Carmen

Chapter 1- High school sucks

The classroom environment is so different. There’s the constant ticking clock above the chalk board, and something being whispered every now and then. My teacher’s heels make their presence with her loud steps. In the window on the door I can see there’s always students walking through the hall. This guy next to me can’t stop shaking his leg, and the girl behind me likes to click her pen a lot. I’m pretty sure a desk was built to be uncomfortable. The thing I’m most concerned with though is that the whole school just smells odd. How can people concentrate like this?

I can’t believe I chose this. I think it’s too late to back out. Maybe if I cry and tell my dad how much I hate it he’ll let me stay home with Bonnie and be homeschooled again. It’s not like he actually cares anyways; he’s never home. Okay, it’s decided.

The stupid bell rang again and I looked at my schedule. Next is lunch. I did my research on high school by watching a lot of high school related movies. If you’re the new kid, lunch is really bad. What’s the big deal anyways? I don’t care if I have to sit at a table alone. I never had friends my age my whole life, and it wouldn’t bother me today. 

As I walked to the cafeteria doors I could see inside through the huge windows that surrounded most of it. It wasn’t what I expected. I thought it would be a bunch of individual tables, but instead there were only five very long tables and people were scattered in groups along them. So technically I wasn’t eating alone today.

As I walked through doors it was so loud I could barely hear myself think, and it smelled like something was burnt. Good thing Bonnie suggested I bring my lunch from home. I started to look for a spot but there really seemed to be none. It was kind of fun trying to figure out the different groups. The tables were almost in ascending order.

As I walked past them, the first table, full, had kids that looked like nerds. A couple had instrument cases, and a scattered few reading I think. They even had a couple playing with Pokémon cards.  The second table was half scary looking people dressed in full black and half people dressed like they didn’t care about their appearance at all. The ones that looked like bums also liked to participate in PDA. That table wasn’t full but I don’t think I want to eat lunch next to a bunch of sexually active freaks. I couldn’t really figure out the next table. It just seemed like a bunch of normal typical teens, but of course that table was full.  

After the third table it was as if I was walking past royalty. Even the tables were a different school color. The forth table was a mixture of jocks and other sporty looking people, along with cheerleaders. There wasn’t even enough room for them, and some were sitting on the table itself. Last but not least was probably the place everyone wanted to be. Only beautiful people sat here, and they only had beautiful clothes and the nicest things. If I would have gone to this school for the three other years I should have attended, this is where I would probably be. I’m not calling myself beautiful, but my dad does make a lot of money so I do like to wear fashionable clothes. Everyone was smiling and having a good time. Everything seemed to go in slow motion here while everything around this table was just normal.

In the middle of probably the most intimidating table in the world was a place to eat lunch, of course. I couldn’t just stand here in front of everyone to think about my decision, so I made my way to the empty space. When I got closer I realized that this empty section of the bench could easily fit three or four people. Even the seats across from it were empty. As I sat down the whole cafeteria got quieter and quieter. By the time I got my lunch out the whole cafeteria was in silence. What the heck happened that everyone had to stop talking?

I looked up and everyone was staring at me. Even the nerds from the first table were standing up to see me. I didn’t understand what was going on, or why this was happening.

A guy with a lunch tray sat across from me and chuckled. This guy actually calmed everyone down and they went back to normal. He was defiantly qualified to sit here though. His half smile made the cutest little dimple and he had smile lines by his baby blue eyes. His light brown hair was perfectly styled back. Everything about him was attractive, and his cologne made me want him even more. He actually said something but I was so busy checking him out with my mouth open I didn’t even understand him. God, I’m so stupid.

“What?” I said obviously blushing. How come a stupid boy can make me nervous but a whole room of people staring at me has no affect? He smiled again and looked at me with warm eyes.

“Go.” He said simply with a smile and shook his head while he broke eye contact and looked down at his food. He wasn’t mean about it, but said it as if I knew I wasn’t supposed to sit here.

“Why?” I said with the same simplicity and tone he used.

“Are you new or something?” He asked with curiosity looking at me again. Every time he looked at me I couldn’t help but smile.

“Yeah..” I said, crossing my arms. He seemed to understand now.

“Well that explains a lot.” He ran fingers through his hair. “You should leave though, before Carmen sees you anyways.”

“Who’s Carmen?”