Lost... but Not Really

The Beginning

"Okay class. Today we have a new student." Mr. Moretti said in his usual we can have fun, but we need to still work kind of voice.

There she stood. A shy girl from halfway across the world. In front of a class of tired- looking Americans with fake smiles plastered across their faces.

"Everyone, this is Annalise." said Mr. Moretti with a gesture that only meaning that we had to say nothing but, "Hello, Annalise."

And so began the journey of one girl, in a new country, with new parents, new people, and new memories, good and bad, to be made.

"Class, are there any questions you would like to ask Annalise before class begins? Oh, and by the way , Annalise, you don't need to answer every question if you don't want to."

"Okay." replied Annalise in the smallest voice not even the first row of students could hear her.

"Where did you transfer from?" A girl in a flowy, blue blouse asks. Annalise quickly musters up the courage to honestly reply and finally says "Venice, Italy."

"Why did you transfer from so far away?" A boy in a camo sweatshirt and muddy shoes asks. "Next question." Annalise spits as if it's instinct to hide that about herself. "Sorry, I just don't feel like answering all these personal questions." Mr. Moretti understands, but asks, "There's one more question is that alright?"

"Yeah..." Annalise says. A boy in the back of the class dressed like an American Apparel mannequin asks the final question,

"If you lived in Italy, then don't you speak Italian as your first language? Also how many languages do you speak?"

"Uh, yeah. My first language is Italian, but in Italy you learn English in primary or elementary school. Oh, um, and I fluently speak five languages." The boy, looking shocked, replies, "Smart girl. Which languages?" Annalise replies with great confidence, "Italian, English, French, Swedish, and German." After she says that the whole class stares at like, 'Holy crap, I barely know one!'

"That's all for the questions, now, uh, Annalise, is it okay if you sit in the back or is that not gonna work?"

Annalise says in an okay I'll try it tone, "That, that's fine." She quietly walks back and sits next to the boy who asked about which languages she spoke. Mr. Moretti tells her to quickly have those around her to introduce themselves. Annalise learns that the American Apparel mannequin boy's name is Dylan, and the girl in front of her goes by the name Elë.

She finally gets through the day to lunch and has another struggle. Where to sit. She can either sit in the corner out everyone's way, or with Dylan and Elë. The best thing in her mind was sit in the corner at a table with nobody else. She quickly and quietly grabbed some lunch that looked something like meatloaf. Annalise tried to get herself to eat it for a good five minutes. Then suddenly Dylan comes over and sits down.

"Hi." Dylan simply says.

All Annalise responds with is, "Hey, Dylan."

"Why are you sitting here all alone?" Dylan asks, slightly confused, but not really. Annalise answers that question in the smallest little voice like it wasn't even directed to her,

"Well, I don't wanna get in anyone's way, and there's not many people that I know so..."

"Who cares if you're in people's way. And you should be more confident in yourself. You're a junior in high school." Dylan shoots at her as if it was the easiest thing to say.

Annalise fires back just as fast, "Me being a junior in high school has nothing to do with my confidence. Besides, I have a messed up past. I have reasons to be insecure."

"No, you don't God damn it!" Dylan says with the biggest smile on his face.

Within seconds they were both laughing so hard no sound was coming out of their mouths. Then sooner than they knew it was time for class and neither of them had eaten a bite of food, but it didn't matter to them. They were busy chatting and laughing. Then they fund out their lockers were three apart, and their next classes were across from each other. He had AP Algebra, and she had AP Biology

"I can't wait until tomorrow!" Annalise tells her 'mother'. "I met this really nice guy, and we're like best friends already."

Her 'mother' replies in a shockingly mocking tone,

"You, Annalise Zoë Torres, had the courage to talk to a boy on your first day of school?! Well, spill it, what's he like?"

"So, first of all, his name is Dylan, and we have French and Social Studies together and we're discussion partners in both." Annalise said as if something amazing was going to happen in spite of this.