I’ve always been the strange or “different” one in my classes. The one everyone calls strange or weird. But I like being different. Everyone tries to be in the “cool” group or try to fit in a certain social group like the nerds, jocks, cheerleaders, even gamers, but here I am right in the middle of each group trying to figure out where I belong.

It was the start of 10th grade and I moved to a new school. Things were way different here than up north where I used to live. Things are somewhat nicer here, the schools, the food, and definately the weather. But most of all the kids are just bland. I feel that wherever I go, I stand out.

First period: I walk into class as I was welcomed by the teacher, Mr. Flatz. I looked at everyone as if they were the same person, because that’s what they acted like. The same person. It was totally weird. It was like a room of mannequins. The girls all had the same makeup, same hairstyles. The guys had the same clothing trends, same gelled up hairstyle, and then there's me, my nike shoes, jeans, and a buttoned t-shirt. I stood out. But I like being different. I don’t feel trapped in a endless cycle of the same thing everyday. I feel free to do as I please.

  Fast forward a couple of classes to my athletic period. I wasn’t the strongest or fastest kid on the street but I was pretty average for my height and weight. So we entered to locker room and as soon as I enter I hear, “Hey, look at that weirdo.” But I am used to it. I didn’t listen, I toned them out, and acted to my own business. As we entered the weight room coach told us to get into groups, and as I looked around everyone had a group besides me. But I wasn’t alone for long. A kid was late to athletics and was forced to be in my group. I introduced myself and made a new friend.

After athletics, we were free to go home. FINALLY, I was home free from a bunch of similar people talking to basically themselves, until the jock group stepped in front of me. I knew what was about to happen. So I tried avoiding them as much as possible but they just kept getting in my way. So with my dumb self I decided to push them aside then proceed to my Mom’s car. They walked faster, so I walked faster. Then I reached my Mom’s car, jumped in, and yelled “DRIVE”. She said to me, “Tough first day kiddo?” and I simply just nodded my head and stared out the window.

Our House: it’s pretty big compared to the other houses in my neighborhood. It’s a two story brick house and has a tan coloration to it. My room though, is all I could ask for. A large room with a window and a secret room so me and my friends could hang out. It’s a dream. Besides school, I am loving it here. Great weather, great food, schools pretty ok I guess. Then I heard a knock at the door. I looked out the window and I see the jocks.
HOW DID THEY FIND MY HOUSE? I yelled to my mom, “Don’t answer the door!” but she did anyway. I ran to my secret hideaway under my desk. I heard them creeping up the steps, one by one. Then they entered my room. They talked amongst themselves as to where I was. They found the secret door. Walked closer to it and…. I locked to door. They couldn’t get in, so I laid in my bean bag chair and waited until they left.

Friday: This is the last day of the school week and I am totally stoked. I got to go home after school with no homework and do absolutely anything I want to for the weekend. There is no way this day could get any better. Then she walked in. A beautiful, graceful creature with long hair. I already fell in love. The teacher said her name was Aubrey. I thought about how I would introduce myself all day. Then the time came. After school waiting for my car, I saw her standing alone against the wall. So I gathered the courage to walk up to her and say hey. As I began the walk the jocks stopped me once more and tried to pick on me. They pushed me and threw me around, but as lovestruck as I was I couldn’t let this happen. So I went for the biggest one and Upper cutted him right in the jaw. Down he fell like a skyscraper. The others stood staring and then fled in terror. ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY NERD! I thought in my mind. Then I caught up to reality and saw she was gone. I went home that day with the thought of her in my head. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Then the greatest thing happened. There was a moving truck across from my house. Then she stepped out of her car.

The neighbors: we invited them for dinner Saturday night. She was finally coming over. So I cleaned my room, fixated my “Secret Room” and then changed into some nice clothes. You know to impress the ladies. So at about 6:30 I heard a knock at the door. I ran down to answer but my mom at beat me there. And there she was. My new crush standing in the doorway. As the awkward person I am I froze. Staring at the new girl across the street. I was lost in a daze for a whopping 20 seconds until my mom nudged me to say hello. I squeaked a little quiet hello and waved. The girl smiled at me and I almost passed out.

