"Hurry up, Z! Or I'm leaving without you!"

"Zip it, Link. We both know Mom would kill you if you left me at home on the first day, even if I was late," I yelled back from my room as I applied the last of my makeup.

"I'm supposed to meet Jesse in front of the school in less than ten minutes!"

"School doesn't start for another forty-five! Be patient!" I slipped on my heels.

"Seriously, Zelda, I'll make you walk." I rolled my eyes. "We both know you wouldn't make it a block in those heels."

"You obviously underestimate the physical strength of cheerleaders," I retorted as I made my way down the stairs.

"Even if I did, you've only had two practices so far. You barely count."

"So? I'm still a cheerleader. Works the same for you and your license. You only got it a week ago, you can barely be counted as a legal driver. But you're still allowed to drive."

"She's got you there, Link."

"Shut up, Sam. Get in the car."

"Got it." Sam scrambled to get his backpack off the hook as he dashed out the front door.

"You too, Princess. Car. Now."

"Okay. Jeez. You act like making Jesse wait an extra five minutes is the end of the world."

"He could ruin us. He's the most popular boy in school. A few bad words from him, and the whole school will hate us," he reminded me as we got into the car.

"Being five minutes late shouldn't make you an outcast."

"You might get freebies like that back in middle school but you're in high school now. It's a cutthroat world."
I scoffed. "Please."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, believe whatever you want about high school being the best time of your life, I don't care. But whatever you do, don't be yourself. They'll tear you apart."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your little nerdy side. Your dorky, Harry Potter loving, video game playing self has to go. If not, you won't make it, even as a cheerleader."

We arrived at the high school to find Jesse waiting out front, looking extremely pissed. I unbuckled and got out of the car. And I got a good look at the notoriously popular Jesse Black.

"Sorry, Lincoln," I felt the need to apologize. Jesse was pale and had gorgeous eyes. And even though he wasn't very buff at first glance, the look on his face told me he wasn't one to be messed with.

"It's all right. Just be cool. Keep the geeky side locked up until you get home. I mean it. I don't want you to end up like them." He pointed to two dark-haired boys standing in the middle of the hallway. One looked anxious and the other flirted with any girl that walked by. My eyes widened as I realized everyone was avoiding them like the plague. I definitely didn't want that. "Good luck," my brother stated, thumping me roughly on the back, something I assumed he found comforting. Then left Sam and I to find our way around by ourselves.

"Don't stress over it, Z. I'm sure it'll be fine. High school can't be that bad," my twin tried to assure me.

"Did you see the look on Jesse's face? That's popular? It looks pretty sketchy, Sammy. What if we get pulled into a group like that? What if we get pulled into different groups?"

"If anything, you'll start your own. You're one of a kind. You're popular, smart, kind, pretty, and you kick ass in COD."

I shushed him harshly. "You heard what Lincoln said. No one can know about that."

"Never mind. It's our first day. Let's just focus on making it through."

I nodded. "Good idea."

"Come on, let's go find our lockers."

I nodded again and took a deep breath. I collected myself and stood tall, confidently strutting down the hall.

I didn't get very far before one of the dark-haired boys from earlier came up to me. "Hey! Hey!" He called, gaining my attention.

"Hi. So, I'm Benny. Nice to meet you both," he introduced himself, offering his hand to shake. "So I have this friend over there," he pointed to the other dark-haired boy. "Ethan, my friend, was nervous to tell you that he thinks you're hot."

My eyebrows shot up at the balls of this guy. I looked over at his friend, Ethan, who looked like he wanted to curl up and die. He apparently thought his locker would make a good substitute, so his face was mostly hidden behind the metal. I tried to look at his face to show him that it wasn't his fault his friend is obnoxious. In turn, he shoved his head into his locker to avoid my gaze. Benny cringed at the action. "Ooh, sorry. He's nervous."

"Okay. Umm . . " I couldn't think of what to say. I was obvious these two weren't on the same social level as me, so I couldn't talk to them for long, or I'd risk being caught. I'd tried to keep the most polite and sympathetic smile I could. I wanted to be popular but I didn't want to hurt this guy's feelings. "Tell your friend I said thank you, but he's not really my type. I've got to get to class though. So, bye." I ran off before anyone could say anything.

I sighed and hoped the day could only get better from here.

~

I passed Benny and Ethan on the way to my first class. I heard a groan of pain and turned to find Benny clutching his shoulder.

"Hey! At least she was nice about it! That was a good first rejection!"

"Just keep walking, Z," Sam recommended guiding me away.

~

"Oh, my God. This looks so gross. . . "I whined to Sam as I watched a lunch lady carelessly ladle what appeared to be eggs onto someone's phone.

"And unsanitary," Sam added.

As my turn came up, I approached the lunch lady as politely as possible. "Excuse me, ma'am. I was wondering if you knew the calorie count for these dishes. Or is there a website I can find it?" Stephanie was very adamant about calorie counting. As cheerleaders, we have to be attractive enough to intimidate the other teams or distract them. We can't do that looking like overfed pigs.

"You're fifteen, blonde, and skinny as a twig already. You don't need to count your calories," she responded irritated. She handed me a tray with a very unappetizing sloppy joe and waved her hand, telling me to keep the line moving.

"Zelda!" A deep voice called once I paid for my food. A hand waved in the air, bringing my attention to Link, sitting at a table with Stephanie, Jesse and another boy I didn't know the name of.

