Chapter Nine•Fatal Charm with a Whiplash Smile

Middle School was an absolute hell, I never wanted to go back in there, the thought of going to High School was finally a chance to start fresh, I can finally be with a boy who knows his ways, maybe an athlete, probably. So when my first day at high school started, I was nervous to my very core, I was excited, I was thrilled, but when I came to the school, the other kids like the Sophomore and Seniors, they were all so...so fierce, like they know what they're doing, I was scared by them and especially when they look in my direction. I walked down the halls to my first period, I had a hard time looking for my locker, but I didn't get here early enough, also Heather gave us girls a ride to school, we had a couple classes together. "So what did you do for this summer?"

"I spent the entire month at my Grandparents house" Pam said to us as she groaned,"I wasn't anywhere close to a mall, the closest was 2 hours away"

"I had to get a summer job because my mother was on my back for what I did before school ended" Juliet got in trouble for sneaking weed in and her mom forced her to get a summer job to keep her out of trouble, she hated it, but she has money now, so there was the upside for having a job,"What about you? What did you do?" Marcy asked me,"What did you do?"

"I was over in New York, I met a boy there"

"What's the name?"

"Brian, such a major hottie, he's a Basketball Player and I'm trying out for the Squad"

"Seriously?"

"I'm definitely going to do it, who's with me?" Pam agreed, Heather was in except for Juliet and I,"What about Laurie?"

"You didn't hear?" When Marcy asked, Juliet asked her,"Hear about what?" Marcy answered,"She moved back to New Jersey"

"What? No, that bites" Marcy agreed with Heather and we pulled up to the parking lot.

First Freshman Class was a big deal to me and I didn't know why, I guess I just wanted to see who was in my class first then I scope out, John came up to me in the hallways,"Hey wait up" I turned around as I took off my headphones and turned off my walkman,"Hey John, how's it going?"

"Just going to my next class, you nervous?"

"Are you kidding me? I've been nervous ever since I set foot in this school this morning" He chuckled,"it's okay, just take it easy, I'm sure you're overthinking this" I nodded as I agreed with him,"Okay yeah yeah you're right, I don't have anything to worry about, so which class do you have next?"

"Mr.Spartnelli"

"So do I, that's crazy"

"So crazy, well walk together?" I nodded as we walked over,"So have you talked to Rodney?" He asked me and I shook my head,"Nah, not since the breakup, he's been avoiding me and I don't blame him for that"

"What makes you say that?"

"He's….he's a little complicated and I'm way more complicated than him now" He shook his head,"Nah nah I don't think that was what the problem was, I think he would just rather be with a girl who is more easier to get to because him and his girlfriend broke a couple months ago"

"Huh, well that's uh…..yeah I don't have anything to say to that" He nodded as we got into the classroom,"Have you been seeing anybody?"

"No not really, I was just sitting at home, doing chores, volunteering since my friends were away or had summer jobs"

"Yeah I was pulling boxes"

"Pulling boxes"

"Mail Delivery, my old man delivers packages in the county"

"Oh" We sat down and Mr.Spartnelli came in, he had a grey mustache, high forehead, glasses in his hand, he came in and put them on,"Alright everyone in your seats, I am Mr. Spartnelli for those who did not even bother to look at our lessons…." He started walking his through on what we were doing, we had a couple pieces of paper to give us a heads up. That class was over and eventually it became lunch, which was finally a chance for me to let out my internal freaking out, so i saw Juliet, I walked over to her,"Jules are you freaking out?"

"Oh my god, you too?" I nodded,"This place is really different, it's…" She nodded,"I just ended up taking a few deep breaths, doesn't help as much, but it's what could get you through" I thanked her,"Anyways, let's go get something to eat" We went into the lunchline and it was crowded as hell.

PE came around, we just did our warmups which was run 3 laps in the gym and then we played Dodgeball, I was with the weak, after the game, this guy came up to me with his hand out,"Hey no hard feelings alright?" I gave him a high five and he nodded,"You did good for a Freshman" I smiled lightly,"And you are?"

"Greg Addison" I told him my name, we went to go dress into our regular classes, next thing you know I was in my last class and I was dreading to go home, I didn't care that my mom was being a major pain in the ass, I just wanted to go into my room, read a couple books, but then after school, there were bigger plans,"Hey….wanna come over?" Juliet came over to me and I answered,"Yeah, I'll just let my mom know"

"Does she even care where you're at?"

"She's constantly boozing back into bed, I don't even think she even remembers that she has one daughter" We rode the bus back because Heather's mom doesn't know about her driving and we don't want to blow our ride, we went back to her house,"Hey ma" She looked around,"Ma?" I walked over to the fridge,"Juliet, here's a note from your mom" She walked over, read it as her smile was rising slowly,"What? What is it?"

"My mom is gonna be at my Grandma's for the next week, we're all good, let's go"

"You got some?"

