I looked myself over in the mirror one more time. It was the first day of freshman year and I was going to be seeing my best friend, Sam Brooks. Over the summer we barely talked and the school year before was...rough to say the least.

I didn't know why I was so desperate to impress her. She was no supermodel herself. But the people she had become friends with the year before were popular and not like her at all, so maybe that's what I should be.

That is harder than it looks for a tomboy like me. The tight jeans, which were once my sister's, were uncomfortable and the shirt I was wearing was itchy.

"What are you wearing?" my sister, Maya, asked as she passed my room. As I threw my long, brown hair into a ponytail I tried to come up with an answer.

"Clothes," was my genius and sarcastic answer.

Maya walked into my room. Unlike me, Maya was one of the most popular girls at our school. She liked wearing tight, short shorts and tank-top. Her dirty blonde hair fell in curly ringlets. She was well built and was first singles on the varsity tennis team. The only kinda bad thing about her was her brown eyes. And they even looked like puppy dog eyes.

I on, the other hand, was a tall brunette who spent most of her time reading. My favorite thing about myself was my green eyes. Maya loved to make fun of me since I hung out with mostly boys yet didn't have a boyfriend.

But that's what happens when you get pushed into the friend zone right as a guy sees you. Just ask my childhood best friend. We'd been best friends since we were three. But when I was twelve I started to like him. On spring break when I was fourteen, I told him I liked him.

He shut me down. Hard.

We don't even talk anymore.

"Let me get this straight," Maya said, enunciating every word, "this is your very first day of high school. The day you make your 'this is who I am' statement and you're wearing that?"

I looked down at my outfit. At least I was wearing my beat up Converse with the mulitcolored laces. "What's wrong with my outfit?" I asked, looking away from her eyes.

She walked to my closet and grabbed my University of Colorado shirt and my favorite shorts. "This right here is what you should be wearing."

"Ugh fine." I grabbed the clothes, secretly smiling to myself. I wanted somebody to tell me off. I knew that I wasn't going to be able to sit in class all day wearing this.

***

I was always nervous for the first day of school. People always thought that it was from seeing friends. But I was just scared that I'd get lost.

I was so concerned about making it French class by 7:45 that I didn't see the girl in front of me. We crashed. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry," she said as she helped me pick up my books.

"It's fine. I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings."

"You think that's bad? I once was pushed into a locker because some guy was playing football in the hall."

We both laughed. "I'm Piper," I said as we stood up.

"Kim." Now that I wasn't picking up my books I could see that Kim was a tall brunette with glasses. "I'm actually a sophomore."

"Why are you in the freshman hall then?" I squinted in confusion. There weren't many classes for upperclassmen in the freshman hall.

"I have French."

"Oh me too."

"Jones!" a demanding voice said. I knew that it was Sam right away. I turned around and saw the short, curly-haired girl who I called my best friend.

"Brooks," I responded as I walked over to her. I then remember Kim. "Bye Kim."

"See you in French," she responded. I smiled.

"You know Kimberly Rowe?" Sam asked, her right eyebrow rising.

"Yeah, we just met. She seems nice."

Sam rolled her eyes. "She was in my French class last year. Stay away from her at all cost."

"But-"

"Piper, I'm not kidding. She's a bitch." I flinched as Sam cussed. I always tried not to cuss. I cared a lot about my parents' approval and I knew that they'd lose respect for me if they heard me cursing.

"Oh, I need to tell you something." I had great news. I had made it into a statewide honors band. It meant a ton to me. Sam would be so happy for me.

"Okay."

"Well, so you know-"

"Brooks you're gonna pay for that prank," a guy named Andrew said. He was in my gym class last year. Sam and I were supposed to be friends in that class but she left me for Andrew, Gavin, and Lily. Some people that she met in the class.

"Oh yeah. Let's see about that," she said before leaving me at her locker.

"Wow," I said to myself, "it's only been a minute and she's already left me for somebody else. Wish I could say that it's a new record."

The bell rang overhead and I had no choice but to walk to class.

"Piper, it's nice seeing you again," Madam, my French teacher, said as I walked in. I tried to force a smile.

"Hey, Piper I saved you a seat," Kim said, waving at me. This time, my smile was real. Maybe this year wouldn't be so bad, I thought. I walked over and sat next to Kim.

"This is my friend, Alana," she introduced. Alana was a stunning blonde. Her eyes were like glass.

"It's nice to meet you. Piper, right?" Alana said. It wasn't like when I talked to Sam's friends. Alana's voice was sweet and didn't have the mocking I was used to.

"Yeah," I responded as I pulled out my French binder.

"Well class I figured since today's the first day and a we should do something fun," Madam said. Then Sam walked in. "Miss. Brooks, you're late."

"Yeah," Sam said, like it was no big deal, "I couldn't find the classroom." Her voice. That was the voice I was used to. It had a mocking undertone.

"Samantha do you think I'm stupid. You were in my class last year and I know that you know where my classroom is. I should give you a detention for this."

"No, I have a game tonight."

"Fine. But one more mistake and you'll be staying after school."

Sam sat down in a seat with an empty seat next to it. Her other friends James and, once again, Gavin sat next to her. And they were the definition of annoying. "Jones," she called me over. But I knew my best friend. She was going to talk to the boys the whole time and then talk to me when she needed a favor. I stayed put.

"Is your friend calling you?" Alana asked.

"It doesn't matter," I responded.

Madam took a minute to compose herself before talking. "Anyways, I thought that we could play loto or Bingo for those of you who don't remember the translation for loto."

***

"Piper, what the heck," Sam demanded during fifth period. We had band together and she plopped down next to me.

"What?" I asked. Today had been going great so far. I had speech with Alana and we were starting a presentation together.

"I told you to stay away from Kim and Amy whats-her-face."

I crossed my arms. Why was she being such a brat? "It's Alana. And they are nice."

"For now," Sam said crossing her arms.