LOST IN A TEENAGE MIND
by Brianna Nelson and Amanda Meacham
The rubber band hurried away from my tormenting fingers as it glided across the room. I saw blue eyes flash in my direction as I inconspicuously reverted my attention back to my physics teacher. Sure, out of all the boys in the class it had to hit him. Luckily I was rescued by a gust of cold air drifting from the door. I quickly scanned the new girl and rolled my eyes at her flashy inept appearance. Really, the saggy blue butterfly shirt and jeans with rhinestones was not going to get her far. She handed the teacher her slip from the office and quickly took a seat next to Landon. Yes, THE Landon Wiles: senior god and rubber band victim. I’m surprised there was even a seat next to him but the boredom of an AP physics class must have weeded out his usual entourage of girls. Note to self: take more AP classes to reduce estrogen influence in classroom. I glanced over to see Landon and the newest mass of hormones whispering quietly to each other. Obviously her appearance didn’t reflect on her personality. She was perfectly capable of fitting in socially as long as her friends were blind. My eyes narrowed into a glare as I stared her down. The stupid flirt was probably already making plans for a fresh make out partner this weekend. Little did she know that Landon was completely and undeniably unavailable. It wasn’t that he was already claimed by anyone, he was just too good for anyone, especially someone like me. I’m mature enough to admit that yes, I was once among those bottled up bodies of estrogen that followed his every move, worshiped his body, and became infatuated with his very being. Even to this day I’ll still admit that Landon is a very attractive boy.
The ring of the bell brought me back into my harsh reality. As I pulled my frumpy, generic, black coat on I lapsed back into daydreaming. I thought of the warm dry heat of Arizona compared to today’s typical humid, chilly Oregon weather. I really do love Oregon but at times my mind returns to the summer I spent in Scottsdale, Arizona with my rich aunt. Reliving the illusion of my body burning from the sun was extremely useful and comforting on days like today. Really, black frumpy coat vs. sexy tank top and shorts. Which would you pick?
As I drudged into my Calculus class along with my fellow nerds I noticed an unfamiliar frumpy black coat dressed person turned toward the teacher. How I differentiated that coat from all the others is beyond me. As my brain slowly r couldn’t eacted (like it usually does as soon as I step into this classroom) I realized who the new frumpy freak was. It was her. Geez I at least be left in peace in my super nerdy classroom? For some reason this chick really irritated me and now here she was following me around like a bad case of fleas. As soon as the bell rang she took the seat between Landon and Brinley who was a sexy beast too but lacked Landon’s flawless smile.
He didn’t think I would do it, but here I was at a brand new high school where I could start all over and be hott and sexy, and I was wearing my Aunt Penny’s old gross clothes from some prehistoric decade just to prove him wrong. Wouldn’t he be utterly astonished when I sent him a pic of me and the beautiful man beside me. I could look disgusting and still snag a sexy-hott man. Life was good. I laughed to myself which startled Landon (I think that was his name) beside me and we quickly started talking about everything. We shut up quickly when Mr. Akers the physics teacher glared at us and started taking expertant AP notes on the wonders of gravity and its influence upon falling objects. After a while I turned my head and a blonde girl on the other side of the room was glaring at me. Glaring! What the heck was her problem? It’s never good to have enemies at a new school I’d have to let her into my mind.
After class Landon offered to walk me to calculus our next class. Of course I obliged! In the next class we all took off our vile black jackets. (Really if you had to live in this humid-stricken hell-hole why in the world would you add a black jacket to the drabness? I’m thinking I’m gonna hit up the stores and buy a sexy-hott yellow rain coat- this new fashion sense might really make me happy) anyway… in calculus glaring-blonde girl glared at me some more as I sat by Landon and his friend Brinley who, oh my heck, totally beat Landon in the sexy department. (I’d really have to get his digits and make him sit in on my photo I was sending to James back home. He’d be totally shocked and I hoped a little jealous. Hmm this could work out beautifully for me… what a lovely thought, I’ll have to get back to that the teacher’s talking now.)
ZZZZzzzzzzzz…ZZZZzzzzzzzzz…ZZZZzzzzzzzzzz……………calculus over… you know sometimes being a genius sucks. Like when you know the material before class and you can’t even fake like you are paying attention during class, and then you ace the test. Teachers hate that. It makes them feel useless you know. Oh well. I have more pressing matters. The blonde-angry-eyes is makin’ a beeline for the door I have to stop her.
