A reflection of me mirrored my motionless body and looked at me with an emotionless face.

Grasping my mascara tube in my hand, I closed my eyes and inhaled a breath.

"This year may be hard, Autumn, but you will get through it. You are strong, independent, and most of all, smart. Let's just pray that you get a good partner for the big project." I opened my eyes.

You're probably wondering how I already know I have a project when I haven't even started at my new school. Well every school makes the 12th graders do this huge project that takes up most of the year, if not all, with another partner and you have to present it at the end of the year.

Looking into the mirror, I noticed my face was still lacking emotion.

"Come on Autumn, show some Willington spirit!" I said to myself unenthusiastically as I tried to smile.

My crooked, fake smile made me cringe. "Well, at least it's something."

For someone that has a lot of sadness and family problems, having optimism is something you would probably never see from someone like me. But sometimes being optimistic helps me get through tough times.

Untwisting the mascara cap, I leaned closer to the mirror and started applying the thick, black liquid to my long eyelashes.

Reapplying mascara, the door shook three times as loud knocks hit against it, causing me to jump in place.

Feeling a cool, prickly touch under my eye and on my eyelid, I looked into the mirror. "Dammit!" When I jumped, the mascara on the brush scraped my eye, leaving a black mark. "No no no no it's ruined-"

"Autumn! Hurry the hell up! You're going to be late to school," my dads voice boomed from outside my bathroom door.

It's sad how just his voice could make even my fake happiness fade away. "Ok! I'll hurry!" I removed the excess mascara from off my eye and started brushing my straight brown hair.

Opening the bathroom door, I grabbed my black mini backpack, binder, house keys, and quickly rushed down the stairs.

As I ran to the front door, I got a quick glance at my father only to see him drinking whiskey in the kitchen.

Already? At this hour? It's not even 9:30am, I thought as I stared at him.

"Bye Michael," I managed to say over the loud TV echoing in the room my father was in.

My father didn't turn his attention away from television. "Bye Autumn. I won't be home till late."

"What's new," I murmured before heading out the door and walking to school.

***

Kids from ages 14 to 18 scurried around the large Willington halls, bumping into me occasionally. I kept my attention on the mini paper in my hands, which listed all my classes.

My eyes tried focusing on the tiny paper. "Where is room–"

A sudden crash was made against me and another student, causing both our books and binders to fall onto the floor.

I bent over and started picking up my stuff and the other persons belongings. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!"

The student bent down to my eye level and laughed, "don't worry! It was an accident."

I looked at a blonde girl who was beaming at me. Her tropical blue eyes shone with happiness.

Damn, I wish I could be as happy as her.

The beautiful girl held out her hand. "My name is Grace. Grace Kateson."

Immediately, I grasped onto her hand and shook it firmly. "I'm Autumn Cross."

Grace studied my facial expression as I gave her my crooked fake smile, the one I practiced in the mirror earlier.

Dammit! Don't smile like that you weirdo!

"I like you," she giggled as her short curls bobbed up and down. "You wanna be friends?"

This time, a real smile formed on my lips. "Sure!"

We both stood up to an upright position. "What class do you have right now?" she asked me.

I sighed, knowing damn well I couldn't read the small piece of paper that had my classes on it. But I fished it out of my ripped jeans pocket anyway.

"Uh, English? Room um," I squinted my eyes even more, "236."

Her eyes brightened, the oceans in her eyes doing flips. "Really? Me too! We can sit together!"

Relieved that I wasn't going in to that class not knowing anyone, I sighed. "Thank god."

We walked together to class, talking about random topics like what sports we play and our favorite foods. Making a friend already has made this day way better. Thank the Lord.

***

"Welcome to English. I am Mr. Rosenberg and I expect you all to be on your very best behavior because I will not tolerate carelessness and immaturity."

Thank god I'm not immature or careless.

"As you all know, you are getting the volunteer project. What this project is is you and your partner, which I will assign," the whole class groaned at this statement, "will go out and volunteer at two places, one place is where one partner would like to volunteer at and same with second partner. You have to volunteer at both places at least two to four times a week and provide a valid explanation as to how it affected the community. Based on the two places you and your partner volunteered at, you will make your own shelter, hospital, bakery, ect. at which people would be able to volunteer at."

Mr. Rosenberg looked around the room. "Any questions?"

One red head in the very back of the class raised his hand. "If we choose hospital as our work thingy, will we have to build a hospital?"

The teacher sighed. I could tell he was already over this school year even though it was only the first day.

And honestly, same.

"No. You just create one on like a board or a PowerPoint."

The red head still looked confused. "Oh, wait-"

The teacher clasped his hands together. "Alright, anymore questions? No? Ok good now I'm going to assign you your partners."

He held up a clipboard and started reading off names. "Katie Green with Lucy Grandsin. Gavin Peterson with Amelia Zanders. Will Clark with....."

Bored of hearing names that weren't mine being read off the teachers clipboard, I turned my attention to the perky blonde next to me, who was humming some sort of song. "Hey, Grace. I hope we get partnered together."

She turned her attention towards me. "Yeah me too! Let's hope we both don't get Ryder Becker. He's literally the worst person to be partnered up with because he refuses to do any of the work. But he's really hot so–"

"Girls in the second row, please quiet down," Mr. Rosenberg shushed us then continued to read off names.

"Grace Kateson with..."

Please be me please be me please me, were the only words repeating inside my head.

"....Jessie Smith."

Well shit.

"And then my final pairing, Autumn Cross with Ryder Becker."

My eyes bulged out of their sockets, remembering what Grace said moments earlier about Ryder Becker.

Oh no no no no no no no!

I tapped Grace on her shoulder frantically. "Yeah?" Her head whipped around to face me.

"Uh which one is Ryder Becker?"

She quietly giggled and pointed her finger to the guy in the far back of the classroom, "that one."

I swear when I turned to face him, my mouth dropped to the floor.

He is utterly and most certainly gorgeous. The most handsome boy I've ever laid my eyes on. His messy brown hair was slightly covered by his red sweatshirt hoodie. He crossed his arms on his chest and even though he was wearing a sweatshirt, I could still see the muscles and biceps. His legs were long and he wore dark colored jeans with vans. Even dressed in something as casual as that he still looked perfect. I couldn't see his eyes because his gaze was fixated out the window on the girls – they looked our age – playing soccer out on the field.

A hand waved in front of my face, "hello? Autumn are you alive?"

I snapped out of my brief daydream. "What?" I scratched the back of my neck nervously, "yeah I'm alive...I think."

"Good, because it's time for lunch."

I watched as Ryder swiftly walked out of the classroom, not even noticing I was his partner.

"I would start on this project this week if I was you," Mr. Rosenberg shouted as the class left his room.

I sighed, this year is gonna be tougher than I thought.