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Chapter 2: Introductions and Introspections

You fight against the wind everyday. You fight against the strong gust that keeps threatening to fan your flames out. However, remember to not let this extinguish your spark.

~Starlight24

I accidently slammed into the classroom that I was supposed to go to, which caused all the eyes in the class to turn towards me. Another word for Day June Winters was Klutz.

I blushed furiously, which I could do at the drop of a hat, as the Lit teacher (whose name was Miss Clarice, as I read off the names of the teachers in another handy sheet of paper that Mr. Jones had gracefully supplied me with) opened the door for me. She had short cut black hair and looked pretty young. Her eyes were almond shaped and she had smeared lipstick on her large mouth. She was willowy, which was a kind way of saying that she had positively no figure except for her stick-like features. She gave me a beaming smile and kind of radiated this sort of positive energy.

"So you must be the new girl, Day Winters!" she exclaimed, and I sighed with relief (inwardly) that she hadn't mentioned my middle name. I smiled politely, trying to ignore the twenty sets of eyes that were looking at me in the class.

"Um... Yeah," I said. Well pardon me for not being socially active and being completely awkward. This was my first school in my entire life, okay? "I... I think I'm kinda late," I muttered, turning beet red. Curse my fair skin; I was so transparent thanks to it!

"It's okay, sweetie. We weren't actually going into the discussions yet, because we just ended our first book of this year a couple of days ago. So for the next one week, we're just gonna discuss the importance of Literature and whatnot. Knowing me and my class, though, we're just gonna while away our time and make fools of ourselves!" she chuckled. Okay then, this woman was kind of crazy. A weirdly nice crazy, though.

I stumbled towards the only empty seat in the class- one at the very front that was right next to the teacher. I was pretty sure I was blushing so hard that it looked like a tomato had thrown up on my face. Everyone was looking at me like they expected me to turn into a unicorn, create a rainbow and a pot of gold and spit out candy floss or something.

"So, Day would you like to introduce yourself?" asked Miss Clarice. How about a no, with a main course of no, and a side dish of no with a cherry of no on the top. I DON'T WANNA INTRODUCE MYSELF!

"Okay, I guess," I muttered, standing up. Of course, being the klutz that I was, I made my chair fall down behind me and my table wobbled. I don't even know how. I was such a liar, because it totally wasn't okay to introduce myself. Telling the truth was a virtue. "Actually I'd rather not," I said softly and plonked back down onto the fallen chair, which made me fall down onto the floor in the least feminine way. There were a couple of giggles from the class. OH MY GODS KILL ME NOW AND TURN ME INTO A PUDDLE SO I CAN MELT INTO THE GROUND!

The class was now looking at me like I desperately needed a psychiatrist, and that was probably true. I could feel myself burning up, and this had never even happened to me before! A couple of kids laughed. I wanted to dig a hole and hide in it for the rest of eternity. Ah... What a lovely thought. Actually not so much of a great thought, considering the mud and bugs that would crawl all over me (I actually hate mud more than bugs, because I actually have this weirdly creepy fascination with those six legged wonders), but any place was better than this. Even a random hole.

"It's okay," said Miss Clarice, giving me a sympathetic smile that indicated that she thought I was a wee bit off as well. "This is your first school. It's bound to have some new obstacles, right?" she asked. Sure, broadcast the fact that this is my first school to everyone, won't you? Hey can you shout a little bit more? I think the penguins in Antarctica are feeling a bit left out because they couldn't hear you.

"Uh... Okay then," I muttered, standing up again. Surprisingly, nothing tipped over and I didn't fall on the floor. This was a major improvement. "Hey everyone!" I said, trying in vain to muster up any of my courage that had remained faithful to me and not seeped through the gaps in my shoes and escaped. The class was still giving me a blank look. Wow, I'm pretty sure the understanding between us would have been the same if I was speaking in English or Elephant.

"I'm Day Winters, and I'm new around here. I... er... I used to be homeschooled because of my immune deficiency, and now I've kinda conquered it and... stuff. I hope I enjoy my time here, with all your..." I paused. Smiling? Happy? "Intellectual faces staring back at me," I said. OF ALL THE WORDS IN THE WORLD I PICKED INTELLECTUAL. Someone should give me a standing ovation.