“Hey wait!” says Landon.
“Yah?” says I.
“I thought we’d eat lunch together where are you running off to?”
“I was chasing that blonde girl-she was glaring at me and I want to know why.”
“Her? Oh that’s just Charlotte she glares at everyone don’t take it personal.”
“I’ll be right back I need to do this save me a seat, ok?” I spotted her long blonde locks across the cafeteria and sat myself down across from her and her friends.
“Hi” I said, “I’m Satari Josephs and you’re Charlotte. I don’t really know you, and you don’t really know me, but I absolutely love your name it is so gorgeous. And your hair is absolutely fabulous do you use Fructis? It totally shows.”
She stared at me like I was some stenchy dog that died in place of her Caesar salad and was pretending to be her lunch.
“Leave please!” she demanded as her friends let out guffaws of smothered laughter. (Well at least she had the decency to say please how thoughtful of her. I guess I must oblige.) I smiled at her and bit my tongue as the acidic comments started to ooze from it. Instead I wrote down my phone number and slid it to her and said, “If you need to borrow my physics notes I totally have them all, I know you were kind of distracted during that class.” I made a point to turn my head in Landon’s direction and very unsubtly coughed. “Or you know we could just chill or whatever. I have a feeling we will be great friends.” I smirked and walked away.
The twitch of the generic school clock seemed slower than usual as I concentrated on it rather than my teacher. Someday I would pay for my daydreaming with a B or two but honestly I didn’t care at the moment. The girl with the blue butterfly shirt was causing my stomach to twitch in rhythm with the clock. Jealously? Is that what I was feeling? No surely not jealously but yet I had to admit to myself that maybe there were still tender emotions for Landon that left uncomforting twangs in my stomach. I silently slid my folder into my navy blue backpack that so perfectly matched my eyes. Twitch 5…twitch 4…twitch 3…twitch 2…twitch 1… I braced myself for a quick get away. RINNNG!!! Finally… I quickly passed butterfly girl and beautiful Landon without glancing in their direction and sprinted to the cafeteria. I needed to talk to Wesley. Once I released this morning’s anxiety on him he would know how to make me feel better.
I let out a huge sign of relief and grinned as I walked in the cafeteria and saw my friends sitting together waiting for me. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to balance out the scale of how amazing my friends are and what a blessing they are to me. I quickly took a seat between Wesley and Kristine and began to unfold the reasons behind my flustered morning. During the middle of the story I glanced up to see stupid butterfly girl heading in my direction. Oh please no don’t you dare come try to talk to me. I felt like a 5-year-old as I fought the desire to hide under the table, plug my ears, and start crying. Ugh life sucks she is coming to talk to me.
“Blah blah blah I’m a stupid little freak with a big chest who can get any guy’s attention and now I want to rub it in your face. Let’s be friends.”
Ugh. Although I would have really enjoyed telling her to go to Hell I sufficed with, “Leave, please!” I could at least pretend that I was using manners.
“If you need to borrow my physics notes I totally have them all, I know you were kind of distracted during that class.” Yeah distracted is an understatement. This morning around her and Landon was more like infatuated freakiness. After she flounced away I quickly wadded up the slip of paper with her number on it that she passed me and chucked it into the black hole of my backpack. Groan! So I have now officially met THE Satari Josephs. That was an experience I could have easily passed up.
Just as I turned back to Wesley I caught a glimpse of wavy brown hair attached to one beautiful body. Oh man… and do I mean MAN. Why don’t they make more guys like that? His light brown eyes flickered across the cafeteria looking for an available seat. Ooh pick me! A neon poster with “perfect available seat and girl here” would have been perfect at this moment. No, get a grip on yourself. It’s just a boy it’s not like you haven’t seen any of them before. Oh but not just a boy. The defined muscles showed through his casual shirt that emphasized his tan skin.
“What the heck is your problem?” Wesley asked as he rudely interrupted this beautiful moment.
“Huh? What?” I whispered, not taking my eyes away from my latest vision. It had to be a vision. There was no way I could be so lucky to be here in his presence.
“What are you looking at? Really, what is wrong with you today?” I turned to look into Wesley’s concerned blue eyes. He has gorgeous eyes too. At this moment though I didn’t really care. I’m surprised I’m focused enough to even realize.
