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         Sometimes I wonder why people torture their kids, sending them to a brand new school in the middle of the year, especially in high school.
That is where I stand now, looking but not really seeing the large grey building that was set before me. I stood in the middle of Ashland High parking lot staring at the building that, to me, was a torturous contraption. The cool wind brushed my bangs out of my eyes almost like my mother used to do many months before. Hugging myself against the coolness of the late morning I start walking towards the doors that led to the main office.
         Ashland was a small town that was nestled in the heart of Kansas, a population of 862, it may not have been the actual heart of Kansas but my father insisted that it was the best small town anyone could live in. Daniel, my dad, was a tall, quiet man that always seemed to have a smile on his face. His blue eyes reminded me of large blue diamonds that always sparkled, wanting to learn more. Dad is an author, he writes for the town’s newspaper that comes out every week. But for years now he has been working on his first (and only) novel. Anytime free time would come around to him, you would find him curled up on the couch in his small office typing away on his laptop. Even though I love him to death, he is the one that insisted that I come Ashland, not just the town but the high school as well.
         Opening one of the many doors that led into the main office a burst of warm air hits my face, bringing back memories of the California sun. I approach the desk that curved around the large office that was connected to what I assumed the rest of the school. An older woman was seated on the other side of the desk looking up at me with a fake smile that made me cringe.
“Hello! How can I help you today young lady?” Her voice even made me cringe.
Taking slow steps towards her I smile back at her out of politeness.
“Hello, I am Alysia Coles. I was transferred from California, this is my first day.”
She smiles back up at me, gathering a stack of papers to lift towards my direction.
“Of course. Welcome to Ashland, your schedule, locker number and combo, and the last bit of paperwork is there for Daniel to fill out.” She says sweetly nodding at the papers that I had in my hand.
“Thank you.” I mumble with another smile as I begin to descend towards the door that led to the hallway. I shuffle through the papers thoughts running through my mind a million miles a minute. I wasn’t paying attention when I hear the squeak of a door to the right of me open and out steps a dark figure. Almost bumping right into them I halt to a stop and glance up at the person standing in front of me. I held back a gasp as my eyes fell upon the figure. It was a young man standing about 5’11, his blue eyes pierced through his hair that covered most of his face. His biceps looked about the size of my head, and his hands had and indication that they were strong enough to break someone’s body in half. I sidestep him, pulling my eyes away from his, he had a strong smell of cologne and the clothes that he wore were all black.
         My mind couldn’t function correctly as I exited the office. I convinced myself that the dark stranger just threw me off, I hadn’t been prepared and I was shaky as it is. I continued to talk myself into relaxation again as I came near my locker. 314 caught my eye as I came to a door. I moaned as I saw what door was next to my locker; the Boys Bathroom. I dropped, or it looked more like threw my stuff down by my feet as I tried the combination that the woman from the office gave me. As the last clicks, sounding like a bomb about to explode, stopped as I came to the last number of the combo I pulled on the lock, and to my surprise opened with no problem. That was one thing that went smoothly today, hopefully my good luck will hold out.
         I shove all my stuff into the cramped locker, leaving out a small binder and my schedule. Proceeding towards the direction of my first period class, I finally come up on room 610. I take a nerve racking deep breath as I turn the handle silently. Opening the door, my ears are filled with the sounds of a classroom full of students chattering away. I enter a bright room, and slink to where the teacher was seated at the other end of the room. The teacher had a charisma about him that seemed bubbly and ecstatic, he looked around his early twenties and had an amazing smile. I had a notion that a lot of the girls that he taught probably had a teacher crush on him.
He meets me half way to the center of the class, “Hi there, how can I help you?” He asked in a deep, compelling voice.
I smiled at him, trying to keep my best first impression, “Hi, yes um, I am Alysia Coles. I just moved to Ashland.” I handed him my paperwork, glancing around the classroom, and the students that seemed to have all their attention towards me.
“Yes, yes Alysia, welcome to Sophomore History, you can take a seat wherever there is room. I warn you now though, the schedule today is a little screwed up from testing we had yesterday.” He smiles once more at me before retreating towards his desk. Taking one last glance in his direction my eyes focus towards the seating arrangements set in front of me. I see an empty seat at the back of the room, and as I made my way back to sit there it felt like the whole world had their attention on my every movement.
         The chatter of the class had silenced and I heard chairs squeak under people’s weight as they turned to give me smiles or dirty looks at the back of the room. I blush and pull out a notebook that I had brought, focusing on the small twirls that I had made with permanent marker last year, it must have seemed like I was studying for some serious test because shortly after my classmates had turned back to their conversations and laughter.
         I heave a quiet sigh of gratefulness, relaxing a little in my chair. I hear a chuckle in response to the right of me. I glance up at the sound and make eye contact with a boy with a narrow nose and strong jaw line. His hair was grown out a little and he had it in spikes, the tips of the blonde strands had hints of purple in them.
