There he was, stretched along one of the school's park benches. His


dreamy golden brown eyes shining like topaz in a window sill. The muscles


in arms showing through his shirt, and his hair swaying with the afternoon


breeze. I couldn't get his image out of my mind, he seemed so perfect, and


I'd make him mine.



Sam, my best friend, and I sat on my bed gossiping.


"So, you got your eyes on anyone particular lately?" she asked with a sly


tone in her already hushed voice.


' Um no, not right now' I said in a somewhat timid voice, instantly


directing my thoughts to him.


'Uh huh like I believe that! Come on, I know you are hiding something. You


have been day dreaming all morning!' she screeched, making me blush.


'Okay okay.... well when I went to the park yesterday there was someone.


He was gorgeous, you know, like the dirty blond hair and golden brown


eyes, muscular build. Yeah that sort of thing,' I said dazedly.


' OOO did you get his name or anything?' she squealed.


" No, sadly I didn't," I said, feeling ashamed of my answer.


" Oh, ok then,' Sam stammered with a disappointed tone to her voice.


'So, are you excited for your new high school tomorrow?' Sam said in an


encouraging voice. ' You know I'll miss you,' she whispered loud enough


so I could faintly hear.


' What's there to be excited for? Well besides the cute guys but, hmmm


lets think. A snotty girl that I bet is going to steal all the boys. A new


cafeteria where the food probably stinks, and since I'm new I'll look like a


fool when I take a bite out of some terrible food and vomit while everyone


is looking. Then everyone will laugh and call me vomit girl! Plus to top it


all off, my teachers could end up hating me and send me to the Congo


where the monkeys will eat me just because I don't turn in an assignment.


For all we know I could be a horrible student because I can't keep straight


A's!' I bellowed in an extremely sarcastic chant. 'Wow, I'll be the butt of


every joke. I'll slip up. then my whole world will crash and burn!' I told


myself.


'Oh, don't be such a drama queen, its not going to be that bad! I was new to


the school and look at us now we are best friends living the high life!' she


reassured me, standing up to walk out the door.


' How is that a bright side?' I yelled after her. "That's great for us right


now! Not for me in the future!"

~ * ~



The next morning I groaned as I rolled off my warm, disheveled bed.


I went to the bathroom and noticed, surprisingly enough, that I was having a


good hair day. Well that's a good start to the day! I rejoiced. Slowly, I


freshened up, did my hair and makeup, changed my polka dot p-jays into


presentable clothes and had scrambled eggs breakfast. My mom began


to warn me on about how rough it would be on the bus. She insisted on


taking me.


' No mom! You know how embarrassing that would be? I'm in 10th grade


for heaven's sake!' I whined.


' Oh honey you'll live! I'll take you and you can have time to check out the


school and get your locker open.' she replied.


' Ugh fine, but only if we take the Escalade. If you are going to drop me


off, then you might as well do it in a stylish set of chrome wheels. Besides I



have to make a good first impression!' I stated glumly.


' Okay honey!' mom said, as if she had won me over.



Soon enough, almost too soon, I opened the car door to the worn,


rusty, old Ford. Turns out mom lied, I was so embarrassed my face was a


flaming tomato red, so embarrassed I wanted to melt away, so embarrassed I


could have sworn people where staring at my quaking body. I put one foot


down, fancying my lucky ice blue converse shoes. I slammed the door shut,


and cringed at the sound it left ringing through my ears. Then, slowly


looking up, I began walking toward the doors of my new high school. I felt


like a little candle in the middle of a hurricane. As I continued dragging my


cinder-block feet towards the door I felt like I was walking the long plank to


a slow, painful death I never asked for. I opened the doors with a little tug


and felt a massacre of butterflies flutter around in my stomach. I was


repeatedly trying to convince myself that it wasn't going to be that bad. As I


looked across the big lobby, I saw him out of the corner of my eye laughing


with his friends.


~ * ~



The first half of the morning went well. There were no teachers that


hated me, no people-eating monkeys, and no sign of any mean girls. He


wasn't in any of my classes but the feeling that we were in the same school


sent a warm fuzzy feeling through my body. And, as I figured, the lunch


food looked disgusting so I did the smart thing, or so I thought at the time, I


just didn't eat. I glanced around, keeping an eye out for a place I could sit.


Then all of a sudden I saw him. But he was with another girl. My heart


dropped, along with the empty tray in my hands. Too dazed to pick it up, I


stood there staring at the girl holding the boy I'd dreamed about. She was


beautiful, curvy, cute, and just the right height. Her hair was a creamy, long,


blonde color reminding me of a golden retriever. Her crystal blue eyes


shined along with her perfect smile. it made my heart break into a thousand


pieces like the piercing shatter of a vase. I began to day dream as I slumped


into a seat at an empty table. Someday he will look into my eyes, realize how


wonderful I truly am, and dismiss her with the fastest break up of her life. If


only it were that easy I questioned myself.


SPLAT! My thoughts were interrupted by some kid that


tripped over my foot and spilled all his food on my brand new, light


wash jeans! I gave him a dirty look, and peeled the spaghetti off my pants.


"I'm so sorry!" he blurted, "I'll get something to clean it up!"


