Save Me

{Matt}

I hate moving. We’ve had to move six times in like ten years. My dad gets transferred a lot cause of his job. Funny thing though. I have no clue what he does. I just know he makes a lot of money.

We just moved to Huntington Beach CA, and right now I’m on my way to my new school. It’s called Huntington Beach High. As I pull into the parking lot, I look up at the brick building and see that it pretty much looks like any other school I’ve gone to.

My dad had told me that there are a lot of well off people in HB, so I guess I should expect a lot of snobs and preps. I don’t really like preps although I’ve grown up around nothing but and even am considered one. That’s because of my parents. That’s how they are and I guess I don’t want to disappoint them with who I really am. So I dress and act how they want and expect me to. But I hate living this way. I like rock music, not pop or hip-hop. I like wearing torn jeans and rocker tees, not the shit my mom has me get. I’m not a jock, though I play basketball. I like piercings and tattoos and even though I have my lip pierced, my folks would kill me if I got a tattoo.

I got out of my car and walked into the building. I walked down the main hall and soon came to the office. When I walked in the secretary looked up at me and smiled.

“Morning. What can I do for you?” she asked.

“I’m new here and I was told to come to the office.” I told her.

“Oh, okay. Name please?”

“Matthew Sanders.” I answered.

“One minute while I find your schedule.” she told me as she typed away at the computer. “Okay, here you are. Your locker number and combination are on there as well.” She explained to me as she handed me a piece of paper. “Have a nice day.”

I thanked her and walked out into the hall. I went right and started looking for my locker. When I finally found it, I opened it up just to see what it looked like inside. I had no books yet so I had nothing to put in it. When I closed my locker I looked down the hall and saw some students late for class. Just as I went to turn my head the other way, I noticed a girl walking my way. Something about her catches my attention. For some reason I want to know her. I want to know everything about her. She walks right past me and I follow her with my eyes. It’s when she walks into one of the classrooms that I can tear my eyes away. Wow that was weird. No one ever caught my attention like that before.

I look down at my schedule and see that I have Science first period. I need to find room114, so I look across the hall at the door there and see that’s room 110. I walk down the hall and come to room 114 and see it’s the room the girl walked into.

When I entered the room, everyone was talking so I walked up to the teacher’s desk.

“Hello. You must be the new student?” the teacher asked me when I got to her desk.

“Yeah. I’m Matthew Sanders.” I told her.

“Alright. Well I’m Mrs. Kutch. I’ve already got your book here.” She said handing me the book. Then she turned to face the class.

“Everyone listen up.” She spoke loudly. When everyone was quiet she continued on. “Class this is Matthew Sanders. He’s new here, so make him feel welcome.”

Everyone was staring at me as I looked around the room for that girl. I saw her sitting in the back corner and noticed the desk next to her was empty.

“Okay, Matt. You can sit, um, let’s see. Oh, how about next to Casey?” Mrs. Kutch asked. I looked to were some girl squealed. I looked her over real quick. She looked like your typical high school slut.

“Actually, do you think I could sit in the back?” I asked pointing to the desk next to the girl.

“Oh, um, are you sure that’s where you want to sit?” the teacher asked seeming kind of shocked I would choose to sit there.

“Yeah. I’m sure.” I stated.

“Well okay. Yeah, go ahead.”

“Thanks.” As I made my way to my seat, the other kids started to whisper about why I choose to sit next to the freak. Are they talking about the girl? Why would they call her a freak? She doesn’t look like one.

“Why would you want to sit next to her instead of my?” that Casey girl turned around and asked me. I told her cause I want to. Then the teacher started class. All through it I kept looking over at the girl next to me, hoping she would look up at me but she kept her head down as she kept drawing. I couldn’t see what she was drawing though. Then finally when class was almost over she looked up at me with a questioning look.

“Hi. I’m Matt.” I smiled at her and stuck out my hand for her to shake. She looked at it then back at me, and that’s when I noticed her eyes. They were the darkest green I had ever seen. They were like a really dark emerald. They were so beautiful; I just wanted to look in them all day long. When I felt I could get lost in them, the girl in front of me turned around.

“Oh don’t bother talking to her. She doesn’t talk.’ She said as my mystery girl turned back to her drawing. This other girl continued. “And you might not want to touch her either, she’s trailer trash, you might catch something.” She laughed along with those that heard what she said. ‘What the fuck?’ I thought. What gives them the right to talk about her like that? Just cause she’s different than them? I wanted to say something, but I held my tongue. I know that these are the type of kids I grew up with and hung out with, but I never once teased or beat up or made fun of anyone the jocks and preps thought were freaks or losers. That stuff actually bugs the hell out of me.

“I’m Liz by the way.” She told me and I nod my head at her. She suggested that I sit with her and her friends at lunch. Thinking these are the type of kids my parents will want me to make friends with I say okay. But honestly, I’d rather sit with my mystery girl than these snobs any day.

