I walked into my first period of the day, and my favorite class, Forensic Science. I love this class because I've wanted to be a medical examiner for the NYPD my entire life.
Maybe before I get into my story, I should tell you my past. My name is Miley. Miley Stewart. I'm a junior at Hanover Day School and I live twenty minutes away, by car. Before I could drive, I had an hour commute to school by subway. I got my license over summer and I had already saved up enough money to buy a used 2010 Honda Civic. I work as a lifeguard at a recreational center for younger kids. I'm a honors student, and I'm taking two English classes so next year I can spend half my school day at NYU and half at Hanover.
I've always been known as the weird girl, and I know you're going to ask my why. I can honestly say I don't know. Everyone always has something to say about me, and it's usually about 97% bad. The other 3% is that I let them copy my homework and they got an A. Sometimes I blame myself for people thinking I'm weird. I'm a naturally quiet person. When the teacher calls on me, a lot of the time they have to ask me to speak up. We've only been in school for a week, but I already know what my reputation is. It's the same it's been since seventh grade, when I met everyone I still go to school with.
I don't have a lot of friends; just a few close ones that live around me and some friends in my AP English Eleven class. Oh, and some swim team friends. Some of the friends that live by me are embarrassed to be seen with me, which I understand. But they're some of my best friends and they're not in any of my classes anyway. My best friend, CJ, I've known him since sixth grade. He's a football player. He's not exactly someone you talk to about problems, but it's how our relationship is. He's not embarrassed to be seen with me, we used to eat lunch together freshmen year and I drive him to school everyday. He's like a son to my mom.
Speaking of my mom, you probably want to know a little about my family. I live in a three-bedroom house, with my mom and my dog Bubbles. We adopted her when I was in second grade and she's become my best friend. You're probably wondering why we live in a three bedroom. Well, my mom uses the master room and gave me the other two bedrooms to use as I please, since I'm leaving in two years anyway. Once I leave, my mom is turning one into an office for her. I use my first room as an actually bedroom. It has my bed, my bookshelves, and my television in it. My second room has my desk and some cool furniture. It's where my friends and I spend most our time.
As I was saying, I walked into my favorite class and sat down, right in front. Even in high school, we had assigned seats. I had a lab table all too myself because the guy who sat next to me switched out. If you're going to ask if you think I was the reason he switched out, my answer would be yes.
I was ten minutes early and the only one in the class so I looked down at my outfit. Ripped light blue jeans and a dark gray v-neck with black converse. I obviously don't dress to impress. I know I'm not skinny; I'm actually kind of chubby. I'm a size fourteen. I wouldn't call myself fat, because to me being fat is needing to wear plus sized or walking into a store like Hollister or Wet Seal and not fitting into anything. I fit into the popular teen stores; I just don't like shopping at them. I'm more into JCPenney and Target. I do own some Forever 21 things though. My whole outfit today was from Target, but the converse were from Journeys.
Since I'm so early to class, a usually reoccurrence since I don't stop in the hallway to talk to my friends like everyone else, I shove my red D. Dre Beats headphones on (a Christmas gift from my grandpa) and play 2 Chainz new album turned up loud. So loud I didn't hear the bell ring ten minutes later. I only took them off after my teacher shut the door.
I put my iPhone in my back pocket of my jeans and by Beats into my blue, pink, and black backpack. I run my hand through my long wavy brown hair. I tried to straighten it every morning, but it always curls itself back before school starts.
I might love this class, but I have no friends in it. So I wasn't exactly fond of my teacher assigning a partner based project. I stayed in my seat, hoping that everyone would pair up so I would be "forced" to work alone. As I expected, everyone paired up and my teacher let me work alone.
I walked out of Forensics and headed towards the senior hallway, where my AP French class was located. I passed a sophomore that I know, he lives a few blocks down from me. He's one of the people embarrassed to be seen with me, so as expected he acted like he didn't know me. I got to my French class and sank down in my seat. I was horrible at French, and I was trying to switch out. The only reason I was in this class is because my mom made me do it. I've been taking French since seventh grade, if I'm not fluent by now I never will be.
After French, I had Sociology, but nothing interesting ever happens in that class. Literally. It's always completely silent and the teachers a whackjob. Not the funny, entertaining kind, but the totally weird and oblivious-to-the-fact-that-she's-not-funny kind. Once the bell rang for the end of Sociology, I headed off to my locker and shoved all my books into it and took out my English Eleven binder and textbook and walked off too lunch.
Lunch was part of the day that I dreaded and looked forward too at the same time. I dreaded because my ex-boyfriend, someone who lived around me and was embarrassed to be seen alone with me in public was in it and I had to walk past his table everyday. Now don't think we're on bad terms, because we're not. I usually drive Nick too and from school. I just always find it awkward because we always have weird eye contact. I may also feel awkwardly uncomfortable because we hooked up last week…
We didn't plan it! It just happened. He showed up and my door and we hung out and he kissed me. That's all that happened. But we haven't talked about it.
