The bell rings not a second too soon. While I am thrilled to have Reagan in my first-period class, it's going to be super awkward when we have to do anatomy projects...*distinct shuddering*. Although, it's going to be extra marvelous for my makeup, don't have time to get gross and greasy. I speed-walk toward my next class which is math and frantically look around.
Malorie is supposed to be in this class. I find an empty table in the middle of the room so to see the board, but not be heard giggling by the teacher. I sit down with my chair facing the door. I almost give up hope, when I see a girl with dark-chocolate complexion, blue-tinted glasses, and a popping polka-dot backpack stride in. I start to smile until I see the person behind her with sandy-blonde hair and mud brown eyes walk in behind her and sit at the table right next to ours, and in the chair closest to mine. What is this stroke of lucky-unluckiness?
    "Hey, girl! What's up?" Malorie asks in her usual cool girl tone, totally carefree and calm even in this extreme shipping situation.
   "Malorie, the Dunkin Donuts is sitting right behind me. What do I do?!"
   "Girl, I'ma start with the list of things you should not do in this situation because as of now you're doing the majority of the things on that list. One of them being panicking for no reason." Malorie soothes in her own weird way.
   "You right, but like, agaibsjsisjwbsian."
   "I get it, you're flustered, but try staying calm before you go to the loony bin." Why are Malorie's mini-psychology sessions so reassuringly scary? We take out our stuff and turn toward the board just as the teacher walks in. She was a short old lady with an uptight bun, and a button down blazer with tight jeans. She did not seem like someone to mess with.
    "Okay class, I know it's the first day, but pop quizzes for all of you. This will gauge what you already know, and what I need to teach you." Yup, she's uptight. She walks around and passes out papers and number two pencils. I turn the test over and the last number read 50. THIS TEXT WAS 50 QUESTIONS ON THE FIRST DAY!!! I take out my pencil and start filling out the paper. I finish the paper early, so I get to read a book for the remainder of the time. We're allowed to talk quietly once everyone is finished, but Malorie and I both know we'll probably end up talking way too loud. So instead I listen to other people's conversations. You might call it eavesdropping, I call it a quiet room with entertainment. I'm listening to the table's conversation behind me when I hear my name spoken at the table next to me... Donut's table.
    "Dude, you realize who that is right? That's Brooklyn Fruitcake, the pig from last year." Ty Wallace subtly points at me but just enough for me to see without moving my head too much.
   "Yeah, she was gross last year, always wiped her nose if her sleeve instead of getting a tissue." Logan Falls said repulsively. Also, that was somewhat incorrect, I wiped my nose on my sleeve because it itched, not because it was running.
   "But are you seeing this? She's a babe now! Girl's got curves like a back road in Tennessee." London Lockheart says lustfully. He was and is a player, but he's so cute. He has a smile that says I love you and a reputation that says I'll leave you... I still want him, but not for the reasons other girls would. I want him to love me, and then when I confronted him about cheating (because I know he will)... BAM! I'm breaking up with you. I don't consider him one of the main 3 'food groups' (if you know what I mean). However, he's the one you wanna date and dump to teach a lesson for being such a jerk to all the other heartbroken girls out there. 
   "Okay class, all tests are up, so for the remainder of the time you can talk at a whisper volume, but no yelling!" The teacher comes around and picks up our pencils, and the noise level bumps up enough for me and Malorie to laugh without being caught, despite the the teacher's previous instructions.
   "That test was worse than that tofu my mom made me eat as a kid." Malorie jokes. I was still in space land though... London just called me a babe. My plan might be able to work someday after all... maybe.
  "Girl, did you hear a word I just said?" Malorie snaps in front of my face as if to say, earth to Brooklyn! I quickly snap up and giggle a little.
   "I heard you the first time Mal. Just... you know..."
   "Ahh, I get it, girl. Dylan Haribo (yes like the gummy brand) is pretty cute." She speaks the last part low enough so that he didn't hear thankfully.
The bell rings and the day wears on... nothing too exciting until 4th-period Theatre. I walk into the room to see a variety of chairs lined up, saloon chairs, normal desk chairs, office chairs, barstools, etc... but one caught my eye. It was a brightly decorated throne that was clearly made from sturdy plastic, but it's still pretty glamorous and I was the first one here. I sit down in the seat just as everyone else files in and subsequently find seats. Everything is fine and dandy until Stephanie Fine walks in. She makes my blood boil, if I were going to have one free murder, it would be her. She bullied me and all of my friends at least once, and always gives me nasty looks. She walks over to my chair and kicks my backpack to the side, and get this... plops her backpack down where mine was! What kind of princess does she think she is?
   "Move pidge. This is clearly my chair." Stephanie utters as if she were a queen and I was sitting atop her throne of real gold.
   "No. Now what you're going to do is grab my backpack and give it back to me." I retort angrily. She snickers.
