Wanda was never considered one of the popular kids all throughout high school. She was very quiet and didn't really talk to anyone. She wasn't interested in any of the school sports She was very different from her sister Melanie who was the most popular girl in school. She was the captain of the cheerleading squad and star volleyball player and it kind of helped that she was dating the quarterback, Jared. She had the whole school wrapped around her well-manicured finger. Melanie always tried to help her sister climb up the social latter of high school, but it always ended up backfiring for Wanda. For some reason her sister kept egging her on to become a cheerleader, saying it was "a guaranteed in" since she was captain, like that would solve all of her problems…it didn't. If anything it made it all the more worse. Wanda went along with Melanie's plan after hearing it for the umpteenth time, hoping that she would stop offering it. She was doing pretty well until in the middle of her auditions the whole basketball team walked in for practice and became her distraction from keeping up the steps. In her race to get back in step she accidentally kicked one girl in the face and knocked another whole row of girls over while trying to help the first girl up. Let's just say that caused her to down the social latter instead of up. As Wanda wakes to get ready for the first day of her senior year, she is praying that this year won't be like the last three miserable ones.
"Come on Wanda, we're gonna be late for school" Melanie shouts from the car. What she really means is that she is gonna be late for the fifteen minutes of lip lock with Jared like she always does every day before school. Wanda rolls her eyes in discuss at the mental image she now had lodged in her brain. "How can we possibly be related" Wanda mumbles to herself as she gets into Melanie's car. "What was that?" she puts the car in drive. "I didn't say anything that concerns you, now drive before your lips start to go through Jared withdrawal"
As we walk up to the school side by side, Melanie darts off as soon as she sees Jared at the door waiting for her. Once again I'm left all alone; I might as well be invisible. I guess this year will be just like the others. School is the same, nothing's changed—same teachers, same students, same boring routine. When school let out, Melanie was already at her car with Jared. She didn't have practice since school just started. On my way to her car I put in my ear buds and turned the volume on high to drown out the thought of today. When I was searching my playlist for the perfect song, I felt two arms grab me and yank me back. When I looked up I saw a car drive by right in front of me. I took out my ear buds and turned around to see who saved me. I heard screaming and several feet hitting the pavement towards me. As soon as I turned around to thank my savior, I went mute. It was one of Melanie's friends. I saw his lips moving but I didn't hear any words come out of his mouth, was I deaf too. I guess not because I caught the end of his sentence when Melanie slammed into the back of me to see if I was alright. "…are you ok, Wanda?" he was still holding on to me and apparently I was still mute because nothing came out of my mouth when I opened it.
I was totally speechless. Not for the fact that I had almost been flattened by a truck...nope, it was because I was staring Ian O'Shea in the face. He and his brother Kyle were the most popular guys in school, aside from Jared. Those three practically ruled the school. Jared was the athletic one, Kyle was the funny one and Ian was the smart one with the looks. And when I say he had the look, I'm not exaggerating. His face and body screamed 'god among men' and every girl in school wanted to be his goddess. He was tall and lean, muscular in all the right places, had piercing blue eyes that seemed to look into your soul if you were lucky enough to get that close, and a smile that could stop a war. So could see why I was speechless. I mean yeah I've seen him before at school and when Melanie invites her friends over but I'm always in my room and I've never been this close …man, am I close. He even smells wonderful like cinnamon and vanilla. It's like this scent was made for him. Wait; did he just say my name?
My mind must have been done rambling because I incoherently answered his question. "Yeah, thanks". Once he saw that I actually was ok he must have noticed he was still holding on to me and let go then gave me a glimpse of that war stopping smile of his. Melanie must not have heard me say I'm fine because she was still being over dramatic as usual checking to see if I had all of my limbs attached. "Oh my god, you scared me half to death" Melanie still panicking. "I'm fine, see, limbs still attached" I gestured to my body to physically show her. "Just don't tell mom or shell be worse than you are right now". Melanie didn't pay me any attention because when I got home, Melanie sang like a canary as soon as she saw our mom. I knew Melanie would tell anyway but I at least figured that she would wait until dinner to crack.
For the rest of the night I lay up in my room thinking about why Ian. I knew I shouldn't have but I couldn't get him out of my mind. He was one of Melanie's best friends and if she ever found out she would never let me hear the end of it and then the whole school would 'mysteriously' find out about it and I would forever be known as that girl who pined over him, and never even stood a miniscule of a chance, so no, I couldn't go down that route, but man I so badly wanted to.