Teaching River

Beep. Beep. Beep. As soon as I heard the sound of my alarm clock, I bolted up, and yelled out, No Mr Jellybeans, I did not eat your last cookie. After further few minutes of confusion, I realised that it was Monday, seven a.m. in the morning, and that Mr Jellybeans, although furious and spectacularly multi-coloured, existed only in the dream I had been so rudely awoken from. I shook my head with a sigh, wiped my eyes, scratched my head and then tried to get up from my bed. Please note the word try. The moment my feet touched the ground, so did the rest of my body, with a loud thud. I let out a loud ouch and then finally made my way, safely to the bathroom and began brushing my tooth with a sigh. Today was my first day of school since we moved to this town and already, I was having a bad day. I honestly wondered what was in store for me. Once I had finished my morning routine, and gotten dressed into a plain white t-shirt and a pair of faded blue jeans, I went down stares to see my busy mother in the kitchen. "Ready for your first day, Mystique?" She asked as I grabbed a muffin from the table. "I guess mom." I said. I was still not very happy with her, after all, it was her fault that I had to transfer to Heavensdale Academy and move here to Heavensdale. It was all because of her stupid promotion. My mother was a lawyer, you see, and a very good one, at that. "Has dad already gone to work?" He was a doctor, and luckily for him, transferring hospitals was easy enough since there was a shortage of doctors here in Heavensdale. I walked toward her car and looked at my appearance in the window, sighing at my plain appearance. I had short, curly brown hair- probably the only thing eye catching about me- which was tied in a short, neat ponytail, hazel eyes rimmed with thick lashes, a round face, framed with high cheekbones, and a nose which I always thought was way too flat for my liking. I was not ugly, in my opinion- partially because I believed no one in this world was ugly- however, I just thought I looked too plain to be considered pretty. Once I had completed my very unnecessary analysis of myself, I opened the door to the car and slid inside, turning the radio on. As my mom started driving to my new school I started singing along with the song. My beautiful voice began filling the car as I sang. My mother soon began singing as well, until we were both literally screaming the words out. However, this all came to an abrupt stop when we reached the building. It stood firm with its rock walls and clean windows which shone so brightly, reflecting the years of education flowing through each classroom. Teenagers littered the lawn outside the building as they spoke together, laughed together, and some, even sharing romantic moments together. The sight of such closely-knit groups of friends had my stomach doing tumble turns as I wondered if I would fit in anywhere. Slowly, after a few more seconds, I opened the door and stepped out of the car, taking a deep breath of air to calm me down. "Bye mom," I said. She smiled and blew a kiss before reversing and driving off. I turned around and started walking toward the entrance of the school, receiving questioning looks all the while, which did not, in the slightest, help my raging nerves. I then went to the office, which I found using my extraordinary navigation skills- not really. In fact, I got lost multiple times but was too afraid to ask for help. I did, however, eventually find the office after a full twenty one minutes of stumbling around the school. I walked to a very beautiful lady sitting on a chair. She had dark hair and brown eyes and beamed when she saw me. "What can I do for you dear?" She asked sweetly. Her kind nature immediately put me at ease, and I was at least partially capable of acting like a human being without social anxiety in front of her. "H-hello, I'm new here and not sure where to go. I would like your help please." "Sure! Anything for a teenager with good manners!" She said laughing. She then handed me some directions and a table with all my classes and their numbers. First was physics in room K2. "Thank you very much ma'am. Enjoy the rest of your day!" I said, thanking my lucky stars that I was no longer stuttering. She smiled at me and nodded. Slowly I followed the directions to my locker which stood near the geography classroom. I unlocked my silver lock and as I did it slipped from my cold, stiff fingers and fell on the floor. I was just about to grab it when a hand beat me to it. I looked up at the stranger who was taller than me by a head or so. She was very beautiful with long, lilac hair which framed her face in delicate curls. She had striking grey eyes which almost appeared violet, matching the