As we ate dinner that night we conversated about where they moved from and little things you talk about when you have new neighbors. I sat across from the girl I already had a crush on and we shared the occasional “accidental” foot nudge under the table but that was about it. After dinner however was the fun part. My parents asked them if they wanted to watch our favorite movie of all time: “The Journey to The Center of The Earth”. I could basically recite the whole movie because I have seen it about a billion time but that's not important. The important part was that I am watching a movie with my crush. It was pretty FREAKING cool. So we sat down on our very large couch. I mean when I say this couch was big, it stretches from wall to wall in the living room. So we sat down and guess what happened. The girl, Kaitlyn maybe? I don’t really know, sat next to me. So we were about halfway into the movie when I felt a hand creeping towards mine.  Could It be hers? I mean surely not, I don’t even know her name. Sure enough though, it was hers. She grabbed my hand and smiled at me. We held hands the entire movie and scooted closer to each other once. It was about 10:30 when they left. I was pretty bummed until I felt something in my pocket. A paper with her name and number. I was ecstatic. Oh and on another note, her name is Aubrey, I was not even close with my guess..
That night I stayed up texting her and playing video games in my “Secret Room”.I told her all about my Secret Room and she says she has one too. Also come to find out, she likes the same exact video games as me and even enjoys the same shows/movies as me. Could this get any better?

The DREADED Monday at Oakleaf High: Monday is my least favorite day at this school. Everyone is just so hungover after the weekend it is just a place full of tiredness, sleeping kids, and the students who don’t really care anymore. Then there is me, I am just walking through school as happy as can be. Then I see Aubrey walking the other direction, so I meet up with her and walk her to her next class. We exchange goodbyes and then Rodney runs into me. He’s the Jock I beat up last Friday. Rodney wants to challenge me to a rematch since I whooped him last week, but I kindly reject his offer and proceed to my next class. I felt pretty good about my decision until Aubrey texted me and said, “Rodney says you’re too scared to fight him again?” He must be telling everyone I am a coward and won’t give him the rematch he desires but I just blow it off and tell Aubrey I don’t fight, she’s cool with it. After school we carpool to my house since her parents work. We grab snacks thn go upstairs to do “Homework” but we really just play video games against each other. Today was a “not so” dreaded Monday.

  Winter Break: Fast forward a couple of days to the final day of Oakleaf High Semester 1. I was jumping with joy. Both literally and figuratively. This is the 2 weeks out of the year, that I can do nothing but play video games, open presents, and be lazy without getting in trouble. I invited Aubrey over to play video games but she says she is going skiing so we just text. This winter break was gonna be great, I hope. Day 2 of winter break it dropped to a whopping 2 degrees and it is now 45 here in Georgia. The one thing I missed about living up north was the snow. Lots and Lots of snow. So I facetimed Aubrey and told her to show me the snow. It felt pretty good I could rely on her to show me the little things I miss. Day 3,4,5, and 6 consisted of non-stop video games. I hit the occasional hour of basketball outside, but it was getting too cold. It dropped about 8 degrees in 2 days. 2 DAYS! Like what in the world. I was excited though, because tomorrow was Christmas
Christmas Morning: I love Christmas so much. I just love the family time, the presents, the parade on tv, and even the food. But this year was different, this year was better. The neighbors came to stay the night until because they got locked out of the house. Christmas miracle? So we opened our presents and exchange with one another until everyone was happy. It was great until a sigh broke up the merrymas. It was Aubrey. I forgot her present, so I ran upstairs and searched and searched but still could not find where I put it. Until it struck me. I have a secret, secret room inside my secret room. But you can’t know where that is. So I grabbed her present and sprinted down the stairs. I greeted her with heavy breathing, a smirk on my face, and a necklace. She smiled and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I about fainted but this was the best Christmas ever!

Boxing up happiness: It was the day after Christmas and we already started boxing up ornaments after ornaments, and finally Ole’ Faithful, our tree. Ole’ Faithful got its named because we’ve had it for over 13 years. So basically since my first christmas. It is dang near the end of its lifetime but mom doesn’t want to get a new tree. She says it has to many “memories” attached to it but who knows really. We got finished putting up all the decorations in the house when I heard a knock. A postman?, but we didn’t order any boxes or anything. Late gift perhaps? I wanted to find out, so I checked if the coast was clear, then grabbed the box. It said to Mack from a secret admirer. I opened the package to find a bunch of clue papers and a poster that said scavenger hunt.

The Scavenger Hunt: I decided to play along since I had nothing left to do on Winter Break. The hunt consisted of 3 clues. Clue 1; I live across the street with a red car but the present you seek is under the kitchen bar. So I walked across the street to the neighbors house. As I walked inside I read Clue 2; A am a room with windows and doors but to get to me you will have to climb. The Stairs? I climbed the stairs and I read clue 3; A room with popcorn and games and a couch to watch movies that have actors with fame. The movie room! I ran down the hall turned right and found Aubrey sitting on the couch with popcorn and my favorite movie on the screen. This was amazing, just like the first day we met, all over again. I hope a day like this would come again, someday, somehow, but that is for our next adventure.