I
Meigs was a school that a girl like Pepper Sanchez wasn't used to. There was a large parking lot in the back and a large entryway in the front. When entering it opened up into a wide open space that was called the Mall. Normally it was all open until lunch time where the tables were folded out and lined up through the area. Entering the school the Mall was the first thing you saw. There was a blocked off square where the school's insignia was crafted into the tile. A vicious Cougar that would glare up at you from the floor. To the left there was the Theater, large TV screens that commercialized the latest play at the front doors that entered into what seemed like a small room then opened up into extravagant rows of movie seats toward the stage. There was a hallway that past the Theater where the front doors were. Glass cases allowed the crafts of students who took art classes in that part of the school to show off. Jewelry was hung to be viewed, past that would be the vases and sculptures. Then the paintings and drawings.
At the end of the hall there were stairs that went down into the basement where the ceramic and computer classes took place. The hallway above past the viewing wall were the drawing and painting classes. It went around like a circle where you ended up back in the Mall on the opposite side where the large Gym was built. The size was two times bigger compared to Pepper's old school. To form the hall there was a large room where the Cafeteria was placed, they would play music every now and then while students ate. The knowledge they did so still baffled her.
To the right of the entryway there were the usual classrooms. Halls of lockers and doors that went into different classes. There were three sets of classroom hallways on each floor. And on the first floor there was the library that was next to the office at the front of the building.
This building was engraved into Pepper's memories. Her classes were divided as such that she knew different parts. But only those parts. Even so her old school always seemed to come to mind. Spring Hill High School was a poor, small, and cheap little place. That had been starting to get out of hand. In her sophomore year the school board had decided to make the public school have much stricter dress code based off of the gangs and disruptions at the place. Pepper had moved away before the dress code could bother her. Leaving behind friends that couldn't stand it. She was a junior now. With new friends that whined on the school's strict rules before she ranted about her old school. She would rant on how they could only wear polo's and jeans; rant about how they had to be school colors; rant about tucking in your shirt and wearing a belt; and rant and rant about not being able to hug your friends or touch them in anyway.
Pepper enjoyed Meigs High School much more then her old school. That didn't mean she loved it. The only thing that made it tolerable was the routine behind it. Routine was comfortable. Stable. The alarm clock on her bed side table would always go off at 6:00 A.M. She would always get up around three minutes after that. Dressed and ready, she would be on the couch downstairs by 6:10 A.M. And as always she would be too tired to be hungry for breakfast. At 7:00 A.M., Pepper and her brother Anthony would put on their shoes and leave the home to wait at the bus stop. They would enter the school at around 7:20 A.M.
After that the time would disappear for Pepper. The bell would dismiss her to class, to lunch, and then back home again. Every day, every week, every month, it was the same. As soon as Pepper entered those school doors she flipped into sleep mode; only paying attention enough to keep her grades in an A-B average.
Pepper's junior year was about to end. The year where she came to know herself. The year that she let her hair grow out and considered doing something with it for once. The year she decided to care about if her glasses were cute or not. The year she finally decided she wanted to wear skirts. The friends she once had at Spring Hill would be shocked.
That is how Pepper found herself in a dressing room at the downtown mall, examining the pink skirt she wore in the full body mirror. Her mother sat on the stool with her pants folded in her arms. Pepper stared at herself inquisitively. She was cute. She could admit that with a bit of fact to it. She had a nice almost heart shaped face with a small nose and round hazel eyes that she just wished were a tad greener. She had full lips that turned a deep red when she ate something spicy. At the moment they were an average pink color and chapped even with the extent use of lip balm. Her bangs curved around her face with some strands blocking her right eye. She'd have to get those cut again. Her dark brown hair went a few inches past her shoulder and had a light curl to them. Nothing compared to the curls her mother had.
Pepper bit her lip, tugging at the dead skin and fiddling with one of the pink strands of hair that she had her aunt's friend dye for her. Her mother had been worried but the pink streaks were hidden enough to be casual, but not enough to be unnoticed. They were fading now and she considered re-dying them as she finally looked at the skirt she wore and the naked leg it revealed. She winced.
"Ugh…" Pepper leaned down and gripped at her knees, her bangs falling over her face and making it even more difficult to see in the mirror. She shook her head and hoped they'd conveniently fall behind her ear. Normally, they didn't.
"What?"
"Can't you see that?!" she asked her mother as she moved her hands and pinched the fat that seemed to be gathering and bulging at her knee caps. Her mother didn't answer, but it was answer enough. "I can't wear a skirt!"