         He turned towards me a little as he saw me survey his appearance, “Hey, I’m Corey.” He says holding out a hand, I shook his hand and smiled. “I’m Alysia.”
“Yeah,” he says with a nod “So how are you liking Ashland?”
“It’s…different.” I answer fishing for the right adjective.
“It is.” He agrees. From what I heard now, he was a quiet type that didn’t like to talk much. I shot him a look of encouragement as he opened his mouth again to say something but quickly closed it, not finishing his thought. I took the courtesy of continuing the small talk that I was making with him.
         “So what exactly did he mean by ‘the schedule is going to be a little screwed up’?” I asked nodding in the teacher’s general direction. My eyes locked on the young teacher, taking in his profile.
“Mr. Price?” he asked not looking at me, I nodded “Mhm.”
“We had state testing, and every time we do the teacher always seem to lack on figuring out the next lesson,” His voice seemed a little irritated and grateful at the same time. He threw in a rolling of the eyes and a grimace.
“So there is no lesson?” I ask tentatively
“Nope, not in any class.”
“I guess that’s… cool?” I say inserting a small chuckle
He smiled and nodded. “It kind of gives the students a breather, I guess.” He was about to say something else, but as before, he stopped himself.
         Throughout the hour we made similar small talk, moving from subjects ranging from teachers to strange students. The hour seemed to go smoothly, and from the looks of it, I had made a new friend.
The bell rang, dismissing students to their next class. Corey and I both stood up “Good luck.” He said sounding a little devious
“What are you talking about?” I question raising a lone eyebrow
“Nothing in general.” He smirks and shoots me sly look before departing out of the classroom. I shake my head with a smile and begin my own journey back to my locker to get my stuff.
         I stumbled to a halt at my locker, minutes later. I thought back to what Corey had said before I left the classroom, and now, I knew exactly what he was talking about. The crowd at the school was unbelievable. Dad said that it was a small school, and I just automatically thought there was also a small student body as well. But I was so wrong; all the high school kids were crammed into a small school, and into a small hallway as well.
         I was pushed and shoved through the crowd to my locker. I automatically thought back to when I went to a Bullet For My Valentine concert, back in California.
Ashland was so amazingly small to California, and I think that is the one reason why it is so different for me. By no means was I implying that I didn’t enjoy moving to Ashland, actually it was quite the opposite. After losing my mom months back, I did not want to live in the same neighborhood for much longer. The memories of her were still so strong that I couldn’t stand living there.
Two months before, my mother passed away from breast cancer. She was a wonderful and cheerful woman that everybody knew. I took after her with my large green eyes and frizzy dark hair. It seemed like everybody wanted to be her friend, and everybody that was friends with her, loved her like she was their sister. I loved my mom so much, she was always too overprotective, erratic, and the best damn cook anyone could have imagined. Thinking about her smile and aged face always made my stomach turn.
I spent her last days non-stop with her. She was always laughing and smiling, even though the doctor only gave her days to live. She was always happy with what she had, never questioned or complained. I was grateful for the time that I could spend with her, but when the day came, it was so hard to let her go as I kissed her forehead one last time before stepping out of the room sniffling.
My dad offered a place to stay in Ashland after mom was gone, but I told him that I didn’t want to leave California just yet. I spent the months that I was there with my best friend Shae. Her family told me that I would always have a place to stay in their house, but I knew all too well that they all had lives to tend to. Including Shae and her siblings, they had lives ahead of them and I didn’t need to be trailing behind in all the family pictures and events. So I decided to call my dad one Saturday morning and ask if the offer was still open. Of course he was ecstatic when I told him, so I didn’t hesitate to book a flight.
         The sounds of slamming lockers filled my ears as I shut my own, the crowd was still bustling by and every so often I would get slammed into the lockers in front of me. Of course the person who was in charge of the shoving would murmur and apology before pushing through the crowd ahead of me. After awhile I just stopped all together with trying to fight the crowd and let it take me like a wave to my next class.
         I escape out of the mob at the last minute, stumbling into a small alcove where my next class was nestled. I take a breath before twisting towards the handle and a figure appears next to me.
         “Hey.” Murmurs a familiar voice. I turn and a blur of Blonde and purple hair passes my vision and I know that it was Corey.
“Hi.” I say with a smile. “This your next class too?”
“Yup.” He says opening the door and nodding for me to go first. Descending through the door I come up to an older woman with hair the size of a large beehive and a mole that covered her entire right side of her lip. She reminded me of an evil lunch lady.
“Good morning young one. What can I do for ‘ya?” she says in a western sounding accent.
         Explaining that I was the new student and showing her my paperwork and schedule was all I had to accomplish before being released to the back of the room where Corey sat at a table that was big enough to seat at least six.
         Sighing when I took a seat across from him he leaned in closer to me “Okay, I am going to give you a heads up now; there is a group of guys that will come in at any moment, they are different, so don’t stare.”
“Wha-?” I begin to ask as he points to the door facing my back. Swiveling around to spot the door my question for Corey was already answered.
