It isn't a Choice
Danni W.
Chapter 1:
"Hey, Mitch." Joe came up to me as I shut my locker. I smiled. I rarely got to see him. In freshman and sophomore year we had almost every class together, but since then I moved up to advanced classes. I didn't want to but the school insisted that I needed to be 'challenged' and regular classes weren't enough. I shot a small wave his way as I made my way to my class, which was the one and only class Joe and I had together.
"So, watcha doin' this weekend?" Joe asked facing me as we continued to walk. I shrugged. I turned back to watching where I was walking; I have fallen more than once in these halls, tripping over nothing but my own two feet. I guess I should have looked a little sooner because as I turned the corner I bumped into someone and knocked everything they were carrying out of their hands. We both ended up on the floor with a thump. I looked up at Joe.
"Watch where you're going!" I heard Joe say to the person. I looked at him as I got up. I hit him on his shoulder.
"Ow!" He said glaring at me. I raised an eyebrow at him. I looked at the girl. She was picking up her binders. I looked at Joe again, glaring at him for affect. He sighed.
"Sorry." He said. I could tell he didn't really mean it. He could be so protective of me sometimes, even when the things were actually my fault. I could see why sometimes, but this time he was being just mean.
"It's ok, I guess." The girl said getting the last thing off the ground.
"I should have payed attention to where I was going." She said looking at her binder. I nudged Joe in the ribs, gentler than last time.
"No, I'm sorry." He said a little nicer. I smiled, happy he was admitting his faults. I looked from him to her. Why haven't I seen her before? Is she-
"I haven't seen you before; are you new?' Joe spoke my thoughts. The girl nodded.
"Ya, I moved here from New York." The girl laughed. I didn't get the joke, but her laugh was cute. I smiled at her then up at Joe.
"Oh." Joe said, looking as confused as me. The girl laughed again and nodded. The bell rang so we both went our separate ways. I gave a small wave good bye to her as Joe said it.
"She seems nice." Joe said looking down at me smiling. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. He just laughed as we got in the class. We sat down in our usual seats as Mrs. Frankle came in the door just as the bell rang.
"Hello class." She greeted in her usual voice. She sat in her worn out chair and took out her attendance book. Of all the teachers in the school, she was the only one not doing things electrically. When someone would ask her reply would be something about 'what if the internet crashed, then they'd be sorry, but no, not me.' So it took her a little longer.
"So, you never did answer my question about what you're doing this weekend." I still shrugged, taking out my notebook. I wrote 'Nothing, as usual, why?' and turned it so he could see it. He nodded.
"Well I was wondering if you wanted to go to a pool party my brother was throwing?" He hid behind his hands. He knew I didn't like parties, or any kind, shape or form. I curtly shook my head no. He sighed.
"Come on, Mitchie." I sighed myself and then wrote something down.
'I don't do parties. You know that more than anyone. Why do you insist on me coming to this one?'
"No reason. I just wish you'd loosen up once in a while. That's all." I've done enough loosening up for one lifetime. I shook my head again.
'No, not this time. You have fun. Maybe you'll get a girlfriend.' I smiled and turned it toward him. He let out a disappointed sigh, but then smiled.
"Psh, I could get a girlfriend if I wanted." He said popping his collar. I raised an eyebrow. He fixed and turned to me.
"But you're the only one for me, Babe." He said putting an arm around me, smiling down at me. I smiled up at him and then pushed him playfully away, knocking him out of him chair. I let out a low laugh. The teacher looked over at us sternly. Joe got up and dusted himself off and sulked in his chair.
'Aw, did I hurt you?' I put the paper in front of him. I saw stay in the same position but his eyes wander and read the paper. He nodded and pointed to his heart. I smiled and shook my head. He's such a cheese ball.
'I'm sorry.' He nodded his head with a smile. I just rolled my eyes.
"Alrighty, class, let's start." Mrs. Farnkle said closing the attendance book.
"How many of you know all of the names of the people in this classroom? Raise your hands." This was weird. I looked around, everyone, including me and Joe, had their hands up. We've been with these kids since 9th grade, of course we knew their names. She nodded.
"How many of you know at least one thing about everyone in this room?" She asked another question. Most everyone raised their hands again.
"Is everything you claimed to know about everyone true. Jared," She pin-pointed someone in the middle of the class.
