Archville.

The bell rang, and I quickened my steps and brought out the work schedule that had been given to me by my aunt.

I was having an history lesson first and the class was on the 6th floor.

I climbed the stairs, and I was panting by the time I reached the 6th floor, I located the history class and entered.

" Good morning." I greeted

" Morning, I'm Miss Hailey, and I'm your History studies teacher. Say hello to your new friends."

I looked at the class, there wasn't any particular familiar face I knew, and they all looked unfriendly.

" Hello." I said in the tiniest voice I never knew I had, and they murmured their Hellos back to me.

" Introduce yourself." Miss Hailey said.

" I'm Priscilla Davids."

I said, and they began to clap.

"Sit over there with Troy. The guy with the dreadlocks."

I looked in the direction she was pointing in and saw a guy with dreadlocks looking at me with light blue eyes.

His dreadlocks fell over his eyes and he had the rest in a ponytail.

He smiled and signaled me to come over, and as I made my way to him, the whole class turned their heads to stare at me.

When I sat down, I noticed plenty of cute guys still staring at me until Miss Hailey cleared her throat.

History class was fun. Miss Hailey was a very funny person. She cracked jokes that made me forget I was uncomfortable, and I laughed hysterically until the guy in dreadlocks said…

" No offense, but why are you laughing that way? It's weird and creepy." he said

" I'm sorry."

" It's okay, I'm drake… Just keep being natural but find a way to laugh better." he said and I smiled.

I mean, I blushed.

After history, I had English , which was very boring. It was taught by Mr. Elias.

Then I had geography, by Mrs. George, then it was lunchtime.

I waited in line even though I didn't feel like eating.

I watched as friends sat in groups and talked and laughed.

Not only that, but I really hoped someone would walk up to me and sit with me, but no one did.

After three more subjects, the day came to an end. I found an empty classroom and brought out my ' lyrics '

It was where I wrote my songs and poems, and then I started to write.

*****

'Beginning of term seeming so dry.

How I wished it posed to me in style.

If only I had a friend to part my lips and make me smile.

Then I could have as well claimed this day mine'.

*****

I was about singing when a guy with brown hair and blue-green eyes came in clutching something between his hands and as I watched, a thick cloud of smoke came out from his lips then I realized he was smoking! It was against school rules to smoke and smoking was bad for the health.

I stood up and walked up to him and snatched it from his hands without thinking.

" And what the hell do you think you're doing?" He said those words as if I had done the same thing over and over again, but, he wasn't angry.

" It's… It's bad to smoke."

" It's not, if you've got a reason to."

" Reason or not, it's bad and how bad a reason is it, to want to damage your health?" I said confidently, and he bent to my health.

" It's so bad a reason when you see your mother bring in different men to your dad's bed, and you can't tell your dad anything about it while she tells him lies and lavishes his money to look good for those stupid men." He said, daring me to say something else to stop him smoking.

Meanwhile, my mouth had dropped open.

He scoffed, and went to sit with his back against the wall.

" I'm sorry…" I said and sat next to him.

" What do you think you're doing?" He asked, looking at me like I was a weird person.

" Trying to feel your pain. You feel kind of pushed out, don't you?" I asked him.

"Maybe? Kinda. But none of this is your business."

" You can talk to me, it's okay. After all, it doesn't cost you a thing. So what other thing seems bad enough about her doing that?"

He looked at me for a while and sighed.

"I've got some sisters who think their mum's doing the right thing."

" Why can't you tell your dad?" I asked him.

" My dad's got a weak heart. Doctors said to take it easy with him, and he's foolishly in love with my mother. If he hears the news, he'd probably break down completely and all his money would be given to her." He said, looking at the clouds visible out the window.

" And now you're the only one feeling the pain. The pain that you can't talk, can't say a thing." I said, as I could totally understand him.

I was always the empathetic type.

" You actually talk like you understand" he said, still looking out the window.

" Well, I've felt somehow that similar way before. Lying to everyone I was fine with my friends when, in actual, the girls I called friends, saw me as the DUFF"

" What's DUFF?" He asked.

" Designated Ugly Fat Friend." I said, and he laughed.

