The Girl Who Wore Jordans

Chapter Five

       “I’m Dylan Collins; the boy who people misjudge the hell out of, and who wants to get out of this shitty place,” he said.

       “Okay…” I said, unsure of my correct response to his remark.

       “Look, you’re a pretty blonde, and I’m me. We shouldn’t even be socializing right now,” he said, as I saw “500” appear on one of the doors. Twelve more away…

       “Why not?”

       “Because of what the losers at this school think.”

       “And what exactly do they think?” I asked, stopping at a door had “512” etched on the front.

       “I’ll let you figure that out for yourself. This is your homeroom. Hope you don’t die. Sorry if my talking to you crippled your social status,” he said, nodding his head at me, and leaving before I had a chance to respond. I shook my head, taking a deep breath. The bitch homeroom? Right. We’ll see about that…

       My hand outstretched for the doorknob, and I turned it, pulling the door open. I stepped onto the glossy, white, tiled floor, and entered the room, mentally preparing myself for anything thrown my way. I saw an empty desk at the front of the room, and zeroed in on it, walking over. I set my bag down, and sat down in the seat, smoothing my skirt down. Skirts suck.

       “Hey! Are you the new girl?” a brunette girl asked me the minute I was finally settled. Her lips were coated in something shimmery, and her face looked too fake to even be mistaken for real.

       “Uh… yeah,” I said.

       “Were you the girl who walked in with Eric Wilson?” another girl asked. She too was wearing more makeup than needed, but had a tanner complexion than the first girl. Her hair was dark, close to black, and looked to be naturally straight.

       “Yeah,” I nodded, “he drove me.”

       “Unbelievable,” the first girl shook her head.

       “Crazy,” the second girl agreed.

       “Hi, I’m Alice,” said another girl whom I hadn’t noticed. She had a minimal fakeness about her that was less than the other too, but still present. Her hair was sprawled across her shoulders in perfectly blonde curls. Her hair color was like mine, but darker, resulting in a dirty blonde tone. She a simple look about her that for some reason gave me the overall sense of security.

       “Elizabeth,” I said, standing to match the three’s height.

       “Oh! Sorry! I’m Lauren,” the brunette girl said. Lauren. It fits her.

       “And I’m Tara,” the dark haired girl said. Again, very fitting.

       “Now that we’re all introduced, why did Eric Wilson drive you to school?” Lauren demanded.

       “Uh… I was going to take the bus, but he saw me, and asked if I wanted a ride…” I said, feeling as though I was being prosecuted for some heinous crime.

       “Wait, so he stopped his car, and asked if he could take you?” Tara questioned for clarification.

       “Yeah…”

       “Did you guys talk?” Lauren asked.

       “I guess,” I shrugged, not knowing why it was such a big deal.

       “I think it’s finally happened,” Tara declared.

       “I know. Wow. I can’t believe it,” Lauren agreed.

       “What am I missing?” I asked Alice.

       “Eric Wilson doesn’t date,” she explained, “he’ll flirt with girls, occasionally take them out, but it never gets serious. He’s never had a girlfriend.”

       “Okay… so?” I said.

       “So, the fact that he stopped his car, asked if you needed a ride, talked to you, and walked you in is like the biggest thing in the world!” Lauren exclaimed. I disagreed with her statement- when the Red Sox won the World Series back in ’04, that was the biggest thing in the world.

       “How so?” I asked.

       “He probably think’s your hot, which you are,” Tara said, quickly adding, “and he might like your personality or something too.”

       “Did Eric bring you here, like to the room?” Lauren asked.

       “No,” I shook my head, “Dylan did.”

       “Dylan…” Alice said, searching for a last name.

       “Collins..? I think that’s what his last name was,” I said.

       “Dylan Collins? You were talking to Dylan Collins?!” Tara said, shock spread through her entire face.

       “Yeah,” I said.

       “Oh my god! Sweetie… don’t talk to Dylan, he’s not worth it. He’s trash,” Lauren explained, giving me a sympathetic look, as if I was naïve to the culture they were used to, which to be honest, I was. I didn’t know how things went around here, and I’m sure in their worlds, talking to Dylan is like committing social suicide. Dylan seemed nice, so I didn’t plan on taking into account what these girls said, but they didn’t need to know that.

       “She’s right,” Tara backed up, tucking a piece of her dark hair behind her ear. A loud ringing sound hit my ears, and I was uncertain what to do.

       “That’s the bell,” Lauren said. I nodded, picking up my backpack from the floor, and slinging it on my back. Lauren, Tara, and Alice went over to another side of the room, each picking up identical purses in design, but varying in color. Lauren had a pink one, Tara purple, and Alice bright blue. The bags looked like something my mom would have… in fact, I think she did have one of those purses. They had a zipper on the top, and brown flap covering it, that buttoned to the other side. I forget what they were called, but I knew I had seen them before.

       “Bye Elizabeth!” Lauren said cheerily, waving to me, so I caught a glimpse of her light pink nails.

       “See ya later!” Tara said as she and Lauren walked past me, matching strides.

       “Once you get to know them, you’ll like them,” Alice assured me, staying behind with me.

       “They seem nice,” I commented.

       “No they don’t. They seem fake, superficial, and like bitches. They’re not, they have good hearts, and for the most part, good intentions,” she said.

       “Oh.”

       “They like you, don’t worry.” I wasn’t…

       “You think?” I asked, though it didn’t truly matter to me.

       “Absolutely. What class do you have first?”

       “Honors Physics,” I answered, recalling the schedule I had reviewed the night before.

       “Really? Me too! Let’s go!” she said, smiling at me, and taking a step towards the door, waiting for me to follow. “Oh, and Elizabeth, welcome to Madison!”

       Welcome to Madison, indeed…