Chapter One: First and Last
Today is my first day of Jr. year , and my last day of being young. Soon my mind will be corrupted, that's what.
My name is Wendy Clark, and I live in Greenville, Maine. The name of my new high school is “Greenville High” Creative, I know. My older brother went to this same school, and graduated with honors, at the top of his class. My sister Clara goes to the high school over in Hampton, a fifteen minute drive to the North. I live in a house on 3rd Street, with my dad and Clara. We moved here over the summer. So, I don't know anybody, but the guy next door. Mom moved to Cali a few years back, and only writes Christmas. She really wasn't too great a mom anyway, because I grew up a total tomboy.
So, having no mom to ask for fashion tips, my back to school outfit looked like this: Dodgers' Ball cap, Tight Tie-Dye T-Shirt, and a ripped up pair of jeans, with my beat up old green converse. The shirt was a stroke of luck, because I hate to shop. It used to be Clara's, and she was nice enough to give it to me this morning. I don't have a lot of clothes, because I really don't like them. So, I felt kinda awkward, riding to school with my dad. Usually we get along wonderfully, talking and joking, but today we were silent. We he pulled up in front of my new school, he leaned over, and kissed me on the forehead. “Good luck, Muffin” He said. I smiled at him, and slid out of the Jeep. I waved as he drove off, and turned to face the music.
As I walked towards the double doors, I felt a presence behind me. “Hey Wendy”. It was Will, the guy who lives across the street from me. He and I didn't really get along, but he always said hey when he saw me. “Hi” I replied stiffly. Will is a senior this year, so he didn't have to be in class yet, and he was already here? Weird. But, than again, he could be meeting his girlfriend. Every girl in the high school loves him from what I gathered over the summer working downtown. I could see why he is so popular. He has the “bad boy” thing going for him. He's what my old best friend Laci would call “smoking'”. Most of the guys I could see from where I was standing seemed to be going for the whole “I wanna be a rapper, mama” look. Except for one I noticed. He was tallish, with slightly too long blond hair, that fell over his dark blue eyes. He was sitting on a bench, writing in a black notebook. He must of felt me looking at him, because he looked right at me, and grinned. I smiled back. Will saw my blush before I felt it. “Paxton? No way! He's a lady's man. You don't want anything to do with him.” Will sounded putout, and I was. I spun around, and was surprised to find my face so close to his. “Shut-up!” I snapped, and stomped toward the door, trying to forget how good he smelled, and how close his lips had been. I had no feelings for Will Clark, none at all. Except anger.
Imagine “Thriller” playing in the background as I entered the school. I made my way towards the office, to get my packet. Along the way, the only thing to amuse myself with was all the sports trophy's along the wall in big glass cases. I had a feeling my new school was really into sports. By the time I got to the office, I knew all the tournaments Greenville High had won. Over the last seventy years. Hope there were some bonus points for knowing all the teams and dates. That's the thing with me. I remember things really easily. Very easily, so I had all the dates memorized by the time I walking into the office. I lined up behind the other new students. “Hi, I'm Wendy” I said to the blond girl in front of me. She smiled back at me, somewhat shakily, and said: “I'm Lonny.” I grinned at her. “So your new?” I asked. She nodded. “Just moved from Chicago, so this is a totally new thing for me.” I nodded. “we just moved here over the summer, so I barely know anyone, except the annoying guy who lives across the street. But we're not even friends. He likes to make me mad, and has a crush on my big sister. “ Lonny grinned at me. “Is he hot?” She asked. I shrugged. “if you like bad boys.”