" They saw it from a movie and decided to nickname me that, even though I wasn't fat, and that was because no guy liked me. Couldn't tell anyone about the real nature of my friends because, I loved the smile on everyone's faces whenever I lied that my friends couldn't do without me."

" It all starts with a lie, doesn't it? I tell everyone… My friends, my girlfriend that I'm fine even though, I want them to know I'm not, but then they fail to notice. My girlfriend seems to be after my money and my friends, they like my cheery self, and it seems that's all they want to see."

" Listen, if things get too tough at home, how about you take a stroll. Clear your head from all thoughts, and breathe in some clean air. When you get back, you'll feel better."

" Does it work for you?" He asked and looked at me.

" It did and it still will. Just try it and if it doesn't work, well, we'll find another way of letting out your feelings." I said.

" Who are you?" He asked with a confused expression on his face.

" Uhn?"

" You're using 'we'. You don't even know me. And why do you make me feel like telling you all my sorrows when I just knew you existed some minutes ago?" He said and I smiled.

" I'm someone you can lay your head on, someone you can tell things to, a secret holder designated for your secrets." I said dramatically and he laughed.

" Jeez, I'm really feeling better. You're new?"

" Yeah, and you're old?"

" Gee, don't say it like that." he said, and I laughed.

" Okay, you've been here for a long time, then?" I asked

" That's better. I've been here since 5th grade." he said.

" I didn't see you around" I said.

" Oh I'm in the next building. A few minute walk from here. It's for high schoolers."

" Oh. Can't wait to get into High school." I said and laughed.

"There's nothing special about it, really."

"As if." I said and he smiled. Then, my phone rang.

It was Mera.

" Hey." I said.

" You gonna come home alone?" She asked and I looked at my new friend.

" Yeah, I'm fine." I said and ended the call.

" Going home?" He asked.

" If you are." I said.

" Then let's go together." he said, standing up and slinging his bag over his shoulder.

I hurriedly packed mine up, and put lyrics back inside it and wore my bag, and we set out together.

"So, tell me all about your first day." he said.

" It was boring. Had no friends.l, lonely and…"

And just like that, I got a new friend. Even though he wasn't in my year, he was a friend and he was a boy. Then the thought of the Green-Eyed Boy came into my mind and I smiled.

Things were surely going well.

By the time I got home, I had made up a fabricated version of how my day went well, how I got a load of friends and all.

I just had to make that fabricated version true.

<<<

The next day at lunchtime, I sat alone as I did the previous day and watched others laugh and play.

Then I saw him.

Green-eyed Boy???

Nope, just joking.

I saw my new friend, whose name I didn't even bother to ask.

He sat next to me.

" Took a while to find you, but, here you are." he said and I smiled.

" How were things when you got home?"

"Rough as usual, but hey, I took that little stroll, and it helped a lot." He said, and I beamed in a smile.

" That's great!"

" So, thanks a lot."

" Your name?"

"Michael. Just call me Mike."

" Hmm, I'm Priscilla, just call me Pris."

" Okay, that's cool. So, any friends so far?"

" None." I said sadly.

<<<

After break, we had PE and I changed into my gray polo shirt and black shorts, and then we went out on the field.

" Hey newbie, I'm Whitney. Do you have an interest in dancing?" A girl with peroxide blonde hair asked. She had watery blue eyes and was simply beautiful.

" Yeah, Kinda."

" Would you like to join the Archville dancing team? We're holding tryouts tomorrow during lunchtime.

" And we need members badly because we're having an interschool dancing competition in which the school wants to win the champion cup.

"And that's because I think they're actually scared they won't be able to beat Sunshine high school.

" It's this private school that has collected numerous awards and trophies for dancing, so, every member of the dancing team has been sent out to bring in people for tryouts." She explained and asked.

"Will you be able to make it?"

" Yeah, sure I will." I said happily.

I'll probably find more friends.

" You're that cute newbie that came yesterday, right? I'll teach you some incredible dance moves. Plus, I know the music they're playing. Its level up by Ciara, and it requires energy, so I can help you out with some killer moves that'll shock them. We'll do it in a class, I think we've got a free period After PE." she said.