colour of her hair. Her light, yet slightly tanned skin showed no signs of any blemishes and looked smooth to the touch. Slowly, a small smile made its way onto her face. "I think you dropped this." She said handing me my lock. At this moment, this very momentous moment, I found my words caught in my throat. I told myself over and over to calm down, and after a few seconds of severe mental preparation, I spoke. Thanks. Yes, that is the exact word which took so much of effort to get out of my mouth. "You're new, aren't you?" She asked, as I took the lock from her delicate fingers. By now I had warmed up. It was always the first words exchanged that had me in a mental mess. "Yeah, I'm Mystique." I said extending my hand and finally managing to muster up a smile on my face. "I'm Lacy, nice to meet you!" She said pulling me into a bone crushing hug. "N-nice to meet you L-lacy!" I wheezed. Lacy, you're scaring the new girl!" I heard a voice say behind Lacy. I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sudden popping out of nowhere of yet another person. Lacy let go and I peeked over her shoulder to see another beautiful girl with platinum blonde hair and the kindest blue eyes I had ever seen. She offered me a gentle smile, and immediately I felt my nerves washing away, as I realised that the people at this school were friendly and told myself I had nothing to fear. "I'm not scaring you, am I?" Lacy asked pouting. I shook my head no. "Well I'm Summer, just call me Summer!" The blond said smiling and moving closer towards us. "Mystique. Nice to meet you!" I said. Summer smiled and then asked, "Do you have any friends?" "Well no not really." I said blushing. By not really, I actually meant, No, not at all. "Then it's settled, you're with us!" Summer said. Well that was great. Two friends on the first day. Not bad Misty! "So where do you go first?" Lacy asked while putting at least twenty reading books into her locker. Someone was a bookworm. "I'm going to physics." I said looking down at my timetable which, by now was crumpled from my sweaty hands. "Oh, none of us have that subject. My brother does though. His name is-" But the bell cut Lacy off before she could finish her sentence. "We better go. See you around. Sit with us break!" Summer yelled as she became part of the jumble of rushing teenagers, as it dawned on me that I was, once again, alone. I began walking towards K2, following the directions on the map, religiously, all the while, telling myself that the people here were nice and that I had nothing to fear, also that I had cured my social anxiety like before, when suddenly, I tripped over a pair of sneakers. The sneakers belonged to a pair of feet which belonged to one of the tallest people I had ever seen. Unable to withhold my newfound confidence, as well as my pure annoyance at the lack of courtesy, I blurted out, "Excuse me Skyscraper, you nearly tripped me!" The entire time, I had been staring at the back of said Skyscraper, and as soon as he turned to face me, I gulped as I gazed upon his face. I felt as though the air was knocked right out of me. The teenager in front of me had bright, bluey greeny grey eyes, smooth, clear lightly tanned skin and a head of straight, sleek black hair which was styled to perfection and hung slightly in his face, framing it like the portrait of some kind of Greek God. He had a slight mischievous smirk on his perfect face and the renowned glint of playboy dancing across his eyes. "Feisty. Are you new here?" His deep voice spoke. And then he made a short whistle looking at me up and down. Definitely a player. I shook my head quickly and looked up at him with a straight face, immediately feeling a newfound anger inside of me. "Yes, I'm new. Now if you'll excuse me. I have physics to get to!" I huffed and walked in, completely ignoring his eyes which continued to shamelessly undress me. It was quite unnerving though, and I felt myself shiver with discomfort. "I see we have a new student miss-" I heard a clear, kind voice say. I turned to see a beautiful woman dressed completely in black, with a pair of glasses on the tip of her nose. "Miss Mystique Lillian, Ma'am, but everyone used to call me Misty." I said politely, still carrying some of my adrenaline from the encounter with the Skyscraper. She smiled and nodded towards an empty seat. "Well take a seat Misty. How about next to Jenny at the back over there." She said. I turned toward the classroom. Everyone was staring at me, including Mr Skyscraper who had made his way to his own seat and still eyed me curiously. The girl I assumed was Jenny lifted up her hand and smiled at me. Jenny had to have been a walking canvas. She was beautiful, yes, but her face was so saturated with make-up that she