When I got to school, after all the stares I got while walking through the crowded hallway, I finally arrived at Gifted Zoology III. It was in the same dilapidated class from that I had for Zoology I, during my freshman year. I sat down in the desk in the back corner next to the window, Derek and I sat here when we had this class together. He always told me that it was his favorite class because it was the only class we had together.
I picked up the book that was on the floor by my desk and set it on my desk, it fell open to a page that had Introduction to Flatworms written in spiky blue ink. Below were some pictures labeled Class Turbellania and Class Trematoda. The worms were beautifully drawn, with their nervous systems and reproductive organs shaded in different colors of ink, but the artist had also given them a big goofy smiling faces. Grotesques but lovable in a cross-eyed way. I turned the page and saw another drawing The Life Cycle of a Pork Tapeworm.
At first the room was empty, I was the only one in the bland classroom. The students started to come in one by one, when they stopped there was only ten kids in the room. They were all spread out, evenly among the twenty desks. Typical first day of school. Out of the ten students, there was only two guys.
The tardy bell rang when the teacher finally walked in. She set her stack of papers down on the big mahogany desk that was set up in the front of the class room. “Hello. I’m Ms. LeMaire but since we are all seniors slash adults y’all can call me Ashley.” No one spoke when she stopped, there was a silence I felt I could cut with a knife. “Welcome to Gifted Zoology III. I, um, I’ll try to make this class as fun as possible, but I’ll be honest, even as a teacher I know this subject can get a little dreary--”
“But it is interesting, too.” A girl said next to me. I didn’t even realize that someone was sitting in Derek’s spot. She had curly red hair and brown eyes that were as cold as ice but still compassionate. Everyone turned to look at her, even the teacher had a look of surprise. The girl looked around the room, then finally look at me, her eyes go wide and she quickly turned her head.
I hadn’t seen her around before, I turned my head slowly away from her, really confused. She leaned closer to me, “Hey, um, you’re uh Mia Syracuse, right?” I looked at her and nodded. “I have, erm, heard about you. You’re like the most popular girl hear. Top of the food chain, or well social ladder.” She suddenly stopped talking
I didn’t know what to say at first, “What have you heard?” I finally asked. There was so many rumors going around about me, I wanted to know which ones she had heard.
“Well--uh--I don’t know just--um--different stuff.” The girl was timid.
“Yea, but like what?” I was determined to know what she had heard. I wonder if their was a new rumor going around about me. It would have been a perfect way to start the year off. Not.
She showed a certain reluctance before she spoke. “Nothing really important or worth worrying about. I have mostly just heard about that thing that happened with your friends or well--um--ex-friends. But I have heard different things, I was wondering if--uh--”
“You were wondering if I would tell you what really happened.” I snapped. “Sorry. Well, last year I had met this guy, he wasn’t really popular or anything but he was sweet, funny, and understanding. Now this guy he wasn’t all that cute but I think looks don’t matter, it’s the personality that matters. All of my friends thought he wasn’t good enough for me, kinda like that song Skater Boy by Avril Lavigne, except I didn’t tell him see ya later. Anyway, it was getting close to the end of the school year and we had been dating for about a year. Then my friends decided that I wasn’t popular enough anymore, but I wasn’t going to let them just dump me. Hell, I was the leader of the group, I was the reason they were so popular. So I did a few things that I’m may or not be proud of, but it made them social outcasts. Anyone, who would talk to them, was considered to be just as low on the social ladder.” The bell rang just as I finished. The girl was already packed and was walking out of the door. “Hey, wait, what’s your name?” I asked her, as I stumbled to get my books put up, but she didn’t hear me.
I walked into my French class that was only down the hall from Zoology, the girl was in my class again. She was sitting in the back corner, I sat next to her, when she saw me she look really surprised to see that I was sitting next to her. Again. “Wow. Hey, I guess we have this class together too.”
“So, like, how do you know me?” I asked, taking out my supplies.