Lonny didn't look like the kind of girl who would. She wore a pleated skirt, with a white shirt, tights and Mary Jane's. “Um, no offense, but why are you dressed like a schoolmarm?” Linny blushed. “My Grandmother. I live with her, and this is what she thinks all good young women should wear to school. Did I mention she's really old?” I shook my head gravely. “poor you. Tell ya what, if your not busy today, after school, I could take you to my house, and my sister might have some clothes that would fit you.” I told her. “Really?” she said, grinning. I nodded, and the secretary called “Linny Wilkerson?”. Linny walked to the table, and was given a class schedule, and a school map. I smiled at her as she walked passed, and told her to meet me in the hall. A few minutes later, my name was called. “Wendy” the woman at the table smiled at me, and I recognized her as the lady who lived in the apartment building down the street from us. “Hiya Miss Smith'' She smiled at me again, and said, “Oh honey, call me Layla. I'm too young, and your too young for any of that “Miss” stuff. Now, your a jr., right? Good, I thought so.” She began ruffling through her papers. “I didn't know you worked here.” I said, trying to make conversation. She looked up, and smiled again. “Nether did I until two weeks ago. Ah, here we go. Here's your map, and class line-up. Have a good day, and good luck Wendy!” I grinned at her. “Thanks Layla” I left the office, my mind already working. My older brother Trevor was around her age, and last week-end end when he was here, he was telling dad how much he needs a girlfriend. Maybe.... I mean, Layla was a very attractive lady. Black curls that reach her chin, sparkling blue eyes, and a perfect hourglass figure. Lots prettier than me, that's for sure. I have short, black curls myself, but they are always messy, and never do what I want them to. My eyes are green-ish hazel, and kinda big. I grew a lot over the summer. Mostly in the chest area, as Clara pointed out this morning, like I hadn't noticed. I'm about 5'6, and I don't wear a lot of make-up. I used to have more clothes, but since my little growth spurt, a lot of my shirts don't fit anymore. Last year, I barely needed a bra, and this summer, I jumped 4 sizes. Sometimes, I really hate being a girl.
I found Linny on a bench outside the office, waiting for me. “Look” she whispered. I did, and coming down the hall, I saw the easily recognizable popular crowd. You have to be blind not to see that they ruled the school. The girls wore tight shirts, and minis, and the guys wore dark wash jeans, and letter jackets. And, stop everything, the guy in front, who was the king of the A-listers, was really, really hot. I mean, totally hottie. “You are staring” Linny hissed in my ear, and I looked down as they passed, but not quickly enough to see Will in the middle of the group, laughing at something a scantily clad chick had said. He caught my eye, and winked. I felt myself blushing. Damn. Linny laughed as soon as they were gone. “You were pretty funny. And who was the guy who winked at you?” she asked. “That was Will” I replied. And headed for my first class, English. “Hey, Hey, Wendy, are you going to the mixer?” Linny asked. I nodded. “Well, um, could we get ready together? At your house?” I nodded, and she hugged me. I watched her skip off to her class, in her ugly Mary Jane's. These weren't the attractive kind of Mary Jane's. These were flat ugly. Brown. That's about it. God, why was I thinking about her shoes when I had about five seconds
I walked to English. I opened the classroom door, and looked for a place to sit. Of course, the only place to sit was by Vanilla Miles, the class stuck-up. There was also a seat beside the guy from earlier. Paxton, I think is what Will had called him. I headed for that chair. “Hi, I'm Wendy!” I told him. “Hey, I'm Tom. Aren't you the chick who was with Sparks this morning?” I nodded. “I'm a Junior.” I said. He nodded. “Yeah, I thought so. I'm a Senior. I play football with Will. “ I nodded. “Cool” . That was the end of our conversation, because just then Mr. Langston called the class to order. The rest of the day passes by in a blur of “Welcome to GreenVille High's“, and trying to remember all my stuff from one class to the next. As you can see, I was a basket case. Finally, the last bell rang, and I hit the doors running. Linny was waiting for me, and we started walking towards my house. She pulled out her iPod, and handed me one of the headphones. ''What do ya want to listen to?” She asked, handing me the small silver iPod. I scrolled through, and thankfully found some Alanis Morsette. I was in that kind of mood. Linny smiled. “Good choice.”