was literally glowing red, white and blue with the colours on her facial features. I was sure that with a little less, or no make up at all, she would be even more beautiful than she was at the moment. I slowly walked up to her and sat next to her. "Hey, you're cute!" She said twirling a strand of my curly hair around her finger and popping her chewing gum. "Hi, thank you. I'm Misty by the way." I said smiling. "Nice to meet you!" She said sarcastically and then she turned toward her friends next to her and started to ignore me. Clearly not everyone here was nice. The lesson went by and I caught the Skyscraper in the front glancing back at me a few times, causing me to glare at him. Yes, I was shy, but when it came to stuck up, player jerks like River, all of my shyness disappeared and my so called b***h-mode switched on immediately. Soon the bell rang, and I packed up my books and walked toward the door, receiving a glare from Jenny as I walked. In all honesty, I had no clue what her problem was with me, but I could feel some of my shyness creep up everytime her cold eyes met mine. I kept on walking, now looking down. However, as soon as I walked out of the classroom someone suddenly grabbed my arms and literally started dragging me across the hallway, causing my shoes to emit horrid squeaky sounds as they harassed the floor. The worst part was that I couldn't see my kidnapper at all as he then flung me over his shoulder. Judging by the distance I was from the ground, this person had to be extremely tall. "Police! Police! Help me. I'm being kidn*pped by some i***t!" I yelled as I was being dragged to a dark storeroom. Finally, I was let go and I grabbed a mop and switched on the light, revealing none other than the Skyscraper who had brutally assaulted me with his eyes in Physics. "You! Stay away or I will knock you out with this mop!" I hissed out. This caused him to smirk slightly and chuckle. "A mop? Really?" He asked moving closer to me, his eyes becoming more and more brooding. "Yes, a mop! I clean the house enough times to know how to use this thing for self-defence!" I yelled. This made him chuckle, and someone slap me in the face for thinking this, but even his chuckling was attractive. "Drop the act. We both know you're into me" he said tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear. I was taken aback. Yes, he was appealing to look at, just like flowers or a painting was nice to look at, however, that did not mean that I was into him. "Into you? That's very funny, now, you better stay back before I stab you with this thing!" I growled. "Feisty! I like it!" He said grinning. That just made me even more angry. "I promise you, if you come near me, I will make sure you accidentally break your legs. I don't even know you! Just stay away from me. I'm warning you!" I was sure that there was steam coming out of my ears. He widened his eyes and put his arms up in surrender. "Fine, go. We both know you're in denial. But you know where to find me when you're not so uptight!" He said opening the door and leaving. I followed and walked out, completely furious. It was only my first day and already I wanted to strangle someone. I breathed deeply in and out and took out my map when I was calmer. I followed them to my next class, mathematics. Mathematics went much smoother than physics because I sat next to a quiet girl named Kate. She was very kind, and so again, I had no reason to be shy. In fact, when my pencil fell from the desk for the fifth time- yes, my day was suckish- she offered me hers to keep so I wouldn't have to get up to fetch mine. As soon as the bell rang it was time for lunch. I took out my map once again and followed them to the field where everyone else was. I eventually found Lacy and Summer sitting at a table with a very handsome blue-eyed brunette sitting next to Summer. Lacy was reading a book very intently and gnawing at her red apple. "Hey guys!" Both Summer and Lacy looked up and greeted me. "Misty, this is my boyfriend, Damien." Damien smiled and greeted me. Once again, kind people. Was it just me, or was I lucky in the social department today if we excluded Jenny and the annoying Skyscraper. "So, you're sitting with the new girl?" A familiar voice said. I turned to see Jenny glaring at us, which had me thinking once again, what her problem was with me. "Yes, we are. You have a problem with that Jenny?" Summer hissed and raised a brow at her. "Just because you're the captain of the cheerleading squad, doesn't mean you are the boss of this school Summer. I am!" Jenny said flicking her golden hair. Summer just rolled her eyes and Lacy shooed Jenny away. "I really don't like her!" Lacy said. Summer agreed as well and said, She thinks every freaking thing