' Oh, um okay then, that works,' I muttered to myself.


' What?' he said turning back with a stack of napkins.


' Oh nothing," I murmured.


"Oh, okay. Well, I'm Dakota. What's your name?"


' Christina, I go by Chris too,' I said quietly.


' Okay Chris! Well I have to go, so I'll see you later!" he


said as he rapidly ran out of the cafeteria before I could say anything.


' Okay then.' I huffed under my breath.


~ * ~




Well, it was the end of the day. I had no energy to do home work, or


even to call Sam. I ran up stairs straight to my room, praying that mom


wouldn't see me. I scratched down my answers onto my homework, then


laid my head down for a quick nap with that feeling of rejection in the back


of my mind. 'Great, all day the only person I talked to was a nerd.' I


muttered to myself.


~ * ~




RING! There goes the bell for mid morning break. Serena, the school


news reporter, caught me on the way out of class.


' Ok new girl this is how things work around here. You see that group of


people over there? Those are the geeks, the only thing that they have in


common is that they are so-called human. Believe me I have nothing against


smart people but, I mean, come on! You need to socialize, communicate!


And to your right there are the popular girls, not too smart in math or


science but really smart at materialistic things and great back stabbers. And


if you want to get hooked up then just talk to them. Ok now, keep walking.


Those over there are the punk or rocker people, weird clothes but good


music. Oh! Next to them are the basketball players and football players, also


known as the cuties. Sometimes if you are lucky they will actually use their


heads for school instead of sports. Now last but not least is the rest of us,


not too nerdy and not too popular, we are just right. We can be a mix of


everything I just showed you. Now did you get all of that?' she asked.


I just looked at her and nodded trying to absorb everything I just herd. Then


it came to my attention that spaghetti boy wasn't a nerd after all. He was one


of us. A regular human beings trying to survive the harsh weather of school. I


had about 7 minutes left of my break so I headed down to my locker. I was


shocked to see a breath of fresh air. Waiting there, leaning on my locker,


was him. Then his mouth began to move but I couldn't hear the words


coming out. I just stopped and stared.


' Hey I'm Justin," he started, ' hello? Um are you deaf?"


' Oh whoops, what?" I stuttered


' Ha ha its ok I get that a lot. So, are you new here?"


' Uh huh.' I replied as I took my books out of my over stuffed locker.


' Cool, hey you want to go out at lunch? Like for ice cream or something?'


' Uh, yeah sure!" I squealed.


I was puzzled but happy and still in shock. I couldn't wait for lunch now.


I got to class just as the final bell rang. My science partner, spaghetti


boy, actually tried to start a normal conversation.


"So you look better without the spaghetti all over you," Dakota joked.


"Oh, thanks. Is there anything else you'd like to drop on me today?"


' No I think I'm going to be selfish today and eat my food instead of sharing


it. I see you're socializing now."


' Yes, who would have thought, I already have a date with the most


gorgeous guy in school! Now we'll see if his brains are just as good as his


looks,' I said sarcastically.


'Hmm I doubt it. If you need me to save you, just give me a holler


and I'll be there! Maybe I'll dump my lunch on him today as I trip over his


big ego."


' Ha ha sorry but we aren't eating in the cafeteria, we are going out to Bob's


Ice Cream Shop.'


' Ok well I'll see you around then.' he smirked.


~ * ~




Then finally lunch came. I waited on the school's park bench, where I


first saw him. He came and we waltzed down the sidewalk side by side. I


felt a little awkward, so I asked him what sport he plays, which now I


highly regret asking. When I did this he seemed a little disappointed that I


didn't know and then he rambled on about his athletic career.


'Blah, blah, blah, blah, is all I hear. How can someone spend soooo


much time talking about themselves with out getting tired or noticing that


the other person is about to die of boredom?' Then finally he changed the

subject.


"Hey I'll be right back," Justin stammered.


'Oh ok then,' I said happily as I began planning my escape wrought.


I stood up, twirled around and accidentally smashed my ice cream into


someone. That someone was spaghetti boy!


' Oh my goodness I am so sorry!' I whimpered.


' Well at least now we are even. You look distressed. You look like you


are leaving in a hurry. Are you ready to be rescued?' he asked.


' Are you following me?" I quipped.


'No. I work here so I get my lunch here during lunch hour.'


' Oh is that why you had to rush out, after you spilled your spaghetti all


over me?'


'Precisely. Now to your rescue. If you want to escape, then go straight down


this hallway back here, take a left at the next room and there will be a red


door. Go out side of it and I will see your there in 5 minutes. That is unless


you want to hear how he folds his socks or made a touchdown last year.


' Well he's already told me about the touchdowns but I'd hate to hear about


his nasty socks. Ok I'll see you in 5.'


Just as I turned around I saw Justin flirting with another girl. He gave


her his number and a little peck on the cheek! I told Dakota that it


would leave in a minute and I charged toward him with Dakota's red pop in


hand.


' Oh I see you've met a friend. So I guess you don't need me and you can


finish your date with her!' Then I dumped the red pop all over his nice


white sweater.



As I walked out of the ice cream store I realized that looks aren't


everything. Friends are forever and boys are whenever!