'Do I got some? Hell yeah I do" I was so happy and I think you know what happened after that

Middle School was an absolute hell, I never wanted to go back in there, the thought of going to High School was finally a chance to start fresh, I can finally be with a boy who knows his ways, maybe an athlete, probably. So when my first day at high school started, I was nervous to my very core, I was excited, I was thrilled, but when I came to the school, the other kids like the Sophomore and Seniors, they were all so...so fierce, like they know what they're doing, I was scared by them and especially when they look in my direction. I walked down the halls to my first period, I had a hard time looking for my locker, but I didn't get here early enough, also Heather gave us girls a ride to school, we had a couple classes together. "So what did you do for this summer?"

"I spent the entire month at my Grandparents house" Pam said to us as she groaned,"I wasn't anywhere close to a mall, the closest was 2 hours away"

"I had to get a summer job because my mother was on my back for what I did before school ended" Juliet got in trouble for sneaking weed in and her mom forced her to get a summer job to keep her out of trouble, she hated it, but she has money now, so there was the upside for having a job,"What about you? What did you do?" Marcy asked me,"What did you do?"

"I was over in New York, I met a boy there"

"What's the name?"

"Brian, such a major hottie, he's a Basketball Player and I'm trying out for the Squad"

"Seriously?"

"I'm definitely going to do it, who's with me?" Pam agreed, Heather was in except for Juliet and I,"What about Laurie?"

"You didn't hear?" When Marcy asked, Juliet asked her,"Hear about what?" Marcy answered,"She moved back to New Jersey"

"What? No, that bites" Marcy agreed with Heather and we pulled up to the parking lot.

First Freshman Class was a big deal to me and I didn't know why, I guess I just wanted to see who was in my class first then I scope out, John came up to me in the hallways,"Hey wait up" I turned around as I took off my headphones and turned off my walkman,"Hey John, how's it going?"

"Just going to my next class, you nervous?"

"Are you kidding me? I've been nervous ever since I set foot in this school this morning" He chuckled,"it's okay, just take it easy, I'm sure you're overthinking this" I nodded as I agreed with him,"Okay yeah yeah you're right, I don't have anything to worry about, so which class do you have next?"

"Mr.Spartnelli"

"So do I, that's crazy"

"So crazy, well walk together?" I nodded as we walked over,"So have you talked to Rodney?" He asked me and I shook my head,"Nah, not since the breakup, he's been avoiding me and I don't blame him for that"

"What makes you say that?"

"He's….he's a little complicated and I'm way more complicated than him now" He shook his head,"Nah nah I don't think that was what the problem was, I think he would just rather be with a girl who is more easier to get to because him and his girlfriend broke a couple months ago"

"Huh, well that's uh…..yeah I don't have anything to say to that" He nodded as we got into the classroom,"Have you been seeing anybody?"

"No not really, I was just sitting at home, doing chores, volunteering since my friends were away or had summer jobs"

"Yeah I was pulling boxes"

"Pulling boxes"

"Mail Delivery, my old man delivers packages in the county"

"Oh" We sat down and Mr.Spartnelli came in, he had a grey mustache, high forehead, glasses in his hand, he came in and put them on,"Alright everyone in your seats, I am Mr. Spartnelli for those who did not even bother to look at our lessons…." He started walking his through on what we were doing, we had a couple pieces of paper to give us a heads up. That class was over and eventually it became lunch, which was finally a chance for me to let out my internal freaking out, so i saw Juliet, I walked over to her,"Jules are you freaking out?"

"Oh my god, you too?" I nodded,"This place is really different, it's…" She nodded,"I just ended up taking a few deep breaths, doesn't help as much, but it's what could get you through" I thanked her,"Anyways, let's go get something to eat" We went into the lunchline and it was crowded as hell.

PE came around, we just did our warmups which was run 3 laps in the gym and then we played Dodgeball, I was with the weak, after the game, this guy came up to me with his hand out,"Hey no hard feelings alright?" I gave him a high five and he nodded,"You did good for a Freshman" I smiled lightly,"And you are?"

"Greg Addison" I told him my name, we went to go dress into our regular classes, next thing you know I was in my last class and I was dreading to go home, I didn't care that my mom was being a major pain in the ass, I just wanted to go into my room, read a couple books, but then after school, there were bigger plans,"Hey….wanna come over?" Juliet came over to me and I answered,"Yeah, I'll just let my mom know"

"Does she even care where you're at?"

"She's constantly boozing back into bed, I don't even think she even remembers that she has one daughter" We rode the bus back because Heather's mom doesn't know about her driving and we don't want to blow our ride, we went back to her house,"Hey ma" She looked around,"Ma?" I walked over to the fridge,"Juliet, here's a note from your mom" She walked over, read it as her smile was rising slowly,"What? What is it?"

"My mom is gonna be at my Grandma's for the next week, we're all good, let's go"

"You got some?"

'Do I got some? Hell yeah I do" I was so happy and I think you know what happened after that