I wanted to hit my head to a metal chair. This was so pathetically bad that even a zebra with a hip disorder could've done better (don't ask why I chose zebra, because even I don't know). I hurriedly sat back down, avoiding the gazes at me. "We hope you enjoy it here as well, Day Winters," said my teacher, who I suppose was starting to think I was some seriously nervous new kid.

*****

The class went on quite normally after my sudden appearance, but I couldn't help but notice a pair of gray eyes that were looking at me from one of the back benches. I tried to keep my head bent low and my face in an empty notebook that the teacher had given me, but my mind had wandered and hadn't come back to me.

I turned around to see a boy in the back bench looking at me quite unashamedly. He had light brown floppy hair that fell over one of his light gray eyes and a tanned profile. He had an athletic build and a squared face. He gave me a welcoming grin, which I gladly accepted. He however, continued to stare at me. I lowered my eyes and acted like I hadn't realized his steady and unwavering gaze.

After the class got over, Miss Clarice told me to wait while the rest of the students left the class in their steady stream, pairing up immediately and looking at me, probably discussing my weird entrance. My gray eyed stalker remained in the class with an air of laziness as he leaned back against the wall, his legs propped on the table. Miss Clarice looked at him with an eyebrow arched. "Max dear, why haven't you left yet?" she asked.

"I just thought I'd show Miss Clumsy over here around the place and help her settle in," Max replied. I felt a blush creeping up to my cheeks, even if I knew this was just an act of kindness. Miss Clarice gave him a pleasantly surprised look, like this was something out of the ordinary for someone like Max to be doing, especially to the crazy new kid.

"Day," she said, looking at me. "I want you to keep a low profile today, alright? I don't want your nerves help make a fool of yourself. I trust that you'll be a good kid here and make me proud. Just be yourself, honey, and everyone will love you." She gave me a long, hard look before leaving the room. I blinked. Did she think I was trying to fit in and make a fool of myself so that I got attention!?

Max laughed. His voice was pretty pleasing to the ear. "Day, don't get creeped out by Clarice. She's a bit protective at times and thinks she gives the best advice ever. She likes to hold this whole 'cool teacher' status with her students along with being respected. She's a pretty good person other than all of that," he said, and he had a mild British accent that streaked his words.

I smiled at him as he walked towards me. "I'm not actually as scared as she thinks I am," I chuckled. "I'm just generally very..."

"Clumsy?" he offered a hand and helped me up. He had pretty big hands compared to my tiny ones. "Remove your glasses," he said, removing them for me.

"Why?" I asked, snatching them back. Just who did he think he was? We'd only spoken for about five seconds and he thought he could just remove my glasses? Well that was nice.

"Nah, people tend to label you as a nerd if you have glasses and braces. And they'll also put you under the blonde category as well," he said, tossing his head back to remove the bang that looked like an eyepatch. "Also," he continued, "You have very pretty eyes." He smiled at me and my face flushed a bright pink. He wasn't at all like Dylan, who was so full of himself. He seemed to be able to dish out complements with ease.

*****

The rest of the day went fine, and I stumbled towards the cafeteria with my eyes scanning the map Mr. Jones had given me. The lunch hall smelt vaguely of stale oil and fish and I scrunched up my nose in distaste. Just then, I heard a familiar voice call out to me from one of the nicer areas in the hall that was far away from the kitchen. "Day, c'mere girl!" called out Dylan.

I smiled and rushed towards them. BAD MOVE ON MY PART. I didn't notice a mop lying on the floor and I tripped over it, falling on my left arm. Nothing hurt, except for the embarrassment that I was feeling. THAT WAS SO STUPID! WHY COULDN'T I HAVE WALKED LIKE A NORMAL, DIGNIFIED PERSON!?

"Miss Klutzy, huh?" asked a redhead sitting opposite Dylan. She was cute, with a golden tint in her big brown eyes and an adorably scrunched up nose when she smiled. Her teeth were perfectly aligned and pearly white behind her red (abnormally), small mouth. She kind of radiated these perky vibes and gave me a huge friendly smile.

