BURNING PILE » MIGUEL DIAZ

𝟬𝟬𝟭 play the part

ミ☆ chapter one; play the part
[ season 1, episode 2 ]

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Nadia was no stranger to the dangers of high school, so it didn't help that this was a completely new school. She felt like a lost puppy as all the students rekindled excitedly with their friends that they hadn't seen since May. You'd think a lot of kids would be nervous as well since it's the first day, but they all looked like they knew exactly where they were supposed to be.

She was just about ready to hide in the bathroom for the next thirty minutes until the bell rang, but someone tapped her shoulder.

"You look like you're about to pass out."

She was greeted by the grin of a girl with golden locks that were nicely trimmed into a wolf cut that made her look kind of badass. She wore a black graphic tee that had been mostly covered due to the huge leather jacket she had on. Nadia wasn't entirely sure, but it sounded like there was a slight French accent that she had been attempting to hide but failed at. She looked familiar.

Nadia was glad she had someone speaking to her, so decided to play friendly. "I think I might, actually. I'm not exactly the best at branching out."

"Well, I'm Renée." The blonde girl extended a hand.

"Wait, your name's Renée?" Her eyebrows lowered in surprise. "Were you by any chance at that beach party last year?"

She wasn't being specific, but if it was the Renée she remembered, then she would have no trouble figuring out what she was referring to. Her eyes lit up in excitement. "Nadia! I knew I recognized you from somewhere!"

The brunette had occasional visits to LA to see her mom usually in the summer, and during her trip the year prior, she had met Renée. They had never known each other before, but ending up spending the entire night together. The two girls had completely forgotten to get the other's number, and Nadia was sure she'd never see Renée again. But, here they were.

"It looks like we have biology together," Renée observed, peering down at the schedule poking out of her binder. "Hopefully you're smart, because I'm pretty sure I may fail this year."

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Lunchtime was usually Nadia's favorite period of the day. The simple reasoning behind that was the fact that she could hang out with her friends and feel comfortable.

But, she didn't feel like there was a place for her anywhere. It was as if everybody had already figured out their seats for the year.

There were the popular girls, the jocks, the gamers, the nerds, even the goths had already somehow assembled. But Nadia wasn't entirely sure where she fit when it came to those groups.

"So, where should we sit?" Renée asked, popping up out of nowhere.

"Where do you usually sit?"

"In the library," She sheepishly admitted, staring down at the burger on her tray that looked like play dough. "It was a choice, though. Freshman year wasn't exactly easy on me."

"Right." Nadia pressed her lips together, turning her head to the different tables that they could take the chance to sit at.

The issue was, she couldn't find any that seemed inviting. It may have been just tables, but to these people, it decides where you are on the food chain. It was extremely stupid, Nadia knew that, but it was just the way it worked at West Valley High. So the question was, who did she wanna be?

Her eyes flickered over to a table with three boys, more specifically, a table with Miguel seated at it. He had his eyes set on one of the brunettes sitting at a table filled with rich white girls.

He looked away from the table, seemingly sensing Nadia's eyes burning into his head. When he noticed her, he brought back the welcoming smile he had given her just a few days before when they first met. She returned the smile quickly, making her way over to the table.

"Is it okay if we sit here?" Renée asked, raising an eyebrow at the three guys staring at them, two of which had their jaws slightly agape.

"What kind of magic are you working, man?" One of them asked, not taking his eyes off the girls taking their seats. When Miguel simply rolled his eyes, the boy turned back to them. "I'm Demetri, that's Eli, and I think you should still find another table to sit at while you can."

"Uh..."

"He's joking," Miguel quickly clarified, shaking his head. He gave a smile to Nadia, letting her know that he was glad to see her silently, to which she returned easily. Miguel turned his attention back to the smiley brunette sitting at another table.

Renée picked up on this, letting out a snort. "Keep eye-banging Samantha LaRusso. That's about the closest you're ever gonna get."

"Yeah. You can kiss any chance of that happening goodbye," Demetri agreed. "Sitting here is like signing off your virginity till' college."

"That's not always the case," Nadia interjected, raising an eyebrow. "There are some things girls dig, and you just gotta find out what it is to grab their attention."

Miguel's eyes lit up in an instant. "Do girls dig karate?"

The word took Nadia by so much surprise that she nearly spilled her milk carton all over the table. Karate wasn't exactly the most practiced thing where she came from, hence why she was so popular. Because she had something that most people didn't. Skill.

"Do you take karate lessons or something?" Nadia questioned.

"I can throw a good punch or two," He bragged, although Miguel had been lying through his teeth. He had barely started. Nadia wasn't sure if she should challenge him to a fight just to see him humbled, or if she should keep up the act like she promised herself she would. And while she'd love to show off the talent she knew many others around her did not have, she ultimately decided that it'd be best to keep up the act just to stay out of trouble.

"Well, you'll have to teach me sometime then."

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authors note!

i'm ngl i hate this chapter sm 😭

it gets better though i swear i just needed to introduce some characters 💔