Kristy
Sam pulled his car into the school parking lot. SHS. There it was. The building was tall, and rambling. She'd been in it a hundred times before. She'd gone there for basketball games and fundraisers. That didn't make it her school though. SMS was her school. Sam was already bounding towards the building.
"Hey, wait for me!", Kristy called after him.
Sam glanced around and then came back to the car.
"Look...Kristy. Seniors don't really hang out with freshmen. Especially not their little sisters," Sam said discreetly.
"I'll see you after school though, right back here, I promise," he said and then ran off towards the school.
Strong, stubborn Kristy who always kept her head felt like bursting into tears right them. She knew Sam was popular and had an "image" to keep up, but she hadn't thought he would just ditch her like that.
Just as she was about to sink into her own despair, she saw a familiar brown bob swishing its way into the building.
"Mary-Anne....Mary-Anne!," Kristy yelled loudly.
Mary-Anne Spier turned around. Her face was bright red. Had Kristy embarrassed her too?
"Hi Mary-Anne, I'm so glad to see you! I knew you'd be scared... I....I was worried about you," she stammered.
"Kristy, I'm fine. I'm actually not that scared.," Mary-Anne said with a funny look on her face. It was a look Kristy had never seen before. Was it....could it be disgust?
"Oh. I thought you might be nervous, ya know? Well, we should go find our lockers," Kristy said. She took a good look at Mary-Anne. Something was very different about her. She looked beautiful, practically cool. Her short hair was tucked neatly behind her small ears. Tiny silver hoops dangled from her ears, and her clothing was perfect down to the last detail. Short purple skirt, matching tank top. She looked incredible. She didn't even look like the Mary-Anne Kristy knew.
"I guess. My locker is B22.....that means upstairs in the B building so I don't really think I"ll have any trouble finding it," Mary- Anne said.
"Oh, yeah, well mines like C something so we're not going in the same direction, I guess," Kristy replied.
"Guess not....we don't have the same lunch either, but I'll see you around," Mary-Anne said with a small smile.
"Yeah, okay, sure," Kristy said, trying to return that grin.
Mary-Anne felt extraordinarily guilty as she turned and walked into the school. Had she blown off Kristy? She hadn't meant to, but she was tired of everyone thinking she needed someone to take care of her and be with her at all times. She was the same age as her friends and perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She shook Kristy from her mind and went to find her locker.
Mary-Anne double checked her paper. This was definitely her locker. She walked up to it, and began fiddling with the combination. A beautiful girl with shimmering hair stood next to her, also trying to open her locker.
Mary-Anne's opened easily and she turned to the girl.
"Need some help,?" she asked
"Please! Its my third year here, and I still can't seem to figure these things out. Last year I left my locker unlocked all year," the girl said as she handed Mary-Anne the slip of paper with her combination.
"Didn't people steal stuff?"
"Nah, SHS is pretty safe. I once left my purse in the chemistry lab, money and all, and it was still there when I realized it was missing," the girl explained.
"Oh, that's good to know," Mary-Anne said, as she popped the lock open.
"Wow, thanks! So, I'm guessing you're a freshmen. I'm Erin. What's your name,?" she asked.
"Mary-Anne, Mary-Anne Spier," she replied.
"Mary-Anne. Hmm... you don't look like a Mary-Anne," Erin said.
"I don't...what do I look like?"
"I'm not sure....but Mary-Anne just reminds me of the library, glasses, and mousy hair," Erin laughed.
"Oh, maybe I should go by my initials or something then," Mary-Anne laughed.
"MA? Come on, that's even worse. How about just Anne. I've always liked that name. Its so simple and sweet," Erin said.
"Anne....I like it," she repeated.
"Well, cool. Anne, it is. Freshmen year is a time to reinvent yourself! I'll see you around." Erin flipped her hair, and with that she was gone.
Stacey's locker was directly down the hall from Mary-Anne's and she could not believe she'd just seen her talking to Erin! Mary-Anne. Now, there was nothing wrong with Mary-Anne. She just wasn't.....well, she didn't seem like the type of person Erin would be friends with. She was so quiet, and shy/
Stacey was filled with jealousy that Mary-Anne had managed to nab a locker right next to Erin.
"Hey Mary-Anne! What's up,?" Stacey called.
"Hi Stace! How was your summer,?"
"Good....good. Who was that you were just talking to? Was that Erin Sanders?"