“Sorry Wesley I’m just having one of those insane days that no one can ever really explain.” I smiled apologetically and sighed as he gave me a light hug. I silently vowed to discover the identity of the new male although in a much more normal fashion than my behavior today. Project Gorgeous begins today.
I left Charlotte aghast and flounced (yes flounced I was being the cheery airhead-- why not live it up?) back over to Landon and Brinley!
“Well, that was delightful,” I said to the boys.
“Really? She looks like she wants to kill you,” said Landon.
Brinley turned away from his burger and looked towards Charlotte, “Dude what do you mean? I’m a guy and I can tell that look is not one of death.” (He sounded almost…Jealous?… did he like Charlotte? One more mystery for the matchmaking detective in me.)
I turned back to look at Charlotte again. She did have googoo eyes now, but for whom? I followed her eyes and they landed on…KALE! She was looking at KALE!
“OMG guys, I think she totally has the hotts for my brother look at the way she is drooling.”
“Dude! He is your brother?! He was in my chemistry class earlier he is a freakin genius!” Said Brinley, sounding utterly defeated. (Seriously, who was this guy?)
“Ya, it’s kind of a curse that is in our genes, we are all bloody geniuses.”
“Let’s not be modest,” said a sarcastic voice from down the table, (I think her name was Jeslee, and she was totally angry at me for deterring Landon’s adoration for her. She definitely had a little thing for him.)
“Well, should I be a liar instead?” I asked.
“Whatev.” She said and turned away, well, she turned, but her eyes soon went quickly back to me as they followed Kale towards the seat next to me. (Was he really that attractive? KALE! My brother?! Whatever I’ll deal with that later.)
“ Hey Kale, how were classes?”
“Perturb-ably plain.”
“Bi-literation, that’s hott,” I laughed.
“Indeed. What is that ghastly apparel you are wearing?”
“James dared me don’t you remember?”
“Ah yes,” he said fingering his chin, “I do recall this.”
“James?” Said Jeslee, “Is he your boyfriend?” Her eyes flickered to Landon and then back to me. All the boys stopped mid bite to hear the answer…(it was great to have this much power. And to be so admired.... interesting…)
“No, I said, he’s just our best friend back home.” (And then the power was gone, but I felt Landon scoot imperceptibly closer to me…. No I had to have imagined that, but then why on earth did Jeslee look like she was going to kill me with her eyes? Ugh… high school drama…)
Ring Ring! Oh glorious bell, which means PE, non-coed! Who ever would have thought I’d want to get away from so many hott guys?
I walked to the locker room with my new entourage and once in the safety of the locker room door, I shuddered vigorously to help breathe after so much testosterone. Unfortunately, Jeslee was behind me.
“What the heck was that freak!”
I tried to explain to her:
“Have you ever been in a situation where you just absolutely despised everything and like everyone and when you get away you just want to freak out? That is my freak out!”
“Um, I guess I understand a little bit, but you are still a freak. Hello! Landon and Brinley, so hott! Why would you shudder?”
“I don’t know I guess they aren’t really my type, but I can totally tell you dig Landon. Why don’t you go after him?”
“I don’t even like him.”
“Liar!”
“He likes Charlotte, and now he likes you I don’t even have a chance.”
“Are you kidding me? He so does not like Charlotte, believe me I know, I have a sixth sense for these things, and he is only looking at me cause I’m fresh-flirty meat, give it a week and he’ll be all over you.”
“He’s had three years and he has done nothing.”
“give me some time with him and I’ll hook you up.”
“You know you are totally a freak, but I think I might find I like you, if you let me give you a fashion makeover first.”
“Thanks, I guess, but totally lets do it.”
“Good, lets hit the malls after school, I wouldn’t mind if you brought Kale.” (She smiled)
“Wait do you like Kale? Or do you like Landon? Fickle woman choose!”
“Well, in case you aren’t the matchmaker you profess to be, I have to have options.”
“Fair enough, I’ll ask, but I can’t guarantee anything, he likes his lab too much.”
“Lab?”
“He is a genius.”
The teacher came in then, and made us all get locks and gym clothes. Ugh! And then I saw her—Charlotte! The teacher’s aid. (I wonder if she gets gym credit for that? That would explain a lot, that rear of hers was absolutely gargantuous!) We could have fun with this…
For the second time today the ring of the school bell forced me abruptly out of my thoughts.
