Just The Writer...

Always afraid of what to say, hoping you won't take it the wrong way... Keep it inside, stay on the side lines, knowing this world isn't right for me. I wrote these words in my notebook as my fellow students rushed around me trying to find a seat close to the rest of their friends. It was my first day of school as a Sophomore. All my life, I've been known as 'the girl who writes' or 'the loser' or anything else in between. I had a feeling this year would be different, rather, I HOPED this year would be different. But my hopes were crashed when Tyler walked into the room.

Tyler was popular. He also just happened to be the boy who found fun in picking on me everyday in school since Kindergarten. I wished I could just disappear as soon as I saw he was in my First Hour Honors Chemistry class. I tried to shove my Song book away, but Tyler was quicker than I was. He took the notebook from my hand and said, "Hey, Emily. What's this?" I looked down at my hands and mumbled, "Nothing. Can I have it back?" He laughed and said, "Not until I read what you were writing..." He flipped through it and read my words aloud. " 'Always afraid of what to say, hoping you won't take it the wrong way... Keep it inside, stay on the side lines, knowing this world isn't right for me.' Awe!" He said, in a condescending tone, "Did Emily get her heart broken?" "Stop it!" I said, trying to get my book back. He laughed and said, tossing it back onto my lap, "You're right, you know. You don't belong here." With that, he walked away.

I sighed and tossed it into my backpack as the bell rang. Then the teacher walked in. "Hello Class! my name is Mr. Monroe. And, as you may have guessed, I will be your Honors Chemistry teacher this year. Now, I'm going to assign new seats, so be prepared to move all of your things. First up," He said, pointing to the desk in front of him, "Matt Atkins."

I looked up; I had been going to school with most of these people since Kindergarten, but I didn't recognize that name. When I looked up, I was a boy with short brown hair, a baggy tee shirt and skinny jeans walking up to the front of the class. He sat down and Mr. Monroe said, "And here... Emily Black." My heart skipped a beat; I could feel everyone staring at me as I rose from my seat and walked to the from of the room and sat next to Matt. I pulled out my binder and notebook and I felt a pair of eyes on me. I turned to see Matt looking at me intently. "You don't like attention much, do you?" I was shocked at how well he knew me before he even met me. I smiled a little and said, "I'm not a big fan of it, no. Why?" He shrugged and said, "You just seem like... shy." "I wouldn't say shy... I just don't like many people in this class."

This wasn't a completely wrong statement. My best friends, Marisa and Jessie, were in a different first hour class. We've been inseparable since 7th grade, when we first met. Marisa is also a song writer, but she actually fits in with the crowd, while I stick out like a sore thumb. If you really knew Jessie and I, you would never think we would ever be friends. Jessie is so out there, and out going, and she LOVES attention. But I guess, in this case, opposites do attract.

Matt shrugged and said, "Okay then. No need to be defensive. I was just making an observation." He turned back to his notebook and a drawing he was working on. I looked at it out of the corner of my eye; it was amazing. It was a girl with straight black hair that was covering half of her face. She was holding a book close to her chest, clutching it. She was looking down at her shoes, and she looked... ashamed. I saw Matt smile and he said, "If you want to watch me draw, you can just tell me." My face flushed and he said, "Sorry. Forgot about the whole 'attention' thing."

He looked up at me and I took this chance to get a good look at him; his eyes were hazel with green specs around the center. It seemed as though his lips were permanently turned up into a smirk. He turned back down to his drawing when Mr. Monroe called out the last name and said, "Now that everyone is seated, let's take out that Summer homework!" Everyone groaned and shuffled through their papers. I opened my binder to see my 13-page summer assignment gone. I looked on the floor under me, then I looked back to where I was sitting earlier, when someone caught my eye. It was Tyler; he was smiling that evil smile at me, holding up my assignment. I sighed and turned back to the front in defeat. Matt looked at me and said, "We're supposed to take out our assignment..." "I know. But some idiot took mine. Matt turned and must've seen Tyler, for he said, "I'll be right back." He looked at Mr. Monroe, who was writing on the board, back turned to us, then ran over to Tyler's desk.

I turned to watch Matt say something to Tyler. Tyler's stupid smirk disappeared, and he quickly handed the paper back to him. Matt smiled and walked back over to me before Mr. Monroe turned back around. "Here you go," He said, holding out my assignment. I smiled and said, "Thanks. What did you say to him?" "I told him that if he didn't give it back, I would break his arm." I chuckled and said, "Did he believe you?" Matt shook his head and said, "But when I told him I got kicked out of my last school because I broke a kids arm, he was happy to oblige." "Did you?" Matt looked at me with that smirk of his and shook his head. "But hey, what he doesn't know won't hurt him." I smiled, and turned my attention to the board. Maybe this year will be okay...