What Did I Ever Do To You?, chapter 1
January, 1986
I walked uneasily into the cafeteria, dreading what was to come. Here was the moment of truth - who I was going to be and what everyone else would think of me. Where was I going to sit. I was petrified. But, after today, anyone who even said something remotely nasty about that group of people I had apparently gotten to be on some good terms with me, would be hurting. And I say that from the best situation possible.
I got in the crowded lunch line, not quite sure exactly what to do and when to pay and what I was supposed to get. A lady wearing a thin hairnet and an evil grin on her face shoved a pile of goo at me in a bowl, which I unhappily piled onto my tray.
The goo ended up being the only thing I got, besides a small, dented water bottle. I paid for my lunch at the end of the line, and stood there, frozen. It felt like everyone was staring at me, although I knew nobody was looking at me.
Even though I was only 14 years old, I felt as though this was the test of my lifetime. Just starting high school, this place was horrible. And all the people here had already gotten used to the school, after a semester of practice without me. A guy purposely bumped into the back of me, and I spilled half of my goo on the floor. He just snickered and walked off. I breathed uneasily, and saw, some guy, waving me over.
"Hey, we saw your little demonstration in Math class today. We were wondering if you wanted to sit with us?" He said. Not particularly the person I wanted to sit next to, with his greased back black hair and his huge, square glasses. The three guys around him nodded.
"My name's Robert." he said in the same tone he had when he greeted me. I just slumped down in the seat next to him, and buried my head in my hands. I could hear a bunch of people laugh at me from around the cafeteria.
Great. My new high school, fresh new start, away from everything that happened before, and I was going to be the school's most famous nerd.
***
The next day, I was miserable. I bought my lunch, and again walked slowly over to the nerd's table, where I now apparently was.
"You know, Holly, you should really stop wearing all this black. You should get a bright green t-shirt, and some nice boot-cut jeans, and then some glasses that don't really have lenses, so you can fool people. All the guys are getting kind of nervous around you." Robert said, and then the other 4 boys around him nodded. I sighed. Then something poked me in the back.
"Hey! Watch where you're throwing things, freak!" I turned around and yelled at the guy.
He just looked like he was going to burst out laughing. I could have really hit him right now, but I didn't need ANOTHER detention on my belt.
"Hey, you, come over and sit with us. You look out of place over there." The guy with brownish/reddish dread locks told me. The other guy at the table, he had longer hair than the dread lock guy, and lighter brown hair too, but he was definitely taller, and he was skinnier, not that the dread lock guy wasn't skinny, but the taller guy was obviously lankier.
"That's exactly what we've been telling her! But she just needs to change her clothes, not the people around her, right Holly?" Robert said, but I had already gotten my goo and my dented water bottle over to their table.
"Sorry you had to sit with them yesterday," the taller guy said. "Billie here was too scared to ask you to sit with us. Although he watched you the whole lunch hour. I think he was intimidated by your brain." he laughed.
"Yeah, well, not too many people like us are incredibly smart." Billie said, and apparently avoided eye contact with me.
"I'm Mike." the taller guy said, and I looked at him and smiled.
"Holly." I said slowly, then went back to eating my goo. I heard somebody kick somebody under our table, and Billie reached down under the table to mend his shin.
"I'm Billie..." Billie said, pain evident in his voice. I then wondered how hard Mike had kicked him, although I had already perfected the 'kick-under-the-table' maneuver perfectly before I moved to Pinole Valley High School in rural Pinole, California.
I walked uneasily into the cafeteria, dreading what was to come. Here was the moment of truth - who I was going to be and what everyone else would think of me. Where was I going to sit. I was petrified. But, after today, anyone who even said something remotely nasty about that group of people I had apparently gotten to be on some good terms with me, would be hurting. And I say that from the best situation possible.
I got in the crowded lunch line, not quite sure exactly what to do and when to pay and what I was supposed to get. A lady wearing a thin hairnet and an evil grin on her face shoved a pile of goo at me in a bowl, which I unhappily piled onto my tray.
The goo ended up being the only thing I got, besides a small, dented water bottle. I paid for my lunch at the end of the line, and stood there, frozen. It felt like everyone was staring at me, although I knew nobody was looking at me.
Even though I was only 14 years old, I felt as though this was the test of my lifetime. Just starting high school, this place was horrible. And all the people here had already gotten used to the school, after a semester of practice without me. A guy purposely bumped into the back of me, and I spilled half of my goo on the floor. He just snickered and walked off. I breathed uneasily, and saw, some guy, waving me over.
"Hey, we saw your little demonstration in Math class today. We were wondering if you wanted to sit with us?" He said. Not particularly the person I wanted to sit next to, with his greased back black hair and his huge, square glasses. The three guys around him nodded.
"My name's Robert." he said in the same tone he had when he greeted me. I just slumped down in the seat next to him, and buried my head in my hands. I could hear a bunch of people laugh at me from around the cafeteria.
Great. My new high school, fresh new start, away from everything that happened before, and I was going to be the school's most famous nerd.
***
The next day, I was miserable. I bought my lunch, and again walked slowly over to the nerd's table, where I now apparently was.
"You know, Holly, you should really stop wearing all this black. You should get a bright green t-shirt, and some nice boot-cut jeans, and then some glasses that don't really have lenses, so you can fool people. All the guys are getting kind of nervous around you." Robert said, and then the other 4 boys around him nodded. I sighed. Then something poked me in the back.
"Hey! Watch where you're throwing things, freak!" I turned around and yelled at the guy.
He just looked like he was going to burst out laughing. I could have really hit him right now, but I didn't need ANOTHER detention on my belt.
"Hey, you, come over and sit with us. You look out of place over there." The guy with brownish/reddish dread locks told me. The other guy at the table, he had longer hair than the dread lock guy, and lighter brown hair too, but he was definitely taller, and he was skinnier, not that the dread lock guy wasn't skinny, but the taller guy was obviously lankier.
"That's exactly what we've been telling her! But she just needs to change her clothes, not the people around her, right Holly?" Robert said, but I had already gotten my goo and my dented water bottle over to their table.
"Sorry you had to sit with them yesterday," the taller guy said. "Billie here was too scared to ask you to sit with us. Although he watched you the whole lunch hour. I think he was intimidated by your brain." he laughed.
"Yeah, well, not too many people like us are incredibly smart." Billie said, and apparently avoided eye contact with me.
"I'm Mike." the taller guy said, and I looked at him and smiled.
"Holly." I said slowly, then went back to eating my goo. I heard somebody kick somebody under our table, and Billie reached down under the table to mend his shin.
"I'm Billie..." Billie said, pain evident in his voice. I then wondered how hard Mike had kicked him, although I had already perfected the 'kick-under-the-table' maneuver perfectly before I moved to Pinole Valley High School in rural Pinole, California.
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