new beginnings // michael clifford

Chapter 2: A Whole New Me

Summer's POV

I could feel his eyes on me the entire class period and it was causing my cheeks and neck to flush. I tried to focus on the lesson, but I actually couldn't wait until class ended. What was with me today? I barely made the bus, I was late to class, and now I couldn't focus? Maybe I did wish that I was back home, but this was my home now.

The bell finally rang and I shoved my books into my bag. I rushed off to make sure that Michael didn't try and talk to me. He was cute and all, but after talking to him, I decided he was definitely not my type. I also did not need the distraction. Ever since I little, I knew my focus was going to be school and the violin. A boy, especially that boy, would ruin that focus.

My classes until lunch went by a lot faster than English did and I was happy to find that Michael was in none of them. I looked around for Adam after I got my food. I wished that I hadn't been running late this morning so I could have packed my own lunch and didn't have to eat school food. When I finally saw Adam, he was surrounded by people like he was the most popular guy at the school. He was talking animatedly and it looked like he was telling a story. Everyone around him would laugh in unison at certain times and it just made me sick to my stomach. I suddenly lost my appetite and pushed my tray away from me. I stared at Adam and I wished that I could make friends like that.

"You're the new girl, right?" a girl asked me. She stood at the edge of my table with a lunch tray in her hands. Her dark brown hair was pulled to the side in a braid and the shirt of her uniform was sticking out of her skirt a bit. I nodded slowly. "I'm Jordan. Do you care if I sit here?"

I shook my head. "I'm Summer." We sat in an awkward silence for awhile.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Jordan asked.

"I kinda lost my appetite."

"Do you feel sick?"

"No. It's kind of hard to explain..." I didn't really want to talk about how I was a loser compared to my brother.

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. Where is it that you moved from?"

I was glad for the change in subject. "Alabama. My dad got a new job here. As of now it's for two years, but if everything goes well, it may be for longer."

"Cool. I've only ever lived here. I would love to go to America someday."

"America isn't that great," I said. "I really like it here. It's a lot different, that's for sure. I'm just glad I can still play my violin."

"You play the violin?"

"Yeah, I love it."

"I didn't even know the school had an orchestra," she said with a laugh.

I laughed back. "Maybe you'll have to come see us play now that you do."

"Yeah, maybe. So, have you seen any boys that you like?"

"I'm trying to focus on school, so I haven't really been looking." I decided not to mention Michael.

"Really? What kind of teenager are you?"

I shrugged. "I don't know."

"Have you ever had a boyfriend? Kissed a boy?" she questioned, leaning on her elbows across the table.

"Why are you asking me these things?"

"You haven't, have you?"

I shook my head. "You don't need to point out my inexperience."

She laughed. "I'm not saying it's a bad thing, Summer. I'm just saying you could start over here. You could be a completely new you. It seems to me that all this focusing on school isn't making you all that happy and that back in Ala-whatever you didn't have that many friends. You could start over here. No one knows you here."