To Be or Not To Be

Sophomore Year Part I

   It's my first day back in my hometown after being gone for two years and having minimal contact with the friends I had left behind when I moved 900 miles away. I'd be lying if I said this upcoming year didn't have my nerves on end. I most certainly changed while I was gone for those two years. I become athletic, I experienced diversity whereas my small town didn't really have any. The kids I attended school with are from families that have been in this town for generations. I'm one of the few where that doesn't apply. My mother is from Montana and my father is from Texas. Luckily for me, they're divorced and it's been blissful not to hear arguing 24/7. My father went back home to his hometown in Texas and I decided to return to my hometown to help my mother. I have an older brother but he's off doing his own thing and living his life. Which is great. The only downside is that he left one hell of a reputation behind for me to be followed by. 

As I stood in front of my closet, I looked out my window and saw the clear blue sky. Not a single cloud in sight. I loved this time of year. August always smelled like hay and fresh cut grass. I decided to go with a light sky blue t-shirt and my favorite Wallflower brand jeans. The blue would make my eyes stand out . I put on my shirt and jeans, grabbed my dark brown western style belt and put on my light tan Ariat boots. My town was a small farming town. I usually wore my boots all year round. Never know when you might end up in a field somewhere or just taking a truck to go off roading. I grabbed my black back and headed out the door.

While I stood by my fence post to wait for the bus, I pulled out my silver iPod nano and popped in my headphones. Music always helped to get a good start and improve my mood. When the bus finally arrived, I hoped on and sat in the very back. I crossed my fingers and hoped no one would know who I was. I wasn't quite ready for the endless questions. I leaned back and listened to songs by Panic! At the Disco, Avril Lavigne, and Taylor Swift. After about 30 minutes, the bus entered into the high school parking lot and and came to a stop. After listening to kids screaming and yelling in the background, I jumped out of my seat and hopped off the bus. I don't think I've ever moved so fast. Back in Texas, I didn't ride a bus. Sometimes I forget how loud and obnoxious teenagers can be. 

As I stood in front of the school I used to dream of attending, I pulled out my ponytail and let my long, dark brown hair flow loose. I ran my fingers through it to loosen it completely and give it a messy appearance. No going back now. I headed into the school cafeteria, rolling my headphones around my iPod and tucking it into my jean pockets. I looked up and looked around. The school was exactly as I remembered it. Literally. Not a single thing changed. Ahead of me was a flight of stairs, one set going up, the other going down. To my left there were two classrooms, to my right the wall was lined with benches, and there was a large gathering of cafeteria folding tables. Yup. Nothing was changed. As I looked at my surroundings, I caught a few pairs of eyes trained on me. Oh, boy. Let the curiosity commence. As the silence dragged on, I began to feel my face head up. Okay, now we're at the point where this is awkward. I lowered my head and moved towards the breakfast line. I wasn't hungry, but at least this would give me something to do. I glanced to my right and sitting on a bench was a guy I've never seen before. He was wearing dark blue jeans and a black polo shirt. He had brown hair and the most exquisite blue eyes. All of a sudden I felt my face bump into someone's back. Great. Let's throw more awkwardness into this morning, shall we? I looked up to apologize and felt a pair of arms wrap around my neck in a tight hug and a high pitch squeal.

"Oh, my god! Selina! You're back! Why didn't you call me?!" 

After blinking a few times, I realized my best friend from middle school was glaring at me. I started laughing. Aimee was the girl I used to get into trouble with. Her mother encouraged our friendships in hopes that I would tame her daughter and balance her out. Yeah, it didn't quite work that way, but we were good at pretending it did. I hugged her tight.

"I'm sorry! I've been so busy with trying to readjust and settle in. Plus school registration. But here I am." 

I laughed. Maybe today won't be so bad. 

"Come over here! I want to introduce you to some new friends and hopefully reunite some old ones!"

Aimee grabbed my hand and dragged me over to the benches. I smiled and waved as introductions were made.

"I'm sure you remember Tiffany and Dana."

"Absolutely!" I said. I never lost contact with them. They caught me up in a group hug.

As they set me down on my feet, Aimee moved on to the next person. 

"This is Courtney. She's a senior this year, but we hang out a lot outside of school. She's my best friend. Besides you, of course." She winked and laughed. I smiled and shook hands with Courtney.

"Hopefully you'll be hanging out too. Aimee didn't tell me you were pretty. I'm sure you're gonna be surrounded by your fair share of guys." Courtney said. I blushed and shook my head.

"I'm not really into dating or anything. Friends are cool enough for me. But thank you." I smiled shyly and she laughed. 

"Oh this is gonna be a good senior year!" Courtney exclaimed. I was beginning to feel a little wary. What was I gonna get myself into now?

Aimee moved on, taking me with her. "This stud is Levi. I'm sure remember him. You two had a thing for each other before you left. And I'm betting you kept in touch with Mr. Matt here. He's been beyond excited for you to come back." 

"Hey! Don't oversell it now. Gonna make me look like the desperate one and Levi the cool one. That ain't right." Matt laughed. I eyed him intensely. He had to have grown at least a foot. We were no longer eye to eye like we were two years ago. He stood a good foot over me. Mr. Matt O'Brien was the super crush of middle school. I always wanted him, but never got him. As I stood there studying him, I realized the crush wasn't there anymore. His sea green eyes were still stunning, but they didn't hold that appeal for me anymore. I turned to Levi. 

"Been a minute since I've seen or even heard from you. How you been, stranger?" I asked him. 

"Been hanging in there. Same s**t, different day. I see you're still short." He joked.

I punched him in the arm playfully. "And I see that mouth still doesn't know when to remain quiet." I laughed.

He smirked and shrugged. "Not then, and definitely not now." 

I shook my head. Maybe some people really don't change. I turned towards Aimee and she had the stud I saw earlier by the elbow. "This is Damon. He was new last year. Moved here from Vegas." As she was talking to me, her eyes stared up at this guy longingly. Poor guy. When Aimee has her sights set on someone, she doesn't stop until she gets them. 

I looked up and smiled shyly. I held out my hand and as he grabbed it to shake, I felt a shock go through my finger tips up to my shoulder. I gasped and stared at him wide eyed. "Charmed to meet you, Selina. Not a very common name. I like it."

I tried to fight the oncoming blush. "Thanks. Yours isn't exactly common either. Especially in these parts."

The corners of his mouth slowly curved upwards. "I guess that means we're both a one of a kind."

At that moment, the bell rang. I quickly dropped his hand and throw my bag over my shoulder. Saved by the bell. Literally.