Chapter 1
School never seemed important to Mayble. The thought of spending hours locked in a building, retaining thoughts that others deemed important never enthused her. If she had it her way she would be halfway across the world, in a city where she could get better entertainment then the weekly movies put out in the town square. However, life was never fair to anyone and Mayble was sitting in the middle of Mr. Quinn’s physics class.
It didn’t help she already hated school, the fact that she had to spend 90 minutes learning math first thing in the morning was deathly. She didn’t have any friends in this class so the only thing she could focus on was crazy tie Mr. Quinn decided to wear for the day. It’s already been three months into the semester and she hasn’t paid attention to a single lesson that was taught. Mayble quickly caught on that if she stared towards the front and make it look like she was listening, she won't get called on.
There was two minutes left of the class and she was halfway through doodling a small sunflower on the desk. It wasn't until the shrill ringing of the bell snapped her out of her own world and she was met with the disappointed glance of her teacher. She didn't know how long he was standing above her and while it was a little creepy, Mayble didn't think too much of it.
"Maple," he began. She grimaced at the name but he didn't notice. "I've noticed that you've seem distracted for a couple weeks. You do well on all of your assignments but it would be nice to see you pay attention for a few days."
He paused as if waiting for her to say something. What was she supposed to say?
'Yeah, teach don't even worry about it. It's just that your class is so incredibly boring and it literally takes everything for me not to kneel over and die.'
That was not an option. Mayble just nodded her head in a silent agreement, it was too early for her to start talking just yet. Mr. Quinn just sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get anything else out of her. The rest of her stuff was already packed so she just threw her bag over her shoulder and walked out the door.
As soon as she passed the threshold an arm shot out and grabbed her. The scent of lemons and candy surrounded her and Mayble was tackled by Sylvia Kyler. Sylvia was the only friend Mayble has; if you were to ask her though she would say she has more. The two have been best friends since they were in sixth grade, now in their junior year of high school they don't leave each other's side. Being friends with Sylvia meant that you also got Mayble, except that no one wanted Mayble.
Most conversations with Sylvia's friends consisted of forced small talk that made both parties uncomfortable. Mayble never understood why Sylvia was close with her, they were nothing alike. Mayble dressed in skinny jeans and hoodies, Syliva showed up in tight shirts and small revealing skirts. Mayble once asked why she hangs around all the time and Sylvia simply said, "You get me like no one else does. You're different Mayble. Stay that way."
Mayble never understood what that meant. Is it a good different? Is there even such thing as a good different? In the end she was just relieved she has someone to call a friend. Mayble wasn't the most social person in the world, most people don't appreciate the amount of time it takes the girl to open up. As much as she hated to admit it, she was pretty average; there wasn't really anything going for her in the future. Nothing seemed to interest her and the countless career fairs she went to was just a fruitless venture. A hand waving in front of Mayble's face threw her out of her crisis.
"Why did it take so long for you to get out of class? You're always running from there like a bat out of hell," Sylvia said. "I had to look like a weirdo waiting right outside the door."
"Mr. Quinn wanted to speak to me. He said that I don't pay enough attention," Mayble replied. Sylvia just rolled her eyes and smirked a bit.
"I don't get you. I almost never see you pay attention in all of your classes but you pass everything with almost a perfect grade," Sylvia questioned. She stopped and squinted her eyes at Mayble. "Are you threatening someone to do your stuff for you? Not gonna lie Mayble, this a new low. If you're going to get someone to do your work you should at least have them do mine too."
It was now Mayble's turn to roll her eyes as she heard Sylvia rattle on about how no one cares about her. No one was oblivious to the fact that Sylvia was not the nicest person around but she was pretty and rich, so that was enough them to befriend her. Sylvia was a walking mystery to everyone, her whole family practically never leave the house but they are rich enough to buy out the whole state. As far as Mayble knew they didn't work, and anytime Sylvia's family gets brought up she diverts the topic.
"Mayble you aren't even listening to me anymore. Can you at least pretend like you care?" huffed the red head.
"Syl you know I care. It's not even eleven yet and I'm nowhere close to being fully awake yet," Mayble said. "plus, don't you think you should be more worried about this history test we're taking in five minutes?"
Sylvia's eyes got wide and soon they were settling down in their seats. Mayble just hoped that this day would pass by quickly. Something has felt off to her all day, she just blamed it on the boring atmosphere suffocating her everyday. Exciting things need to start happening or Mayble might just explode soon. Right as Mayble put her head on the desk the teacher walked in and Mayble was forced to sit through another 90 minutes of suffering.
Lunch finally rolled around and the two girls sat at their own table all alone. As popular as Sylvia is, she did prefer her own time with Mayble. The room was scattered with different groups of people and the noise was quieter than usual. Mayble figured it was because Dean Samuels wasn't present. Dean was probably the loudest guy she had ever met, when he wasn't walking down the hallways pulling pranks he was trying to hit on every girl he could find. Mayble was lucky enough never to be caught by him; she would admit that he is a charmer. She would likely have a crush on him if she knew him better, it also didn't help that she was completely enticed with someone already.