"You raised your hand." He nodded.
"So you know something about everyone here?" She motioned around. He skeptically looked around before nodding. I scoffed. He didn't know anything about me. Mrs. Frankle looked at me.
"Ok. Tell me what you know about Mitchie." My eyes widened as everyone's eyes came to me. That was only for a second because the wooden class door opened with a small creak. But it was loud enough to divert their eyes from me. Thank, God. Mrs. Frankle looked also. A girl, the same girl Joe and I ran into in the halls, entered.
"Is this Physiology/Psychology 101?" She asked the teacher.
"It is."
"Are you Mrs. Frankle?" Mrs. Frankle nodded.
"I am." The girl walked up to the desk and handed her her paper.
"You can go sit in the corner desk, next to Mitchie." She pointed to me.
"Alexandra Russo, is it?" She asked. The girl stopped mid-way and turned around.
"Alex, just Alex." Mrs. Frankle looked appalled, but nodded.
"Alex, welcome." She said with a fake teacher smile. Alex sat down, next to me, and gave her the same type of smile.
"Alright, class, talk amongst yourselves while I add Alex Russo to our list. Quietly." She reminded. Alex scoffed before getting her stuff out of her bag.
"Sorry about this morning." She said to me. I looked at her, not knowing what to do. I couldn't give her a paper note, like I do Joe. She stared at me, expecting an answer of some sort.
"No, I'm sorry for blowing up at you. Mitchie's always been a klutz. I was just having a bad morning." I blushed at his comment, but was relieved he answered. She turned her attention from me to Joe.
"It's ok, really, we all have those moments." Joe nodded. Mrs. Frankle made her way back to the front of the room.
"Alright, now that's over and done with. Where was I?" She thought for a second.
"Yes. Jared, what do you know about Mitchie?" And again eyes were on me, including Alex's.
"I know she's a mute freak." He said with a smirk. That made a lot of the kids in the room laugh. I gulped the tears that threatened to fall back.
"Alright class, settle down." Mrs. F said trying to control the room. Jared laughed again. A chair scraped against the tile floor.
"How do you know she's mute?" A person asked. I turned around. It was Alex. What the hell? Jared gave her an 'are you kidding look?' and smirked before answering.
"I've never heard a word come out of her mouth. She's never talked to me." He answered her. It was true; I didn't talk. Everyone in the school knew it, including the teachers. Alex stood up.
"Maybe she doesn't want to talk to you. She's a hot girl. And hot girls have no time for scrawny gangster wannabes, like you." My eyes widened and my cheeks rosed. No one has been that up front, at least not in my defense. Everyone laughed again. He looked lat everyone and stuttered.
"Well, you're a fucking fag!" Some people gasped, others were silent. I was taken back and mad. But this didn't seem to faze Alex; she just smirked.
"Dyke. Get it right, Jerimiyah." She said with venom in her voice.
"Class!" Mrs. Frankle erupted. Everyone looked at her and away from Alex and 'Jeremy' now apparently Jerimiyah. Alex and him sat down. I turned to her. She met my eyes and smiled.
"Jerimiyah, principal's office, now." He got up and slammed his chair back against the desk. He glared at Alex as he left. She just smiled and gave him a small wave.
"Now, since we don't have time to do the rest of what I wanted, I'll just hand out your project papers." She said handing papers down rows.
"Ok, as for partners." Frankle said licking her pencil before marking her list of names.
"We'll go in alphabetical order." She started naming off pairs. Fuck my life.
"Alex Russo will be paired with Mitchie Torres, Franklyn Thorn with Courtlyn Vanders. And that's all. Alright, class you will b-" She was interrupted by the bell. She sighed before closing her book.
"Just bring the papers I handed out with you next class." She yelled over the hustle and bustle of the kids exiting. I hugged Joe good-bye when we went our separate ways and headed off to my next class, Advanced Algebra II. When I was on my way to the class I saw Alex by her locker, looking very confused. I decided I'd try to go see what was wrong. Key word: Try. I took my notebook out of my bag and wrote down a note. I walked up to her.
"Look, I'm sorry, I just can't-" She looked up and saw it was me and smiled.
"Hey Mitchie." I waved and showed her the paper. 'You need any help?' I watched carefully for her reaction. Once she was done reading it she looked up.
