Third Time's the Charm

Okay! Take a deep breath! For Christ sakes, calm down Ava….. Okay! That’s it! There is no need to panic. I can still reach the school on time if I am able to start from here in ten minutes. I had woken up late. Mom as usual was shouting her head off. I hastily shut down the furious alarm and brushed my teeth and quickly washed myself. It is a universal fact that girls take hours to get ready. That’s for normal girls, not invisible girls like me. In fact, I preferred to stay invisible. My high school, St Lawrence High School is notorious for being known for its bullying. It was a school only rich, spoilt kids go to. As for how an ordinary girl from a middle-class family got here, that was the aftermath of a news report degrading the school’s politics and revealing that they only accept children of high class, elite socialites and businessman, the Principal was forced to do a press conference in which he had declared he would open admissions for the poor too through scholarships to promote equality. Getting into this school was the worst mistake of my life. I never should have applied for the scholarship and now my mom is dead set against me changing schools since she doesn’t have to pay for my schooling anymore. She doesn’t care if I am being bullied or not. So, my one wish for my last year at St Lawrence is to keep on staying invisible.   I quickly munched on a donut as I rushed outside wearing a black hoodie which was way too oversize and black baggy pants……Yep! I am pretty much invisible now. St Lawrence was just a block away from the slum where I live, but still I had to run today because I had woken up late today. As I ran and ran, my mind was busy wondering whether we had any assignments to hand out today?  I heaved a sigh of relief when I saw that the front gate was still open. I quickly rushed in and ran straight to my classroom and the bell rang furiously. Had I been even a second late, I would have been handed detention from the Head Coach. I stopped abruptly as the huge crowd dangling around the corridor, right in front of my class. Great! So much for being invisible. I had wanted to slip in unnoticed as was my usual routine but the entire school was here. How I am supposed to sneak in when all the popular dandies were right in front of my class?   I hid behind the pillar impatiently, while I peered closely to see what the commotion was all about. Ugh! Maybe Mia and Kevin broke up again. Mia Langdon was my b***h cousin sister, who was also the queen bee of the school. She pretends I don’t exist in school as well as in family functions. People often cozy up to me when they hear my last name…..Langdon….but alas I am not the Langdon they are looking for. My uncle is crazy rich and successful while my father is an unemployed drunkard. Even though she is my cousin, we were worlds apart. Kevin was the captain of the soccer team. Their love life is one of the most talked about topic in our school, Mia being the Head Cheerleader and all. Their relationship is pretty much on and off. One day you would find them snogging and making out under the tree and the very next day, you will find them throwing books at each other while swearing cuss words. I hated the Mia with all my life. She had made my life miserable. She had made sure that I remained a nobody in school as well as in my family.   But it wasn’t that at all which had caused the commotion. There was a new girl in my class and all the soccer studs were gathered there to check her out. As the bell rang for the second time, all of them dispersed quickly and I took my chance to sneak in. I quickly seated myself in my usual seat, the far, left end corner. Mia was grilling the new girl, determined to have her on her little g**g, while she looked absolutely petrified of Mia.   It was obvious that girls like that stick together. The new girl was dressed in designer from head to toe. As I peered curiously at her, I realized that I had seen that face before. She was a model, I realized with a start. I had read about her just yesterday…..Isabella Evans. Her mom had won Miss World when she was just seventeen and the daughter had exactly followed her mom’s footsteps. No wonder so many boys were crowding outside, just to get a glance at her and even Mia was bootlicking. I can’t believe that the Miss World of this year is in my class. She was perfect from head to toe, with a perfect hour glass figure, long wavy hair and big, emerald green eyes. No man would ever be able to resist her.   Those emerald green eyes snapped to mine and I, instinctively ducked, pretending to look for something under my desk.  I gulped as I saw the loud clicking of heels headed my way. I sighed and got up. “Hey, I am Isabella Evans. Do you mind if I sit next to you”, the new girl exclaimed in a cheery tone. I blinked in surprise at her request. I nodded dumbly at her, to which she smiled and seated herself, right next to me.   She had a millionaire daddy, who was a very powerful industrialist. Why is a girl like her choosing to sit beside me and befriend me instead of getting along with Mia’s g**g? Mia seemed to be thinking along the same lines because she appeared right at Isabella’s heels and said tutting, “Isabella, you don’t have to sit with those losers. Come, sit with us” Isabella, however shook her head politely and replied in a grim tone, “I am grateful for your offer, but I am comfortable here.”   Mia pretended to shrug nonchalantly and walked away, flipping her ponytail on her way to her g**g, who was waiting loyally for Her Highness’s return. Did Isabella know that she had just turned down the Queen Bee of St Lawrence? Oh boy! I thought to myself that she is going to be in big trouble if she keeps this up while watching her studiously take down notes and listening attentively as our English teacher explained the various participles, completely oblivious of her impending doom.   At lunch break, I sat myself in the corner of cafeteria and was eating away quietly, when I saw Isabella headed in my direction. She fumbled nervously with the fluffed sleeves of her top as she asked doubtfully, “Do you mind if I sit here?   I shrugged and she took it as my consent and seated herself, opposite me and flashed me a million-dollar smile. I could see all the stares penetrating into our back and I unconsciously slid down further on my seat. It was obvious from their curious and shocked stares that they were wondering why the hell she was sitting with a loser like me? Frankly speaking, I was wondering the same thing too. So, that was the day that changed my life forever……….the day I befriended Isabella Evans.  Little did I know, that nothing in my life is going to remain the same as I obliviously munched on my sandwich, crouching low to avoid the penetrating gazes.