I took a deep breath, painted a confident smile on my face and made my way over to the table. "Hey, guys," I said, sitting down next to Link.

Sam tried to sit down next to me.

"What are you doing?" Stephanie screeched as she glared at him.

"Uh. . . sitting down?" He answered confused.

"Why?" She continued.

"Well," he began, "Z was invited to sit and I'm her twin so I thought-"

"Well, you thought wrong." She paused. "Are a cheerleader?" She asked putting on a fake smile.

"Uh. . . no?" He answered, confused by the question.

"Are you on the football team?"

"No."

"The basketball team?"

"No."

"Baseball?"

"No," he replied, jaw locked in anger.

"Wrestling?" She pressed.

"No! You know I'm not!"

"Then find another place to sit, geek."

Sam looked to Link and I for help. I sat in awe of the situation. I knew Stephanie could be rude, but he's my twin. Both Lincoln and I were part of the popular group. Shouldn't Sam get a chance? I looked at my hands in my lap and fidgeted nervously. I glanced over at Lincoln to find him avoiding eye contact with either of us.

Sam scoffed. "Wow, what great siblings I have." I couldn't look at him. I was betraying the only person who had been with me through everything. We had been best friends, taking on the world together since the day we were born. And here I was, acting as if he were worth less than me.

"Whatever. Fine. I'll go. See you in Chem, Z." He simply got up and left. Not two steps after, he ran straight into a beautiful girl with flawless tan skin and dark brown hair.

She groaned, obviously very pissed. "Really?" She exclaimed angrily, looking down at her ruined shirt. The cute peach top was now smothered sloppy joe sauce. "Watch where you're going!"

"I am so sorry," my brother apologized.

She ignored him and walked off. She threw her tray in a nearby trashcan and didn't bother going to the bathroom to clean up. She just sat down at another table occupied by a blonde girl with glasses.

Sam hung his head low and scampered away in shame.

Stephanie laughed. "Serves her right. Any person in their right mind would know how bad these school lunches are for you," she teased rudely. "Speaking of, what are you doing, Zelda?" She quickly snapped.

"What do you mean?"

"We've talked about this. You freshman are too chunky. You need to slow it down a little," she clarified, pulling my tray away from me. "Seriously, Zelda. What part of our discussion didn't you get? You can't put crap like this in your body if you want to stay on the team."

"I need to eat something," I argued. "I skipped breakfast this morning."

"Missing a second meal will drop your weight faster."

"Skipping meals doesn't get rid of fat," I corrected, grabbing my apple. "It eats away at your muscles first. Fat is more important for the body in-"

"I didn't ask for a biology lesson, Harris," she snarled. "You take one bite of that apple and you're off the squad."

I stopped and looked at her to see if she was serious.

"Come on, Steph. Isn't that a bit much? You can't starve her. She's right. It's not good for her," Link defended.

"She is the heaviest girl on the squad."

"By less than three pounds!" I exclaimed. It didn't seem that important. We were all about the same weight.

"You aren't meeting the weight requirement. Maximum weight is 115." I'm 117 pounds, which is definitely healthy for my height and age. "Let's face it, Link, she could use a little starving." He gawked at her lack of subtlety. "Now put the apple down or sit with your brother like the rest of the losers," she ordered sharply.

I turned around and saw Sam sitting with Ethan and Benny from earlier, this time, accompanied by an equally nerdy looking blonde boy with a wide grin. Like Sam, I looked to Lincoln for help. He just shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.

I sighed and set down the apple.

"Good girl," Stephanie smirked. "Now, where were we?" She turned back to the table and struck up a conversation with the other upperclassman.

For the rest of lunch, I sat quietly in my seat, staring longingly at my lunch, thinking of how juicy and sweet that apple might have been.

~

The second I stepped through the door, I kicked off my heels and darted up the stairs. Eager for any way to drown out my growling stomach, I plopped down in my game chair. I quickly began the age old tradition of deciding which console to play on. "Eeny, meenie, miney, moe. Catch a tiger by his toe. If he hollers let him go. Eeny meenie, miney, moe," I recited, bouncing back and fourth between my Nintendo 64 and my computer. Landing on my Nintendo, I quickly decided what game to play and popped in the Legend of Zelda tab without a second thought. Almost immediately after inserting it, I heard a knock at my door. "Yeah?"

"It's Link. Can I come in?"

"Sure," I answered as the system started up.

"Hey, Sam and I were going to play Fortnite if you want to join."

"I would rather die than sully my good gaming rep with such filth."

"A simple 'no' would've been fine. Besides, you have no gaming rep. No one outside of this house even knows you play."

"Fine. No, I don't want to play."

"Thank you. Now, catch," he called out, tossing me a can of sour cream and onion Pringles. He knew they were my favorite. "I know Steph wants you to lose weight but that bitch doesn't have the right to starve you."

"Link, I can't-"

"Eat it. Or I tell Mom everything and she'll monitor your meals."

I rolled my eyes and popped off the lid. I ate a single chip, trying not to show how much I enjoyed it. "There."

"Good. Now that can better be gone before you quit playing."

"The whole can?" I repeated.

"Yeah. You skipped two meals today. You need a certain amount of calories per day. If you finish that, I'll feel better because you'll be a lot closer to that healthy number." He turned to leave. "And don't forget about Jesse's party tonight," he reminded me, before leaving.

I contemplated throwing the can away. But my roaring stomach told me that wasn't an option.