Sarabeth is scared to death
To hear what the doctor will say
She hasn't been well
Since the day that she fell
And the bruise, it just won't go away
So she sits and she waits with her mother and dad
Flips through an old magazine
Till the nurse with a smile
Stands at the door
And says will you please come with me
Sarabeth is scared to death
Cause the doctor just told her the news
Between the red cells and white
Something's not right
But we're gonna take care of you
Six chances in ten it won't come back again
With the therapy were gonna try
It's just been approved
It's the strongest there is
I think we caught it in time
Sarabeth closes her eyes
And she dreams she's dancing
Around and around without any cares
And her very first love is holding her close
And the soft wind is blowing her hair
Sarabeth is scared to death
As she sits holding her mom
Cause it would be a mistake
For someone to take
A girl with no hair to the prom
For, just this morning right there on her pillow
Was the cruelest of any surprise
And she cried when she gathered it all in her hands
The proof that she couldn't deny
Sarabeth closes her eyes
And she dreams she's dancing
Around and around without any cares
And her very first love was holding her close
And the soft wind is blowing her hair
Its quarter to seven
That boys at the door
And her daddy ushers him in
And when he takes off his cap
They all start to cry
Cause this mornin' where his hair had been
Softly she touches just skin
And they go dancin'
Around and around without any cares
And her very first true love is holding her close
And for a moment she isn't scared
Sarabeth Maisel smoothed her hair out and spun around in front of the mirror. Today was her first day at the La Push Tribal school and her first day at public school. When she had lived in New York City, her father had sent her to private schools, the best of the best for his "baby girl". Or at least until her mom found him sleeping with his secretary. But that was four years ago, Sarabeth had been twelve and now she was sixteen. Her mother had recently remarried Dan, a successful accountant who lived in the small rainy town of La Push and commuted to Seattle for work.
Sarabeth turned around once more and willed the butterflies to leave her stomach. She was a shy girl, average in height with pale skin and freckles, which were sure to stand out. Her curly auburn hair was not cooperating in this environment and had been frizzy since the day she arrived, but there was nothing she could do about it. Sarabeth was not sure if she would consider herself beautiful. Like every girl who looked in the mirror, she could only see her flaws. Her hair frizzed to much, she was a little too heavy set, not the perfect size 0 she longed to be and her makeup never looked just right. But she had learned to focus on work rather than appearance. At her old school, Sarabeth had been one of three girls who were competing for valedictorian. Her grades were impeccable and she needed them to get into the school of her dreams, Columbia University in New York City. But now she was going to some small town public school, even if she was valedictorian there what Ivy League college would even consider her?
Pushing the melancholy thoughts out of her mind, Sarabeth adjusted her headband and walked down the stairs of the big new house her mom and Dan had bought. Back in New York City, their apartment was large but not as ostentatious as this new house, Sarabeth found herself thinking. On the last step, she tripped and fell with a thud on the gleaming hardwood floor.
"Ouch!" she grumbled, getting to her feet while internally grumbling over her clumsiness. Sarabeth walked out the front door, locking it securely behind her and got into her car. In New York, Sarabeth had gotten her license but had never needed to drive or have a car. Here though, she was thankful that she had gotten it because she was able to drive to school rather than suffer through a bus ride. Her mom had purchased a Toyota Rav-4 for her as another incentive to move.
As she drove, Sarabeth tried as hard as she possibly could to ignore the butterflies that were feeling more and more like large bats in her stomach. Never before had she been so nervous. At least when she lived in New York City, she had grown up with the same group of kids who attended her private school. Never before had she been the new girl, this would be first.
The drive to the high school was not as short as one would assume for a town so small, thought Sarabeth. Everything in La Push was spaced out, so that the school was actually a little over five miles from her home. Pulling into an empty parking space, there were a surprisingly large number of them in the student lot, Sarabeth picked up her treasured oversized Juicy purse filled with every school supply she might ever need and got out of the car, locking it behind her. She walked quickly to the small building, and found her way with relative ease to the office. The secretary there handed her a class schedule and a locker code, smiling benevolently at her before releasing Sarabeth to the torture that high school was sure to be.
Hitching her bag up higher onto her shoulder, Sarabeth wove her way through the throngs of students milling around the hallway. She was overjoyed when she found her locker easily and was even able to open it. Quickly placing a couple books into it, Sarabeth shut the locker and began to seek out her first period class. Though she was on time, not early as she preferred to be, Sarabeth was still able to find the class. A school as small as La Push High School made navigation a piece of cake.
She spoke quietly to Miss O'Malley, the intimidating advanced English teacher.
"Class!" Miss O'Malley called out, trying to settle her students down. "We have a new student in this class. Her name is Sarabeth Maisel and she's here all the way from New York City. I trust that you will all help to catch her up to our material. Right now we're discussing Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, I trust that you will be prepared for our exam on the material, Sarabeth."
Blushing from the attention, Sarabeth nodded vehemently and hurried to the back where the only available seat was located. A very large, very cute boy was sitting directly beside her. He gave her the oddest look of recognition and almost adoration before Sarabeth could no longer look at him. She quickly opened her notebook and began to take notes on her favorite novel, which she had read not only for fun but also for school the previous year. The class flew by, Miss O'Malley was witty and interesting to discuss literature with. Sarabeth was packing up her things when the boy sitting next to her came over.