"Erin, yeah, but Sander, I don't know. She just told me her first name."
"Oh, wow, she's like really popular, you know," Stacey said.
"Really,?" Mary-Anne asked incredulously.
"Really, Mary-Anne. She's a cheerleader, she dates a senior, and she was crowned Miss SHS last year," Stacey continued.
"Wow, that is so," Mary-Anne began, but was interrupted by the bell.
"We better get to homeroom, Bye Mary-Anne," Stacey yelled.
"Bye......oh and I'm going by Anne now. Just Anne," Mary-Anne called after her.
Stacey gave her a puzzled look as she rounded the corner to her homeroom.
Claudia could not believe she was actually late for her very first day of high school. Should she get a late slip or what? Did it actually count on the first day of school? She decided to risk it, and go straight to her homeroom.
Claudia found it easily and waltzed into her classroom. Her teacher, a tall man with graying hair, looked up.
"You're late," he boomed.
"I know....and I'm sorry, but its my first day and....," Claudia began
"It is everyone's first day, and they still managed to get here on time. Take a seat Miss...," he said.
"Kishi, Claudia Kishi," Claudia replied.
"Well, I'm Mr. Boone, and I don't tolerate lateness. From now on, when you're late, go straight to the detention room," he said.
Claudia had a strong feeling she'd get to know that room quite well. She looked around the classroom. There was Pete Black, and Logan Bruno. They were talking and laughing. She waved to them. Logan looked up, said hi, and went back to his conversation.
That was when she saw Ashley Wyeth. She waved her over. Thank God, Claudia thought. At least someone wanted to sit with her.
"Hey Claud, wild outfit. Good to see you," Ashley said. Ashley was clad in a long flowered skirt, a white flowy top, and brown hiking boots. As always, she was "hippie" to the max. Ashley was never afraid to be different. That was exactly what Claud loved about her.
She and Ashely had started to become friends in eighth grade, but Ashley was too intense for Claud. She was very dedicated to her art, and felt that Claudia should be too. Then, Claudia hadn't had time because of baby-sitting, but now she had nothing but.
"Are you signing up for art club," Ashley demanded.
"Yes, I'm planning on it. I'm finally ready to get serious about my art," Claudia said.
"Wow. That's way awesome. I'm still into mine, but I've learned that like anything can be art. I like drama , now, and film, and painting, and oh....just every kind of art," Ashley babbled, her face glowing.
Claudia grinned. Ashley was so cool. She was never afraid to say anything. She didn't think twice about sounding "stupid". She didn't need to be understood. She was just Ashley and that was good enough for her.
Claudia wished she could posses that quality. In some ways she did. She didn't care what anybody thought about her outrageous clothes. At least.....that's what she'd always told herself. The truth was that everbody thought her clothes were pretty cool. She wasn't sure how she'd feel if people didn't think so. On some level, she did care what people thought. She hated it when people thought she was stupid. She hated being compared to Janine. She hated all those things. She wanted desperately to be free from them.
"Claudia...hello? Anyway, I was saying that I'm going to cut third period today, and go see this art show they're having downtown? Lenny, Peace, and Kemper are going too. You game?," Ashely blurted into Claudia's thoughts.
"Cut third period? I don't know, Ash, it's only the FIRST day," Claudia said.
"What do you have third,?" Ashely asked.
"Home economics....it was the only elective open," Claudia moaned.
"See, nothing important! We should totally go!," Ashley replied.
"Won't we get caught,?" Claudia worried.
"No way, there are so many kids in classes like that. I'm sure the teacher wouldn't even notice....or care. This is high school. Live a little," Ashley said.
"Well...all right.....but just one question. Who are Lenny, Peace, and Kemper," Claudia asked.
"Oh they're awesome! Lenny and Kemper are seniors. Kemper is real hot, he's got this little yellow bug. He'll be driving us. Peace is a sophomore. We met this summer. She's awesome. Really sweet, you'll like everybody," Ashley bumbled on.
"Guys with cars! This is starting to sound better and better," Claudia laughed. Her tensions left her. This would be fun. This would be what high school was about. Freedom, cutting class, and living life!
"So third period, be right out front. I'll wait for you a couple minutes after the bell rings, but not long. Kemper is gonna want to get outta here FAST. If he gets caught, he loses his parking pass and everything," Ashley explained.
"Awesome," Claudia replied, just as the first period bell rang.
