When Opposites Attract

Thank you to my family
- my lovely mother, father, and my sister who I love so much- for always being there for me, pushing me, and supporting me throughout everything, and to everyone who encouraged my writing, this one’s for you.

Anastasia

It was the first day of school of my
junior year today; I was in Science class sitting next to Hailey, my best friend, and in front of us sat Jessica and Jenny, who were turned around talking to us.

"Oh my gosh, guess what?" I asked them.

"What?" Jessica asked for everyone.

"You know how I was the life guard at the big pool, that’s minutes from my house, this summer?" They all nodded.

"Well, there I saw Derek Meltz."

"Really? How did he look?" Hailey asked.

"Gorgeous as ever, his abs were amazing, he looked perfect in any swim trunk he would wear. So, it didn't take me too long to pull out my sexiest bikini strut myself over and chat him up."

"Man I wish I would’ve been there instead of the stupid family camping trip that I was forced to go to," Hailey complained. We all gave her sympathetic looks.

"I know," Jessica began to say but was cut off by our teacher.

"Okay, class, settle down!"

"We'll talk at lunch," I told them. They all nodded and we all turned our attention towards Mr. Adams.

"Okay class I have your class schedule," He passed them around. Hailey and I checked and like the counselor promised we had all our classes together. Wow just remembering how much begging and sucking up Hails and I had to do exhausts me.

"And I also have the new seating chart, " he said waving it in the air. Everyone groaned, well who didn’t hate seating charts.
"Okay everyone stand up and walked to the sides of the classroom."

I rolled my eyes as I got up and stood next to Hailey. Mr. Adams was going by ABC order, which means that Hailey and I would be separated. He got to 'S' so it was James and Pete on one table, then on the table next to it he called Angel Sanders and I prayed,
 
please don't say my name oh please, please, plea-

"Anastasia
 Somerville." Mr. Adams said pointing at the chair next to Angel.

Damn it, I though
t when you prayed you got what you wished for, I mean it happens all the time on television. I reluctantly sat down next to Angel and stared at Mr. Adams.

Angel

Mr. Adams called my name, and I made my way to the seat he was pointing at. Then, he called Anastasia to seat next to me. Oh man! I looked at the blonde girl, dressed in the preppy, bright clothes, as she started walking my way. Her face was priceless, though she looked sick. Stupid, annoying preps always over exaggerating. I mean, I hate her just as much as she hates me, but you don't see me barfing because I have to sit next to her. Does she think, just because she's a cheerleader with blonde hair, she's all cool. I can't believe I'm stuck with a prep as a lab partner; and sadly it's not just any prep, it's the head cheerleader! Why me?

I
snuck a glance at her. Another thing I hate about her, she's so perfect it looks fake; her hair is probably died blonde and curled, something that perfect cannot be natural; her blue eyes are too light, can anyone's eyes even be that blue? Contacts. Such fake preps, why can’t they be happy and embrace their imperfections, instead of hiding who they really are with pounds of makeup and self-tanner. She sat down without looking at me. She just kept looking at Mr. Adams. This is going to be a long year. My best friend Pete sat on the other side of me. I looked at him; he was trying not to laugh at my rotten luck. I just glared at him.

After the most awkward class I have ever had to endure
, the bell finally rang. Pete and I started walking to our next class. I was so happy to be out of there. We had different classes, so we had to split up.

"See you later
, Pete," I said as I got to my class. He was still laughing at me.

"Get over it already," I rolled my eyes and went inside. The first thing that caught my attention was
perfect blonde curly hair. Great! She was sitting on a desk, talking to her plastic friends. I sat as far away from them as possible.

"Class I have the seating chart," called Ms.
Johnson as she walked in. You've got to be kidding me. When she got to my name I sat in my desk and dared myself to sneak a glance at Anastasia, who had the same bitter face she had in science. Well, she may be bitter, but she still looks cute. WHOA! Where did that come from... 
cute
? I think her perfume is polluting the oxygen in my brain. I didn't want to look at Anastasia again, so I turned to the other side.

"Now
, class, since it’s the first day of class we’ll take it easy. I write about your summer vacation, after you’re done you can share with your partner, read a book, or just chat amongst yourselves. Remember to keep the noise level at a minimum," said the teacher. I got out my pen and some paper and began writing; grateful for the distraction. 

