Picture of Andy

*****

Ryan dropped me off at the office to pick up my schedule and my locker number. I sat in the red plush chairs waiting for the secretary to come back from the copying room. I sat in the room for twenty minutes before she finally walked back in the door followed by another girl.

She bounced into the room with a giant smile plastered on her face. She was around my height at 5'5" with bright strawberry-blonde hair. She wore a colorful tank with jeans and a brown leather jacket.

She walked right up to my face, "Hi! I'm Andy."

I smiled brightly as I stood up to greet her, "Hi, I'm Silver."

She shook my hand, "I know," she said bluntly. Confusion must have plastered my name because she explained further, "I am your welcome committee. Someone else is supposed to be here for your cousin, but since neither of them is here, we are just going to start."

She grabbed my arm and pulled me out the door with my schedule in hand. Andy dragged me along while staring down at the sheet of paper.

Andy began to doddle on about herself as she pulled up in front of what I was assuming to be my locker. Grabbing a random empty binder, I swiped my hand across the locker door, slamming it shut.

"So tell me about yourself, Silver," Andy said as she linked her arm through mine.

I was a little shocked at the request. No one really cared about the new girl for more than a day though. Just tell her a little bit and she should ignore us within a day or two, I thought.

"Well, I'm an only child and I have just moved in with my Uncle and cousin. What else is there to know?" I asked.

She stared at my face dumbfounded, "What else?!" she shrieked, "If you and I are going to be best friends then I need to know everything. Whole life story from start to finish!"

"My life has been kind of boring," I lied without hesitation, "How about instead of me recapping unexciting events of my past, you tell me about you?"

"Well I wonder where I should begin?" she questioned herself.

She was about to start when a loud ring shook through the hall. Kids poured out of the classrooms in grand bunches. She dragged us to a halt in front of a brown wooden door.

"This is your class. We will continue this conversation at lunch. I can just tell that we will be great friends. Talk to you later Silver," she stated before leaving me in front of the room, alone.

First day. Always as bad as the first, I thought to myself before walking into the room.

The class was pretty empty being that the bell just rang. I walked over to an empty desk in the back of the room. Maybe if I was lucky, no one would notice me back here. The worst thing about every first day I have experienced is standing up and saying something about myself. It's a bit hard to come up with good details when each new identity comes with different lies.

A few minutes passed and the room began to fill up as students slowly piled into their seats. No one turned my way. No one noticed I was even there.

When the bell finally chimed, the teacher walked in with a scowl on her face. She was roughly 5'8" with dirty blonde hair pulled back in a bun of sorts. Her heels screeched across the floor as she made her way to her desk.

She turned around and glared at us, her eyes caught mine quickly before they glazed past me.

It was second hour now; maybe I would catch a break of being the new girl just yet.

"You in the back," she said with authority.

Or not, I thought.

"You are new right?" I nodded my head slowly, "Stand and state your name."

I stood up shaking as each kid turned in my direction, watching the train wreck about to occur, "I'm Silver Jones."

All eyes watched me as I moved. When she finally let me sit down, the whispers began. I guess I wasn't going under the radar after all.

*****

The next two hours went by similar to the first. After all the social torture today has been, it's now lunch.

I stared around the cafeteria holding my tray. I have been to more high schools than I can remember and I still always have that where to sit mentality. I scanned the area for any empty seats that looked secluded and away from it all. No such luck though.

"Silver, over here!"

I turned toward the voice calling my name. My eyes landed on the energetic red head from earlier, Andy. She wore a bright smile as she waved me over, so I followed her hand signals and sat down next to her.

"Silver meet the guys. Daniel and Josh Miller. Guys meet my new friend Silver. She's new here so be nice," she warned them.

Both the guys gave me friendly smiles. They had brown spiked hair and chiseled features. They were a golden tan and looked extremely buff. They looked to be identical twins, so both were equally hot to put it honestly.

I smiled back at them, "It's nice to meet you guys."

"Same. So when you get here?" the one I'm assuming is Josh said.

"I came to live with my Uncle and cousin," I replied.

"What about your parents?" Daniel questioned.

"Um..." I looked down real quick trying to form an answer. Luckily, Andy came to my rescue.

"Daniel, insensitive much?" she screeched at him.

His faced paled a bit as realization of what he had asked dawned on him, "I'm sorry. You..."

"It's fine. Really," I interrupted, "I don't really talk about them."

We sat in awkward silence for a few seconds before I heard an unmistakable laugh come from behind me, "Well hi-a Shorty."

"Ryan. I am not that short," I retorted as he sat across from me at the table.

"Shorter than me makes you Shorty."

"By that logic, half the school would be called Shorty."

"True, but I only use nicknames for those I love," he smiles at our playful banter.

"Yeah Yeah," I reply, smiling back.

He turned to everyone else at the table, "Sorry I'm late. Little Miss Queen Bitch had a little meltdown in the lunch line."

Everyone began snickering at that, but I was utterly lost, "Who?"

"The reigning queen bitch right now, Megan Saunders. She's a blonde bimbo who climbed the high school hierarchy last year. Before that she used to be one of us," Andy told me, pointing to three tables down from us.

I looked at the people there. You could tell it was the popular table straight away. The table was full of gorgeous designer handbags and jocks in football jerseys. They were all listening intently to a petite blonde standing in the middle of the table. She held her head up so everyone was able to get a view of her. She must be Megan. She smiled at everything she said as the entourage laughed along with her. Queen Bitch might just be the perfect name for her.

I turned back to the group laughing about something Daniel said. I laughed along. Maybe here I might just make friends after all.

As the lunch time passed, for just a little while, I forgot the past.

*****

The rest of the day moved pretty quickly. Andy and the rest of the guys were in a handful of my classes, so I was entertained by them in pretty much all of my hours.

I went to my locker to grab my bag as the bell rang, echoing around the hallways. I rounded the corner and was knocked straight to the floor.

"Ow," I huffed as I moved my arm to my aching forehead.

"Oh god! Are you alright?" I looked up to see a pair of bright blue, concerned eyes.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me up. I continued to stare at him as he did the same. He was six foot with short, auburn hair. His muscle tone showed through his tight black t-shirt. He had the face of an extremely hot angel.

"Are you ok?" he asked again in a deep voice, and I snapped out of my own thoughts.

"Yeah, yes. I'm fine," I stuttered out.

"Good," he said giving me a heart breaker smile, "I'm Dylan."

"I'm-"

"Silver! There you are!" Andy called as she rounded the corner too.

"Well, I hope to see you again Silver," he said, walking off as Andy arrived next to me.

"Hey what was all that about?" she asked.

"Nothing," I replied, "What's up?"

"We have a meeting after school. Come on," her tone was cryptic and secretive.

"What meeting?" I coaxed.

"For the club. You are already a member."

She pulled me along till we reached a classroom. The entire time I asked her to elaborate; she would just ignore me or say that I would see once I walked in. But standing in the doorway now, I don't see what exactly is so important.

The room held within its walls a group of fifteen or so students. Josh and Daniel were there, along with Ryan and Elizabeth. Andy pulled me to the front of the room. All 30 eyes turned in my direction, sizing me up.

"We are the support group for the teens in the town," I looked at her with a confused expression, "We know that we don't know what you have been through in your life or the challenges that you have faced, but we are here. Some may have even been through similar situations in our own lives."

"What are you talking about Andy?"

"We know you're in the witness protection program."

I stood, shock filling my mind. "What? How...how... how could you possibly know that?" I stuttered.

"Because we all are."