"So when do the audition results come out?" I shut my locker, not bothering to close the padlock.

    "After lunch," Ari replies.

    "Got it." I nod.

    "Sh!" Ms. Smith hushes us. I roll my eyes at her, feeling nothing but boredom. Oh that same clock. Why do we even hang them on the wall? The painful reminders of the daytime prison we are thrown in by our relentless parents each morning.

    I open my notebook, scribbling down a note. Pass around the petition. I tear the page out of my book, and toss it to Ari. he quickly unfolds the paper, reads it, and waits patiently as I dig through my backpack for the sheet. They have to listen if we get enough signatures.

    I pull the petition from my bag, and hand it to Ari, along with a black pen. He passes it to the student behind him, and it makes its journey around the room.

    "Only two more minutes," I hiss at Ar.

    "Till lunch." he licks his lips, hungrily. I reach a hand deep into the cavern of my backpack, searching for the three-day-old bag of M&M's. At last, I feel the crispy, tiny circles through the wrapper, and carefully pull it from my bag.

    I hold them up, and nod happily as I fumble with the wrapper. What would I do without M&M's? What would I do without the amazing, chocolatey goodness. I pop a handful into my mouth when Ms. Smith isn't looking. To my dismay, when Ms. Smith turns around, I haven't yet swallowed. I shoved so many in my mouth, I must look like a chipmunk. The very distinct rule 'no food or drink in detention' has never dared to be broken in the history of Oak High.

    Ms. Smith makes her way down the endless rows of desks, as if in slow motion. I quickly stand ever so slightly in my seat, then sit again on the bag of eminems.

    "Something about you seems different Ms. Rowe," Ms. Smith taps her chin, feigning curiosity. "I just can't seem to put my finger on it..." Naturally, I want to swallow the nervousness, but of course my mouth is filled to the brim with eminems.

    I shrug in response, innocently trying to smile without letting it all spill over.

    "Would you like some free food?" Ms. Smith asks, smiling cleverly.

    "Yes!" I rise, excitement overwhelming my train of thought. Six eminems fall over my lips, each making a distinct plink, when they hit the ground. Damn she fooled me. "Ugh," I moan.

    "Since you have provided yourself with a snack already, I presume you won't mind spending tomorrow's lunch with me." She furrows her brows, and I groan again, as she turns on her heel, and travels back to her desk.

    "Dammit," I mutter under my breath, rolling my eyes.

-------------------------------------------------------------

    My effervescent soda tingles on my tongue, the sensation ephemeral. "So what ever happened with your anniversary present?" I ask, turning in my seat to face Khloe.

"Let him off the hook," she shrugs.

"Khloe," Shaye Bassle shakes her head. 

"Hmm?" Khloe looks to her right.

"If you're going to talk to that swine, you can't do it here." she shoos.

"Well," I begin, hands on hips.

"Okay Shaye, sorry." How are the two of them friends?

"No problem, Girl." she flashes a smile. Khloe lifts her lunch tray with one hand, the other yanking me up from my spot, as I stare, jaw gaping...flabbergasted. "Ooh, wait!" Shaye calls after Khloe, as we make our way to Ari, who is sitting with our friends, aka the freaks.

"What?" I roll my eyes, turning back to face the witch.

"I'm throwing a party on Saturday," she grins.

"Cool I'll be there. Can I bring this weirdo?" she points to me.

"Ugh. Fine." she turns back to the faux teenagers, and takes a harsh bite of her apple.

"I'm going to a high school party?" I question, my voice high pitched in confusion.

"Yes, little one. You are." she drags me towards Ari, as I stand limp, like a rag, a very mesmerized rag.

"Wow." I gape in awe.

"You can't wear that or anything like it." she prompts me.

"But I like my fangirl shirts." Khloe plops both my and her trays on the table, then lifts me into my seat. Next to Khloe sits Ava, and next to me sits Ari. Across me is Brecken Soul. Brecken is what we call a school friend. We chat in the halls if none of our friends are around, we pass notes during class, occasionally text, and we have our moments at lunch. But that's it. School friend.

I was surprised looking back on the first day of school, that instead of choosing Brecken as my best friend, I chose Khloe. Brecken and I are practically the same person. I guess there's such a thing as being too similar.

"Long time no talk," I begin, looking at Brecken. Her long, light brown hair shimmers when the sunlight of the window finds its way to the strands.

"I noticed your name on the musical sign up sheet," she grins.

If you only learn one thing about Brecken, it will be her beanie. Brecken lives that beanie of hers. It never comes off. She probably sleeps in it. She probably swims in it, and showers in it, and jogs in it. No one has ever seen her out of it. She wears it all four seasons of the year, no matter the heat or the cold. She'd jump in front of a bullet for that beanie.

