Popular Outsiders

Popular Outsiders

Next Month

"Hey, Rachel!" someone in the hall cheered. 

Some other kid held up their hand for a high five. I slapped their hand as I rode on my skateboard past him in the hall. 

The old me would ignore them and hit the kid's hand away or better yet, I would flip him. The new me would openly admit it helped with the healing and guilty that overwhelmed me after Willow's funeral. It had been a sad event, and made me miss Willow even more. I learned more about that wacky girl who died younger than she should have. It made me think, and made me want to be better somehow. More like Willow or any other person that was optimistic even when they knew they were going to die. 

I had changed, but only in one hundred and eighty degrees, not three-sixty. I still had my escape artist skills. I could still flip you onto your back. Being tough was my specialty. I've always had feelings. However, since then it was apparent I was willing to share them more. I cared more about everything, but I didn't care too much to the point of obsession. 

I hadn't caused any trouble for a long time. I swore only a little. My hair was now at my shoulders rather than at my waist. My grades went up. I was now in the second row in Mrs. Blacks's room. Her old nickname was beginning to fade. It was starting to get to the point that only Chad and Jason called her "Mrs. Bullshit" at all. I still wanted to become a marine. Pranking wasn't my priority.

My new priority was friends, especially helping Calvin with Carrie and making sure Jesse didn't get angry at me because we didn't go out the weekend before. Will and I still teased each other. Calvin and Will had their moments, but in the end it managed to get better. Jesse never fought. 

The week after Will and I had become friends-which was the same day I admitted who my father was-and the day after Willow's funeral, Chad, Henry, and Jason tried to get the entire cross country team to chase after Calvin and I plus Jesse and Will. They opted out. 

Will left the jock's group. Not completely, but they weren't the people he was seen with the most. He never hung around Chad, Henry, or Jason anymore. He didn't get into fights either. Calvin was still saving up what money he made, and was planning on filing an assault and battery charge against his father. I no longer accepted the money he offered for Carrie. 

School was a lot more fun. I thought being the bully and getting others to cower when you walked by was fun. No, it was just wrong. I thought it was a way of getting out my anger, but it was only adding fuel to the fire. As sad as it was true, life was better after Willow's death. 

~

"Hi, Calvin!" called Alex, the girl from his homeroom, to him in the morning. 

"Oh, hi," Calvin muttered. 

"What's up?" she asked as she reached him. 

Her eyes were a bright, practically neon, blue. They sparkled with energy and optimism. 

"You have been asking me that every day since you heard about Willow, and every day I tell you I am perfectly fine," Calvin grumbled. 

"Yeah, I know. I'm just being nice. I ask practically everyone that!" she admitted with a laugh, and then raced off. 

"Hey, Cal," said a kid from his history class. 

A few seconds later: "How are you?" instead of "Fuck off."

There was also: "Did you do the homework last night? Do you need to copy mine?" instead of  "What did we have for homework last night?"

For some reason, his favorite-for that day-was: "Did you make sure to study for the test today in English?" instead of "Do we have a test in English today?"