“We have had at least one class together since the eighth grade. I was to unpopular for you to notice me.” The girl got quiet. I could that she tried so many times to get my attention.
“I’m sorry. I know I was bitch of the year, but I’m trying to change.”
“People like you don’t change, while they are in high school.”
I had no idea what to say, no one had been so real with me before. It was refreshing.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.” Her face filled with fear.
“No you are totally right.” I told her. “So, you know my name but I don’t know yours.”
“Johanna Lovette but since the fifth grade, everyone calls me Jo.”
“Oh, wait now I remember you.” I said.
The teacher walked in and immediately began her lesson. Johanna and I did talk for the rest of the hour. When it came close to the time for the bell to ring, the teacher let us pack up. “Hey, Jo, what lunch do you have?”
“Um, first lunch.” Johanna checked her schedule and nodded.
“Okay, you wanna come sit with me? I’m gonna fell really weird sitting by myself.” I was really hoping Johanna would say yes. I don’t know why, anyone would give their life just to sit at the “Miates” table for once in their miserable high school life.
“Omg! Really? Yes, totally!” She had a huge smile on her face but it soon faded. “Oh, wait, I can’t. I promised some friends, I would meet up with them. I’m sorry.”
I would have pressured her into it, but if I was going to make an attempt at changing, that wouldn’t be real good idea. “Okay, some other time then.”
“Okay.”
I made sure the cafeteria was empty, when I walked to take my seat. The “Miates” table was in the back corner, secluded. It was a round table, surrounded by five chairs. But right now it only needed one. My friends and I used to sit according to importance. Of course, I had the best chair, because I was the alpha. My beta was Aimee Mire, we met back during freshman year. We were the best friends back then, but, now, everything had changed.
I took my normal seat at the middle of the table. I watched as the other students filled the cafeteria, each and everyone of them glancing at me, wondering if they should take the chance to come sit by me and boost their social status. I was still top dog, no matter what would or has happened. Then I saw my old friends walk in and take a seat at a table in the middle of the lunch room. I saw Johanna walk in by herself, I watched as she got a tray of food and took a seat at table by herself. I looked to see if maybe their was someone following her, but no one sat down with her. I wonder why she lied? I wanted to get her attention, but I couldn’t just yell across the room; the stares would be unending. After a few minutes, I stared at her waiting for to look in my direction. She finally did and I signaled her to come sit by me. Johanna stood up slowly and walked towards me. When she realized people were staring at her she quickened her pace. By the time she slinked into the chair next to me, the whole lunch room was ogling. Johanna kept her head down. “Hey are you okay?”
“Yea, everything is fine.” She answered. She kept her head down, and it sounded like she had been crying.
“Who’s social life do you want me to make a living hell?” I tried to cheer her up.
“Why are you being so nice to me? I mean, not to sound ungrateful. But why me, why now?” Johanna finally picked her head up. Her eye make-up that was so perfectly done this morning, was now streaked down her face, in tracks where the tears had fallen.
I didn’t want to go off on her, that was the last thing it looked like she needed. The old Mia wouldn’t have thought twice about going off on someone, but the new Mia would. I didn’t say anything, I just looked at her, trying to figure out what to say, making sure I didn’t say the wrong thing. This was going to take some getting used too.
“I’m sorry. It’s just this guy I was dating and I really like was kissing another girl. And when I confronted him, he went off on me.” Johanna explained.
“That’s so fucked up. But has the same M.O. as another guy. What is his name?”
“Travis Shusterman. Some name, huh?”
“I knew it! This happed to one of the girls in my group. He is such an ass. He won’t stop harassing me.”
Johanna gave me a half smile. “I don’t feel so bad now.”
“Come on, let’s get you fixed up.” I offered standing up. She nodded and stood up, she put her head back down as we walked through the now crowded cafeteria. I rolled my eyes as we walked pass the middle table. I looked back as the door closed; the entire cafeteria was silent and staring.