"Yes, please." She said moving out of the way. She handed me the paper with her locker number and combo on it. I tried her combination; it didn't work. I tried it again, still no luck. I scowled at the paper, reading it over again. I looked at the locker in front of us. It was the wrong locker. I smirked and wrote on my notebook.
'Wrong locker.' I showed her. She took the paper back and looked from the paper to the locker and laughed.
"Oh, wow, I'm having just a great first day." I smiled at her in an understanding way.
"Ok, #236." She said as she searched for it. It was in the same clump, so she didn't have too walk far. See tried the combo and it worked.
"Success!" She said with a fist to the air. I shook my head amused. I started to leave to my class, I was already late, but I didn't want to miss the whole period.
"Mitchie!" I heard Alex say from behind me. I slowed down for her to catch up. She took out her schedule.
"Do you know where room 183 is?" I held a hand out, silently asking for her schedule. She gave it to me and watched silently as looked it over. She was in Advanced Algebra with me, this period, and last period tomorrow with me. I handed it back to her and started to write in my notebook.
"You really don't talk, do you?" I stopped walking and writing at the same time. I looked up at her. She was looking at me, for an answer. I sighed. I've been over this so many times, with so many people and the reaction is always the same. Here it goes. I shook my head. She looked down for a minute and then back to me curiously.
"Can you?" She asked. Her eyes full of curiosity. I nodded. She smiled. It was a genuine.
"Ok, I was just wondering. That's cool." I nodded unsure of what to do. So I continued to write.
'You have this period with me, Advanced Algebra, room 183. Tomorrow you have last period with me.' She looked at the book.
"Alrighty. Lets go." She said as I led the way through the halls. When we got to the classroom Mr. Christopher was reading off some new lesson. He looked at us when sat down. A couple minutes later it was time for lunch; Everyone in the class got up to leave.
"Mitchie and girl-unknown, please stay." Mr. Christopher said. Once everyone left looked at us.
"Why were you guys late?" Mr. Christopher was one of my favorite teachers for one reason: he accepted that I didn't talk and allowed me to write on my notebook. I started to write an explanation down when Alex put her hand on my wrist, stopping me.
"It's my fault. I'm new here. I got my lockers mixed up and Mitchie helped me." Mr. Christopher nodded.
"What's your name?"
"Alex Russo." He checked our names off on the attendance sheet.
"Ok, you guys can go." I smiled as a bye.
Alex and I walked to lunch and got lunch.
"Hey, Mitchie, can I sit with you?' Alex asked when we got our lunches. I nodded and showed her to the table I sat at. We sat down and it was silent. It was a awkward but comfortable silence, which was unusual. Usually with new people I hate to be alone with them.
"So." Alex broke the silence. I looked up at her.
"I have another question. Just so you know, I am a curious person. You don't have to answer it, but I'm gonna throw it out there." I raised an eyebrow with a curve of my lip.
"Are you and that tall black-haired dude dating?" I choked on my grape.
"Hey Mitch- girls?" Joe said as he got to the table and noticed Alex. I was still recovering from the grape, but managed a wave.
"Hey." Alex said.
I shook my head to Alex. Joe watched confused.
"I asked if you two were dating." Alex clarified. Joe, much like me, choked on his milk. Alex gave him a look. He calmed down before talking.
"Mitchie and I- Me and Mitch- why, yes, we are." He smirked at me, putting his arm around me. I glared at him and punched him. He laughed and let me go.
"Ow, my pecks." He said rubbing his chest. I scoffed. He just stuck his tongue out at me. He turned his attention to Alex.
"No, Mitch and I aren't dating."
"Oh, well you act like an old married couple, but now that I see it more closer, I guess it's more like brother and sister." She laughed before getting to go dump her tray.
"Who put crack in you cheerios this morning?" Joe asked when we were alone. I looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.
"You never make new friends." He stated. I just shrugged. Alex wasn't my friend. I was just trying to be nice and make being project partners a little easier. Not that I'd mind if we became friends, I guess.
Hey, um, this was a random story that I just started a couple days ago. I usually wait to get more chapters written to post, but I wanted to know what you guys think. If you like it review and tell me, if not then I wont bother writing anymore. Thanks!
-Danni
