Beautiful Realization---Chapt.1

I hadn't seen a face like his in my entire lifetime. I understand that's only about 17 years, but still, that's a long time to be looking and never really finding anything. Anyway, I saw him for the first time since the previous year when I was on my way to English class, his short, spiky blond hair the perfect mix between messy and perfect. He had these stunning blue-ish green eyes, and a chiseled body. My friend, Bess, nudged me out of the way of an opening locker. "Hello, this is your driver speaking, anytime you'd like to get off the bus of daydreams and broken hearts would be great." she said, dragging me to her side just as a door opened in front of my face. "Shut up Bess. I'm just tired." I magically found my locker and spun the lock, trying desperately to remember the numbers I knew would give my red face a respite. "Tired? Not too tired to look at a senior. He's a little old for you, don't you think?" I threw my Math book unceremoniously against the shelf, looking in the crooked little mirror on my locker door. Disappointed again by my mediocre looks, I glared at Bess. "No. He's only a year older than us, what the hell are you talking about?" I rooted around inside of my locker, trying to find the hairbrush that I had hidden at the beginning of the school year in some vain attempt to look pretty. "Xanna, this is ridiculous. He's still dating Katie Smithston you know." Bess pointed out. I glared at her. "I told you, this year I'm not going by Xanna, I'm going by Roxy. And Katie Smithston broke up with him for Kado Hyutsa at the end of last summer." Bess rolled her eyes. "Good to see that you know everything about him, stalker. What's his name, anyway?" she asked, checking her tangerine lipstick in the mirror. "Liam Hollister." I said dreamily. What a name. Bess made a puking sound and slammed my locker shut. "Come on, ROXY, let's go. We have a class to get to."
The last period of the day, English, flew by. I met Bess back at my locker, where she announced the stupidest news every. "I joined the cheer leading squad." she said, almost sounding proud. I snorted. "Good for you, now I can officially hate you too." I said, shoving every inch of crap back into my locker where it belonged. Bess shook her head. "You need to grow up, Xanna...er...Roxy. They might be preps but at least they have lives. I need one too." Turning, she walked away, and I slammed my locker shut, only to meet Katie Smithston standing next to me. "Happy junior year, Xena." she said snottily, her 110 pound figure leaning against the lockers, suggestively pushing her boobs out further than I needed to see. "It's Roxy. And it would be happier if you would drop dead while cheer leading." I turned and she spoke up. "Oh, Roxy? Stop checking out my boyfriend. Liam is mine, and I'm not going to..." just then, a smooth, deep voice cut her off. "Katie, still entertaining delusions that you and I are a couple?" I looked over her shoulder and saw Liam standing with his shoulder against my locker, watching the two of us intently. Katie stared at him, open mouthed. I almost did, but I was smart enough to catch myself before that happened. Liam nodded at me. "Name?" he said bluntly. Katie laughed. "We call her 'Xena'. Last year she use to call herself 'Xanna' for short instead of Roxanna like her real name. But this year, she's trying to pass herself off as sexy by calling herself 'Roxy'. Isn't that right, Xena?" she snarled. Liam continued to stare at me. "Sometime today would be good." he said quietly. I stared. "For what?" I asked stupidly. He raised an eyebrow. "Your name." he stated calmly. Katie looked at him angrily and I resisted the urge to smile. "My name is Roxanna Alecole. Roxy, for short." I said, staring Katie in her huge, ugly blue eyes. She rolled them and slipped her arm through Liam's. "Want to go get a milkshake, Liam? It'll be my treat." She said, obviously attempting to be seductive. Liam dropped her arm, looking at me still. "No. I have other...better...things to do." he looked down at her and she crossed her arms, obviously pissed off. I turned to walk away, and his voice lingered down the hall. "Later, Roxy." it said, and it floated on the same cloud as me all the way home.
I unlocked the front door to barking as my pure black pit bull, Chase, came rushing towards me from the hallway. I laughed as he pushed me over, realizing that I still had half a salami sandwich sticking out of my bag. "No wonder you're happy to see me! Mom would kill me if I gave this to you." I said teasingly. "Don't you dare feed that dog! He's been eating all day!" my mother called from the kitchen. I rolled my eyes and looked down at Chase, who looked forlorn. "Told you." I lifted my bag up and over his head, then walked to the kitchen. The smell of steak and potatoes wafted from the oven, and I smiled. My mother stood at the sink, washing her hands, and I couldn't help but hope that I was like her when I was older. She had raised my older brother Kale and I alone, since my father left us when Kale was 10 and I was 7. She had a reasonably good job at a technology-based office and was probably one of the few women I knew that could change the oil in our car without bringing it to a mechanic.


To be continued...I promise...