"I'm Embry," he said with a nervous smile.
"I'm Sarabeth," she said, blushing. "But you already knew that."
"It's ok. It's…um, Where's your next class? Maybe I can help you get there," Embry stuttered through various thoughts, cursing himself for his "smooth" language.
"I have history with Mr. Jones in room 212. But I think I can get there myself, thank you for offering though Embry."
He smiled at the way she said his name. One word from one girl was enough to make him swoon. "No, I insist. This school is a lot more complicated than it looks." He took her books from her and began to stride quickly down the hall.
"Slow down Embry!" Sarabeth called, making him skid to a stop and frown. Why was he not thinking about her? She was so much tinier than he was!
They walked in silence for a while before Embry felt the need to learn more about her. "So what brings you to La Push?"
"My mom got remarried. Dan lives here and mom wanted to leave New York. There were too many bad memories there for her," Sarabeth said, feeling the need to tell him even more than that but managing to control her urge.
"Why the bad memories?" Embry asked, wanting to eliminate all the bad from her life.
"It's…a long story. Maybe I can tell you some other time," she said, her cheeks heating up with her forward behavior.
"I'll hold you to that," Embry said, smiling at the thought of her wanting to see him again. "Well this is your classroom. Um…Sarabeth…would you like to sit with my friends and I at lunch today?"
She turned an even deeper shade of red. "Sure…I would like that…I have to go Embry, I'll talk to you later."
Their hands brushed briefly as he handed her books back to her, letting them linger there a while before letting go.
"I'll see you at lunch then," Embry said, with a wolfish grin.
Sarabeth's next two classes flew by. History and Pre-calculus were easy, because she had taken the curriculum in a more advanced class at her old school. Lunchtime rolled around quickly and Sarabeth found herself excited to be meeting Embry. Someone like him would never be interesting in someone like me, she reminded herself, trying to keep her hopes low. Boys never seemed to gravitate towards her, preferring the girls who looked like supermodels
Against her better judgment, Sarabeth was beginning to develop a crush on Embry. She took her lunchbox from her locker and carefully sought out the cafeteria. Walking in, the small size of the school overwhelmed her. There were about 200 kids in the room, all of them turning to stare at her the moment she walked into the room. Embry stood up, oblivious to the stares of his peers, and enthusiastically waved her over to his table. She felt relieved that she was not facing the entire school alone.
Sliding onto the bench beside Embry, Sarabeth looked around the table. The boys were all big and brawny, their skin dark tan and their hair a short cropped black. Every one of them would have been intimidating on their own, but as a group they were nothing short of terrifying. Sarabeth blushed and attempted to sink lower in her seat. A pretty girl, with long raven hair and sparking brown eyes punched one of the boys in the arm.
"Stop staring! You're scaring her!" she admonished him. Immediately the boy's dark cheeks darkened a bit more and he glanced down at his lap. "I'm Kim, by the way. And this goon here is my boyfriend Jared."
"Kim, I was just trying to look at Embry's-" Jared began to say.
Kim cut him off. "New friend, right Jared? Embry doesn't normally make new friends."
"Yeah sure, that's it. A new friend."
Sarabeth looked around the table and noticed that all the other boys were looking a bit ashamed themselves.
"Embry, where are your manners?" Kim admonished. "You haven't introduced Sarabeth to everyone!"
Embry looked like a wounded puppy as he turned to Sarabeth.
"These are my friends," he told her. "Paul, Collin, Seth, Brady, well you know Jared, Quil, Kim you know, and that's Leah."
He smiled at Sarabeth, making her blush. Everyone at the table shared a knowing glance that made Sarabeth question what was really happening at the table. But soon she was too busy trying to follow the conversation and gaping at the vast quantities of food the boys were eating to remember her questions.
Embry would look at her and smile through a mouth stuffed with food. But he did not speak to her for the rest of lunch. It was Kim, in fact, who spent most of the time talking to Sarabeth.
"Boys!" she muttered, rolling her eyes but still gazing adoringly at Jared. "They never stop eating."
Sarabeth giggled and soon the two were happily discussing school, books and movies. She was so happy to have finally found a friend in Kim.
After lunch, Embry walked over to Sarabeth and once more stole her books. Looking down at the label written neatly across her notebook in pen he gave her a puzzled look.
"Russian?" he asked. "I don't think that class is offered here."
"Oh, well my mom spoke to the principal and she's agreed to allow me to continue my studies in an independent study class. I'm going to the library to install Rosetta Stone on my laptop."
"Rosetta what?" Embry asked her.
"Rosetta Stone," Sarabeth tried to explain patiently. "My dad gave it to me as a good riddance present. Russian was my favorite class at my old school and I really want to major in it at college."
Embry gulped. Sure he had dated girls, but never a girl like Sarabeth. She was pretty and so smart. He wasn't sure if he could keep up with her intellectually. Maybe she could help him along, tutor him a bit.
"Do you think you could teach me some?" he blurted out.
"Some what?" she replied questioningly.
"Russian!" Embry said. "I'd love to learn."
Sarabeth stopped abruptly. "Do you really?" she whispered.
"Yeah, I really do."
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