Sam pulled his car into the school parking lot. SHS. There it was. The building was tall, and rambling. She'd been in it a hundred times before. She'd gone there for basketball games and fundraisers. That didn't make it her school though. SMS was her school. Sam was already bounding towards the building.
"Hey, wait for me!", Kristy called after him.
Sam glanced around and then came back to the car.
"Look...Kristy. Seniors don't really hang out with freshmen. Especially not their little sisters," Sam said discreetly.
"I'll see you after school though, right back here, I promise," he said and then ran off towards the school.
Strong, stubborn Kristy who always kept her head felt like bursting into tears right them. She knew Sam was popular and had an "image" to keep up, but she hadn't thought he would just ditch her like that.
Just as she was about to sink into her own despair, she saw a familiar brown bob swishing its way into the building.
"Mary-Anne....Mary-Anne!," Kristy yelled loudly.
Mary-Anne Spier turned around. Her face was bright red. Had Kristy embarrassed her too?
"Hi Mary-Anne, I'm so glad to see you! I knew you'd be scared... I....I was worried about you," she stammered.
"Kristy, I'm fine. I'm actually not that scared.," Mary-Anne said with a funny look on her face. It was a look Kristy had never seen before. Was it....could it be disgust?
"Oh. I thought you might be nervous, ya know? Well, we should go find our lockers," Kristy said. She took a good look at Mary-Anne. Something was very different about her. She looked beautiful, practically cool. Her short hair was tucked neatly behind her small ears. Tiny silver hoops dangled from her ears, and her clothing was perfect down to the last detail. Short purple skirt, matching tank top. She looked incredible. She didn't even look like the Mary-Anne Kristy knew.
"I guess. My locker is B22.....that means upstairs in the B building so I don't really think I"ll have any trouble finding it," Mary- Anne said.
"Oh, yeah, well mines like C something so we're not going in the same direction, I guess," Kristy replied.
"Guess not....we don't have the same lunch either, but I'll see you around," Mary-Anne said with a small smile.
"Yeah, okay, sure," Kristy said, trying to return that grin.
Mary-Anne felt extraordinarily guilty as she turned and walked into the school. Had she blown off Kristy? She hadn't meant to, but she was tired of everyone thinking she needed someone to take care of her and be with her at all times. She was the same age as her friends and perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She shook Kristy from her mind and went to find her locker.
Mary-Anne double checked her paper. This was definitely her locker. She walked up to it, and began fiddling with the combination. A beautiful girl with shimmering hair stood next to her, also trying to open her locker.
Mary-Anne's opened easily and she turned to the girl.
"Need some help,?" she asked
"Please! Its my third year here, and I still can't seem to figure these things out. Last year I left my locker unlocked all year," the girl said as she handed Mary-Anne the slip of paper with her combination.
"Didn't people steal stuff?"
"Nah, SHS is pretty safe. I once left my purse in the chemistry lab, money and all, and it was still there when I realized it was missing," the girl explained.
"Oh, that's good to know," Mary-Anne said, as she popped the lock open.
"Wow, thanks! So, I'm guessing you're a freshmen. I'm Erin. What's your name,?" she asked.
"Mary-Anne, Mary-Anne Spier," she replied.
"Mary-Anne. Hmm... you don't look like a Mary-Anne," Erin said.
"I don't...what do I look like?"
"I'm not sure....but Mary-Anne just reminds me of the library, glasses, and mousy hair," Erin laughed.
"Oh, maybe I should go by my initials or something then," Mary-Anne laughed.
"MA? Come on, that's even worse. How about just Anne. I've always liked that name. Its so simple and sweet," Erin said.
"Anne....I like it," she repeated.
"Well, cool. Anne, it is. Freshmen year is a time to reinvent yourself! I'll see you around." Erin flipped her hair, and with that she was gone.
Stacey's locker was directly down the hall from Mary-Anne's and she could not believe she'd just seen her talking to Erin! Mary-Anne. Now, there was nothing wrong with Mary-Anne. She just wasn't.....well, she didn't seem like the type of person Erin would be friends with. She was so quiet, and shy/
Stacey was filled with jealousy that Mary-Anne had managed to nab a locker right next to Erin.
"Hey Mary-Anne! What's up,?" Stacey called.
"Hi Stace! How was your summer,?"
"Good....good. Who was that you were just talking to? Was that Erin Sanders?"
