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West Virginia Falls High, you have the typical high school stereotypes, but you see I am a background character that one character who did not think was worthy of her own story. There I was Olivia Reed 17-year-old junior having a conversation with my best friend Juniper Strange, “It’s final Oli, I’m moving with my dad across town” Juniper cries to me. ‘How are you feeling?” I ask her knowing she will not give the answer she wants to give but an answer she thinks I want to hear. “I’m good babe, I’m more worried how Kip will take it” she answered jokingly. That is when I knew it was time to move on from all the sadness. Before I could answer the last bell rings, we gave each other a see you at lunch wave and I was heading to AP English.
As I walked towards class not looking where I was going because I was checking my phone, this guy 6’2-foot bumps right into me. “I am deeply sorry, here let me help you out,” he says while giving me his hand, when his hand touched mine, I felt a spark as cheesy as it sounds it felt like fireworks around us. I finally saw him clearly, he had medium tone skin with emerald green eyes. As we gaze into each other’s eyes I break it off, ‘No worries, where’s the rush erm–” I pause to see if I get his name but he interrupts “I’m sorry but I’m running, late mind directing me to the principal’s office?” I start pointing towards the directions and tell him “It’s right down the hall to your left.” he yells out a thank you and starts running down the hall to the right, then I start walking towards class I was already late and with Mrs. Percy is not a huge fan of tardiness. Walking into AP English did not go too well just as I knew Mrs. Percy, this old 70-year-old lady glaring at me if those looks were bullets, I would be dead already. ‘Miss Reed would you mind explaining to the class why are you late, this time” she scrolled me with her arms crossed before I could answer the speaker goes off “Olivia Reed please report to Principal West office please.” I give Mrs. Percy a quick smile and walk straight out the door on my way to see the principal.
Walking to the principal’s office had me thinking about what could I have done to be getting called in for, throughout my whole high school life I have never gotten into any kind of trouble I walk in and I see him the mystery guy from earlier. “Olivia this is Paul Vander, he’s new and you will be his tour guide” Principal West tells me, as Paul turns around, we lock eyes and smile “Oh it’s you again,” he says I smile and nod. “Mr. Vander this is Olivia Reed the top student here she’ll be your tour guide for the week until you get settled in” as if I did not have a choice but that is what happens when you make honor three years in a roll. “Why don’t you take Mr. Vander to get his books and locker Olivia?” Mr. West tells me while he is typing on his computer, I give Paul a look that was directing him out the door and on the way to the book store. There was an awkward silence on the way to the book store until he finally breaks it.
“Olivia, is it?” he says trying to start small talk.
“Olivia Reed, or Oli for short” I reply
“Cute name for a cute girl” he replies
Never in my life has this happened to me how do I respond, I think to myself. Luckily, we arrive at the book store and we had the lady upfront his classes while waiting for his book there was again another awkward silence but this time I break it. “So, Paul why’d move, when there is like 4 months of school, left,” I say while looking at a book of Shakespeare. I saw by the corner of my eye he was bothered by my question but he surprisingly answered it “My family and I move around a lot when my dad gets a promotion” cleaning his throat and checking if Ms. Jane was back with his books. From afar I see her coming with five big textbooks she yells out “A little help kids” we rush to her before she falls with the books, as we thank Ms. Jane we start heading to get his locker. As we finish getting Paul all set up the bell rings for lunch while Paul puts the last book into his locker and closes it he puts his arms on my shoulder “So what do you usually do for lunch?” he tells me. I didn’t even know he wanted to even have lunch with me “You want to have lunch with me?” I awkwardly say it looks like he did because he grabbed my bag and we started walking past the lockers and passed all the nosey classmates. We made it to the cafeteria. I could see Jael, Kip, and Spencer talking from afar, surprisingly Kip was crying when he was not.
“Kip I’m moving away, not breaking up with you” Jael reassures him, Kip and Jael are that one couple that has been together since first grade Jael was this pink-haired light skin with hazel blue eyes, Kip was this tall skinny dude with brown skin, and last but not least Spencer, she was this golden blonde hair with green eyes, “Kip your energy is distributing my ora, let’s do some meditations,” Spencer says while taking deep breaths in and out, Jael and Kip copy they all take deep breaths in and out. Spencer is that one friend that believes in those crystals and the universe has everything already laid out for us. “Look here comes Oli.. with the new hot guy,” Spencer says with such joy, all three stared at Paul and I walk towards them, “That’s Paul, I was speaking to him this morning,” Kip replies as we get to the table Paul puts my bag down on the table and sighs. Before I get a word out Spencer interrupts me “So Oli who’s your friend here?” Something else you should know about Spence is that she is a big flirt, Paul shakes Spence’s hand and introduces himself “I’m Paul, Paul Vander” Jael looked shocked by his name as if she knew that name but she brushed it off. “So Paul you got a girlfriend?” Spencer spits out of nowhere, of course, she does Spence was always the one who gets the guy and Paul Vander was her type “Straight to the point I see” Paul laughs “Yes I am” he continued to say it looked that the question Spencer ask made him uncomfortable because he brushed it off by asking a question we all regretted “Anyways Kip why were you crying?” once those words left his mouth Kip busted into tears. The remained of the day I taught Paul the do’s and don’ts of the school.
Finally, after school came I could feel my feet killing me from all the walking, and to make matters worst Jael left school early and I no longer had a ride as I walked back and forth calling to see if Spence had late cheerleading practice I dumped into a tall dark-haired stranger “I’m so sorry I didn’t see you there” I said to him, he scanned me up and down and he crossed his arms and said “No worries–”