The bell rings and I watch as my mystery girl gets up and as she walks towards the door, some jock bumps into her. He said something to her and pushes her a bit. As she walks away, I hear him tell his friends that he has to burn his shirt now that she’s touched it. As they laugh, I suddenly get the urge to stand up and protect my mystery girl and I just wanted to punch that bastard in the face for pushing her and saying shit.

“Let me see your schedule.” Liz said to me as we walked out of the room. As she looks it over, I can’t help but hope that my mystery girl is in more of my classes. “Well we have 4th and 6th periods together as well as 1st. Great. Come on I’ll show you to Mr. Juniper’s class.” Liz told me. We started walking down the hall when I saw this really tall kid. Now I’m not short, about 6’0, but with him so skinny he looks taller. It’s just crazy.

Liz stopped outside a room and told me this was my Math class. Then she left saying she’d see me in 4th period. Kids were still coming in when I walked in. as I walked up to the teacher I looked around the room. I then saw her. She was sitting in the back, but the seat next to her, however, was taken by some guy with longish brown hair and he was wearing a fedora. He was talking to a guy, who had snake bites and a bullring, who was sitting in front of her.

When I reached the teacher we did the pleasantries and he introduced me to the class and told me to sit in front of Brian. I saw that this ‘Brian’ guy was the one sitting next to my mystery girl. I walked back to my seat and sat down. The teacher went on to teach us about geometry. I wasn’t listening however, as my mind was to busy thinking about her. Man, I really need to find out her name.

Half way through class the teacher had us get into pairs and work from the book. I was paired with the guy with the cool piercings. As we pushed our desks together he asked me where I was from. I told him I’m from Chicago.

“Oh. Why did you move out here?” he asked.

“My dad got transferred for work.” I tell him.

“I’m Zack.” He said to me. I told him my name and we shook hands. He pointed behind us and said, “That’s Brian and Rainy.” I look back at them. I finally know my mystery girls name, and what a beautiful name it is. I shake hands with Brian and turned back to look at Rainy.

“So your names Rainy huh?” I asked her. I love the way her name sounds. I saw Brian and Zack look at her, and then Brian asked if I met her already. I told them that I hadn’t officially, but we had last period together and I introduced myself to her but Liz told me she didn’t talk. I left out what else was said cause I didn’t know if she would want that brought up. They looked at her and she just nodded and shrugged her shoulders.

“Wait. So it’s true? You really don’t talk?” I asked her but she just stared at me. I was able to notice that she had the middle of her bottom lip pierced and she also had her right eyebrow pierced twice. She looks good with the piercings. I also noticed how light her skin was and that it made her eyes really stand out.

“No she doesn’t.” Zack said.

“Why?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Brian told me. After that we all got to work, but I could hardly concentrate. I wanted to know why she didn’t talk. Did she always not talk or did something happen to cause her to not talk? I decided that no matter what, I was going to find out. Something inside of me told me I needed to find out. As we worked on the math problems, Zack and I talked a little and I noticed he was a pretty cool guy. I think that we could be friends.

“Hey, you wanna sit with us at lunch?” Zack asked me as the teacher came around collecting our work. We had like five minutes left of class.

“Um, I said I’d sit with that girl Liz and her friends.” I said regretfully.

“We should have known. You’re a prep aren’t you?” Brian asked. I looked back at him.

“What?”

“Yeah we should have guessed. Your folks are rich aren’t they?” Zack asked and continued when I nodded to his question. “You seemed cool enough. I mean you don’t really seem like a rich snob and you don’t really dress like the other preps, but.” He trailed off.

“What? Wait, so we can’t be friends?” I asked a little confused. I thought him and me were getting on okay.

“Naw man. You’re from a different world.” Brian said to me as Zack moved his desk away from mine and back to where it was before.

“Yeah our worlds don’t mix. Just ask Liz and her crowd. I’m sure they’d love to tell you all about us.” Zack said that as the bell rang. I watched as the three of them got up and left. I soon followed still thinking over what Brian and Zack said. As I walked down the hall I looked at my schedule to see what my next class was. History. I walked on looking for the classroom. When I walked in after finding it, I immediately saw that Rainy and Zack were in this class too.

After going through the same thing with this teacher as the first two, I was seated in the back, but on the other side from Rainy and Zack. That sucked though cause I wanted to know why we couldn’t be friends just cause I’m rich. Then I remembered, I’m considered a prep, and I guess having lunch with Liz and her friends, well that just confirmed that I was one. I hated that. Inside I wasn’t a prep. Far from it, but I had to be one for my parents. They would disown me if I were anything different than them.

I kept looking over at them hoping to catch one of their attentions but to no avail. Rainy was drawing and Zack I think fell asleep. History was boring. I don’t see the need to learn about dead presidents and shit. But what can you do, it’s what they teach you. When the bell rang I walked out and went in search of my locker again so I could put my new books in it.