"Erin, yeah, but Sander, I don't know. She just told me her first name."
"Oh, wow, she's like really popular, you know," Stacey said.
"Really,?" Mary-Anne asked incredulously.
"Really, Mary-Anne. She's a cheerleader, she dates a senior, and she was crowned Miss SHS last year," Stacey continued.
"Wow, that is so," Mary-Anne began, but was interrupted by the bell.
"We better get to homeroom, Bye Mary-Anne," Stacey yelled.
"Bye......oh and I'm going by Anne now. Just Anne," Mary-Anne called after her.
Stacey gave her a puzzled look as she rounded the corner to her homeroom.
Claudia could not believe she was actually late for her very first day of high school. Should she get a late slip or what? Did it actually count on the first day of school? She decided to risk it, and go straight to her homeroom.
Claudia found it easily and waltzed into her classroom. Her teacher, a tall man with graying hair, looked up.
"You're late," he boomed.
"I know....and I'm sorry, but its my first day and....," Claudia began
"It is everyone's first day, and they still managed to get here on time. Take a seat Miss...," he said.
"Kishi, Claudia Kishi," Claudia replied.
"Well, I'm Mr. Boone, and I don't tolerate lateness. From now on, when you're late, go straight to the detention room," he said.
Claudia had a strong feeling she'd get to know that room quite well. She looked around the classroom. There was Pete Black, and Logan Bruno. They were talking and laughing. She waved to them. Logan looked up, said hi, and went back to his conversation.
That was when she saw Ashley Wyeth. She waved her over. Thank God, Claudia thought. At least someone wanted to sit with her.
"Hey Claud, wild outfit. Good to see you," Ashley said. Ashley was clad in a long flowered skirt, a white flowy top, and brown hiking boots. As always, she was "hippie" to the max. Ashley was never afraid to be different. That was exactly what Claud loved about her.
She and Ashely had started to become friends in eighth grade, but Ashley was too intense for Claud. She was very dedicated to her art, and felt that Claudia should be too. Then, Claudia hadn't had time because of baby-sitting, but now she had nothing but.
"Are you signing up for art club," Ashley demanded.
"Yes, I'm planning on it. I'm finally ready to get serious about my art," Claudia said.
"Wow. That's way awesome. I'm still into mine, but I've learned that like anything can be art. I like drama , now, and film, and painting, and oh....just every kind of art," Ashley babbled, her face glowing.
Claudia grinned. Ashley was so cool. She was never afraid to say anything. She didn't think twice about sounding "stupid". She didn't need to be understood. She was just Ashley and that was good enough for her.
Claudia wished she could posses that quality. In some ways she did. She didn't care what anybody thought about her outrageous clothes. At least.....that's what she'd always told herself. The truth was that everbody thought her clothes were pretty cool. She wasn't sure how she'd feel if people didn't think so. On some level, she did care what people thought. She hated it when people thought she was stupid. She hated being compared to Janine. She hated all those things. She wanted desperately to be free from them.
"Claudia...hello? Anyway, I was saying that I'm going to cut third period today, and go see this art show they're having downtown? Lenny, Peace, and Kemper are going too. You game?," Ashely blurted into Claudia's thoughts.
"Cut third period? I don't know, Ash, it's only the FIRST day," Claudia said.
"What do you have third,?" Ashely asked.
"Home economics....it was the only elective open," Claudia moaned.
"See, nothing important! We should totally go!," Ashley replied.
"Won't we get caught,?" Claudia worried.
"No way, there are so many kids in classes like that. I'm sure the teacher wouldn't even notice....or care. This is high school. Live a little," Ashley said.
"Well...all right.....but just one question. Who are Lenny, Peace, and Kemper," Claudia asked.
"Oh they're awesome! Lenny and Kemper are seniors. Kemper is real hot, he's got this little yellow bug. He'll be driving us. Peace is a sophomore. We met this summer. She's awesome. Really sweet, you'll like everybody," Ashley bumbled on.
"Guys with cars! This is starting to sound better and better," Claudia laughed. Her tensions left her. This would be fun. This would be what high school was about. Freedom, cutting class, and living life!
"So third period, be right out front. I'll wait for you a couple minutes after the bell rings, but not long. Kemper is gonna want to get outta here FAST. If he gets caught, he loses his parking pass and everything," Ashley explained.
"Awesome," Claudia replied, just as the first period bell rang.