The sign that resides on the outskirts of town reads "Welcome to Fife Lake!" What it should say is, "Welcome to Hell." Ok, so maybe I'm exaggerating a bit. (After all, Hell, Michigan is about 50 miles west of us.) Fife has a population of roughly 394. Not the smallest as far as little towns go, but by no means are we a bustling metropolis. Now, you can imagine that, as a small town in the middle of nowhere, it's not everyday someone new moves in. I don't think I'll ever forget that day.
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"Child! Get up! You're going to be late."
I groaned and rolled out of bed, rubbing my eyes with my palm as I tried to reach my dresser. I withdrew a pair of faded blue jeans and hopped into them, trying to pull both them and a t-shirt over my head at the same time. I jammed my feet into my ratty tennis shoes, grabbed my bookbag, and ran. It's always amazed me how many freshman a year jump in alarm as I slam into the commons, running (and sliding) across the tiled floor to reach first hour in time. Every day for the past three years, this has been the ritual. Some days I thought of it with disdain. After drama I would head to whatever second hour class I had that quarter, followed by third and fourth hour. Lunch would be spent playing cards with the guys and listening to music (I never had time to eat, so why bother?) before heading off to hours 5-8. At which point I would turn around and run home so I could maybe catch some sleep before going out to work.
I hauled ass to the drama room, arriving 15 seconds before the bell. My friend Reno looked up at me, flicking his bangs out of his face in annoyance.
"You didn't have to rush, you know. Sub. We're not doing anything today."
I stuck my tongue out at him as I dropped onto the floor beside him. Alexx, another childhood friend of mine turned and grinned at me, excited as a kid at Christmas.
"Yo, Han, you heard about the new chick?"
Reno raised an eyebrow at his brother then looked at me, sighing as we both shook our heads. Alexx practically wet his pants in joy as he spun to look at us, settling down only to tell us the full details of the newbie.
"Haven't managed to catch her name yet, but she's a real cutie," he paused here to waggle his eyebrows at me in a very suggestive manner. "Heard it said she's from way out there. San Fran or something of the like. And, she's supposed to be in here this hour." All this was said in less then a minute.
I looked around the room but saw only familiar faces; faces I had seen since I was five years old. I started to open my mouth and snap at Alexx for being stupid when the door opened and in walked what was, apparently, the new girl. Her head swiveled one way, then the other, before she took out one of her head phones and said, "Yo."
She then turned around and walked back out. The entire thing couldn't have lasted more than a minute. All 24 of were struck speechless as the sound of the oak door slamming shut echoed through the room. When someone finally spoke it was Reno with a simple, "Well damn."
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I was late. Again. It was one in the afternoon for fuck's sake and I was late. My first four classes had gone on in similiar fashions, sometimes she popped into the room (with a junior class of 50, it's hard not to have someone in at least 2 of your 8 classes) and sometimes it was just talk about her, but it seemed like everywhere I went, so was she.
I burst into the stairwell, intent upon getting to Sociology before Drake decided to kill me and feed me to the freshman when I stumbled onto a very...unique scene. There she was, whatever her name was, in her own little world of music and movement. She danced gracefully across the floor, her body swaying and moving like smoke from a newly blown out candle. I watched as she tripped mid-motion and went flying and rushed to catch her lest she knock hersself out. That would be awkward, I thought, me showing up carrying the new girl into the office and explaining, "Well see, I caught her dancing but she tripped and hit her head. Yes I know Mrs. Rona, I'm supposed to be in Drake's class but-No Mrs. Rona, I'm not using this as an excuse and-" ugh. What a nightmare.
I dove and lost what little breath I had left in my chest as she landed on my back, shooting back up with an, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry are you okay? Please answer me, I'm sorry!"
I rolled over and nodded to show I was alright before tentatively sitting back up and attempting to breathe. I stuck my hand out to her saying, "Hannelore Quinn. Y tu?"
She laughed at my poor spanish as she grasped my hand.
"Yelana Flock. And it's pronounced Ee Too."
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Okies guys, it's me, graphic_nun. I'm a little brain dead right now, and I know that, while I need an ending to my short story, I can't think of one right now. Please, please, PLEASE give me feedback. Tell me how I can improve it, what you like, what you dislike, any errors you see, anything that will make this better. ^_^