Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Gabriella
Their are moments in my life where I think I can turn myself around, you know? Get my grades up, apply to colleges, do something worthwhile with my life.
Lucky for me, that hopefully hopeless mindset goes straight out the window the second I step into North Bridge Highschool. I remember the reality of where I am; A dangerous jungle, in the midst of predators and prey, animal instincts, one hell of a food chain, and absolutely no one you can trust. Everyone is judgmental, everything you do can and will be judged. Come to think of it, that's just the way life is, but it's amplified in high-school. The easiest way to survive, you ask? Don't give two shits about any of it. Getting my grades up, applying to colleges, doing something worthwhile with my life? That means giving a shit and becoming someone when it's much easier to disappear and not become an easy target to the predators.
Speaking of predators- basic bitches at 4:00, coming straight down the hall! Ah, and there's our favorite, standing smack dab in the middle: Give it up for number 47: BROOKLYNNNNNNNNNNNN HUDSONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!
Thing is: Brooklyn's different than the other basic bitches. The other ones throw shade at anyone who steps into the spotlight, jumping for opportunities to call anyone basic or desperate or phony. In other words, they hate everyone but themselves and pretend not to love drama but gossip the entirety of North Bridge into submission. Don't think they've noticed me, yet. I have a special technique of being absolutely invisible without seeming like I'm trying to be gothic or edgy or one of the reasons they'd call me out. It's a hard technique to manage, but I've pulled off. I'm completely invisible to them.
Except for Brooklyn. I don't know when it happened exactly, but sometime around the start of this year: she noticed me. I don't know how she does it, but she's aware of my existence, and she's gossiping about me already. Trust me, I've listened in on her conversations in the girls bathroom. Since she's the co-leader of the basic bitches, she's likely trash-talking me, which will cause the other basic bitches to notice me more. Meaning that my "invisible" status that I've kept going since senior year is going to spiral down soon and I'll have to rethink my entire brand. Damn you, Brooklyn.
As of now, I avoid eye contact, (but not in an obvious way) and walk over to my locker, sliding it open and gathering my textbooks. This was the beginning of what I thought was a totally normal, drab, completely typical day-
Gabriella Thompson, please report to the main office.
If I was a known or even remotely noticeable person, this would be the moment where the hallway would erupt into a chorus of ooh's, but I'm an invisible person, remember? Instead, everyone in the hallway kind of looks around, as if they're trying to remember who Gabriella Thompson is. Good, Brooklyn hasn't completely stripped me of my invisible title yet.
I walk casually down the hall, like I'm a typical student heading to class a little early instead of the girl that just got called to the main office. I ignore the brush of confusion I feel as to why I'm being called and swing the doors open.
And- ah, what do we have here? A new kid. Fresh meat. And from what I can tell, completely sheltered. Thick glasses, bangs so long they touch her nose, zits littered on her chin, and the typical cluelessly innocent new kid expression on her face.
"Gabriella," the secretary whose name I always forget greets me. She then gestures at the cluelessly innocent new kid to stand up.
"This is our newest student, Paige Royale," secretary whose name I forget introduces. Paige Royale glances up at me really quickly, murmurs a "hi" under her breath, and glances back down at the floor immediately after. Oh, this poor kid. She won't last five minutes in North Bridge High.
But- wait. Why is she introducing me to Paige Royale? I don't give a shit who Paige Royale is. I just want to go to English class. I mean, I don't want to. Nobody wants to go to English class. Nobody wants to go to class at all. Nobody wants to go to school, school sucks, end of story. But I'd much rather go to English Class than meet Payton or whatever her name was.
"I assume you got the email we sent the previous night outlining your responsibilities as her guide?"
Uh.
WTF.
"I think there's been a mistake," I say as calmly and nonchalantly as possible. "I didn't sign up to be a guide."
"That's strange," Secretary whose name I forget muses to herself as she rummages through her pocket, revealing a sheet of paper. "It says you did here."
Oh.
Shit.
Last day of junior year- we picked which Senior Volunteer Activity we wanted to do for our senior year. And I picked guiding new students? Oh, God, what headspace was I in that day? Did I forget that I was a social outcast that needed to stay that way to avoid social detection or unnecessary drama? Did I forget that interacting with people and making friends was a free pass to pain and humiliation? And how did I manage to forget that I would be a guide when senior year started for the rest of the summer? I could've at least socially prepared myself!
Crap. Crap. Pull yourself together, Gabriella. This'll be a good opportunity to work on your improv skills.
"Oh- I'm sorry, I totally forgot. And I didn't actually get that email."
Translation: I haven't checked my email in two years.
"So I guess I wouldn't really be prepared to be her guide," I explain, trying to sound as bummed and disappointed as I can.
Secretary whose name I forget eyes widen, but she presses her lips together into a reassuring smile. "Oh, no worries, the email was only outlining the basics. We have time to briefly go over them now and you can still be Paige's guide."
"NO. I DON'T WANT TO BE PAIGE'S GUIDE. THAT WILL RUIN MY PLAN TO BE COMPLETELY INVISIBLE THIS YEAR. FIND SOMEONE ELSE," I internally screech, but plaster a neutral expression on my face and nod, hoping no one senses the anarchy ensuing in my mind.
"So, you'll just give her a little tour, ask about her interests, introduce her to any teachers who aren't teaching a class, sit with her during lunch, and make sure she gets home okay."
Kill me now. Just put me out of my suffering already.
"Sure, sure," I choke out the words in spite of myself. "I'm sure Mr. Todd won't mind me missing our very important English quiz," I say in a final attempt to get out of this.
"Yup, and I have your late slip right here. Guess you two are all set!" Secretary whose name I forget replies cheerfully, her sugary tone contrasting sharply with my sour (and terrified) mood. She extends the slip of paper to me. Normally I wouldn't complain about getting out of class, but this is a rare exception. I want to rip this slip of paper to shreds, and rip myself for shreds for agreeing to be a guide in the first place. Above all, I want to rip Secretary whose name I forget to shreds, for not reading the body language I am very blatantly showing!
You know what? "Secretary whose name I forget" is too long to pronounce, and I'm not showing her an ounce of respect by calling her by her real name.
Congratulations, secretary whose name I forget. For being annoyingly enthusiastic and completely oblivious to the terror you are inflicting on me, I am changing your name. I officially dub thee Belinda. Because I would much rather risk my "invisible" status by giving a tour to a clueless new kid than go through life with the name Belinda.
Belinda flashes a sweet (annoying) smile at the two of us and hands Paige her class schedule. Paige turns to me expectantly.
"Follow me," I say to her - as neutrally as I can - leading her out of the office, trying to look completely composed and not like I'm dying inside which I totally am whwdklgnww.
Paige nods and follows me. Here's the plan: I'll introduce her to the teachers, show her around and all that stuff, but otherwise act as bland and uninteresting as possible so she doesn't pursue me as a friend. She'll find some other group of nice girls to hang out with and she can go to sleepovers and braid their hair or some crap. This could completely backfire if she talks about how bland and disinteresting her guide is to her new group of friends, drawing unnecessary attention towards me, (further risking my invisible status) but from what I've seen so far, she seems like the shy-nice type and wouldn't want to trash talk me.
If every step of the day is done with absolute caution and attentiveness, I should be able to get through this "guide" business with my invisible title still standing strong. Nonetheless, this may be one of the biggest challenges I've ever faced in my career.
At least, that was what I thought at the time.
Little did I know that I was about to face things much more threatening, difficult, and complicated than staying invisible.
