Mia

I forgot to introduce myself – sorry 'bout that. I'm Mia Parker.

My alarm clock rang. RRRIIINNNGGG!!!

Ugh, stupid clock. I thought, looking at the time. Seven in the morning. Alarm clocks are stupid, useless, and rude.

I got out of bed, groaning a little because of the stiffness in my back. I changed into my usual black clothing and went to the bathroom. I looked at myself into the mirror. I didn't look like my brother, except for my eyes. I was pale, while my brother was a little tanned, and I had black hair. John had blonde hair. I closed my eyes; I wished I was more like my brother. I wished I was outgoing, funny, a little popular even. John was all that and more.

I, however, am a really shy, quiet girl. I don't talk much, but when I do, I'm very sarcastic and foolish.

I put some sneakers on – black and white Converse sneakers – grabbed my backpack and headed downstairs. I walked into the plain kitchen, and put some Pop Tarts in the toaster. I sighed as I poured some orange juice into a glass. Orange was John's favorite color.

I heard footsteps coming towards me. Mom, no doubt; Dad leaves the house so early.

"Morning, Mom." I greeted, expecting no answer. Sure enough, my mother just grunted.

"Hurry up and get to school," Mom rasped – she must have been crying again – "You'll be late."

I sighed. "Yeah, okay, Mom." I knew better than to argue that school started in forty-five minutes.

I started walking to school, letting my hair cover my eyes as I looked down at my feet.

"Hi Mia!" Tonya – my only friend – yelled.

I walked over to Tonya. "Hey," I said quietly.

"Did you do your Math homework?" Tonya asks. I nodded. Tonya was a forgetful girl; she forgets to do her work a lot.

"Yeah, I'll let you copy at lunch."

"Thanks." She says enthusiastically. "Did you know that there are new students here?" She asked suddenly.

I was a little surprised by the question; she wasn't much of a gossiper. "No, I didn't. You know this how?"

"My aunt's the vice principle, remember? She came over for dinner yesterday and started blabbing about them."

Honestly, I didn't care. If I met them, they'd just make fun of me, or ignore me like everyone else in Crawford High.

The bell rang, and I headed for my class. Sadly, Tonya and I were separated and were in different classes. I sighed again as I stopped by my locker and took packed my books. My homeroom wasn't far away, and I took my time getting there. Mrs. Johnson wouldn't notice if I got in late, it's like I'm invisible.

I opened the door and walked into Homeroom.

"You're late, Mia." Mrs. Johnson said.

Something's going on then, I thought, she actually noticed I was late.

Then I noticed the three strange kids in the front of the class. Oh, now I get it. The new students.

I sat in my seat without a second glance. Mrs. Johnson continued, "As I was saying before I was interrupted" – she gave me a little glare then turned away – "We have three new students. James, Marcus, and Maria Pride. They're cousins from Japan. Tell us a bit about yourselves."

"I'm Marcus!" the kid in the middle practically yelled. He was a short kid with spiky blonde hair, and I resisted the urge to cover my ears. He was being way too loud. "I like the color orange" – I shuddered at the mention of the color – "And I like to do my best at everything."

Ugh, I cringed; this guy's so…preppy…and loud. I bet it'd kill him to be quiet.

"I'm Maria," the girl with short brown hair and green eyes said, "My favorite color's pink, and I like to do…stuff."

Silence. "How about you, James?" Mrs. Johnson urged a raven haired guy. His tousled, kinda long hair covered his eyes.

James shrugged. It was obvious he wasn't going to answer. The bell rang. "Okay, go to your next class," Mrs. Johnson announces to everyone, then caught me before I could escape.

Crap. Now I'm gonna get an earful.

"Y-yes?" I asked timidly, I had noticed the new students were still there.

"You and the Pride kids have the same schedules, so I want you to show them around the first few days."

"Me?" I inquired the obvious.

"Yeah." She replied, seeming not to notice that I had my dumb blonde moment. (No offense to any blondes reading this)

"Fine." I muttered. "Come on."

In the hallway, Marcus started talking. Let me tell you, I thought he was loud before, but I nearly lost my hearing in the hall.

"God, would you shut up?!?!" I demanded. Marcus finally shut up. "Thank you," I said sarcastically.

"Sorry." Marcus muttered, a little hurt.

"It's not that I don't like you or anything, it's just that you're annoying when you talk loudly." I apologized.

"Oh…"

"She's right, you know…" James murmured, and then in an even lower voice, he said "Loser." I strained to hear it.

"Sa – James, why you…" Marcus growls, stumbling when he says his cousin's name.

"Marcus, don't start." Maria warns.

"Fine, whatever."

"Um, here we are. Geography class." I mutter. I follow them inside.

Just my luck. I think. I had to get an annoying little psycho in this group.