"No," I said, rubbing my abnormally pointy elbow that was so sharp that it could pierce a tire. "Gravity just has a crush on me." A lot of kids who were looking at me started laughing, and I was surprised at how good that line was, considering I hadn't meant for it to just burst out like that. "You see," I continued, seating myself next to Dylan. "Its force of attraction on me is higher than the average human being. Are you jealous?" I asked, looking around at the blank stares of the people at my table. "I thought so." I muttered, realizing that I had made a scene.

Dylan rolled his eyes, and the girl on the other side of him peered at me. "Who is that?" she asked, acting like I was nonexistent and she couldn't ask me herself. She was hot. She had soft brown curls that cascaded down her back and a beautifully straight bang that licked her eyebrows. Her eyes were hazel and her nose was slightly snubbed, in a way that made her look like she was looking down on the rest of us 'little people'. Her eyebrows were so perfectly arched that I guessed they had been done artificially and her face was long and heart shaped. She was slender and tall and wore a plain pink tank top with a white cardigan over it. She just gave out this rich kid attitude that made me think I might just be looking at Dylan's girlfriend- Deirdre.

"This," sighed Dylan, his biceps humongous compared to her lanky arms as he slung an arm over her shoulder. "Is my new neighbor, Day Winters. Day, meet Deirdre Lacey, my girlfriend." Were we supposed to shake hands now or something?

"Pleasure," breathed Deirdre, her voice soft and snobbish. I didn't like her much already. She stuck out a mildly tanned (in this sort of freaky golden way) arm at me and for a moment I didn't know what to do. Then I pushed my tiny arm into hers and shook it really hard, causing her to look at me with utter distaste. Yikes.

"Hey, newbie!" said the perky redhead. She seemed sweet. "I'm Hailey, BT Dubs. This is Marie Spindle," she stuck her arm out at a pretty, dark girl who was checking her perfectly pointed nails. She had wavy brown locks and sharp features. Her eyes were large and reminded me of chocolate fudge and warm sundaes. I'm sorry, but the similarity seemed worth mentioning. "Dylan Daniels, whom you probably already know; Bryan Acosta, who happens to be one of the nicest guys ever," she pointed to a sandy brown haired boy with big, light brown eyes who gave me this incredibly adorable and cheeky smile that I had to return, succeeding in only making myself look retarded.

"This," cut in Deirdre, deciding to talk to me. Oh, I was so honored. "Is Zachary Taylor, who is Marie's boyfriend," Marie looked up at this, and gave me this 'He's all mine' look, before returning to her nail job. Zachary was probably the skinniest of the three guys there, with a lanky stature and a cool and funny air to him. His black hair was messy and his eyes were a dark blue like the depths of the ocean.

"Yay," I said, feeling a weird comment trying to burst out. "Now what the hell am I supposed to do?"

The lot gave me a very blank stare. I couldn't blame them. I needed serious mental help.

"I mean," I said hurriedly, trying to cover up for so blatantly showing that I didn't care. "Nice to meet you all! My name is Day Winters-" Dylan cut me off by coughing up a 'June' in the middle of my sentence, but I chose to ignore him. "And I'm kinda new around here. I... Should probably give y'all a quick description about... um... Myself and stuff... Actually never mind," I blabbered. OH MY GOODNESS WHY WAS I SO COMPLETELY STUPID.

"You're so stupidly cute," remarked Hailey. Well then.

"I happen to be extremely nervous, if you don't mind," I said, feeling a frown growing over my face. "When I am nervous, I say all sorts of things. I've never been to a school before 'coz I got sick really easily and now my parents wanted me to face the real world after I conquered my immune deficiency. So here I am now, telling you all sorts of rubbish, and please ignore me. It will do us all a world of good." This had to be the hundredth time I was telling someone that story. I was going to record it and play it on my phone from next time, I swear to god.

"Hey, can you shut up?" asked Marie, and I flushed angrily. Gods, I didn't like this crowd much. Dylan gave me an 'ignore her' look, before he grinned at a girl who passed by.

"Hey, are you the chick who left me a note on my car?" he asked, and I realized he had a little dimple on his left cheek. Oh gods, what a stalker I was; I really needed to stop paying so much attention to everyone's appearances.

The girl blushed. She was a cute, perky junior who had her blonde hair tied up in a bun at the top of her head. She looked like a cheerleader, with her miniskirt and crop top. She looked us with her huge brown eyes and leaned onto his chair. "Depends on what note it was and your response to it," she gushed, and Deirdre slapped her arm angrily.

