Right In Front of Me (Finished)

Chapter 9: First Day Of School...

Later on that day, my mom forgave me and Greyson, thank goodness. I would hate it if my mom hated Greyson, because I'd probably be banned from ever talking to him again. Although, my mom still doesn't know about the bridge, but I'll save that news for another time, since she is just now forgiving me for piercing my ears and cutting my hair.
        It's the next day, and Greyson is helping me pick out what to wear tomorrow, since it will be the first day of school, and phase 1 for Operation Hayden. We haven't come up with a real name for it yet, so that's what I'm calling it until then.
        "Okay, how about this?" I ask Greyson, holding up a top with a cardigan. "No, it's nice, but not popular worthy. You get it?" He asks me. I stare at him blankly, but eventually, I nod. "Okay, then what am I going to wear?" I asked, flopping down on my bed. "This." Greyson said, holding up a body con skirt. I widen my eyes. "NO!" I yell. "No way am I going to show up to school in THAT! My mother will take one look at me, and then go draw a bath of Holy water and pull out a turtle neck. I do not think Hayden will fall for me then. People will start calling me 'Amish Avalon' because of the turtle necks!" I ramble. "Okay, okay. Fine," Greyson says, widening his eyes at my craziness. I laugh.
        "Okay, let's compromise. How about this?" Greyson presents a dress to me. "I think it will work. Nice job, Greyson." I say, high-fiving him. "I am so nervous for tomorrow. Promise you will be by my side to help me the whole time?" I beg him. "Promise." he says. "Yay!" I say, hugging him. I am still super nervous, though......

         The next morning arrives too soon. I wake up to a tapping on my window. I get up from bed and let Greyson in. "Hey! You ready for today?! Today is the day that will make or break your reputation. Are you ready?" Greyson says. I widen my sleepy, puffy eyes. "Yeah, no pressure there." I say sarcastically. "Sorry. I am just so excited! Let's get started." He declares. Then he frowns. "Your eyes are so puffy. Don't worry, I can fix it. Go downstairs and get a spoon and a cup of ice water." He instructs me. I nod and head downstairs. When I return with the water and spoon, he has set out all my makeup.
        "What are these for?" I hold up the spoon and water. "Set the spoon in the water for a few minutes." He tells me. I do. After a few minutes, he tells me to take it out, and press it against my eye. I squeal when the cold metal connects with my eye lid. "It's okay. You'll get used to it. It helps with the swelling." Greyson informs. I nod.
        Eventually, my eyes look almost normal. "You can also keep a spoon in the fridge instead of using water" He says. "That's a good idea, Greyson." I reply. At the mention of his name, Greyson turns and looks at me. I blink. "Okay, step right up, Madame, and take a seat!" Greyson says, like a ring leader. I giggle and take a seat on my swivel chair. He spins me around, making me laugh. "Stop! We don't have time for this!" I giggle. "You're right. Let's begin, with the outfit!" He declares, handing me the outfit. He turns away and covers his eyes. "You have thirty seconds, go!" He demands. I roll my eyes and take my time. I have my dress pulled only up to my waist, as I clasp a necklace around my neck. I fumble with the clasp when Greyson turns around. "Greyson! Turn around!" I scream as I frantically pull up my dress with one hand and hold the necklace against my collar bone. "I told you that you only had thirty seconds." He said with a shrug and a giggle. My dress is now covering my chest, so I use that hand to slap his arm. "Oh, you want to start this again?" He questioned, making me remember our argument on whether he was allowed to slap me or not. I smile and say, "Oh, just turn around!" He does. "You're lucky I was wearing a strapless bra..." I mumble.
        After I am fully dressed, I tell him to turn around. When he does, he smiles. "You look beautiful." He tells me. I can tell, he meant it. I blush. "Well, let's hope Hayden thinks so, too." I say, hopefully. His smile soon fades. "Let's do your makeup." He smiles again. "Are you sure you have to do it? Can't I do it?" I ask him. "No! Can I pleeease do it?" He begs. "I guess so-"
"Yay!" He exclaims. I smile and roll my eyes.
        Once he's done with my face, he curls my hair, then he shows me to the full body mirror. "Wow... I look... great! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" I say tackling him in a hug. He sets me down. "Whoa, whoa, you're welcome. Now, you wouldn't want to wrinkle your dress, would you?" He points out. "You're right!" I smooth down my  dress and put on my ring and heels, which are gorgeous, by the way. I bite my lip, unsure. "You look great. Don't worry," Greyson reassures me, "Hayden will be falling for you in no time. Plus, I'll be with you to help you with the talking." I nod. Then I make a face. "What if people ask me who I am? Or if I'm new?" I ask, worriedly. He answers calmly, "Tell them the truth. 'I'm Avalon Starr, and I've gone to this school for two years'. See? It's easy. Plus, we have most of our classes together." I nod. "Okay... but how should I know how to act in the classes without you?" I know I'm being a pain, asking all sorts of questions, but this is my first year of school being confident, and I don't know how to be confident. "Just... be you. But braver. Don't be afraid to talk, and say things you usually wouldn't. Also, it wouldn't hurt to flirt a little." He winks at me. "But I like Hayden." I point out. "Yeah, but you don't want everyone to know that. Plus, if you're going to be popular, you need to make guys think about you." I make a face at his remark. He rolls his eyes, "You need to say things that will stick in his mind all day, until he finds himself thinking about you. If people don't think about you, they'll probably begin to forget about you. Which means you are not popular, and you can kiss Hayden goodbye. Well actually you can't, because you wouldn't be popular." He informs me. "Why do I feel like We're in 'Wicked' and I'm Elphaba, and you are Glenda?" I wonder. He laughs. "C'mon, you can do this. Okay? Believe me." He says. The look in his eye tells me he really believes in me. So I nod.