"Well, you just have to get back into shape…I keep telling you that if you just exercised, and since your young, and—" Pepper had stopped listening at that point. She had heard the speech many, many times. Mom was right. But she couldn't take away her delicious food! Besides, she wasn't fat…she was average. She was very far from being that fat.
"I am exercising!" she declared with a huff, standing up straight and not daring to look back at her gross legs. "I bought those skates just for the purpose!" Her mother smiled, proud at her daughter for at least doing that. Pepper had randomly decided she wanted to roller blade again. She had never owned skates before. They had only gone to the roller ring for that. But since she had a bank account, and money to burn, she had decided to go for it. Couldn't hurt to spend $126 on skates, could it? So far Pepper had taken time out of her day to go outside and skate around for at least thirty minutes. She sighed, turning to stare at her mother.
Sophia was an amazing person. Rachel admired her mother more then anyone in the whole wide world. There were stories that her mom had told her that made her so confused. She couldn't understand how her mom could be so strong. But somehow she had kept herself standing with the help and love of God by her side. Pepper wanted that. She wanted to be strong. She wanted to be smart in everything. Have all the right decisions. Make no mistakes; or at least no big ones.
Sophia wasn't the only thing that formed her into the teenager she was now. People were right when saying that media had a huge influence on their children. She was no exception. But how it influenced her was different then what the average parent was complaining about. Pepper watched the movies where the Girl would cry and sob and whine about the love of her life and the thought that would run through her head would be: 'I won't be like her'. She'd watch the Girl on TV have sex with her boyfriend because he complained that she wasn't showing him that she loved him; 'I won't ever be like her'. She watched the Girl try alcohol because her friends told her that it was cool and everyone was doing it; 'I won't ever, ever be like her'.
It was this type of thinking why Pepper had yet to have a boyfriend. She had never made out with a boy. Or know a boy that had feelings for her. She was the strange girl between her mixes of friends. A strange girl that didn't curse and had morals about sex and wasn't on her fifth boyfriend. A strange, strange girl. It wasn't like her friends were normal compared to the rest of the high school population. Her friends were the ones that wore gloves and knee high socks and dyed their hair and wore punk clothes. But unlike her old school people weren't really teased. She had never known a true bully to be at Meigs. Maybe it was just her that never saw one before. Pepper had a way to avoid attention that turned to bullying.
Pepper and her mother had left the store, leaving the cute skirts behind as they walked around the mall. "This is what it's like in the hallways except ten times worse!" she declared, gesturing toward the large amounts of people that slowed them down and blocked their way. It was one of the huge things that irritated her at school. They were passing a store that had flashy dresses and gowns in the front that made Pepper pause. "Oh, Mom look, prom dresses!" she grabbed Sophia's hand and dragged her into the store.
"I thought you weren't going to prom."
Pepper nodded. "Doesn't mean I can't look," she eyed the dresses with awe as she felt the fabric they were made out of; some were nice and smooth underneath her fingers while others were stiff to keep its shape, "and it still would have been nice to wear something like this…just way too expensive." she breathed out a sigh as she eyed a long flowing green gown. Nice and vibrant and young. Too many of the dresses were low cut and boring black and white. She enjoyed the different colors.
"Wouldn't this dress look fabulous on me?"
Pepper paused and glanced a few dresses away toward a woman not too older then her holding a pink dress against her body. Her heart sank at the sight of her. Beautiful flowing black hair and a nice curved body with gentle and manicured hands. And that dress looked amazing. What's more, that girl was someone she knew at school. Emily. They had the same English class and Emily was very popular and had many friends. "I can't wait for the prom!"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Looks great. Can we go now?" The man beside Emily persisted, grabbing the tag and glancing at the price. Pepper paled, running and hiding behind her mother who was looking through some other more simple dresses.
"I know those two." She whispered to her mother, moving this way and that as they did so she stayed hidden.
"From school?"
"Yes! Emily and Keith…"
"You mean the Keith that you—"
"Shhh!! Mom!" she hissed ducking down as the couple passed her mother. Pepper straightened again, staring at Keith as he passed by. She blushed as she watched the man. He had shining bright blue eyes that had drawn her attention the first day she started ceramics class. A simple shaved hair cut with his country accent and his rugged good looks and simple clothing. He looked so tough, so manly. She could have just dropped down and died right there seeing him somewhere out of school.
After seeing the two, Pepper had rushed her mother the rest of the time at the mall. Only in the car did she let herself relax.
"You're right, he is cute." Her mother grinned at her as she backed out of the parking lot.
"Gosh darn adorable…" Pepper sighed, going through her purse and taking out her Zune and ear phones. She'd drown herself in music until they'd get home. Lose herself in melodies of all different genres and disappear into a world where people sang like the Disney movies she watched as a child.
