CHAPTER ONE
Beth, I'm heading out to church."
Carmen's voice makes me look up from the comic book spread across my lap. She's already dressed, shawl over her shoulders, keys jingling in her hand.
"Alright" I say.
She steps into the room for a moment, glancing around the mess of notebooks and comics stacked on my desk. "Make sure you take the trash out before it piles up, and eat some real dinner, not just chips."
I roll my eyes lightly, but it's more playful than annoyed. "Got it."
Her expression softens. "Tomorrow's the first day back. Feeling nervous?"
"That obvious?"
She smiles, brushing a hand against my hair. "You'll be fine. You've got Aaron, don't you?"
I nod, clutching my comic like it can shield me. Carmen means well, and most of the time she's right. Still, the thought of walking those halls again makes my stomach knot.
"Just be yourself," she says, leaning down to kiss the top of my head. "I'll be back before dinner."
The door closes behind her, and I'm left with my comics and the quiet. Being a hero on paper is a lot easier than being one in real life.
---
The next morning, school feels like it always does. Loud. Too bright. Everyone already grouped into their little circles.
Aaron finds me by my locker, his curly messy hair, covering his cute yet dorky glasses and one shoelace untied. He grins like the whole world is some inside joke. I've missed him during the holiday. He and his family went on vacation to Vermont and we couldn't hang out as much.
We walk together, weaving through the crowd. He begins to share his tales of his vacation with his parents and how he had manage to touch one boob from a girl he met during his vacation..I had to hide my jealousy, after all we were both virgins and hadn't even had our first kiss or relationships as 11th grade kids.
Then I see them.
Rick Albridge , leaning against a locker like he was born to. He's tall, dark-haired, and everything about him is effortless. And right beside him, Natalie. Blonde, polished, the kind of girl people don't just notice but orbit. She's a grade above us, but her voice carries across the hallway like she owns it. Her dad, Mr Bodega, one of the richest men in the country, a man with so much power and wealth had over spoiled her, making her audacious and feeling like she's better than everyone else. Probably because she was.
Her eyes land on me, and I feel the hit before it happens.
"Careful, Beth," she says sweetly, too sweet. "Wouldn't want you to trip over your own feet again." she cackles and kisses Rick passionately to taunt me.
A few people laugh. My face burns.
Aaron steps closer, muttering, "Ignore her. She's not worth it."
I want to let that be enough. But then he shakes his head, almost laughing.
"Beth, come on. You know how it works. People like Rick and Natalie, they're on a whole different level. We're... not. We're the background characters."
He says it like it's the simplest fact in the world, like I should've already accepted it. His voice isn't cruel, but it cuts anyway.
And honestly, I'm offended. I couldn't hide how upset I was. "What the hell Aaron, I thought we were friends" I storm off as he tries to talk to me and honestly, the damage had already been done.
I headed off to my first few classes very much upset and even worse, I had to sit alone at lunch, well I was about to. The thought of looking like more of a loser, like Aaron said had forced me to eat lunch in the bathrooms; further proving his point.