        I get out of Greyson's truck, and look at the school. "This is it." I say. "Yup." Greyson says, slamming his door. He starts to walk in and I follow.
        Inside, there are a ton of kids watching a guy, I think his name is Joey, dance. They are all in a circle, letting out 'Yeah's and 'Whoo's. In the morning before school, kids are allowed to come in early and perform for whoever shows up to watch. As long as we don't vandalize stuff, we can roam the school.
        The first person to notice me isn't Hayden, sadly, but it is a guy. I don't know who he is, but he said, "Hey, girl, you got it going on." He smirked. Assuming it was a compliment, I say "Thanks" in a quiet voice. Then I remember what Greyson said, and I clear my throat. "Yeah, I mean, thanks. What's your name?" I ask in a bolder voice. "Diego." He answers with a side smile. I look over his shoulder to see Greyson clapping along with the crowd. I look back at Diego and smile. "Diego,"I repeat, "I like that. Is it Spanish?" I tilt my head. He smiles wider. "I guess so, yeah. What's your name?" He takes a step closer to me. "How do I know I can trust you with my personal information?" I tease. He raises his eyebrows. I do the same. Where did this sudden burst of confidence come from? "What is that supposed to mean?" He bites his lip. "It means, how do I know you're not a criminal?" I say. "I'm not saying I am, but I could steal your heart pretty quick." He says. I see what he's doing here. "Is that so?" I counter. "Yeah, it is. Look, I already got you blushing." He smiles triumphantly. I roll my eyes. "I bet you couldn't do it."
"Is that a challenge?" He asks.
"I believe it is."
There is a pause. We both smile.
"Alright. You'll  see. But I'm still gonna need a name."
I stop and make a big deal out of deciding whether I should or shouldn't tell, making faces and wrinkling my nose. He thinks it's cute, I can tell. I finally sigh, like I've given up.
        "Avalon."

