Encounter (1)

"...What?"

I stared at my classmates, my body getting hotter by the second, as my new class was laughing at me

"Ha-ha-ha! This guy's got a real fun personality, huh?" said one of the boys with clear sarcasm in his voice. 

How could this have gone wrong? I've been planning my appearance in this new classroom for days! Just when I thought things were gonna change. I know I prepared myself enough, I even fixed my posture, and widened my eyes a little! I don't think I look that bad.. so why is everyone laughing at me?!

"T-thank you for your introduction, Ethan. We're happy to have you. Take your seat, please, next to Anthony. Anthony, please raise your hand."

A boy who looked fairly exhausted had raised his hand high. I walk over with my corrected posture and my "widened eyes," which were slightly less widened now after my confidence was crushed. I sat down and turned to my new seatmate. 

"Hey, my name's Ethan." I said with my "outgoing" voice.

"Yo, my names Anthony." he said in his monotone but projected voice.

"Nice to meet you," I said, with my "outgoing" voice slowly fading away by the second.

"Tch." Anthony replied like he was already fed up with me. What did I do wrong? Im prepared for this, how did this happen? I sat there, and I decided to just give up. I put my head down with my arms covering the sides of my face, upset. Wait, who else do I sit next to? I turned my head to my right, expecting to see another male student. "Hey-"

Wow, she's beautiful. I turn my head to see a female student, green eyes wide and looking at me with a confused expression. I think she's weirded out already... Nice.

"Do you need something?" She replied. 

"Uh, n-no, just wanted to introduce myself to my seatmate. I'm Ethan."

"Oh, hey. My name is Erika, nice to meet you Ethan."

"Erika? That's my mom's name! Cool..."

"Uh, y-yeah that's cool."

Fuck. How did I mess up another conversation. I guess friends just aren't for me. Guess I should've learned in my last school.

The hours seemed to quietly and slowly flow by on my first day at Centerwood Prep School. It was finally time for me to get out of that hellhole. 

I walked home alone, and since it was my first day of school, my mom gave me a ton of money to spend with friends if I make any. Well, sorry to waste it mom. I got home, played some video games, did my first homework, and took a nap. When I woke up, it was 7:16 P.M. Bored, I thought, Maybe I should go use the allowance my mom gave me today. So, with my mind set on buying something that probably isn't of use to me, I left the house and made my way to the nearest convenience store.

I'd been going to this store since I was a little kid. In fact, I'd made a few of my "friends" right here in this store. I greeted the owner behind the register, and made my way to the drinks section. Walk all the way to the end, turn left, I thought to myself as I navigated through the store. When I made it to the energy drink section, I found a familiar face wearing a tracksuit. Wow, what a surprise! It was the girl I creeped out earlier, Erika! I was a little shocked but to not be seen staring at her eyes wide, I greeted first. "Erika? Hey."

"Oh, it's you! The transfer student, Easton, right?"

Fuck.

"W-well, my name's really Ethan."

"Oh, sorry! It's a hard to remember name, and your introduction wasn't the-"

"...? My introduction wasn't what?" I said with a confused tone.

"Well, that was a slip up. Do you want my honest opinion on your introduction today?"

"Um. I don't think it was that bad, so have at it."

"Well. You're wrong. It was terrible, your posture was fucked up, and your eyes were really odd looking. You look like you tried to be excited and shit, but it was creepy."

What the fuck is this bitch talking about?

"Oh you're honest aren't you. I think my introduction was great." I voiced, sounding angry.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to be harsh, but I like to voice what I think. What I said was true, that stands though."

"R-really... I don't think it is. I mean, I see myself as good-looking, and I don't think my posture was that bad."

"sigh.. Where do I start. You're arrogant. You think just pushing your shoulders back and leaving your head dangling forward is good posture. You think making your eyeballs fall out of your head is "outgoing," and most of all, you're fairly ugly."

Punch that bitch.

Calming myself down, I replied. "...Huh. I think you're wron-"

"Don't even give me that. Below all of that, you clearly have no confidence. It's all pretend, you say you're good-looking but are you? Do you think that? I can hear it in your tone of voice."