is a damn competition. "Why what's wrong with her?" I asked confused. Summer and Lucy shared a look and then nodded in unison. "Jenny had always been on our case ever since Summer became the cheerleader captain and chose me over her." "Oh. That explains it." "Yeah," Lacy said, "but anyway, how was your first day so far?" That reminded me- "Terrible. Some i***t almost tripped me and then he tried to hit on me as well. Can you believe it?" I yelled. Lacy paled slightly. "Um what does he look like?" She asked slowly. "Well he ha-" However, I was interrupted by my ringing cellphone. "Sorry I have to take this!" I said knowing it was my dad. "Hey Sweetheart!" My dad panted. He sounded as though he had just run a marathon "Hey dad. You sound like your busy with work!" I said worried. "Yeah, I've been busy the entire morning. In fact, I have been on my feet running up and down this entire time. I just wanted to stay hi, since its your first day of school. I thought you could use something to brighten your day. But now I have to go. Bye honey." And with that he put the phone down. I smiled, he was always so kind-hearted to me, always making sure that I was okay, especially because I was so shy. I put my phone away and then looked at Summer and Damien. "So how long have you two been dating?" I asked smiling. Summer blushed wildly. "Two years!" She said biting her lip. I gasped, "Wow! Couple goals!" Then I turned toward Lacy. "And you Lacy. Do you have a boyfriend?" I asked. She blushed, "No, but I like that guy sitting over there with the cigarette in his mouth and the leather jacket." With that, she pointed subtly behind me. I turned around to see a very attractive guy with soft looking brown hair and gentle yet rough grey eyes sitting next to- wait was that Skyscraper! Immediately my mood soured seeing him and I turned back, not wanting, at all, to catch his attention. "Whats wrong Misty?" You look upset." "It's nothing Lacy. He is cute by the way!" I said referring to the bad boy. She agreed and then stuck her nose into her book once more with a flushed face and a smile. "I'm guessing youre a bookworm?" "Bookworm doesn't even begin to cover it!" Damien said chuckling and trying to snatch the book away. "Yes. I like to read okay! And anyway, I'm president of book club. Would you like to join Misty?" "No thanks, I'm more of a singer and maths kind of person." I said. Summer's eyes widened. "Singer? Well we have a choir. They're not good, but I have a feeling that you'll change that!" She said. My eyes widened. Really, where do I sign up? "You see that girl over there, Tamryn. She takes down the names of people eager to join. She's very sweet." Summer said motioning to a short, plum girl with deep dimples and a beautiful smile. "Okay I will join!" I said excited still Heavensdale High was seriously beginning to feel more and more like a place where I could actually belong. Soon the bell rang, and it was back to class for me. Luckily, I only had history and English left. I sat next to Lacy in English and with Damien in history since they were the only people I knew, and they were willing to switch their previous partners. When, at last, school was over, I rushed to my locker, only to find the Skyscraper leaning against it. He smirked when he saw me and I almost began to step back and turn the other way, when he began to speak. "So, I guessed right. This is your locker!" "Didn't I tell you to stay away?" I tried to control myself. He just shrugged. "I never listen to what people tell me. He then smiled a toothy grin and continued. So, Monique was it?" Could he honestly not even get my name right? "It's Misty!" I mumbled as he moved to the side so I could pack my locker. "So, what do you say you and I go someplace private?" He said nearing me and whispering in my ear. I shivered in discomfort. "Do you not get the hint. Go. Find. Another. Girl. To. Bother!" I said slowly, poking his chest with each word until I created enough distance between us. He chuckled carelessly, until he saw my angry face and he froze with a frown. "You're serious?" "Do I look like I'm joking? Skyscraper?" His grin returned. "My name is River. Not Skyscraper." And somebody slap me, again, for thinking this but, his name was attractive too. "River." I tested it and then shook my head, unsatisfied. "Skyscraper is better!" I said and then slammed my locker shut and walked away leaving River very confused and very distraught. My mom was already waiting so I climbed into the car. "Hey mom!" I said. "Uh oh. What happened now?" She asked looking at me amused. I sighed, thinking back to River. "The idiots in my school mom!" She giggled. "Only you could make your first day sound like any other day! At least you were mad, and not shy."