CHAPTER TWELVE: HIGH SCHOOL

I took one long look past Charleston high's imposing bulk and right down to the usual bored-to death faces of its students and let out a big bolstering breath. 

 High school. Gulp. 

It was always the same, everywhere I went. The invisibility covered me like a shroud. At my junior high baccalaureate in Phoenix most people were shocked when I was called out for my award. That's basically how life is for me and I'm not complaining. If for one, I'm grateful. Eternally grateful. Life is something that must be endured cause I really can't find a way to enjoy it. 

 I took my first three steps through the imposing gates, ready for one more year of invisibility and many more to come. Right after high school of course. 

But taking a long look around the energy and pure waves of fun bustling around me, I felt the bugging fact that everything was about to change, that life was going to be different from the way I knew it. 

I made my way through the teeming crowd of students talking, laughing goofing out. A few boys stared at me and a small crowd of school jocks leaning against a cheerleader's locker watched me, scrutinizing every each of me in a way that left me feeling naked. I threw my eyes back, heaving in disgust.

 Through the first corner I turned, a tall, lanky freckly boy with dark brown hair held out a carton of mocha in my face, beaming at students. 

" Save the world, one cup of coffee at a time" He said, holding a cup to me. 

" Oh thanks" I took it, digging my hand through my bag " Do I have to pay for this?" 

" Course not. Coffee's on the house" his brows quirked " you're new aren't you? Haven't seen you before"

" Yeah" I held out my hand " I'm Miranda Reed. I just moved in. From Florida" 

" Oh that's nice." He shot me a skeptical look " Florida's supposed to be sunny though" 

" I didn't live there too long" 

" Hey my name's Tyler" he said, holding out his hand " Tyler codger. You're in final year too right?" 

" Sure bet" 

" I could give you a tour of the school. Show you the principal's office and a few places of interest" he said, beaming expectantly. I smiled and shook my head. 

" Sorry but I'll pass. This is not my first school so I know where the principal's office is." His face fell and guilt rammed through my guts " Maybe some other time. Or we'll have some classes together I guess" 

" Looking forward to that" he smiled and I beamed, walking headlong into the crowd. I made a turn, bumping into something hard on my way. 

" Oh my God…" I stuttered, blinking into the face of an incredibly cute blondie with bright blue eyes and a cheeky smile. He stepped back, grinning as he ran his eyes through me " Sorry. I… I really didn't see you there…" 

" Coffee and a pretty girl all in one morning" He said, beaming and leaning against the wall " must be my lucky day" I froze. 

" You're not mad about the shirt?" 

" Mad? Why'd I be? Its a good chance to ask you out on a coffee date" 

" I ruined your shirt" 

" Then you'd have to get me another one. After the coffee date" I chuckled. 

" You're really persistent aren't you?" I said, playing along " why don't I just get you another shirt and we'll forget about the date?" 

he leaned into me, grinning and showing off the deepest dimples I'd ever seen " Then I'd like to wear the shirt on a date with you" I shook my head and turned to leave when he caught me by my arm, sending shivers down my spine. 

" Hey, I never got your name pretty" 

" Its Miranda" he leaned back, surprised. 

" Miranda. That's a mouthful Mira" 

" Yeah. Everyone just calls me Mira" 

He held out his hand " I'm josh. Josh Kaden, Charleston high's greatest" he winked " Hottest heart-throb" I laughed and he swung on his feet. " You're new aren't you?" 

" Yeah" 

" Do you need help to the principal's office. I might get lost in a grocery store looking for milk but I know my way around here" He made a face " I guess" I bit back the urge to laugh and nodded no. 

" No I'm settled" I said, backing out " But thanks anyway, Josh Kaden" 

" Yeah. It was nice meeting you Mira. Maybe we'll have some classes together" 

" Sure" I muttered, heading down a flight of stairs" " I guess" 

Thankfully, principal Bradford was the most unintrusive man. After handing me my schedule and rattling on about the school rules and my electives, he called in for a student representative. A small petite girl with cropped spiky brown hair and bright brown eyes skipped in, beaming at me. She wore a pressed down knee-length skirt, a long baggy shirt and a scarf tied so hard against her neck I wondered if she felt truly comfortable in it. She held out her hand. 

