- 3.
At the end of our first semester of sophomore
year, we had a new student.
Her name was Brianna, and we heard she’d
transferred because her parents had gotten
new jobs in the city. She was smart and
strikingly beautiful.
On her first day, she tossed her auburn curls
and grinned at our homeroom teacher.
“Mr. Davis, it’s natural, I swear. The color and
the curls, totally natural.”
Then she scanned the room, her eyes landing
on me. She paused, stared for a moment, and
burst out laughing.
“OMG…Seriously?… Where did this Barbie princess come from?…Hahahahaha. Dressed in all pink…Like, we’re in high school. Is this
some kind of a cuteness overload thing? So
awkward.”
Everyone turned to look at me.
My face burned.
I loved pink, like, really loved it. Almost
everything I owned was pink: my backpack,
water bottle, hair clips, shirts, sweaters,
phone case, even my keychains.
I’d gotten comments before. In elementary
school, boys called me a girly–girl and prissy.
Some girls said I was trying too hard to be
cute.
But most people were nice. Lots of girls told
me how much they loved my style and that
pink totally suited me.
<
This was the first time I’d been so openly and
blatantly mocked in public. I was mortified,
wanting to disappear.
“Hahaha, sorry, I’m just blunt. Don’t be mad,
little princess.”
Brianna winked playfully.
“Okay, enough, Brianna. It’s your first day.”
Jason’s annoyed voice cut through the
laughter. I turned to see him frowning at
Brianna.
Brianna raised an eyebrow, looking him up
and down.
“Oh? The princess’s knight in shining armor
has arrived?”
“What are you talking about! Are you crazy?”
Jason slammed his hand on his desk and
stood up.
Mr. Davis quickly intervened, telling him to sit
down. He then directed Brianna to the only
empty seat in the class.
<
Coincidentally, or maybe not, it was the desk
in front of Jason. Just like that, they became
deskmates.