"Excuse me that happens to be my boyfriend, so you may go screw yourself," she hissed, pulling Dylan's lazy arm away from the other girl's arm, and threw her soft curls away in a dramatic hair flip. The girl shrugged and pranced away, with her giggling friends around her.

"Deeds," said Dylan, in mock protest. "Stop being so overprotective! Not like I was gonna do anything apart from humoring her," he said, his eyes wide. I realized that maybe Deirdre may not be your everyday player popular girl, but more of a protective, normal being.

*****

"Heyo," said Deirdre, scaring me so much that I nearly dropped all the books that I was carrying to go to Physics class. Max had told me (in a very brief meeting that we had earlier today) that we would see each other again during that period, and I was vaguely anticipating it like an excited puppy.

"Hi!" I exclaimed, pleasantly surprised that she was taking the time to say hi to me.

"You seem nice," she said, smiling. "And also kinda lost, right?" I nodded.

"Oh my goodness, I made a fool of myself back at the lunch table, didn't I?" I asked, biting my lip.

"Chill," said Deirdre, grinning. "We love you more now. It's kind of like loving a dog. You just grow on us!" she gave me a huge smile, and I cocked an eyebrow.

"So now you are calling me a bitch?" I asked.

"What?" Deirdre looked confused.

"You just said I was like a dog... And a female dog is... You know what? Never mind. I usually make no absolute sense." I shook my head. I thought way too much for my own good.

Deirdre laughed, "Dear lords. You are a messed up kid." I looked at her with this new found love. So she isn't the Mean Girl character that I pictured, was she?

"Hey, are you free later today?" she asked, punctuating a particularly awkward silence.

"Yeah... why?" I asked, interlacing my fingers of my right hand with the ones on my left. Oh my Gods... This was my first day at school and the Queen Bee was asking me whether I was free? This was amazing!

"Can you come over to my place for a while? I'll send you the details of where it is and stuff via messaging. I could help you settle in and show you the 'who's-who' of the town," she gave me a beaming smile. I loved this girl.

*****

"Hey, you free later today?" asked Nat, randomly barging into my personal space (AKA my locker!). People were suddenly very interested in me. No complaints there!

"Sorry Nat," I said, genuinely meaning it. I looked at the girls around her. There was Tracey (who I knew; she was in my math class), Gloria (whom I had a brief exchange with thanks to me accidently tripping over her leg and spraying orange juice on her pants) and Mindy (who I just knew, and I didn't even know how). "I would have loved to join you, except... Deirdre called me over to her place. Maybe next time?" my voice sounded hopeful.

Nat suddenly went all rigid and cold, and Tracey shook her head and gave me this 'oh, you poor child' look. "Okay," said Nat, her voice making my hair stand on one end. Had I done something? "If you choose to want to hang out with Deirdre and her bunch," she spat, "It's fine by me. I don't wanna be someone's back-up plan if Deirdre isn't there. You had your chance to get to know the real cool kids, but you blew it. Your loss, not mine." And with that, she huffed and walked away.

I stood there, unable to speak. Okay, then? Now what? Had I just made an enemy on my first day? I suppose she hated Deirdre, but that shouldn't make me hate her! So now I was going to get the cold shoulder from Nat. Just great.

Hopefully nothing else would go wrong today. Then again, knowing my luck, we'd have a full-fledged hurricane by the time I get home, crossed with a blizzard and an earthquake. That seemed more plausible than the day going peacefully and well, with nothing bizarre happening. It was Murphy's Law, and it always seemed to work on me. Que Sera, Sera (which means what will be, will be- HAH WHAT UP LINGUAL SKILLS!).

Eh, my introductions and introspections had been a muddled up set.

A/N:

How was that? I just introduced a BUNCH of new characters :) #SorryNotSorry

Who do you like the most? Dylan is my personal favorite ;) I'll be giving you a better character build-up in the following chapters!!

Teaser: Major comment war coming up!!

Pic of Nat on the right :) I changed her cast lol

Please Comment/Vote/Follow/All of the Above if you liked this!!

BTW best comment gets a dedication (this holds true for all my chapters, so I may not write it every single time if it's okay)!

Song of the day: Sorry by Justin Bieber

Love you all,

~Lexi