Prologue.

Always wanted to be cool and popular but can't, since your nerdiness is in the way? Well, then. Fret no more! Become a Cool Teenager (Smartypants Edition) has arrived. In this manual on how to be cool (for smartypants), we'll give you a list of effective ways to become that popular person you've always wanted to be. We'll use our model, Kristen Gregory, who certainly followed our rules by the book, to show you how successful you'll become after following our instructions.

A writer will not tell you that he has dedicated so much time on a book to become an astronaut. An actress will obviously not say that she practiced her lines in front of a mirror every single day to turn into a math teacher. And I'm 100% sure that a doctor won't have studied more than four years to be a make-up artist.

So whenever people ask me, after finding out that I've been playing volleyball for my entire life, what position I play in and tell them that I'm actually the school's mascot, I understand their bewildered expressions. I mean, sometimes, I don't understand it myself. But when I first began to play the sport at seven, I hadn't counted on the fact that a random guy had chosen my mom to be his prom date instead of my future high school coach. And that because of that, whenever she heard the last name Gregory, she would get this look of pure hatred in her cold, blue eyes. Nobody warned me that my coach would be so unforgivable, that she would try to make my life miserable for the rest of my high school years.

But then again, life is known for throwing unexpected curves at you. And no, I'm not talking about the fact of signing up for the volleyball team without knowing that my future coach hated my guts. I'm talking about the fact that when a scout from Octavian Academy came looking for a good volleyball player, Coach Campbell had recommended me. I mean, she'd never seen me play.

Let's rewind a bit.

On April 27, 2012, exactly four months ago, Abner Double High's Bears would be playing against Westchester High's Tigers. And whenever there is a game, there will always be a school mascot –me. So that night, I put on my stinky and warm costume and prepared myself to get the crowd in the mood to cheer for our team.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the loudspeaker crackled to life.

All of my teammates turned to look at me, expectant smiles on their faces.

"Get ready, Kris," one of them urged.

Another gave me thumbs up. "Make people feel the need to be on the Bear's side, even when they haven't seen them play."

I gently pulled on the short, synthetic hairs my bear mask was made of. I smiled at my team, gulping as I felt the familiar butterflies settle in my stomach. I'd already been the school mascot for months, so I was already used to it. But you never know what to expect. I mean, I once got a shoe and a smoothie thrown at my way at the same time –courtesy of the rival team.

"Please welcome," the loudspeaker continued. "Abner Double Day's Bears!"

I stuffed my face in the mask before letting myself be pushed out of the locker room and into the volleyball inside court. I instantly began to bob my head, both my arms in the air, as the crowd began to cheer. I ran around, jumping and twirling (the usual) before high-fiving our cheerleaders. Both the boys' and girls' volleyball teams here in Westchester are a big deal. The crowd's cheers suddenly became roars as my teammates emerged, running and clapping. There was a mixture of booingand cheering in the stands, but the screams of support from our school overshadowed the other school's attempt at taking down our team. Our cheerleaders began their routine, and I quickly joined along, doing the steps I was told to do and clapping when the cheerleader's began to twirl in the air.

A sharp whistle cut the loud roars, signaling the game's beginning. I watched with longing as the ball was bounced off in the air several times before my team scored. I cheered, feeling proud for my teammates. Whenever I don't play in a game (meaning, always) I get a mixture of happiness for my teammates, jealousy and longing to play which I usually have to hide in order to be a good mascot.

A brunette cheerleader approached me.

"Christina, right?" she asked.

"Kristen," I corrected, trying to smile before realizing she couldn't see me.

"Sorry," she apologized, not really meaning it. "Anyways, Coach Campbell is looking for you. She's waiting for you in the principal's office and wants you to arrive wearing your uniform."

I frowned, weighing on the possibilities of the coach wanting to murder me that night.

"Your mom's there, too."

I sighed, relieved, before thanking her and running toward the lockers. I gladly took off my costume and slipped into my uniform, another act of cruelty from Coach Campbell. She knew I'd never get to use it. I took off the elastic band in my hair, letting blonde waves fall over my shoulders. I rapidly made my way to the principal's office, hoping that she was going to inform me that I was finally going to play and needed to sign up or something like that.

I knocked Principal Hastings's doors before being let in. Once there, my green eyes widened as I spotted my mom, her face stained with tears.

"Mom," I whispered, running toward her. I racked my brain for anything I could've done to get me expelled, but being the school's number one goody-two-shows, I found none. My heart pounded as my mind flashed to the day when I'd been informed about my dad's passing away, and expected some kind of news worse than those. "W-what's wrong?"

My worries disappeared as my mom grinned, shaking her head. "I'm so proud of you."

I turned around, noticing Principal Hastings's grin and Coach Campbell's mischievous smirk. My gaze quickly shifted toward an unfamiliar tall, model-like woman in her mid-thirties. Noticing my gaze, she smiled, slightly lifting her chin.

"Kristen Gregory, I'm Principal Burns. Octavian Academy's principal," she introduced. She waved my documents in the air. "You should be thankful of all those straight A's, your clean record, your participation on local knowledge bowls and your amazing performance on your school's volleyball team."

I'm sure that confusion was written all over my face. "P…performance?"

"Oh, she's so modest," Coach Campbell giggled.

"We need modest students in the academy," Principal Burns told my coach before turning to look at me. "Which is one of the many reasons why I'm so proud to announce the volleyball scholarship we're giving to you."

My mouth dropped open. My mom sobbed as Principal Hastings nodded.

"Even though I'm happy for you," he told me. "You'll certainly be missed."

I looked around, bewildered, not really knowing what to say.

Principal Burns sat up straighter. "The moment I stepped foot on this school, your coach couldn't help but tell me how apt your were for that scholarship."

My mom patted my back, giving me thumbs up.

"You won't have to pay a cent." Principal Burns stood up from her seat, handing me a folder. "Here is all the information you need of the school. I hope to see you at 7:15 a.m. on August 27, ready to discover our wonderful system. If you decline this offer, which I'm certain you won't, please contact my assistant, Adele. Now, I have some business to attend. Congratulations, Kristen. I'm sure you'll make a great addition to the school."

Still shocked, I couldn't do anything other than nod slowly. Coach Campbell volunteered to escort Principal Burns out of the school, leaving my mother, my future former principal and me.

"We should go and celebrate. I'm 101% sure that our family will be so happy to hear the news," my mom breathed out, standing up. She gathered her stuff. "I guess Clarissa recommended you as a way to apologize for all the hardships she's made you endure."

As we said good-bye to Principal Hastings, I couldn't help but remember Coach Campbell's smirk. Something told me that she hadn't recommended me to apologize, but rather to get rid of me.

A/N: First and foremost, this story is disclaimed. Also, I'm a first-timer at writing... and english isn't my first language. So please, excuse any mistakes. However, I'm sure a tip or two won't hurt :D So if you know if it's "thumbs up" or "thumbs-up", or if you spotted any mistake(s), I'll gladly accept any tip. Now, before I end this note, I want to thank you for reading this. Hopefully, you liked it. I'll try to update as soon as I can :)