"Well, it's not fair!" I yelled out. People started to look.

"Do you think I wanted to be born looking like this?! Fuck, and people like you who were born normal piss me off. You're just lucky." I said.

"Watch your attitude with me. You say you were born unlucky, but what makes you think I wasn't?"

Huh?

"Not everyone is lazy like you. We work hard for what we want. You clearly don't put an ounce of your time into fixing yourself."

"I'm lazy...?" 

"You couldn't tell? You pretend you're trying... but it's obvious that you're not."

"I work harder than anyone I know to fix myself! What would you know?!"

"I doubt you know a lot of people."

"Urk.." Her message hit me right in the stomach.

"Plus... Everything you do, it shows you don't actively work on fixing yourself. You could atleast try..."

Everything she was saying... slowly started to settle deep in my head. She was right... I didn't try fixing shit about my life. I was treating it like, you can't change what you're born with, which now sounds dumb in my head.

"Erika... you're right. Im sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Actually, I have an idea!" Huh. Guess under her annoying anger issues, she's nice. So, I listened intently, wondering what the idea was.

"Let me fix you~"

Huh. Is she an angel?

"In 3-4 months, let me give you a complete makeover. I'll teach you everything about being like me. To be honest, I wasn't much at the start. Like you are now. But I will do what I did to myself. On you! It's so perfect, I've gotta tell Kristen about this ide-" I cut her off before she could continue.

"Okay, okay! Is this idea insane or is it just me? And no telling people about my loser life! What the hell! But, I would like you to go through with this idea. I will comply with everything I have." I said, determined.

"Well well, look whos accepting quicker than I thought!" Erika said with a smug face on. God, please slap her for me.

"I want to change."

Erika looked at me and laughed. "Ha-ha-ha!! Okay, Life Rookie!! I like your determination. Give me your Snapchat information, so I can add you. We'll talk about it more tonight.

"Okay!" I complied, and whipped my phone out to give Erika my... Oh. "I don't use snapchat."

"Well, I didn't expect a geek like you to use it. But download it now. Or we can't contact.

I nodded and downloaded it instantly. I didn't make a "Bitmoji" or change my username yet. I just added Erika. Her username was so like her. "Coolgirlerika08. Huh. Are you sure that name holds truth?" I said, playfully.

"Hey, shut up. I was like 10 when I made this name. And it's too iconic to switch now!" Erika claimed, pouting.

"Ha-ha-ha, sure. So, thanks. I'm excited for this. I'll shoot you a text when I get home."

"You'll 'shoot me a text'? Are you like, 20 years old? Ha-ha-ha!"

"Urk."

---------- an hour later ----------

"Hey Erika. It's me Ethan."

I decided that I should text first as I said I would. At this point, I had made my bitmoji and gotten a better username.

"Ooh, I see you've gotten accustomed with a new bitmoji. And... a new name?

'2way_ejay...' Huh. For you, that's actually a pretty cool username... Even for someone popular thats cool. Welp, you're good at something. Good job."

I'd been using this username for a super long time. I'm proud of it.

"Okay, so starting tomorrow, meet me infront of the school gates at 7:30 A.M." said Erika.

"7:15 A.M is a little early, don't you think?"

"I think it's perfect! We have a lot to discuss."

"Oh really, like what?"

"Who I think should be your first friend besides me. Bye Ethan! We will talk about it more tomorrow" She followed up to this message with a cute sticker of a penguin sleeping.

What an interesting girl. And my first friend? A certain jackass flashed my mind. But thanks, Erika. I smiled, and replied with a sticker of a sleeping puppy. 

The next day, I woke up and got to school at 7:30. Erika was waiting there, tapping her foot, telling me to speed up.

"Okay, so... I've decided. Your first friend will be your seatmate, Anthony Miller!"

"Fuck."

"Huh?"

That was the 'certain jackass' who I thought of yesterday. Oh well, better to become friends with him now than never.

And so, I started talking with Erika about how I should go about becoming his friend.