Time After Time

Part 1

"What are you going to wear?" Lucy, my best friend, asks on the other end of the phone.

"I don't know. Maybe my blue dress." I shift my clothes, one by one, aside, trying to pick out an outfit for my last first day of school today. "I haven't tried at all to look cute," I laugh, "in all my years of high school! So this year's going to be different." Exhaling, I pull out my light blue dress and pick up my white adidas. "What about you?"

"I don't know, Lux." She groans. "It's like any other day I can pick out the perfect outfit, except today!"

"Just wear that one striped top with the black skirt, you know, the one you always feel cute in!" I say, perkily, trying to cheer Lucy up. For some reason, I feel insanely good about this school year. All through out the summer I was dreading coming back. Why can't I graduate already, I thought to myself, I'm smart enough to just skip this year. Then I suddenly started getting excited about it just a week before today. I decided I wanted to make this year the best of all my previous years, and not let my shyness hold me back from anything.

"Yeah, maybe I'll wear that." Lucy speaks, showing a slight hint of positivity. "I'll see you at lunch!" And with that, we hung up the phone and I began getting ready.

•

I walk in through the double doors, my white back pack hangs over my left shoulder, I breathe in, and make my way to my first class. The halls are crowded as usual and the summer heat seeps it's way throughout the building. My first class is Calculus and when I walk in, everyone is scattered across the room. Jack, the stoner, is sitting on the window seal in the back of the classroom, laughing with his group of friends. Two cheerleaders, Alicia and Romy, lean against the desks while a group of jocks talk to them. I scan my eyes and come across Andy, an acquaintance of mine, and make my way over to sit next to him.

"Hey Lux." He speaks, not looking at me but to the side. His light brown hair poofs around the top of his head and I notice the smudges on his glasses.

"Hi Andy." I smile and attempt to not tap my fingers, a bad habit I have when I talk to people I'm not extremely close with. He doesn't say anything for a while, but remains facing me with his eyes to the floor. "You excited to graduate this year?"

Andy takes his index finger and pushes his glasses up from the middle. "I suppose."

All right, here we go, class of 1989.

•

After finding Lucy and grabbing lunch, we make our way outside to the outdoor lunch tables.

"Shit. Those sophomores took our table from last year." Lucy says, her eyebrows scrunched towards the giggling underclassmen.

"It's okay. Let's sit-" I look around for an open table but fail to find one. "inside?" Every year we sat inside, except for last year. Looks like we're going back to that again. Walking in, a cool air blows in my face and I decide that it's probably not such a bad thing that we have to sit in the nice, air conditioned building. Lucy and I make our way to an empty circular table. I poke around at my so-called spaghetti and meatballs and look around the area.

"So, apparently June is pregnant." Lucy says through a mouthful of food. Lucy and I have always been outsiders, but she's always been the one to love the gossip surrounding the in crowd. Whereas, I could care less. For the most part, they only care about themselves, so why should I add to that? I have better things to do.

"Really?" I reply with a monotone.

"Yeah! And get this! Tristan isn't the father!" Lucy exclaims and I watch the window behind her as Corey Haim walks by. "Apparently she slept with some producer over the summer and it's his!" I vaguely hear her voice as Corey makes a turn and disappears into a crowd of people.

"Crazy." I say, returning my eyes back to her.

"God, you aren't even listening Lux! What's the matter?" Lucy exclaims with the usual amount energy.

"What?" I snap out of my day dreaming state of mind. "Oh, nothing's wrong." I smile, recalling Corey's matured face. He really did look a bit older, and somehow, even more attractive than last school year. "Sorry, Lucy. You know I don't care for the whole 'Beverly Hills Teens' drama."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." She rolls her eyes and I stick my tongue out at her. "Okay! From now on, I won't mention it around you! So, any cute new boys?"

I sighed. "No, no one new." Every year, I hoped a guy like Corey would transfer here but be more like me. And by that, I mean not popular.

"Lux! Are you still drooling over Corey?" Lucy sips on her Coca Cola and laughs.

"Okay, first of all, I'm not drooling! Second of all, yes!" We both burst out laughing when suddenly the cafeteria doors open. Corey walks in, alone, makes his way through the cafeteria, and into the halls of the school. "Why isn't he sitting outside?" I asked. Corey, along with his posse of popular rich kids, always sit outside by the fountain. His friends are the typical snotty people that make everyone else feel below them. Corey is different. I mean, yes, he's rich, but he's not like the rest of them. Or, at least I don't think so. I haven't ever actually spoken to him before.

"Probably because someone pissed him off. You know how he is." Corey does get upset with his "friends" frequently, understandably since they're all assholes. "He's so bitchin' Lux, you gotta talk to him this year." I peer at my friend across from me.

"Oh yeah, and say what?" I mimic my voice to sound like one of the cheerleaders while I twirl my hair, "Wow, Corey, your, like, hair is super tripindicular."

Lucy falls into laughter. "No! I was meaning something more like-" She changes her voice to attempt to match mine. "Hi. I'm Lux, you're Corey, right?" I blush, imagining the scenario until Lucy continues. "Let's fuck!"