Chapter 1
I caught him looking at me ten times before lunch. It was weird. It wasn't just him looking at me as his friend, he was staring at me. Thank you mom. The last time I caught him, we locked eyes. For a second we didn't break contact, but my friend Caitlyn said something to me, so I had to pay attention to her. I swear I felt like someone was watching me after that. It was weird to think that it was my best friend that was being like that. I was the one that fell in love with him though.
I sat down next to Shane at our table. We sat with our other friends: Caitlyn, Sierra, Nate and Jason. Jason was the airhead of the group, and Sierra was the genius. It was weird; we were all quite music orientated, except for Sierra. That was possibly how we all got along. Except for Nate and Caitlyn, they were constantly arguing. I spotted the school bitch, Emma, with her wannabes coming our way.
"Cait," I said and pointed them out.
"Oh great, something wicked this way comes." I sniggered at her.
"Wow, look who decided to have a sex change this summer." I heard Emma say over my shoulder. I could tell this wasn't going to go well.
"Say that again," I dared, whilst getting out of my chair. I towered over her, even when she was in her pink stilettos.
"Oh, she may have got a different look, but she's still got the same old attitude." The blonde wannabes sniggered.
"They forgot the implant though." The head wannabe, Hester said. Cue more sniggering. I could feel my anger growing.
"Look, if you're looking for a rearranged face, then you're heading the right way." Oops, that was a bad idea.
"Ooh, I'm so scared." I heard Shane stand up next to me. What the hell?
"I really wouldn't mess with her." He pointed to a bruise on his arm. "I got this from her before the summer. And I'll have you know, she looks much better than you, and she's much nicer than you." Ok, what was going on here? He never complimented me. I could see the bitches reeling from what Shane had just said.
"What are you doing?" I muttered under my breath.
"I don't know, she was just getting on my last nerve and I had to say something."
"Aw look, Mitchie Torres has finally gotten herself a boyfriend," She said loudly enough for the whole of the cafeteria to hear her. Everyone looked at us. "When are you going let him kiss you, when you're thirty-five? Or has he already done that? If he did we should have a party to celebrate the fact that you've gotten your first kiss." What was I supposed to say? Maybe I should've said something about the English guy that lived in Tanzania called David that had kissed me two weeks before. Bad idea. So I did the only thing I could think of; I ran. I had to get away before I began to cry. Before I left I heard Shane call Emma a 'bitch', then the door closed behind me. I raced to my locker, pulled out my guitar and went to my tree. I always sat under the tree when I was upset. I got my guitar out of its case and began to strum random chords before I got a good melody and lyrics came to my head. I quickly got into the song.
It's my life
And I'm not sitting on the sidelines watching it
Pass me by
I'm leaving you my legacy
I gotta make my mark
I gotta run it hard
I want you to remember me
I'm leaving my fingerprints
I'm leaving my fingerprints
I'm leaving my fingerprints on you.
"Wow that was really good." I turned around and saw Shane standing against the tree. He always knew where to find me when I was upset. But that was probably because I was so predictable.
"No it wasn't." my music was awful. I disputed anyone that said it was better than that. I only did it because I couldn't think of any other way to let out my emotions.
"It was. I meant what I said in there, you do look so much better than those zombies. You look great"
"No I don't, they're gorgeous. I'm just trying to be something I'm not."
"Would you stop arguing with me? You know I'm right. And who cares if you haven't had you first kiss? I don't." He sat next to me. Of course he didn't care; after all he thought of me as his friend nothing else. But I had to tell him.
"You're wrong," I said in a sing-song voice, trying to lighten the mood.
"Huh?" Oh this was going to be good.
"I had my first kiss two weeks ago. So you're wrong, as is everyone else." He looked shocked. It's not like he was expecting a seventeen year old to not kiss people. And it wasn't as if I promised my first kiss to him. Oh, wait, I did. But that was when I was seven.
"So you had your first kiss, and didn't tell me? Gee, its mice to know where we stand." He said sarcastically. There was a lot of sarcasm in our friendship. I think he picked it up from me, as I was the queen of sarcasm. I basically lived on it.
"I just did tell you."
"You know what I mean." He wrapped one of his arms around me. Would that constitute a hug? He wasn't even extraordinarily happy. How odd. "Don't listen to those bitches. You look great. They're just jealous because you have such an amazing best friend." He said pompously.
"Shut up," I said before shoving him.
"You know I'm right."
"Oh yeah, they're jealous of me being friends with you. Do I have to remind you that each one of those girls has turned you down?" I knew I'd hit a nerve, but hopefully he would take it as a joke, like I had intended.