        In first period, six people talk to me, asking where I'm from, and I told them I was from here, and asking my name. "Avalon Starr." I say confidently. A girl with a cartilage piercing says, "No way. Avalon. Starr? You're joking." I believe her name is Yolanda. "I'm really not." I say. "Wow, you are, like, transformed. You were so different before! What happened?" She asked. I shrugged. "I guess I just... started talking." That gets a laugh from all six people. "And you are...?" I ask the other five. Yolanda points to each of them, "Taylor, Jackson, Lana, Mason, and Mercedes." I noticed Jackson and Lana holding hands. I nod, "Those are really cool names... and are you two...?" I ask pointing at Jackson and Lana. They look at each other, then at me.  "Yeah..." Lana says like she's embarrassed that I pointed it out.
        Throughout the rest of the period, we all talked. I learned that Taylor plays lacrosse, Mason has a band, which Mercedes sings in, Yolanda is a horseback rider, Lana is a painter, and Jackson plays football. They are all really cool.
        In second period, Greyson sits next to me and I tell him about Diego's encounter, and Yolanda, Mason, Lana, Jackson, Mercedes, and Taylor.
        When the teacher calls role, He calls Greyson's name way before mine. He say "Present!" in a funny voice and smiles. Giggles come from every direction, and one girl mouths 'call me' to Greyson. He smiles and looks away from her. He's obviously not interested.
        When the teacher calls, "Avalon Starr..." All eyes are on me when I smile and say, "Here!" A few gasps escaped people's mouths. I hear one girl whisper to the one who told Greyson to call her, she said, "Is that really her?! She looks so different!" A guy says, "Dang, she got hot!" I just smile, and wave to Taylor, who is on the other side of the room. Everyone calms down and the teacher calls a new name.
        Third period is a relief, and a shock of scariness, due to the fact that HAYDEN IS IN THE CLASSROOM! And, since we have to sit in alphabetical order, he sits right next to me! I casually slip into the seat and say, "Hey, I'm Avalon." I finally squeezed the words out of my mouth. That was the moment I had been looking forward to and dreading all day long.
        He flashes a movie star grin at me. "Hi." I smile back. He puts his hand out. "Hayden." He tells me. I shake his hand. "I know-" I cut myself off. What was I thinking!? Could I sound any creepier? "I-I mean-" This time the teacher interrupts me by saying, "Hellooo, class!" There are a few 'hellooo's returned. Hayden turns away from me.

        In forth period, I get a few people to notice me, but I don't care right now. I'm obsessing over the fact that I struck out with Hayden right now. It's between 4th period and 5th period right now, and I'm walking with Greyson. "That's it? You two said 'hi' and he turned away? That's IT!?" He exclaims. "Yeah..." I say, bummed out. "Well, there he is now! Let's go talk to him!" Greyson says, dragging me over to him. "What? No! Greyson! Stop! Wait!" I yell, grabbing Greyson's arm and tugging him back to me. "What?" He asks. "We can't do this! I can't do this! What would we even say?" I tell him. He shrugs, "I don't know, let's go find out!" He exclaims, pulling me in front of Hayden... who is standing next to a girl... uh-oh. Bad timing!
        "Hayden, my man!" Greyson says giving him a bro hug. "How'ya been?" Hayden shrugs, "Okay, I guess. Football season should start soon, so I guess I'm doing good. You trying out this year?" He asks. His voice is so beautiful... okay, now I sound crazy. "Nah, I'm more the lacrosse type." Greyson answers. Hayden nods. Greyson nods. Soon enough we're all nodding- this is too weird.
        Greyson re-discovers my existence. "Oh, hey, this is my friend-" Greyson gets cut off. "Avalon. I know. We met in 3rd period. Sorry I kinda ignored you after you introduced yourself. My mom really wants me to keep up my grades, or else no football team." Hayden says to me. Okay, time to turn on New- Avalon Mode. I smile, "It's alright. And seriously? No football team?" I say, interested. "Nope. Only if I get a B or higher in all my classes." He says. "Oh, well then, I'll try not to distract you too much in class." I say. He laughs. He. laughed. At something I said. Okay, I am fan-girling over a guy. This is really weird. "Do we have any other classes together? Because I just want to sort out what classes I can talk in, and which ones I can't." I say in a flirty tone. Not too flirty, though. "Oh, well then, I'm not sure I should tell you what my other classes are, 'cause that would mean you not talking to me. And who would want that?" He says to me. "Valid point..." I say, nodding. He smiles. I smile. Greyson ruins the moment by saying, "So, who's your friend here, Hayden?" He asks, referring to the girl to Hayden's left. I've been thinking the same thing for the past two minutes.
        "Oh, Hallie, this is Greyson and... Avalon." Hayden says looking at me when he says my name. It sends chills down my spine. "Hi. I'm Hallie." She says. We shake hands. "So, how long have you two been together?" She asks, looking at Greyson and me. "Oh, we- uh, no! No! We're not... ew, no!" I say while Greyson says something remotely similar. "Oh, I just assumed- well because- sorry." She giggles. "It's okay." I say. "So, are you two..." I say, pointing vaguely at Hayden and Hallie. They look at each other. Then at me. "We're not- No... we're just friends." Hallie says. They look at each other as if to confirm what she just said. They nod and look at me. "We're not dating, just close friends." She gives his shoulder a hug. "We should all hang out sometime." Hayden says. "Yeah!" Greyson says. Hayden takes out his phone. "What's your number, Avalon?" Hayden asks. He looks up at me, waiting. "Oh, sorry, um, 571- 482- 8984." I say. He enters it in his phone. "I'll get you a contact photo later." He says. He winks and makes a clicking sound with his mouth at the same time. I blush.
        "Hallie, what's your number?" I ask her. I feel weird, having just asked a popular person for their number, but then I remember, I am a popular person, too. "You ready?" She asks. I nod. "571- 546- 7472." she says. I enter it in my contacts.