The knitted hat is a light grey. Nothing special about it. She claims to have been wearing it since the start of the seventh grade. I believe it.

"Yeah," I laugh a little, uncomfortably.

"I auditioned before you came in," she smiles at me. "I'm no singer, I just thought it might fun to shout a few lines." she shrugs, and looks beside me to Ari. "Ari I saw your name on the list too,"

    "Yeah," Ari coughs, choking on his expired cafeteria milk.

    "I wasn't there to see it, but I've heard very good things about your voice." she leans her elbows on the table.

    "Nah," he blushes.

    "Words cannot describe how amazing he was," I correct.

    "Oh stop," he giggles. "But really keep going," he jokes.

    "Results come out after lunch, right?" Brecken waves me back into focus.

    "Yup," my one worded answers seem to be detected. I'm out of it right now. All I can think about is where I'm going after school. Is Luke going to let me stay with him again? Or am I going home? Is Lana going to pull up in the parking lot? Are the cops going to bring me home?

    "Hey I have to go to the bathroom, wanna come?" Brecken breaks the awkward silence between the three of us. Khloe is busy having a conversation with Ava.

    "Sure," I look down at my tray, once again time deprives me of eating a disgusting meal to the extent I deserve. I'm going to starve if this keeps up.

    "Oh no," Ari moans. "When girls go to the bathroom it's always to talk about something bad." he sighs.

    "Or good," Brecken winks, suggestively. What was that?! Alarms go off in my head, over thinking the entire situation with a horribly large exaggeration. The inside of a girl's mind is so confusing.

    When we reach the restroom, and the door has closed behind us, Brecken sits on the countertop, beside the sink.

    "So," she starts.

    "So," I chuckle, unsurely.

    "Do you know who Ari likes?" she inquires, casually. No! No! No!

    "No one...why do you ask?" she shrinks a little, defeat pushing its way to the surface of her skin.

    "I kinda...you know..." she sighs. "I really like him," she quickly adjusts her beanie. I begin to notice her limerence, as a lovely shade of pink compliments her cheeks.

    "I'll talk to him for you, just tell me what to say." I shrug. For some reason I don't want Ar to have a girlfriend. Why should I care anyways? Probably just because if Ar had a girlfriend, he'd stop spending time with me. That's what happens with friends, or so I've observed.

    "Alright, I'll text you." Brecken waltzes her way back to cafeteria, leaving me stranded in the bathroom. A hermit in its prime habitat.

-------------------------------------------------------

    "Adriann!" Ar catches up to me in the hallway.

    "What?" I chuckle at his frantic face.

    "The casting list must be up! Come on!" this clearly means a lot more to him than it does to me. Maybe deep down he knew he could sing. Quickly, I follow, as he tugs my arm to the activity board.

    For a moment, we scan the papers, looking for the correct one. There. I quickly skim down the list.

West Side Story Cast

----------------------------

Tony ----------- Ari Shepard

Maria ----------- Adriann Rowe

Anita ----------- Shaye Bassle

Bernardo ----------- Caden Mink-Walker

Riff ----------- Tyler Blue

Though many more names are on the list, I begin again from the top. Rubbing my eyes in disbelief.

"I got it." I whisper.

"You go it!" Ari hugs me.

"I got Maria!" I smile, giving an enthusiastic hop.

"You what?!" an exasperated voice, calls from the end of the hall. The voice draws nearer, the clicking of her thick stiletto heels growing louder and louder. The sea of students in the narrow corridor grow silent in the presence of their queen.

"I got Maria," I repeat, sticking out my tongue. "Wanna know who you are?" I grin.

"Let me see that!" she rips the sheet from its position.

"I'm not sure you're allowed to take that..." Ari whispers.

"Shut up, Geek!" she holds up a hand as she scours the list up and down. "Anita?!" she screams with animosity. "I got Anita, to this," she pauses, "T-shirt wearing, X-Ambassadors-loving, uncurved, unattractive, annoying, stupid little brat?" her shoulders rise and fall rapidly.

"Shhh." I tap her on the shoulder. "Use your inside voice. This is a peaceful learning environment." I hide my smile through a costume of teacher's attitude.

"Don't tell me, what to do. You cannot tell me what to do. Got it?" she asks.

"I'm beginning to understand why teachers used to ask us to quiet down," I tell Ari, using my second nature sarcasm.

She storms off past her subjects, her stomps expressing her anger.

Wait. If I'm Maria, and Ari is Tony. Then I have to kiss Ari? Facepalm.