Nothing Can Compare
Chapter One
We all planned on leaving twenty minutes early and meeting across the street from Huntington High. I sat on a curb there, alone in the early September morning. Rachael, Rebecca, and Michael were about three minutes late, no big deal... A couple of minutes later I saw Michael walking down to my right. I smiled at him and he walked a bit quicker towards me.
"Sorry I was late," he said almost sadly and I knew his step mom and him had argued about something this morning. I understood because Darryl was the same way. "Becca and Rach aren't here yet?"
"No not yet," I said and he joined me on the curb. "Let me see your Schedule?"
"Let me see yours?" he asked back and we swapped schedules. He had French first, English second, Geometry third, Gym fourth, Biology fifth and Photo sixth.
"I think we only have one class together," I said and scanned his schedule again.
"Taryn! Michael!" Rachael and Rebecca yelled as a car door slammed and their mom waved before driving off in one of her brand new Cadillac’s, she had three total. Yes, Rachael and Rebecca were filthy rich. "What classes do you have?" they asked and we exchanged schedules with each other. Rachael and I had the same French and Biology classes, Rebecca and I had Gym class and we all had the same second hour homeroom English class together.
"Damn Tar, you're smart."
"Yeah Algebra 3-4? You completely skipped 1-2."
"Geometry was too easy and they made me do a placement test," I told the twins. We all were in higher math classes than regular freshmen but I was in a mainly Junior class.
"Well we should go find our first four classes before school starts," Michael said.
"And then we can meet by our English class or something?" Rachael asked and we all agreed. Rachael and I went off in the direction of where we figured the science classrooms would be.
Around ten minutes later we were walking to our second period from where Rachael's fourth period was. We decided to stay with each other; I guess because we were a little intimidated by our new high school and most of the freshmen already here were alone.
"I feel bad for you because your third period is in the middle of nowhere," Rachael said and we laughed. That was another thing distancing us from other freshmen, we were talking and laughing.
We stopped walking so Rachael could tie her shoe. "Why is that guy following us?" she asked discreetly.
"Who?" I asked, because I didn't notice anyone following us.
"That tall guy in the orange bathrobe," she said. I looked around the school looking at everyone. I saw who she described but he was leaning against a wall talking with three other guys.
"He doesn't look like he's following us," I said staring at them for a few more seconds until Rachael stood up.
"I swear to God he is, he was by your third period, followed us to mine and so on until just now, he was alone before," she said eying the guys suspiciously.
"Do you really think it’s the smartest thing to stare at upperclassmen like that," Michael said as he and Rebecca walked up to us, on their way to the meeting spot as well.
"That one guy's following us," Rachael said to them.
"The hot one, the hot one, the really hot one, or the tall skinny freak?" Rebecca asked.
"The tall skinny freak."
"Damn," Rebecca said and they both sighed. Michael and I looked at each other questioningly.
"Shit they're looking!" Rachael said and we all quickly engaged in a random conversation when the bell rang. For some reason the campus got a couple times louder, as if a que to start talking went off, and we lost sight of the guys as everyone started moving around. Rachael and I departed from Michael and Rebecca once again to head for Biology.
---
I sat down in my algebra class, away from everyone. That changed by the time the minute bell rang and everyone was running into their classrooms. All of the seats were filled and the last guy to enter just happened to be one of the 'hot guys' talking with the guy Rachael claimed to be following us and the last seat just had to be right next to me. He didn't seem to even notice, so I figured I was okay. Our teacher, a blonde woman with ice blue eyes who was probably in her forties, started off with a quick overview of rules, since most of us "already knew them," and she looked directly at me. I figured I was the only freshman in the class.
Great.
After the brief rules speech she started our first lesson, despite protests from most of the students. All it was is simplifying equations and that.
"Hey," I heard someone say to the right of me. I looked over and saw the guy looking at me.
"Hm?" I asked quietly.
"What the hell is she talking about?" I must have been looking at him like he was nuts because he then said, "Not everyone here's a smart fuck like you, freshman."
I raised my eyebrow at him as Mrs. Pagani said, "You have a little bit of time in class so feel free to start your homework, page sixty-four, seven through forty-five, odd numbers only."
I pulled my book out and looked over at him staring blankly at the homework assignment on the board. "Do you still want help?" I asked him timidly and he looked back over at me. He didn't look too happy, his green eyes were narrowed a bit and his pierced lips were slightly turned down in a scowl.
"Fine," he agreed after a second or two, "just so I can graduate."
"You’re a senior?" I asked stupidly.
"Yes I'm a senior now are you gonna help me or not?"
I backed off shyly and opened the algebra book to page sixty-four. "Do you know what PEMDAS is?" I asked him.
"What?"
"PEMDAS. Look," I said and wrote down the first problem, 8-2[0/{+(3)^2}]. "PEMDAS is parenthesis, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction. It’s the order in which you're supposed to solve these. See you square three, add one and nine, divide twenty by ten, multiply two by two, subtract four from eight and you get your answer." I received a completely blank, lost stare from the guy sitting next to me and I sighed heavily.
By the end of class we were about seven or so problems into the homework and he was actually doing pretty well. "So what your name?" he asked after finishing problem twenty-three.
"Taryn," I said checking his work. After I was satisfied that he was correct I looked up at him.
"Well fine, don't ask my name," he said in a fake affronted voice after a couple more seconds. I laughed a bit uncomfortably. "I'm Zacky," he said smiling as the bell rang.
"Nice to meet you," I said quietly and smiled, stuffing my things back into my backpack before we departed from class.