        At lunch, I stand there with a paper bag in hand, trying to decide who to sit with. Last year, I sat with my friend Eliot and we sat with her friends. They'll never miss me though, because Eliot moved at the beginning of summer, and I never got close with her friends. Now, I don't know where to sit. I spot Yolanda and her friends at a table, but there is no empty seat, not that they wouldn't gladly arrange a spot for me, but I don't want to go with the first seat I find. That's not what populars do. They have people call them to a table, which is exactly what happens to me. I hear, "Avalon! Come sit here!" And I would rush right over, but I don't know where that voice is calling from. I look all around until I see Hayden and Hallie waving me over. Score. I smile and head in their direction. On the way, I grab Greyson's arm, because he was struggling to pick where to sit, as well. It's not that he couldn't find a seat, it's just that there were so many people who wanted to sit with him, that he couldn't make up him mind. I wish had that problem.
        "C'mon, Greyson!" I say. "Oh thank goodness you saved me. I was being called over to sit with," we sit down at Hayden's table, "Stephanie Turnblat or Missy Cercy. Yuck. I'd rather sit here." He says. We all laugh. "What's this about Steph and Missy? Are you trying to decide who wore it better? 'Cause they're wearing the same dress." Hallie says. I laugh, "So? Don't people usually dress alike on purpose? Ya'know, cause they want to be 'twins' or something?" I say. "Not these two. They HATE each other." She answers. "That's why I didn't want to choose between them. The other would hate me if I sat with one of them!" Greyson said. We laugh. "How did you not know that they hate each other? Is this your first year here?" Hayden asks me. "No, actually, I went to this school last year and the year before that. I also went to the same middle school as you, and Elementary school. Not to sound creepy, though." I laugh nervously. "How did we never notice you?" Hallie asks. I shrug. Those words bring me down. 'how did we never notice you?' It just shows how invisible I really was. But no more. I am on the top of the  stack, and I like it up here.

        That day, when I get how from school, I flop down on my bed and squeal into my pillow. Finally, finally, I was right. Today was a good day.
        My phone buzzes. It's from Hayden:

Hayden: Hey :D Glad you're in my 6th and 8th period. ;) But no distractions, got it?

I wrote back:
Avalon: No promises ;)

        I shut my phone and grabbed my iPod. I think I understand how awesome it is to be popular. It takes some work, okay, a lot of work, but I like. And it's paying off.