"Wake up. It's 7 'o clock. Good morning Arcadia. Today is going to be a B-E-A-utiful day. High of 89, sun all day, not a cloud in the sky. So get up and start your day. For those of you going back to school today, enjoy it. You only live once."
Oh ya only live once, huh? Then why do we have to waste it at school? What an annoying little radio guy. I've been here for about 3 months and I'm still not used to the time change. Well I guess I have to seize the day. Good thing looks aren't that important to me otherwise I'd be SOL because school starts in like 30 minutes. Looks like the traditional white shirt, black capris and my Chucks. The usually. Well of to my 1st day of school.
Are you kidding me? This is school is way too big. Ok! Locker number 7115...yes right here. Alright combo. 44-02-18. Yes on the 1st try. Ok Health...Biology...Geometry...History...too many books so little time. Guess I'll take them all because I don't know where I'm going. Who needs a backpack when you got arms? Ok days' going good so far. Class this way...I think. Where's the map in this place? I wanna go home. Maybe no one will notice if I just turn around and...Oh. Great. 1st day...on the way to the 1st class...1st wipeout right in the middle of the biggest hall in this dumb school. Maybe I can just lay here on the floor and blend in with the tiles. Back to reality. "Oh my god. I'm so sorry." Hey, at least there is one nice person here. Joan says. "I'm Elizabeth. Liz for short." But who's this guy? Her boyfriend obviously. So what's up with the death look as soon as I said my name?
"Liz, this is Adam."
Adam. Quite a character. He looks kinda like one of those stoner guys but Joan doesn't look like one of those girls who would hang with those types of people but I don't know...I just meet them.
"Maybe you should watch where you're going next time."
Oh, so Adam speaks...and yells apparently. 1st confrontation. This day is just turning great, isn't it?
History. Why do we need to learn all this stuff? "So we don't repeat it." My dad said that. He always did when I asked him questions like that.
"Elizabeth."
Oh no I hear my name.
"Any nicknames?"
Man, that was close.
"Yeah. Liz." That's cool; the teachers are interested in your nickname. No one really cared about you in Kansas. You were just a name in the book, a grade in the computer and money in their pockets. Yes, lunch time. Something I could never mess up: eating.
"Elizabeth...over here."
Oh man I'm so glad that I ran into Joan or else I would be sitting by myself at lunch. Something I grew accustomed to at my old school. Things are starting to turn around from this morning. Joan introduced some people to me...Grace and Luke. Biker chick and nerd boy. "Nice to meet you." Then Adam. Artist. Not stoner. Two easily mistaken professions. He's definitely good. Something to be proud of. "Those pictures are awesome." Why not tell him, right? Credit giving where credits due. Of course that went fabulous. Why not just kill me right now? The looks basically do it already. Is there something wrong with me? "Is there something wrong with me? Did I do something?"
"No, Liz. There's nothing wrong with you. Something's wrong with Adam. I'm not sure what."
"Yeah nothing's wrong with you Rove's just...Rove."
Joan and Grace are really reassuring but somehow I don't believe them.
"How was school today?"
My aunt. Always trying to be loving and caring. Not that she doesn't. It's just...I don't know. "Fine." The biggest lie I've ever told. Today was like, the 3rd worst day of my life. So what do you do when life couldn't get any worse? Chores. There should be some laundry downstairs for me to waste my time on.
"Tell them to come in. I'm in my room." Although she must be clearly mistaken because no one would be here to see me. Adam.
"Did you come to yell at me some more or walk off when I give you a complement?"
"No, not this time."
Adam not stoner but artist and now add comedian to the resume. And I thought it couldn't get any worse. Guess I was wrong. Why would he come here? Why did he? "So why are you here?" I guess I can give him the benefit of the doubt and listen to what he has to say. And he calls Joan 'Jane' which is kinda funny.
"My mother's name is Elizabeth."
Why is he telling me this? "Oh that explains it. Did your mom ground me for the weekend so you had to ditch plans with 'Jane' and you decided to take it all out on me?"
"My mother's dead."
And yet still I fall. How can I have something in common with this guy? Oh and here comes the water works. I never cry. It's not something I do.
"Are you ok?"
Look. Isn't it just cute how Adam is taking concern to me all of a sudden? I guess this is the person I need to share a burden with. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."
"No. I shouldn't have gone postal."
And awkward silence.
"So your...your mom seems really nice."
Now I know I had to share a burden with Adam but did it have to be this exact second? "That's not my mom." Another awkward silence. Here I go to pour my heart out. Wish me luck. "That's my aunt. My mom, like yours, is dead. She...uh...had cancer. Then abut a year ago my dad killed himself."
WOW."
Yeah I've never gotten that response before. It's always the sappy "oh I'm sorry for your loss." Or "what a hard life." Not "WOW." But I'm sure Adam understands the whole sappy comments thing, going through it himself, which is why didn't go there. "Well everything happens for a reason." My life quote. It's what I live by.
"How can you be so sure? Too much bad stuff has happened."
"Ha! That was very Landon Carter of you." Landon Carter. A Walk to Remember. By far the best movie ever. Nothing tops it. I don't need special effects, high action, suspense, laugh track, just give me a true, pure love story...that's all I need. "But that's all I believe. What other explanation could there be?
"That the world is totally against us? Wants to make us suffer? Miserable?"
Oh ye of little faith. I remember when I thought like that. Thought the world conspired against me. Then it hit me that the world couldn't possible hate me that much so there had to be a big plan for it all. "Well that was fun conversation." Laughter. Laughter's always good. But wait? Where's he going? Just getting up and leaving? Oh! Haha! We're "starting over." Hand shake.
"Hi! I'm Adam."
"I'm Liz."
"Nice to meet you, Liz."
"You too, Adam."
"Well I've got to go."
"Ok, thanks for coming over."
"Oh no problem, yo. Bye."
"Yo"? People never stop to surprise you. Walking to the door and closing it I realize this totally makes up for everything that happened. I guess it won't be so bad here. I could make it work.