Staring at my page full of scribbled notes, I knew he was watching me, but no matter how bad I wanted to, I couldn't bring myself to turn around, so I sat there for the rest of the period hoping he had stopped looking. The sound of the bell sent a flood of relief through my body. The whole class was gone quickly. I scrambled out of my chair, but my shoelace was stuck under the leg of the desk, and I fell forward. Before I hit the ground I felt a pair of muscular arms wrap around my waist and I looked up. My heart thudded so fast I thought it would explode. And of course it was him. His bright shining eyes met with mine and instantly my face went red. I thanked him and walked away unsteadily. He called after me, but I was already on my way out the school's back door, and stopped in the middle of the threshold. This was where it started.

One day my very spontaneous mom decided the town we lived in was too small and wasn't glamorous enough. She wanted to move to Las Angeles. She said it is where she would feel "like she belonged". I can see why. My mom and I have always been two very different people. She was into glitter, dresses, and small matching purses filled with useless stuff like makeup and hair products. She wore heels no matter what, even in the rain.
I have always been fine with a t-shirt, jeans, and vans or converse. My hair is always down. Nothing special. And I think makeup is stupid.

So when my mom made this important decision without confronting me first I got upset. My father was never around in my life, and without him my mom had grown, I guess you could say, carefree. She often made choices where she got stuck and needed my help, almost everyday. Like one time when I was seven years old and it was my birthday. She decided that to make it more special, she would bake my cake herself. She made the batter, poured it in a pan, and stuck it in the oven. The baking cake was forgotten and soon smoke filled the kitchen as well as the living room. My mom ran around the house screaming for help, as I grabbed the fire extinguisher and put out the flames. These incidents happened continuously from then on and I had grown used to them soon enough. In our relationship, as you can see, I take care of my mom.

So here I am now, in a town where teen girls carry dogs in their bags and buy everything they see in every store on every street! They carry purses and wear sunglasses all the time, even during school! They apply their makeup during class and don't even listen to what the teachers say. Sometimes they ask to use the restrooms but never come back.

There was one girl in particular that when I walked by all she did was glare. She talked to her "friends" like she was in charge and they all listened to her, like if they didn't something bad would happen. She wore the newest clothes and sparkled from head to toe. I despised her immediately. I didn't know her name but from the way she stared at me, I knew I would be dealing with her again.

After my second day I had most of my schedule memorized. I was just walking through the hallways trying to find the easiest ways to all of my classes when I tripped over someones bag. I've never been the most graceful girl so I wasn't surprised. What I wasn't expecting was to feel a pair of muscular arms wrap around my waist before my face hit the floor. I looked up into the gorgeous face of a boy around my age, if not a year older. I instantly felt butterflies tickling my stomach. "Sorry about my bag. I'm James." he said as he helped me stand up. I tried to speak but was distracted as the sound of his voice echoed through my mind. I had never heard anything like it. And yet I felt as though I had. Actually, James seemed oddly familiar. Finally, my voice came out. "Oh, Hi, I'm Faith." I held out my hand and smiled as I felt his hand slide into mine. He returned my smile and my heart started pounding faster. I thought this couldn't get any better, when he asked if he could walk with me. At first I hesitated. I barely knew this guy but I felt as if I did. Maybe I should just go home and forget about James, I thought. But before I could make a decision I felt James' hand brush against mine. The skin tingled where he touched my hand and I blushed. Finally, I accepted his offer and we began walking down the hall. I started noticing how handsome he was. He had light brown hair and piercing blue eyes. I could tell he played sports, by how fit and muscular he looked. Soon I wasn't paying attention to what he was saying or where we were going but I knew I didn't like where we ended up when I heard giggly laughter. I cringed at the sound.

I spun around just as the witch herself turned the corner with her followers right behind her. I knew I was gonna have trouble with this girl, but I had hoped it wouldn't be this soon. They stopped quickly and a smile slowly crossed her makeup covered face. She walked closer and smirked. "Oh, it's you." She rolled her eyes as the girls behind her slowly came forward. She began talking again, this time to me. "I've seen you around. But you didn't look interesting enough to talk to." They all began laughing and she continued. "Well I can understand why. Look at you. Did you ever think you wouldn't fit in here?" She draped her arm around me, mockingly. "Because you don't" I threw her arm off of me and stepped away. She was about to say something else when James stepped between us. "Jackie, leave her alone. She didn't do anything to you. Run along and go get some plastic surgery or whatever it is you girls do for fun." He reached for my hand and took me out the back door. Stopping in the threshold I realized how much I liked James and from then on I wanted to make him my best friend. Maybe something more.