"That's beside the point. What I mean is that they're jealous of you being such close friends with a guy, so much that you can trust him with your deepest secrets." That's what he thinks. "The closest they get to guys is physically, not emotionally." I giggled.
"So you finally realised what I've been telling you all along." He smiled down at me. He had such an amazing smile. It made me smile every time I saw it. "Thanks Shane. You seriously rock at making me feel better."
"You want to go back in? The bell's going to go in a few minutes."
"I guess so." I stood up, put my guitar in its case and walked into school with Shane. I shoved my guitar in my locker and joined my friends.
"Are you alright Mitchie?" Sierra asked me.
"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine." I heard Cait and Nate arguing again. This time it was over something pretty important. What the best cheese was. I shot Sierra a look. She nodded at me; time to initiate our plan. I counted down on my fingers. 3…2…1…
"Would you two just kiss already?!" we shouted at the same time. Nate muttered something about it being 'ridiculous', whilst Caitlyn blushed bright red.
"How'd it go today, sweetie?" my mom asked when I walked into the kitchen. What was I supposed to say? 'Yeah, it went terrible people said I'd had a sex change and thought Shane and I were going out when were not.' I think not.
"It was fine," I said shortly.
"How did people respond to your new look?"
"They thought it was a change but it suited me."I wasn't lying, but it was only my friends that said that.
"How'd things go with Shane?" Ever since my parents divorced, my mom lived for the thrill of other people's relationships.
"Fine, he hugged me."
"Oh, that's good." I knew she was disappointed but I didn't want to go into more details.
"I'm going to my room." I headed upstairs to my large room. After the divorce, my mom swapped with me. She didn't like staying in the room because it held too many memories of her and dad. She also didn't like having a double bed; she felt like there was something missing. I sat on my bed, and took out my guitar. I began to work on the song I'd been working on over the summer.
I don't want to be
One of the boys
One of your guys
Just give me a chance
To prove to you tonight
That I just wanna be
One of the girls
Pretty in pearls
Not one of the boys
So over the summer
Something changed
I started reading 17
And shaving my legs
And I studied
Lolita religiously
AND I WALKED
Right into school
And caught you
Staring at me
Then I ran dry.
I heard someone knocking at my window. I knew exactly who it was. It was so damn cliché, but he didn't care. It was much easier than going through the front door and my mom. I opened my blind and found exactly who I expected to be there. He was smiling that infectious smile, but I could see in his eyes that something wasn't right. I opened my window and let him in.
"What's wrong?" I questioned as soon as I'd let him in. He looked shocked. I've been friends with him for years, I can read him like a book, and he really should know that. What an idiot. And I was in love with him.
"How did you know that there was something wrong?"
"I can see it in your eyes; you're like an open book to me, now spill."
"My parents are going on a third honeymoon, leaving me at my house all alone for two weeks. And they've only just told me, guess when they're going?"
"I don't know."
"Next week. They're just so damn inconsiderate. They really piss me off." He hated his parents. Well, he didn't hat them, he loved them really, but they acted as if he didn't matter. They were constantly jetting off to places, leaving him home alone, and only giving him a week's notice. It was times like these, when he ever showed me that he could get hurt, that I really wanted to hug him. I decided to do it this time. He looked like he really needed it. I don't know where the confidence to do it came from though.
"It's just so aggravating. I'm fed up Mitch. They treat me like a toy. It's like they don't realise I actually have feelings." That was when I wrapped my arms around his muscled torso. I breathed him in. He had an odd scent; there was no one smell that I could pin-point. Yet, it was intoxicating. He stood limply in my arms. I knew that it wasn't because he didn't want the hug, but because he was so hurt.
"I'm sure they love you. They probably just don't realise that they hurt you. They're probably so used to just leaving that it's like second nature to them. I'm certain that if you told them how you feel they'd stop." I told him reassuringly.
"Really?" he asked hopefully.
"Most definitely."
"Thanks Mitch. You really are the bestest friend a guy could have." Yeah friend, it's all ill ever be. I didn't want to let go, but I had to. If I didn't he would raise questions.
"Bestest isn't a word." I said as he walked to my window and began to climb out.
"Bye Mitch; and you give the best hugs by the way."
"It's not like you would know. How many people have you hugged?" He shot me a look. "Bye Shane." He was my best friend. Nothing more, nothing less.
AN: woo another chap. What is so amazing about this story? I mean it's nothing special yet I get 12 views on just the prologue. Oh well I'm not complaining. The songs in this are Fingerprints and One of the Boys by Katy Perry. I might post the next chap on Tuesday, my b'day, the big one five. Woop. R&R