. I nodded my head in understanding. I didn't know this about him, but I just figured out that he was a smoker. Not that smokers bother me or anything. Its their life, they can do what they want.

So class began, and as was routine in this class especially, I began my random interjecting of ridiculous comments about whatever we were learning about. Occasionally I would slip in a statement of 'how much I hate this fucking class'. All the while, Zack was sitting next to me, trying not to laugh.

"Ugh.. this is total bullshit. I can't stand this crap," I sighed during the middle of the lesson. It came out a little louder than I had planned, and the teacher, Mrs. Cutting, stopped talking.

"Alright. Just go. Office. Now," she said pointing at me. I looked over at Zack who was still trying not to laugh at the situation.

I grabbed my books and things, and left, walking down the hall and then the stairs. I got into the office, where the secretary was on the phone.

"Yes... she just showed up now. Okay, bye," she said right after I walked in. She hung up the phone and looked at me.

"Sit there until the principal can come talk to you," she said, pointing to a row of hard plastic chairs. I sat down in one, and a few minutes later the principal, Mr. Daniels, walked in.

"Bailey. My office," he said, addressing me by my last name. I stood and followed him in, sitting down in a plush leather chair. He sat down behind his desk.

"Now, Miss Bailey. What's this I'm hearing of you using vulgar terms in your chemistry class?" he asked politely, but still being slightly intimidating.

"Well, there's not much to say I guess. Freedom of speech, it's a free country," I said, feeling a burst of defiance hitting me out of nowhere. I seized this new feeling, liking the way it made me feel. Bold, and confident.

"Now see here! I don't need some immature child like you mouthing off. Consider this a warning. If you're sent here again over this same problem, I'll be forced to take action," Mr. Daniels said, before sending me back to the plastic chair. I'd be spending the rest of the entire day sitting in the office, being bored to no end.

The final bell for 8th period to end rang, and I could finally get out of that room. I got down to my locker, where Zack and Matt already were.

"Where the hell have you been?" Zack asked.

"They made me stay in the office all day, as some sort of punishment I guess," I said, packing up my bag.

"Oh... so do you need a ride home again?" Zack asked. "Cuz I'm giving Matt a ride too."

"Yeah actually, if its not too much trouble," I said before Zack, Matt, and I walked out of the school and down to Zack's car.

"So, is this school always so... boring?" I asked from the front passenger seat. (Matt graciously offered it to me).

"Um Kim? All schools are boring. Trust me... I would know," Matt said from the backseat.

I turned to look at him. "How do you know?" I asked skeptically.

"Cuz, this is like, the millionth school I've gone to. I got kicked out a lot," he informed, in his slightly raspy voice.

"Why'd you get kicked out?" I asked. Zacky answered.

"Well, long story short, Matt was quite the hacker," Zack said. I looked at Zack, tilting my head slightly. He looked back at me nervously.

"...What?" Zack asked.

"I just realized you have a lisp."

He sighed, while Matt laughed quietly in the backseat. "Why does everyone bring that up? I bet you think I'm some... flagrant homosexual... don't you?" he asked, annoyed.

"No actually, and if you were, it wouldn't bother me at all. But I do think its cute," I replied with a smile.

"Oh..." he said quietly, before pulling up in front of my house.

"Thanks for the ride again Zack. See ya tomorrow. Bye Matt," I said before I got out of the car.

"Hey, Kim!" Zack called out. I turned back to the car. "Call me?" he asked through the open window.

"Okay," I said before he drove off down the road. I turned back to my house, which was when I realized that I couldn't call Zack. He never gave me his number. I sighed and walked into the house. It was empty as usual, apart from Louisa, the maid, who kept to herself mostly. My parents wouldn't be home until roughly 5 o'clock. I thought it funny that they ran on the same schedule.

I went up to my room, taking off my shoes and dropping my bag in the corner. I flopped down onto my bed, grabbing the cordless phone from my nightstand. I quickly dialed Zoey's number. She picked up on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey Zoey," I said, letting out a sigh.

"Hiya Kimmy!" she said. "How are you?"

"I'm good.. This school sucks. I got sent to the office today for talking to myself in Chemistry," I said boredly.

"...Talking to... yourself?" she asked.

"Well, not really to myself. Zack hears me. And its just me making rude comments.. you know..." I chuckled.

"Yeah.... wait. Who's Zack?!" she asked excitedly.

"OH! Zack is my new friend. And Matt too I guess... I met Zack yesterday and Matt today," I informed her.

"Oh... so are they cute?" she giggled.

I sighed. "Yes Zoey... they're cute. And Zack gives me rides home from school," I said.

"Oh. So has that public school totally turned you into a badass?" she asked. I rolled my eyes.

"Zoe... going to a public school doesn't make you a badass... But now that you mention it... I have been feeling different. Like, more risk-taking? I talked back to the principal today. I don't think its from hanging out with Zack and Matt, cuz I barely do... although Zack did ask me to call him," I said really quickly.

"Oooohhh.... you know what that means?!" Zoey asked.

"What?" I asked, just to humor her.

"He likes you!" she almost squealed.

"Zoey... I met him yesterday. He doesn't even know me... Wait. So okay, yeah he does know me, but only the stuff Brian told him," I rambled.

"Well.. are you going to call him?" she asked anxiously.

"I don't even have his number," I said.

"Ohh.. I'm sorry. Maybe Brian will give it to you," she suggested.

"Ughh... I'm not going to ask him though. He'll make me do something for him first, and I don't wanna know what he'd make me do..... Well, I gotta go Zoe. I've got homework to do."

"Alright. I'll talk to you later, hun," Zoey said.

"Okay. Bye," I said, and we hung up.