How It Begins:

As I walked into the gym for our orientation I had that tense tied up feeling in my stomach. The one that makes you feel nauseas and gives you the sensation of throwing up. I see a whole bunch of new faces and I wondered if the friends I had last year would want to be seen with me this year, if they had changed over the summer, oh no what about the new kids coming in from all the other schools in this area? What are they going to be like? Oh god I feel dizzy…

“Spencer, Spencer Over here!”

I look up and around all the chaotic kids on the bleachers looking for the person who apparently seems to know who I am.

“Over Here!”

I hear the same voice again but can’t find its owner, and then I see her, another unfamiliar face. Tan skin, shoulder length brown hair, chocolate colored eyes, and a smile across her lips that reach her eyes. It’s actually refreshing to see someone that looks so polite. She’s standing and moving her hand in a “come here” motion and shouts my name again. She looks down straight at me; I smile and start walking toward her but wait if I don’t know her, how does she know me?  Just as that thought crosses my mind the answer rushes right past me.

“There you are Ashley; I’ve been calling your phone since I got here”

I feel my face burning of embarrassment and notice the girl’s attention goes from me to the boy who is now walking up the steps toward her as she responds to what he had said

“Like I’m really going to hear it ring in this noise Spencer”

“Stupid” I whisper to myself as I turned away from both of them and started heading back down the only two steps I had gone up. How could I have thought a complete stranger was actually calling me, scratch that how could I be stupid enough to even start heading toward her when I don’t even know her

“Hey” I hear someone in front of me say “Are you okay?”  This time when I look up I actually see someone I know