The Geek Diaries

Chapter 3

On the way to my first class, I saw quite a few guys looking at me. I didn't know how many people really knew if it was me or not, but I tried to ignore them as I walked to my class.

     I walked into my Art class, greeting my teacher. She looked surprised for a moment then regained her composure. "Nobody told me that we were going to have a new student today, I guess I’m a little surprised." she apologised to me.

     I looked at her, like she had problems even though I guessed she wouldn't recognise me.

     "I'm not new," I explained. I wasn’t sure what the effect would be on everybody, but I was amazed that no one knew who I was.
     She looked at me, clearly confused. "What's your name, dear?"

     I almost laughed at her clueless face.  "Alyssa."

     She raised her eyebrows. "I beg your pardon?"

     "It's me, Alyssa." I repeated. "I-uh had a bit of a makeover over the weekend."

     She gave me a smile once she saw it was me. "Wow, you look so different, but now I recognise you.”

     I smiled back. "That's the impression I'm getting from everyone," I said before walking to my spot, everyone’s eyes on me. I saw some expressions which were mostly surprised, but some were interested and some were clearly not believing that it was me.

     During the class I was doing a still life painting, thoroughly enjoying it. Painting was one of the few things that I was okay at, and still life was one of my favourites. Today we were trying to do utensils and a plate. I knew it wasn’t the usual ‘fruit’ and I was glad for that. All still life paintings didn’t need to be fruit, and I preferred interesting paintings anyway. I looked up for a moment and noticed another of James's friends looking at me.

     As soon as he saw me looking, he gave me a grin but I simply rolled my eyes back at him. Was he serious?   Him (or rather one of his friends) had teased me all throughout high school and would have never given me a second glance, but now that I looked different, it all changed? They all were so shallow – only thinking about people’s looks. Who would think that personality didn’t matter?

     I went back to painting, ignoring him but I soon got passed a note by the girl beside me.

     "It's from Isaac," she whispered to me. I vaguely recognised the name and I realised Isaac was the jock grinning at me from before.

     I opened it cautiously and read it.

     You can't be that geek-girl. You're way too smokin' hot to be her.

     I crumpled it up and put it in my pocket. He had now officially gone to the top of my hate list. Sure he had called me ‘smokin’ hot’ as he called it, but he had also called me ‘that geek-girl’ too. Life was just too crazy.

     I didn't look up for the rest of the lesson - I didn’t know if I regretted it or not, knowing that this information would be passed onto James that I had ‘ignored’ his friend. I was probably ruining my reputation by acting all stuck up, but I wanted to teach those popular kids a lesson. They thought they could get any girl they wanted, and I was going to deny that by completely avoiding them.

      Once the bell rung, I stood up and walked out - not looking at Isaac as I passed him. I didn’t want him to think I had any feelings for him whatsoever, except resentfulness.

In the hall, I got my books and started walking to my next class until I heard someone yelling and begging someone for something. I turned around and saw a girl with glasses being picked on. James was standing there, taunting her with her backpack. He was taller than her, so she was jumping, trying to get it. Her knotty hair was tied back into a bun and her glasses were big and geeky. That could have been me I realised as I watched them.