You have got to be kidding me,
I thought as I made my way to my new seat next to Angel… again! Good thing that as soon as I sat down the teacher assigned us an essay. I brought out my sparkly, brand new supplies and began writing. I don't like writing, but teachers say I'm good at it. About half an hour into the class I finished the essay on my summer vacation. I wrote about my lifeguard experiences, like the time I saved a nerd, sadly I had to give him mouth to mouth; I still have nightmares.

I wrote so fast that my hand started to cramp up. Ouch! So I had nothing to do for the rest of the class period, and before I knew it
, I was sneaking a peak at Angel. He was hunched over his work. Huh, he's left handed like me. I can't believe we actually have something in common, gross. I wonder what he did this summer. 
No, Ana, you don't,
 the little voice inside my head told me and it was right. Why did I care about how an emo spends his summer, so I turned my head the other way, like I would care about emo kids at all. I will never get them. I felt my phone vibrate in my front pocket. I looked at the teacher she was reading something then I looked at my phone. Oh, em gee! It was from Derek!

Derek:
Hey Ana what are u doing Friday?

Oh
, my gosh, is he going to ask me out? Oh, my gosh oh, my gosh! I felt myself freaking out.

Anastasia:
Nothing really why?

He texted back quickly I looked at the teacher again
, just to make sure she wasn't looking, then opened the text.

Derek:
Want to see a movie?

I waited a few seconds; I didn't want to look desperate. I looked up at the te
acher, but felt Angel’s gaze on my flushed cheeks. I made a face and he looked away. I brought my attention back to the teacher, she was still reading, how boring is she? If I was her I would be looking at the class or looking at a magazine or something fun.

Anastasia:
Sure.

I tried to keep my cool and not attract attention, but I was freaking out inside.

Derek: Great see you up @ 8.

Sadly Derek doesn't go to this school. He goes to a private school. I would go to a private school, but the uniforms are just too ugly
.
My friends (except Hailey) and I met Derek at the pool at the beginning of summer. He is so yummy with his six pack and all.

Anastasia:
Can't wait

I wonder if Angel has abs? Do
emo kids even exercise? I shrugged, again don't care. 

Angel

From my peripheral vision I saw the prep pick up her phone. She looked at something, and then had a spaz attack. I tried not to laugh, but couldn’t keep a chuckle from escaping my lips. She looked up at me and made a face. I looked away quickly. Well that's just great; she caught me staring, now she's going to think I'm weird. Wait a minute, I'm emo and she's a prep, she already thinks I'm weird, and another thing why do I care what some preppy cheerleader thinks of me? I looked at her again. She was smiling like crazy. I will never get preps, but then again she probably thinks all I do is listen to sad songs and cut myself, judgmental prep!

Anastasia

Finally lunch! I was half way through lunch and so far Angel is nowhere to be seen, which is pretty awesome if you ask me. Even though we wouldn't be forced to sit together, I just want a period that he doesn't have. So far, he is in all of my morning classes, and to make things worse I am forced to sit next to him. Oh how I curse the Alphabet! I finished my salad, and started sipping on my water, when I almost choked. Everyone at our table stopped talking and turned to stare at me. I blushed slightly.

"What's wrong Ana?"
Hailey asked.

"That emo kid,
Angel, is over there," I whispered to her.

"
Oh em gee, you're kidding me," she followed my gaze to Angel and gasped.

"Um, sweetie
, I think you’re cursed," she said giggling. I couldn’t help but laughed with her.

"
I still have three more classes,” I said hopefully, “I'd be cursed if he is in all of them."

"We'll see," she said then went back to her salad.

###

Hailey
and I made our way to our last class my least favorite, A.P. World History, it's hard and it's boring. I mean, who care what happened in the past? The past is in the past, it’s done and gone, can’t we just leave it there?

I stopped dead in my tracks
, causing Hailey to slightly lose her balance.

"What's wrong?"
Hailey asked me.

"Looks like I am officially cursed!" I groaned.

Hailey looked around the classroom until her hazel eyes landed on Angel and some other emo talking in the back.

Hailey
giggled, "I told you so," she said slowly savoring the words, since she didn't get to say them very often, at least not to me. I'm sort of a smart ass.