" Oh cool! That's nice, I could really use some help." I said.

After learning the back bend exercise after falling so many times, I was given a round of applause.

Mr. Peters, our PE teacher, really seemed to like me. He kept on saying I could do it.

I changed into my jean short overalls after PE, and then I went to meet Whitney.

" Hey. It's Priscilla, right?"

" Yeah."

" We're trying out the moves on the field. We couldn't find a suitable empty class. Follow me"

" Oh okay."

" So has school been enjoyable?"

" Yeah. I got a friend."

" That's nice. Oh, and tomorrow there's gonna be shocking news. A Senior told me not to tell, but, I want to tell you."

" Oh, please do" I said and she smiled.

" They're spicing up homecoming this year. The girls would ask the guys out instead of the guys doing the asking."

I froze, and I could see she was pleased at my reaction.

" So now, the girls would do the asking out" she added.

HOW ON EARTH WAS I SUPPOSED TO ASK A GUY OUT!?

" And the loveliest thing, is the high schoolers are gonna join us, so I get to ask my boyfriend to go with me." she said.

" Wow, you're lucky."

" Don't tell anyone I told you."

We got to the field and I saw some of our classmates waiting. Some were playing music from their phones and were dancing.

" So, show us what you've got. So we decide if you need some brushing up or not." Whitney said

" If you want me to do that, then play me 'Good for you' by Olivia Roderigo " I said since it was the latest song that got me moving like crazy.

" Wait, I have that song." said a black-haired girl with brown skin.

" You've got it?" I asked

" Yeah, where are you, where are you… oh yeah. "

I pulled my hair out of the ponytail it was in and tied the laces of my tennies tight because when it came to dancing to that song. I wasn't shy.

The song kicked in, and I started to dance.

At first, I did cool moves, that was for the slow part of the song, but when it got to the chorus, I started to dance like crazy!

I danced with abandon.

This was my first time dancing in the crowd, though. Since, Sheena and Jean never let me take the spotlight. After all, I was their DUFF.

It was kinda great to see people watching me keenly, seeing them interested in what I was doing.

I kinda enjoyed the attention.

If it were in the past, I'd have shied away, but now with my hair flying in all directions? Not a chance.

The lyrics of the song flowed fast and as it came to an end, Whitney began to clap with an enormous smile on her face and as the music died down and everyone clapped, I could feel every eye on me, and although I was shy, I still put my head up.

" You're marvelous. I need more people like you, make sure to bring your best to the tryouts tomorrow, okay? By the way, allow me to introduce you to my friends." she said and led me to them as another girl took the spot where I had been dancing electricity seconds ago.

" Meet Yvonne and Zenith, Priscilla" she said.

" Nice meeting you." I said, and they smiled and returned my words.

By the way, Yvonne was the dark girl who played 'Good for you' for me on her phone.

Soon, the day was over, and I was with Mike again, telling him about homecoming.

" I would have loved to go with you, but, my girlfriend already asked me"

" Too bad. Then I'll have to face a guy? Aaaah!" I screamed and he laughed.

<<<

The minute I got home, I met only Chris and I screamed his name.

" Chris! I'm expected to ask a guy out for homecoming!! How on earth am I supposed to do that?" I asked and he turned off the TV.

" You did not mean that. So, it's true! The girls are really asking the guys for homecoming? Jeez, dream come true."

I sat next to him on the couch.

" I don't know how to talk to a guy. Each time I try, something stupid comes out of my mouth, and then they make me shy, and the only boy I've managed to talk to without blabbering has been asked out by his girlfriend."

" You know what this means?"

" What?"

" It's time for 'Operation ask a boy' "

" Operation what?"

" Not to worry, I, Mera and Val will take you lessons on how to talk to a guy with the main purpose of getting a date for homecoming. Classes start the moment Mera and Val get home." he said and stood up and climbed the stairs.

"He's crazy." I said, and I rushed to the kitchen and took out a bowl of pretzels and milk and sat, chewing hungrily on it.

" No, he's really crazy"

Because, I couldn't see myself asking a guy out for homecoming.