Boots - Chapter 2

It was still early, but Jessi felt the day was going fine so far. Her first two classes, English and Art, seemed to be OK, a couple of girls she had never met before, commented on her outfit in second period, "cool boots" one had said. No great changes yet, but no real problems either. Gym had made her uncomfortable though. She didn't mind the black shorts and white short sleeve shirt, but she never realized she would have to undress and dress in front of other girls, 'and' take a shower. I felt even more clumsy than I usually do she thought, I just didn't know where to look. Her hair was wet now, that was another thing she hadn't realized, there's so much I don't know about Jr. High, how am I going to make this work? Most of the other girls didn't get their hair wet in the shower. Oh well, at least I keep it short, so it will dry soon.

Jessi looked at her schedule for what she thought, must have been the 20th time, and saw she had lunch during fourth period. It's going to happen here, for good or bad she thought, please let me change. Please don't let 7th grade be nothing more than another year, just a continuation of first through sixth. Jessi had liked school when she first started, loved it actually. All those new kids, learning, painting, she had been so excited. She had had so much fun at the beginning, by the time she discovered there were cool kids and uncool kids, she was already on the wrong side of the definition. She had never had a chance to be cool, or avoid the things that were uncool. She had simply immersed herself in having fun and realized, too late it seemed, life had made the choice for her.

Walking into the cafeteria, Jessi wondered what she didn't know about lunch, and worried about standing out, in the wrong way, just when she needed to fit in. She didn't have any 'best friends', so at least she didn't need to worry about making them mad by not sitting with the "uncool" kids. This was her time, her day and it was going to be her year. The palette was clean, and she would make sure the picture she painted today, was one she could look at and smile, not hide in the back of her closet, like a few of her, umm.. unfortunate Art projects. 'She', was not going to be an unfortunate Art project.

The first person Jessi saw was the very person she most feared, and hoped to find. If I am cut from the herd today, Shannon will be the knife. Shannon was probably popular even before she was born Jessi mused. Even in the hospital, I'll bet the other girls wanted their crib next to hers. Despite her uncertainty, she smiled at the thought. Shannon had never been mean to Jessi, she didn't think she had ever been mean to anyone, except by exclusion. Shannon had what Jessi called, a solar problem, she thought the world revolved around her. Shannon didn't despise the other childish comets and juvenile detritus that floated in her space, she simply didn't realize they existed.

Jessi decided it was best not to walk to Shannon, but to walk by her and see what happened. She saw Shannon look up at her approach, something that had never happened before. Yes! She had, what Jessi could best describe as a quizzical look on her face. Not annoyed, yet not accepting either. Her friends did whatever Shannon did, so Jessi was not surprised to see Shannon's expression mirrored, in various degrees of success, by the girls orbiting around her. Shannon smiled slightly as Jessi approached, so Jessi slowed just slightly.

"Hey Jane, cool boots!"

She almost knows my name Jessi shouted to herself. "Thanks, I just bought them". Why didn't I correct her about my name Jessi thought. Because I would gladly change my name, if it got me into this crowd, although she wasn't as comfortable with that thought as she would have wanted.

"Your mom bought them for you?" Shannon asked.

"No, I bought them myself. I had the money and when I saw them, I just bought them." That statement wasn't entirely accurate Jessi knew, she had seen them in a magazine and had spent weeks trying to find them in a store.

"Are you sitting with your friends?"

"I sit where I like" Jessi said, with much more bravado than had ever passed her lips before, "my friends" what friends "join me if they feel like it."

"Would you like to sit with us?"

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!! "Sure, that would be OK"

Shannon looked at her friends, then at Jessi and said, "lets get our lunch then sit over there by that tree. Lisa, go get the table for us."

Jessi saw that Lisa didn't say a word, or even look upset, she simply left the group and headed towards the table. Today is going to be different, she smiled inside with the thought. 'I' am going to be different. I don't care if I have to change my name to Fred, I'm going to be popular, and it starts right now. Smiling outwardly now, Jessi followed Shannon towards the lunch line.