   "Why would I do that when you're just a seat warmer on the Queen's throne?"
   "Queens fix each other's crowns, not throw away each other's treasure." She raises her hand to slap me, but just as she was about to bring the hurt I grab her wrist and stand up. I didn't give her the seat but rather squeeze a pressure point in her shoulder with my other hand until she is prostrated on the floor.
   "Now get me my backpack," I order. She looks at me with a look of disgust and terror, yet she still reaches for my backpack and hands it to me. I sit back down and set my backpack down beside the throne. I fold my hands in my lap and cross my legs, everything is fine once again... until I notice who was watching... Lark Haren. Lark is probably one of the most popular guys at school, and not to mention if he were going to ask me out, I would definitely say yes. With blonde waves and cerulean eyes like that he probably has almost every girl on a hook at this school, being in the football team and all. He has to have been standing there jaw-dropped for about a minute. I look at him as though everything was cool, I hold my head up and lock eyes with him. He walks toward the chairs and I took that time to look around, all the other chairs were empty, except for the one next to me. He sits down and sets his backpack next to mine. My heart flutters but I kept a straight face.
    "Hello, students! My name is Mrs. Rosetta, and I will be in charge of teaching you the magical art of theatre. Before you came in I took the liberty of setting up a camera to record all interactions. This will help me infer who has the most character, the most passion, and who will be the best student this semester, and be awarded the golden skull... it's from Costco but whatever." Mrs. Rosetta is about to be in for a treat this period. I watch as she pulls down the screen for the Promethean board and plays the video. The video clearly shows me sitting down first, minutes before everyone else, peaceful as can be, then Stephanie waltzing in and telling me to move, audio included. Then I watch the scene that happened not minutes ago unfold once again. I turn my head to see what kind of looks I was receiving right now, but no one was looking at me. A few are looking at the board and just watching, but most were actually throwing shady looks at Stephanie. Which stuns me, because I was always the receiving end of her backlash, and to finally see the tables turning feels like I finally struck gold.  I even catch a glimpse at Lark, and even though he still looked a little timid, surprisingly, he too is nodding with approval. I still kinda feel bad for humiliating her though. When the video stops the teacher turns to me with the same jaw-dropped expression as Lark when he first walked in.
   "Miss Grey!-" Oh crap.
   "Ma'am, I apologise for having lost my temper and causing a scene, however I was not about to give up my seat to a prissy little brat who thinks she can waltz in and force someone of a lower social class out of a seat in which I clearly earned the right to sit in by getting here minutes before her. I accept whatever punishment you give me, however, I will not apologize to Miss Fine." I spewed, and while they were coming out at such a fast pace, I meant what I said, and I stood by my statement.
   "Dear, that's not what I was going to say at all, in fact, I believe that if anyone is to apologize here it should be Miss Fine, and while physically harming another student is against the Code of Conduct, this is theatre... Someone's bound to get hurt at some point. But that passion, that true confidence in what you're saying, is exactly what I want from each and every one of you in this class. Well done Miss Grey." Mrs. Rosetta pronounces with the utmost respect for someone who she should probably send to the principal's office. I am now getting small claps from my fellow classmates and a few sideways grins from Lark, all done by standing up to my arch nemesis. Well done me.
   "Hey, that was really cool. I misjudged the scene when I first walked in, but after watching the full scene, I see now how cool you really are. What's your name again?" Lark Haren was asking my name... Stay cool.
   "Brooklyn Grey, isn't yours Lark?"
   "Yeah, like the bird. Not to be rude but weren't you a lot less...you know, skinny last year?"
   "No offense taken, my mom made me go with her to the gym over the summer, and then bought me clothes... and makeup... And made me swear to put some effort into my appearance this year, or I get my library card taken away for a month."
   "Wow, all that for a library card? I've never been much of a reader myself, but I know a lot of people do so... Nice." Did Lark just compliment me in a really weird way?
   "I don't believe in people that hate reading, only people who haven't found the right book yet. How about this, I give you my number, and we'll work out a date to go to the library, and we'll spend the whole day looking for a book." I say with a genuine smile.
   "Look I'm not your charity case, I just don't like reading." Lark shoots back, my smile almost falters, but I come back with a better argument.
   "I'm not making you my charity case, I just don't want to see someone go without a good book for the rest of their lives." I see Lark crack a smile and he nods. I take out a sticky-note and write my number on it.
   "Please don't give this to anyone else, or share it, I don't like not knowing who out there has my number." I make sure to add that last bit, more or less just cause I don't feel like having a bunch of popular guys and basic girls texting me for my homework answers.
   "Will do... Or won't do rather." He chuckles a little and I start giggling too. We spent the next 10 minutes laughing and smiling until the teacher announces that it was time for lunch and we all head to the cafeteria...