Cara and Connor

Chapter 1

Walking down the hallways of Winstead Academy was an adventure in itself. The hallways overflowed with people and their interesting lives and stories. Stories of parties, fears, loves, and summers. Unfortunately, the hallways also overflowed with people who had bad stories. Ones of hate, no fortune, and envy.  I guess they asked for it. They put themselves in the position where hate and envy could make their home. I guess this is the way it is for high school students. Finding yourself in a world of darkness is so difficult.

   My first day of junior year was like any other first day of the year, nerve wracking. I was labeled as the quiet girl who made good grades. Some would argue that’s the way I should want it to be, and I’m happy. I guess. I walked down the hallway and took a look at my classmates. Each very different and still very much the same. I walked to my locker, number 88. Just like me, if you turned the number eighty eight upside down it was still the same. No matter how much you tried to change 88 it stayed the same, the same boring thing. I found my group of friends. My friends were just an average group of girls, but they accepted me and my twinge of 88 in me. I said hello to my friends.

“Cara!” they said, hugging me.

“Hey!” I said as I hugged back.

    I looked at each one of them. Of course there was Annie, the classic blonde. She was my best friend, and she always looked out for me. Then there was Claire, the brunette beacon of fierce. She was a dancer who took academics very seriously. Next was Sarah. Sarah is a carefree writer. She is always thinking. The last person in our group is Haley.  She is very natural, and confident enough to not care about what anybody thinks about her. I was satisfied as I studied each of them.  They were always there for me and I was always there for them.  No matter what.

    Annie ran off to turn in a form for registration that was long overdue, typical Annie. I was walking and looking at my schedule when someone ran into me. I found myself on the floor with papers all around me.

 

This was literally social suicide, and I couldn’t help but wonder why these things had to happen to me. And on the first day!

 

“I am so sorry. Let me help you,” a calm, gentle voice came from above me.

That calm, gentle voice belonged to Connor Andrews.

    Connor was the epitome of a high school popular boy. He played basketball and football, and he had the perfect look about him. He had dark brown hair and beautiful brown eyes. Connor was a bit different though. He didn’t really care what others thought, and he didn’t date every girl in the grade.  I looked up and his expression screamed that he was genuinely sorry.

“What’s your name?” he asked, flashing a smile.

My face blushed. He laughed.

“I’m Cara Evans,” I answered.

He cocked his head to the side as he was trying to figure out who I was.

“Are you new here?” Connor asked.

“No, I’ve been here for a few years,” I said.

He took my hand and helped me up.

“I can’t believe I’ve never talked to you. A pretty girl like you shouldn’t go unnoticed,” he said.

I blushed again, and I soon realized he had a way of making me blush.

“Thanks for helping me, Connor,” I said.

“No problem. I like you, Evans,” he said.

Then we both separated, and I headed off to Biology.

 

This was going to be one very long day.

 

“Were you just talking to Connor Andrews?” Annie asked as she joined back up with me.

“Yes,” I said still dazed with embarrassment and wonder.

“What did he say? What did you say?” she interrogated me as she stood by the door to the classroom.

“I fell and embarrassed myself. He thought I was new here! I don’t even want to talk about it,” I said,  flashing back to my embarrassing fall.

“Oh come on! It had to be interesting,” she jarred.

“Annie,” I snapped at her.

She shut up temporarily, but I knew she would ask more about the run-in later.

    I had always been known as the girl who was unnoticed and invisible. That was my label. I wondered if people knew anything about me. That I’m a good soccer player? A good thinker? I love oranges? They didn’t know.

 

They wouldn’t know.  They couldn’t know.

 

    The morning advanced as slow as a turtle. Every teacher had some boring lecture about how to act or what to do. It seemed to never end. Finally, the prisoners that we resembled were let out to lunch. I made my way over to Annie at our usual lunch table. She smiled and told me to sit beside her.

“How was math?” she asked.

“Difficult,” I said smiling.

“Nothing’s too difficult for you, Cara,” she said, and then our other friends sat down.

“Oh Cara. Words out Connor talked to you earlier,” Claire exclaimed.

I put my head in my hands with embarrassment.

 

People had to know everything.

 

“Ooooh,” I said. “I just talked to him. He probably thinks I’m annoying.”

“Well, tell us everything,” she said, leaning closer with a cup of water in her right hand.

“Cara! Did he smell good? I’ve heard he does,” Haley said.

“Did he smile at you?” Sarah said with a smirk.

“Oh my gosh guys! I was too embarrassed to even notice. He thought I was new here.  I’ve been in his grade for forever,” I moaned.

“Well, at least that means you’re not the talk of the town down there,” Annie said, referring to the popular table.