"Hey Taryn!" Zacky called when I was ten steps out of the door. I turned around and found him in the crowd. "Rev won't follow you or your friends anymore, 'kay?" he said and I smiled and nodded. So "Rev" was following Rachael and I earlier.
"Sorry I was late," he said almost sadly and I knew his step mom and him had argued about something this morning. I understood because Darryl was the same way. "Becca and Rach aren't here yet?"
"No not yet," I said and he joined me on the curb. "Let me see your Schedule?"
"Let me see yours?" he asked back and we swapped schedules. He had French first, English second, Geometry third, Gym fourth, Biology fifth and Photo sixth.
"I think we only have one class together," I said and scanned his schedule again.
"Taryn! Michael!" Rachael and Rebecca yelled as a car door slammed and their mom waved before driving off in one of her brand new Cadillac’s, she had three total. Yes, Rachael and Rebecca were filthy rich. "What classes do you have?" they asked and we exchanged schedules with each other. Rachael and I had the same French and Biology classes, Rebecca and I had Gym class and we all had the same second hour homeroom English class together.
"Damn Tar, you're smart."
"Yeah Algebra 3-4? You completely skipped 1-2."
"Geometry was too easy and they made me do a placement test," I told the twins. We all were in higher math classes than regular freshmen but I was in a mainly Junior class.
"Well we should go find our first four classes before school starts," Michael said.
"And then we can meet by our English class or something?" Rachael asked and we all agreed. Rachael and I went off in the direction of where we figured the science classrooms would be.
Around ten minutes later we were walking to our second period from where Rachael's fourth period was. We decided to stay with each other; I guess because we were a little intimidated by our new high school and most of the freshmen already here were alone.
"I feel bad for you because your third period is in the middle of nowhere," Rachael said and we laughed. That was another thing distancing us from other freshmen, we were talking and laughing.
We stopped walking so Rachael could tie her shoe. "Why is that guy following us?" she asked discreetly.
"Who?" I asked, because I didn't notice anyone following us.
"That tall guy in the orange bathrobe," she said. I looked around the school looking at everyone. I saw who she described but he was leaning against a wall talking with three other guys.
"He doesn't look like he's following us," I said staring at them for a few more seconds until Rachael stood up.
"I swear to God he is, he was by your third period, followed us to mine and so on until just now, he was alone before," she said eying the guys suspiciously.
"Do you really think it’s the smartest thing to stare at upperclassmen like that," Michael said as he and Rebecca walked up to us, on their way to the meeting spot as well.
"That one guy's following us," Rachael said to them.
"The hot one, the hot one, the really hot one, or the tall skinny freak?" Rebecca asked.
"The tall skinny freak."
"Damn," Rebecca said and they both sighed. Michael and I looked at each other questioningly.
"Shit they're looking!" Rachael said and we all quickly engaged in a random conversation when the bell rang. For some reason the campus got a couple times louder, as if a que to start talking went off, and we lost sight of the guys as everyone started moving around. Rachael and I departed from Michael and Rebecca once again to head for Biology.
---
I sat down in my algebra class, away from everyone. That changed by the time the minute bell rang and everyone was running into their classrooms. All of the seats were filled and the last guy to enter just happened to be one of the 'hot guys' talking with the guy Rachael claimed to be following us and the last seat just had to be right next to me. He didn't seem to even notice, so I figured I was okay. Our teacher, a blonde woman with ice blue eyes who was probably in her forties, started off with a quick overview of rules, since most of us "already knew them," and she looked directly at me. I figured I was the only freshman in the class.
Great.
After the brief rules speech she started our first lesson, despite protests from most of the students. All it was is simplifying equations and that.
"Hey," I heard someone say to the right of me. I looked over and saw the guy looking at me.
"Hm?" I asked quietly.
"What the hell is she talking about?" I must have been looking at him like he was nuts because he then said, "Not everyone here's a smart fuck like you, freshman."
I raised my eyebrow at him as Mrs. Pagani said, "You have a little bit of time in class so feel free to start your homework, page sixty-four, seven through forty-five, odd numbers only."
I pulled my book out and looked over at him staring blankly at the homework assignment on the board. "Do you still want help?" I asked him timidly and he looked back over at me. He didn't look too happy, his green eyes were narrowed a bit and his pierced lips were slightly turned down in a scowl.
"Fine," he agreed after a second or two, "just so I can graduate."
"You’re a senior?" I asked stupidly.
"Yes I'm a senior now are you gonna help me or not?"
I backed off shyly and opened the algebra book to page sixty-four. "Do you know what PEMDAS is?" I asked him.
"What?"
"PEMDAS. Look," I said and wrote down the first problem, 8-2[0/{+(3)^2}]. "PEMDAS is parenthesis, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction. It’s the order in which you're supposed to solve these. See you square three, add one and nine, divide twenty by ten, multiply two by two, subtract four from eight and you get your answer." I received a completely blank, lost stare from the guy sitting next to me and I sighed heavily.
By the end of class we were about seven or so problems into the homework and he was actually doing pretty well. "So what your name?" he asked after finishing problem twenty-three.
"Taryn," I said checking his work. After I was satisfied that he was correct I looked up at him.
"Well fine, don't ask my name," he said in a fake affronted voice after a couple more seconds. I laughed a bit uncomfortably. "I'm Zacky," he said smiling as the bell rang.
"Nice to meet you," I said quietly and smiled, stuffing my things back into my backpack before we departed from class.
"Hey Taryn!" Zacky called when I was ten steps out of the door. I turned around and found him in the crowd. "Rev won't follow you or your friends anymore, 'kay?" he said and I smiled and nodded. So "Rev" was following Rachael and I earlier.
3/10/13