I took a deep breath and started walking towards the Commons where everyone ate lunch. It was a place with a bunch of lunch tables, along with a few couches and some chairs. I turned the corner and saw Nick, sitting at his table with three of his "outside-of-the-neighborhood" best friends. He was smiling and laughing with them. I smiled.
'He looks so cute when he laughs…" I frowned and shook my head. No. I'm not going down this road again. I walked past his table, not even looking to see if he saw me. By now my back was too him and I walked over too my table. When I got there, I slid my backpack off and sat down in my normal seat, between Nikki and Ashley. Next to Ashley was her boyfriend Kevin, next to Kevin was Sarah, and next to Sarah was Nikki.
After awhile, I got thirsty and got up too buy so Gatorade. I walked up to the snack line and had to walk past Nicks table again. And again, I pretended not to notice I was walking past his table.
After lunch was over, Nikki and I started walking towards her crush, Noah. We walked fast to "accidently" end up right behind him. Once we did, we slowed down. And of course, Noahs choice of route was right past Nicks table, that he was still at. He was standing, waiting for his friend to finish packing his stuff.
When Nick looked up, we locked eyes. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. I hated that about him. He always wore the same facial expression, so no one could ever tell what he was thinking.
I kept walking with Nikki, now Sarah, Ashley, and Kyle had joined us, my head slowly turning so we could keep our eyes locked. I was the first person too look away. Someone called my name and I turned around. My best friend Elizabeth.
"BETH!" I smiled and ran up to hug her. We hugged as a bunch of annoyed teenagers walked around us. I hadn't seen her since the summer began. She had gone to London for the whole summer. When we pulled apart, I noticed Nick still looking at me and watching what I did. Beth and I started walking and stopped at a less crowded place in the hallway. I looked over to find Nick, but he had disappeared into a classroom.
"Oh my god, dude I have so many stories to tell you about London!"
"Dude, come to my English class." I laughed and pulled her towards my class.
"Will your teacher even let me stay?" I shrugged as we walked into my class. She and I walked up to my teacher.
"I just got back from NYU and I don't have a class until next period, is it alright if I stay in here?" My teacher nodded and Beth and I sat down next to each other. I luckily had the last seat in the seating chart, meaning there was an empty seat next to me, and a whole row behind me. I listened her London stories until my teacher officially started class. Once class started, Beth started doing some of her anatomy homework from NYU.
After school ended, I was walking to my car when someone started walking next to me. I looked up and saw Nick. I raised my eyebrows at him.
"Can you give me a lift home?" I shrugged and continued towards my car. Once I had unlocked it, Nick plopped down into the passenger seat and threw his bag into the backseat. I sat in the drivers seat and threw my bag into the back as well. I started my car and pulled out of the school and onto the highway.
The car ride was uncomfortably silent, so I grabbed my phone out of the cup holders and clicked on Drakes Take Care album. Make Me Proud with Nicki Minaj started playing through my cars speakers.
Halfway through the song, Nick turned it down.
"So how was your day?" he stared at me while I concentrated on the road.
"It was okay. You?" out of the corner of my eye, I saw him shrug.
"Same." I nodded.
"I hear your gonna be a lifeguard in my swim class next semester." We pulled into traffic, the car at complete stop, and I leaned back in my seat.
"Looks that way, yeah." He smiled.
"Awesome."
"Remind me again why you're in beginning swimming?" I smiled and looked over at him. He laughed.
"The only people in advanced are stuck up, swim team people." I faked being offended and punched his shoulder.
"I'm on swim team and I'm not stuck up!" We both laughed. I've been on swim team since freshmen year. Not to be cocky, but I had the fastest time on the team for freestyle and butterfly. We were third in the state last year because of my times and my name hung on our record board for six different swim records. Maybe if they were basketball records, I'd be popular. But no one cares about swim team.
"All we do is beginning is play water polo." I nodded and let my foot off the break slightly to move up farther in the bumper to bumper traffic.
"Then I won't have to worry about anyone drowning." He chuckled. I moved up in traffic, but it was still pretty still.
I looked over at Nick in my passengers seat and smiled. His curly hair was so cute, I loved running my fingers through it. I loved it when we dated and I still loved it. He had on an old red soccer t-shirt, from when he played soccer in middle school, and dark blue jeans. He had on a pair of beat up blue and yellow Nikes, which he subconsciously matched with his blue and yellow bookbag. He was looking down and smiling, he had the cutest smile in the world.
I sighed and looked back at the road.
Twenty minutes later, we pulled up in front of his house. He leaned into the back too grab his backpack and looked at me.
"Thanks for the ride Miley." I nodded.
"I drive you home everyday, there's no need to thank me." He looked down and then back at me, like he wanted to say something. But as usual, I couldn't read his face so I had no idea what it was. He sighed.
"See ya later?"
"I'll see you tomorrow morning when I pick you up at CJs." He smiled, got out, and jogged into his house.
I drove around the corner and pulled into my driveway. I pulled to the side and turned my car off.
I walked into my house and collapsed on my couch.
"It's gonna be a long year…"
