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Excuse the mistakes

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Most girls would probably freak out if they were covered in paint, but I’m not most girls. I’m more comfortable when I’m splattered in paint then when I’m lounging around in yoga pants, which was like heaven to a lot of girls.

After classes filled with really boring lectures that I’d tuned out of, getting to art class was a relief. Ms. Homer, the art teacher, quickly introduced me to the current assignment, which was a still life representation in any medium, and then she just let me start without almost no restrictions. That’s one of the reasons I loved art; it wasn’t strict.

So, I’d picked the still life setup of a small set of teacups, and I’d gotten myself a piece of canvas, some acrylic paints, and a set of abused paint brushes. After grabbing a smock, which was just a button down triple-X guy’s shirt, I set up and began to paint my still life.

Pretty soon, I had green paint splotches all over the smock and jeans, since I was quite the messy painter, and I was really enjoying myself. All of the stress I’d been feeling over the first day at a new school was melting away, and I could just be.

“That looks really good.”

I was suddenly pulled out of my concentration, and I turned around slowly to see one of my classmates standing there. He was hot; I’m not going to lie. The guy had shaggy, blonde hair and dark eyes that screamed confidence. The guy has a grin playing on his lips, but I wasn’t so quick to swoon.

“Thanks,” I replied, putting my palette down on a stool next to my easel, “I’m Bridget.”

“Oh, I’ve heard a lot about you,” the guy stated, and he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Really?” I asked with a raised eyebrow, “You head anything interesting?”

“Just that you’re trouble,” the guy said, and he stuck out his hand, “I’m Dustin. It’s nice to meet the girl whose arrival has caused quite the stir thanks to her preceding reputation.”

“Nice to meet you, Dustin,” I replied, and I shook his hand. What Dustin had said about my reputation preceding me, and that he’d heard I was trouble, struck a chord in me. I didn’t know whether to be impressed or worried. I didn’t want people thinking that I was a bad kid, because I wasn’t.

People had been nice to me in my classes, though, and they hadn’t really mentioned my prank or expulsion, unless asking if it was true, so maybe the rumors would pass without really boiling over.

Suddenly, a bell rang twice over the PA system, which I learned meant that class was over. “Here,” Dustin said, and he picked up my palette, “I’ll help you put your stuff away, and then we can head to lunch together.”

“Alright,” I replied slowly, “Thanks.” Dustin smiled and nodded at me, and I watched as he took my palette over to the sink and rinsed it off. As he turned and started back over to me, I quickly tore my gaze away from him and pulled my smock up over my head.

That’s when I felt the draft on my stomach.

“Shit!” I hissed, and I quickly yanked the smock completely off and pulled my shirt back down. I’d just flashed my boobs at the entire class, especially Dustin, who was standing five feet away and staring at me… or, more specifically, where my neon yellow bra had just been showing.

“Do not say a word,” I ordered, jutting a finger out at Dustin, who looked close to laughing.

“I wasn’t going to say anything!” Dustin replied, putting his hands up in surrender.

“You’re a teenage boy,” I grumbled as I took my canvas off of the easel, “you just saw my boobs. I’m pretty sure you wanted to say something.”

Dustin paused before chuckling, “You got me, Bridget.” I couldn’t help but laugh at the amused look on his face, and I really appreciated that he wasn’t making a big deal about my boobs. It seemed like only a few people in the class had noticed, since they were exposed for a few seconds, and I felt less awkward.

I placed my canvas in the drying rack that Ms. Homer had showed me at the beginning of class, and then I looked over at Dustin. “To lunch?” I asked and Dustin nodded.

I grabbed my backpack and shrugged it on over my shoulders, and then Dustin and I filed out of the art classroom. We followed the sea of students towards Samson Hall, and I pulled my hair out of the ponytail holder I’d used to keep my hair out of my face while I painted.

“So where are you from?” Dustin asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

“Pittsburgh,” I replied, smiling as I remembered my hometown and all of my friends.

“And your parents sent you here,” Dustin mused, tapping a finger against his lips, “That must really blow.”

“Tell me about it,” I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest. Dustin laughed, and then held the door of Samson Hall open for me. “Thanks,” I said, and Dustin shrugged.

I was actually surprised at how gentlemanly Dustin was being. Just, the way he seemed to carry himself suggested that he was somewhat of a player, and from my experience with players, they were total tools. Dustin didn’t seem like a tool to me.

Dustin and I walked into the cafeteria, and as I went through the lunch line, I noticed the looks I was getting from almost every single girl. At first, I thought it was just because I was the new kid, but then I realized that they were looking at Dustin and me together.

I frowned and wondered what it was that was stare-worthy, but I didn’t say anything about it to Dustin. Instead, I loaded my tray up with a PB&J sandwich wrapped in cellophane, a raspberry tea Snapple, and a bag of barbeque kettle chips, my favorite things in the whole wide world.

As I walked out of the lunch line with Dustin, I caught sight of Teagan and Kyla sitting at the same lunch table as last night. I glanced over at Dustin to ask if he wanted to sit with us, but before I could say anything, he did.

“I’m going to go find some of my friends, but I’ll talk to you later,” he said, and before I could reply, Dustin walked away across the cafeteria and disappeared out one of the side doors. I raised an eyebrow but just shrugged and slipped across the cafeteria to where Teagan and Kyla were sitting.

“Hey guys,” I said, sitting down. “Teagan, did you wake up in time for your first class?”