         They all looked like clones, dressing in practically the same clothes a group of four saunters over to the table that was set next to the one Corey and I were seated at. I inhale a quick breath as I catch sight of a familiar face. The boy from the office is in the same group, head down, his black hair covering most of his face and coming down near his shoulders. I shutter as my eyes scan his figure, his biceps seemed bigger, if that was possible. His gaze did not meet mine, as he pulled out a chair to plop down on.
         “Who is that?” I ask quietly to myself
“Who is who?” Corey asks glancing in my direction
I blush and look back at him. “Never mind, its nothing.”
“No, tell me. I can probably answer your question.” He urges with a convincing smile.
         “Okay, do you see the guy on the far left?” I say lowering my voice softer then a regular whisper “I had a run in with him in the office this morning.”
“Chase?” Corey asks his gaze drifting to their table
“So that’s what his name is.” I murmur. Corey chuckles next to me then nods
“I’ve known him for about a year and a half now. He’s really quiet, and doesn’t get involved much. The only thing he does for extracurricular is play the electric guitar.” My eyes turn back towards him, he was hunched over, hands on his knees. His hair was like a solid wall that nobody could see through. His friends were doing almost the same thing only they were talking quietly to their selves. They had their own style I noticed, that could only be seen if you really looked at them. The one closest to Chase was buff, but not nearly as close as the others were. He had a baby face with bright green eyes, his hair wasn’t black but a darker brown. The one sitting next to him was tall and dangly with a narrow nose and a serious face. His hair was cut a little shorter then the others and layered. The last one that was sitting closest to us looked a little like Chase. His facial structure was more tough, he had a small scar across his left eyebrow and had short spiked black hair.
         I turn back towards Corey, who was also studying them. He abruptly turns towards my direction seconds later though.
“Don’t look.” He whispers
Freezing in my spot I glance up towards Corey “Why?” I utter not even hearing myself speak. He nods towards the table next to us with a slight head movement. My eye wander over to the table and my breath catches in my throat, all four sets of eyes were turned in our direction. Even Chase’s, but it seemed like he was the only one not glaring. My head turned back to the direction of Corey and he throws me a fake smile. I try to hold back a laugh but it just turns into a small giggle.
Corey now smiling shakes his head, relaxing a little.
I could feel the strangers’ gazes start relax, and eventually disappear. The rest of the hour, neither Corey nor I exchanged words, there was strong feeling of silence in the air, even after the bell sounded and the chatter of the classroom heightened.
         The next two periods I was suddenly the new kid again, with no friends. I was the girl with dark clothes and dark makeup that people chatted about during passing periods in the halls. I didn’t see Corey or Chase’s group until the bell rang for lunch to begin.
         I followed the crowd to the ‘Dining Auditorium’ until I heard Corey call my name
“Alysia!” he bellowed. My attention wrenched towards the sound of his voice. His figure came into view at a long table with a couple other people, dressed in similar dark colors. I ventured over to him and as I came close he smiled and nodded for me to sit down in the empty seat next to where he was going to sit.
“Hi! I’m Robyn.” A small girl, with bright colors in her hair exclaimed coming towards me and embracing me in a hug. Taken back by the sudden welcoming, I hugged her back awkwardly. She was definitely small, in her height and body; she pulled away from me and wrapped her fingers around a tall boy’s hand that stood next to her. He smiled at me as well “I'm Mac. Robyn’s boyfriend.” He says extending his other hand. I smiled back and took his hand “Alysia.” I murmur looking down at Robyn again. She wraps her arm around my elbow escorting me to the end of the table where three other people sat,
“Guys, this is Alysia. The one who just moved from California.” She announces.
“This is Shane,” she says pointing out a guy with long red hair that sat at the end of the table closest to where we stood. “And this is Zoen.” She says nodding to the boy sitting next to him. On the opposite side of the table there was a curvy girl with platinum blonde hair, not fitting in at the table at all.
“And this is Courtenay.” She finishes turning towards me rolling her eyes. Courtenay barely glancing at me rolls her eyes as well. Eyeing Corey nervously he shrugs and turns back towards Mac.
         There is something about meeting new people, and actually fitting in with them. I was not one to fit in if I was new to a place, just because of the way I dressed and how I acted. But coming to Ashland, meeting Corey, and all his friends, made me feel welcome. And I was really hoping that it would stay that way for a while.
         I walk back over towards Corey and Mac and hug myself against the wind that was starting to get cold.
“Just a little cold?” Corey asks stepping to the side, welcoming me into the conversation between the two boys.
“Just a little.” I say sarcastically
Mac chuckles and smiles down at Robyn as she huddles against him for warmth.
“This is nothing.”
“Hey, I am a Cali girl. I may not look like it… but I am.” I say signaling to the sky where there was suppose to be a warm sun over head.
         The rest of the lunch period was full of similar chattering and messing around. When the bell rang to go to fifth period, I turned towards the table where I left my stuff and was shouldered out of the way by Courtenay, she flipped her hair as she went past and she acted like she hadn’t hit anything.