Chapter 1

"Just smile," Kylie said. "Oh, especially the cheer leaders! You know, Heather, May and Lisa. The have to like you, and me... I mean, what's not-" She gestured towards me- "to, uh, like." He tone sounded unsure. Of coarse. I'm the most unpopular girl in this class, the heat of back-talk.

"You're going to do great," She assured me. She sounded so sure of herself, that, well, she seemed to be trying to assure herself that I was going to do great on my book report presentation, which, of coarse, I wasn't, because public-speaking is my worst subject. 

She scurried down the aisle back to her seat, without a solemn word, not even goodbye. Why was she so anxious? I was the one who had trouble speaking. 

As the first person, Emily Woods, was called, I started staring at my pencil case. It was a pink one, soft cotton cylinder shaped. Emily's voice seemed to mute our of my brain, leaving me to concentrate. On what? On nothing. Just sitting, staring… 

"Taylor!" As soon as I heard my name, I rush of panic started flowing through my body. 

I looked up from my desk, analyzing my surroundings. Just people staring at me. Yup, it was me. I was pretty sure that there there wasn't another girl named Taylor in my class.

     

The few steps I made to the front of my classroom seemed long and exsausting, even though it took only three seconds. My peers didn't seem to notice how uncomfortable I felt, with every last eye in the room glued on to me, taking note of every move I made. 

"Thank you, Mrs.Morris," I said to my teacher. "Uhm, I read… um…The… hum… The Yearling," I started. To break what tension I had in my head, I smiled akawardly. Kylie rolled her eyes. She gestured, seeming to want me to suddenly disappear.She was embarrassed being my friend… it was obvious, I didn't even know why she was… probably because nobody else wanted to be my friend, and she pitted my little worth of self-confidence I had, which was probably going to disappear with every giggle the popular cheer leaders manage to slip out.

I shuddered. Not only the cheer leaders, but everyone was smiling with pity. "I- I, read, I-" I couldn't take it! I ran out, my body struck with humiliation. Tears trickled down my face, as I walked towards the the bathroom. I had a huge lump in my throat. I wanted to cry. I couldn't control myself. I sobbed, looking up at the sky, hoping to see stars of somewhat. But no. There weren't stars, only a ceiling and a feeling of depression visible everywhere I looked, as if it could be seen. 

Flush. I heard from the second stall. A boy stepped out, eyes wide at what he saw, straight towards him. I scrunched my eyes and made a sound that couldn't be translated. Humilliating. I was in the boy's bathroom! I ran out, hopelessly praying that I was invisible. But I was not. Although I tried my hardest to be unseen, which I had doubts on it's possibility, Mrs. Morris saw me, with a glimpse of frustration in her eye, and if I was not mistaken, sympathy. "Taylor!" I halted, not wanting to be yelled at again. I faced the hallway lockers. 

I wiped my tears and stood there, listening the sounds of Mrs. Morris's shoes get louder with every step, until I felt her breath on my shoulder.