Love, Taylor | TS

Three

2003

I wasn't looking forward to the first day of high school. I wasn't looking forward to another year of passing through the hallways like a ghost. I wasn't looking forward to those sympathetic, forced smiles whenever I would accidentally meet someone's gaze. I wasn't looking forward to sitting in the back of all my classes all year long without a single teacher ever really caring that I was part of the class.

Actually, I didn't care much about that last one. Maybe it was better if the teachers didn't really pay attention to me. The worst thing they could ever do is call on me to answer a question.

"Breakfast, Rory!" Nana called all the way from the kitchen. "You don't wanna miss the bus!"

I was already awake and dreading the rest of the day. I got up anyway and got dressed. I trudged down the stairs and slumped in one of the four chairs at the kitchen table. Nana planted a kiss on the back of my head and placed a glass of orange juice in front of me.

"Eggs?" She offered, turning the stove off and scooping half of the scrambled eggs into a plate.

"Sure, thanks," I grumbled.

We ate in silence and when I was done, I got up to go brush my teeth.

"Leave your plate in the sink, please and thank you," Nana called after me, she didn't sound angry though, even when I groaned loudly and practically dropped the plate in the sink. Thank god it didn't break. I would have gotten an earful then.

When I returned to the kitchen to grab my bag and leave, my grandma stopped me, pushing my hair behind my ears tenderly.

"Have a good day today, sweetheart, okay?" She murmured before leaving a kiss on my forehead.

I rolled my eyes and walked past her. "Alright. I'm gonna be late."

"Be safe, please!" She called after me as I stormed outside. "And make some friends!"

I shook my head as I walked toward the bus stop. I sat in the front right behind the driver. No one sat next to me. The kids who recognised me nodded in acknowledgment but no one really ever said hi. Besides, I had my earbuds plugged into my MP3 player blasting some Green Day. I wouldn't want anyone interrupting Basket Case.

The only class I was really looking forward to was English. I knew we were going to be reading Pride and Prejudice and I'd already finished it that summer. I had my mom's old tattered copy in my backpack with me. English wasn't until fifth period though. I had to go up to the third floor and by the time I made it to class, all the chairs in the back were taken by an entire group of friends. Two of the guys were tossing a paper ball around. One of them was leaning on his chair so the front legs were in the air. If he fell back, his head would hit the wall. God, these kids were idiots.

I decided to sit in one of the empty chairs on the last row nearest to the window. The girl who sat next to me was on the swim team with me last year but she didn't say hi. Instead, she turned to the guy next to her to ask him about his summer.

The second bell rang and class started. I folded my arms over my notebook and dropped my chin over them, barely listening to our teacher introduce himself and the curriculum this year. How many essays we were going to have to write. How our grades were going to be divided. Which books we were going to have to read. What projects we were going to have. Boring stuff.