I rolled my eyes, "you sure did,
" I said pulling her toward two empty seats as far away from them as possible.

"Ana
, what's the point? You know you're going to end up sitting next to him."

"I know, but I want to be as far away from him for as long as I can."

"So,” she tried to change the subject, “isn't it lucky that in drama all we did was get the scenes we had to perform with our partners, and the rest was free time? I hope the class is like that all year round."

I looked at her, "not when
you’re paired up with an emo," I said remembering how drama went.

 
                                                                                     ###

Hailey
and I were walking into the auditorium, after lunch, for drama class. We sat down in the middle rows.

"Okay
, class, today I'll assign you your partners for the whole year. No changes will be made, because I already wrote your names down." I tuned out until I heard my name.

"Anastasia
 Somerville with Angel Sanders." Shit! I didn't even know Angel was in this class. Since, I didn't show any signs of movement, Angel came and sat next to me.

"Hi, remember me I'm Anastasia. I've been going to the same school as you since elementary?" I said
, trying my hardest to be nice to the emo dude.

"Angel," h
e practically spat out. "Yes, I remember you." Fine, be that way stupid emo.

"Okay, good," I looked at Mrs. Dawson.

"Now you and your partner will perform the scene that I will assign you." She started telling the groups their scenes, making her way toward us.

She smiled at us
, noticing how awkward things were between us.

"You two will do Romeo and Juliet Act 1 scene 5. You will learn the lines and perform it." Romeo and Juliet you have got to be kidding me! A
ngel and I looked at each other after she left.

"So, I guess I'm Romeo." Well no shit Sherlock.
I didn’t laugh at his attempt to ease the tension, which he created in the first place! I didn't say it out loud, since I'm trying to be nice and that wouldn't be very nice.

"Yup, when are we going to learn our lines?"

"I guess you can come over to my house," he said obviously disgusted by the idea of me in his house, and he’s not alone, me at his house, hell has officially frozen over!

"Um...
okay," better than having him at 
my
 house.

 
                                                                                    ###

“
You should have seen your face when that emo guy sat next to you!” Hailey gasped between giggles.

“
Whatever, so who did you get?”

“
Luke Renolds,” she sighed happily.

“
Geez, you are too lucky!”

“
Yup,” she said smiling the goofiest smile ever.

I smiled and nudged her, wiggling my eyebrows.
I looked around the classroom, which was a huge mistake, because I saw that he was walking to an emo girl, but she’s acting like I would in front of Derek; flipping her hair and fluttering her eyelashes. She is also the best-dressed emo that I have ever seen. She’s flirting with Angel! I was suddenly mad, no worse, I was jealous, but why? I can’t be jealous of the two of them talking. Gross, no, I have nothing to be jealous about, I told myself. I looked away and started telling Hailey about how Derek asked me out.

Mr. Reid finally came into the room mumbling some excuse and took out the dreaded seating chart. Lucky for me I was already sitting in my assigned seat. I knew who was going to sit next to me so I just looked forward.
I was determined not to let this guy make my senior year a living hell.

“
Angel Sanders,” I heard Mr. Reid say. Shocker! I said to myself sarcastically and mentally rolled my eyes. I heard a thud as he put his books on his desk and sat down.

“
Hey,” he said quietly. Oh now you’re nice, please I’m 
so 
not going to waste my time with you. He was quiet for a moment.

“
Fine, have it your way Barbie.”

Ugh
, 
Barbie,
 I hate that it’s such a stereotypical prep image. A very lame comment, but I don’t know why but I was suddenly so mad at him.

“
Look you scrawny, depressed, good for nothing emo,” I spat, just high enough for him to hear me. “I’m already pissed enough that you’re in all of my classes, and that on top of that that you sit next to me, so please just shut up, and don’t talk to me,” I was glaring at him, and for the first time I really looked at him. His eyes were brown and dark, but they light up at the same time. They seem to go on forever. They have specks of red in them, which made them look pretty cool up close. His eyelashes were long and almost fake looking. Any girl would be jealous of them. Angel raised his right eyebrow.

“
Whatever Barbie,” I sigh a deep a dramatic sigh and looked away. Stupid emo kids always judging; gosh just because I have blonde hair and blue eyes you have to call me a Barbie. I am way deeper than some plastic toy, but like he'd ever find out… like I'd ever let him.