" Miss Reed meet Lucy gray" Principal Bradford said " She'll be showing you around school for a week and will be your class guide" 

" Hi" she said in a soft tinkly voice " I'm Lucy Gray, honor student slash who doesn't do parties, or drugs and is completely safe to hang with" she winked and beamed patronizingly at principal Bradford. " I'll show miss miranda around school sir" 

" Oh please do. You may leave" As soon as we stepped out of his office, Lucy let out a loud sigh, rolling her eyes and loosening the scarf she'd so diligently tied around her neck. 

 I was right about her being uncomfortable in it after all. 

" Goodness how does Katya do this?" She let out a loud sigh, freeing her hair out of the too-tight bun she'd held it in. then she pulled the shoes and the jacket came out next, exposing a cropped spaghetti strap shirt. 

" At last!" She heaved, fanning herself. I watched, lost. She stared at me, beaming " by the way I'm Lucy Gray and since Katya decided to go on and fall sick on me, you're struck with me for the rest of the day. How does that sound?" She said in a rush. 

I blinked, barely keeping up " Refreshing?" 

" Refreshing" she nodded thoughtfully " Nice. Unique train of thought" she made a sudden spin, heading down the hall " Now run along. We haven't got all day for this tour or whatever the shit it's supposed to be" We made a left turn and she waved at a few doors down right " Those are supposed to be some shitty classrooms, not that I'd know that cause most of them are closed" she pointed at a glass window " That's the school library. I literally had to google it to know where that actually is here" She peeked into the room at a few students hunched over large stacks of books, her lips quirked upwards " Puh-wee! Little wonder why they're SO invisible" She turned left, brushing a few boys out of the way. "And these are the lockers" She made a face " Which you should know if you have a brain that is NOT made of gum wad." 

" I don't…" 

" And that's the laboratory, or where people come to make out I guess" I looked and sure enough a couple stood, pushed back against the walls in some intense make-out session that looked more like a squeeze-a-thon. The guy ran his hand through her boobs like a lemon squeezer, squishing and literally pushing the entire thing out. I looked away and Lucy gave me a look. 

" I know. But that's showbiz!" She yelled, making her way down the hall in quick determined strides. " come on. So much to see and little time to see it." She gave me a quirky smile " Or sorry did I get that backwards?" I laughed, hitching my bag up my shoulder a bit higher. " that's the gym or rather the home run room," she smiled through a deep dimple, winking at me " you know"

" You know what?" 

" Home run" she halted dead in her steps, giving me a hard stare " don't give me that shit Mir… Mir- what?" 

" Miranda" 

" Yeah I'll stick with Mira. You don't fucking know what home run is?" 

" Should I?" 

" Its like what every one does at prom! Going all the way?" 

" Oh! Yeah I know that" I said, trying to hide the blush creeping up my cheek " I definitely know that" 

" Geez I was totally freaking out here, probably reaching out to call MAJSIT-21/H" 

" And what might that be" I said, trying to keep up with her fast-paced strides. For someone small, she was fast. Real fast. She brushed her hair back, whatever there was of it and shot me a glance. 

" The medieval- alien-just-sneaked-into-the-21st/ help!" I grinned. Witty. Very witty. 

" So that's the…" 

" Hey Lucy" she spun round to stare at me with the laziest expression. 

" Yeah?.." She drawled, shoulders hunched and arms crossed. 

" I've been to like a dozen high school in my life and I think I pretty much know my way around…" 

" Well then that's a relief!" She yelled cutting me short. She patted her hair and handed me her bag, a few posters and a… tape recorder? 

" By God you should have told me like a thousand moments ago. couldn't you see I was like totally dying out here." She shrugged out of her jacket, tossing it at my extra burden "Just need to get out of these shitty clothes and I'll meet you at Eng. lit… I guess. Wish me luck!" She yelled, hurrying down the hall. She headed left. 

 To the make-out room. I stared after her and then at my hands. 

" What?"