 When she didn’t answer, I looked up to see both Teagan and Kyla staring at me with eyes as big as saucers. “What is with the staring?” I asked, throwing my hands up in the air, “Seriously, everyone in the lunch line was doing it!”

“Were you just hanging out with Dustin Garth?” Teagan demanded, and she and Kyla looked at me intensely.

“Uh, yes,” I replied slowly, and Kyla and Teagan shared a knowing look. “Girls, cut the crap,” I said with a sigh, “Tell me what’s going on. What is such a big deal about Dustin?”

“He’s a really bad guy, Bridget,” Kyla said seriously, “Dustin’s not someone you want to hang out with.”

“Yeah,” Teagan added, and she leaned closer to me, “He’s a total player, and once he gets into your pants, he’s done with you like you’re a bowl of soggy Cheerios.” I looked from Teagan to Kyla, and their intense looks just made me feel frustrated.

“You guys can’t be serious!” I hissed, running a hand though my hair, “I mean, you tell me that I can’t be anything with Jack because of fucking Chelsea Stern, and now you’re telling me I can’t hang out with Dustin because he’s some bad guy.”

“Yeah,” Kyla said with a nod, “We’re just looking out for you. We don’t want you to get your heart broken, Bridget.”

“I’m not even remotely interested in dating either of them!” I cried, my hands flailing animatedly, “I’m just trying to make new friends at this school that my dad sent me to, and every guy I’ve started to hang out with is apparently bad for me or unavailable!”

Kyla and Teagan stayed silent, but it could tell from their expression that neither of the girls was planning on saying anything. Suddenly, I could stand to just sit here and deal with them, so I sighed and pushed back from the table.

 “I forgot something in my room,” I muttered grumpily, and I shoved my sandwich and kettle chips into my backpack. I grabbed my Snapple and stood up, and with a quick glance at Kyla and Teagan, I turned and hurried from the cafeteria.

I know, I know. I’m being an overdramatic butthead, but I was just really angry. It was really frustrating when people tried to tell me who was good to hang out with and who wasn’t because I was definitely someone who hated to be controlled. I could decide for myself who was a good person to be friends with and who wasn’t; I didn’t need Kyla and Teagan to do that for me.

As I turned out of the cafeteria, I ran smack into something solid and alive. I stumbled backwards and groaned when I recognized Simon and his arrogant smirk. “Well, hey there Bridget,” he said, standing solidly in my path.

“I’m not in the mood, Simon,” I replied, and I tried to edge past him but Simon moved to block me once again.

“Look, Bridget,” Simon said, putting an arm on my shoulder which I instantly shook off, “I just wanted to talk to you quickly about what happened at the airport.”

At the mention of our first encounter, my eyes narrowed. I may be mad at Teagan, but she was my roommate and one of my first friends here at Trinity. I knew Simon was a bad guy, and I wasn’t going to let him mess with her heart.

“No, Simon, let me talk to you about what happened at the airport,” I replied, jutting a finger out at him, “I can tell that you’re a slimy asshole, and I have my eye on you, so be careful what you do.”

Simon looked at me with a shocked look, but I just shoved past him and continued out of the building. I’d made my point clear to Simon, and I felt good about that. I wasn’t one to watch as guys messed with my friends and despite knowing Teagan for less than twenty-four hours, I liked the girl. Well, I liked her even when I was frustrated with her, like right now.

I pushed out of Samson Hall and took a swig from my Snapple. I didn’t actually have to go to my room, since I’d just used it as an excuse to leave, so I started to wander around campus for the half hour allotted for lunch.

As I fished around in my backpack for my iPod, I heard someone call my name, and I turned around to see Jack hurrying towards me. He was just a reminder of the small fight I’d had with Teagan and Kyla, and that brought my mood down slightly from the triumphant high I’d had after my encounter with Simon.

“Hey Bridget,” Jack said as he approached, “You’re just the person I was looking for.” Okay, as stupid as it sounds, Jack’s good mood was contagious, and I reluctantly found myself smiling.

“Oh really,” I replied, raising an eyebrow, “And why is that?”

“Mr. Hiller talked to me about being your math tutor,” Jack said, and my smile disappeared.

“He did?” I asked, and I started to feel sick to my stomach.

I found my weakness in math to be really embarrassing, and it was something I didn’t exactly want people to know. So, now that Jack knew, and would actually be the one tutoring me, I was afraid he would see me as just some dumb, bad girl, which I wasn’t at all.

“Yeah,” Jack replied, and he frowned. “Bridget, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said quickly, but we both knew that wasn’t true. “Look, I just don’t want people to know I’m getting tutored in math,” I admitted, “So can we just keep this on the down low?”

“Yeah, of course,” Jack replied with a shrug, “I’ll just text you and we can figure out a time to meet, okay?” I nodded, and then, without warning, Jack grabbed my hand and scribbled a phone number, which I assumed was his, on it with a ball point pen.

“Text me, okay?” Jack asked, and I nodded.

“Jack, c’mon! We have to get some lunch!”

Both Jack and I turned and looked towards the direction of the voice, and I tried not to gag when I saw that it belonged to Chelsea. Her fake smile was screwed on tight, and she waved at both of us.

“I have to go,” Jack said, turning back to me quickly.

“I’ll see you around,” I replied with a warm grin, and Jack returned it before hurrying towards Chelsea. With his back turned, I raised my hand at Chelsea and pointed at Jack’s phone number. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped, and I winked at her before turning on my heel and walking away.

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