BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

　　I hit the snooze button on my alarm, hoping I could get back to the dream I was having. It wasn't a fairy tale dream, in fact, it was quite weird, but I felt a responsibility to finish my job at the pancake eating factory, or else I might be fired. When I couldn't get back to the dream, I groggily rolled over and turned off the alarm. The smell of pancakes in the air made my mouth water and my stomach growl. Mom made pancakes! After a trip to the bathroom, I ran down the stairs to the kitchen. "Good morning Sweetheart, grab a plate before your brother eats us out of house and home." Mom said this jokingly, but still got a defensive response from Josh. "I can't afford to eat at the dining hall, and before you say I should pick up more hours at the hardware store, I don't have the time!" Mom rolled her eyes while handing me a fork. Josh is in his sophomore year of college. He acts like he's Mr. Responsible in front of our mom but I know he's out partying more often than not. As I sat down, Josh threw his crumpled up napkin at my head and got up to leave. He's always been very playful with me like he still sees me as the four-year-old girl he protected on the playground. To be honest, I envy him. Josh has done well in school, but he also had natural popularity. My friends have always had a crush on him, and for my first two years of high school, I had popular girls talking to me left and right trying to get close to him. I had hoped it would help my social life, but in the end, I was just the nerdy girl with the hot brother.

　　I thanked my mom for breakfast and went upstairs to get ready for school. I've never put much thought into my clothes or hair, so I threw on some jeans and an oversized tee-shirt, and put my hair up in a bun. My brown hair is thick and curly, so I prefer to get it out of the way. I looked myself over in the bathroom mirror, and in what is becoming a sadistic routine, I criticized my looks.

　　HONK! HONK!

　　I looked at the time and realized I'd lost track of it. That was Brenda, picking me up for school. Brenda has been driving me to and from school all year. Although I passed the written test with ease and got my learners permit, I failed the driving test twice already. Running down the stairs, I grabbed my backpack and ran out the door.

　　Brenda yelled out the window "Hey A hurry up! I can't be late today" A is what Brenda and Carly call me. We have been friends since freshman year, and Brenda nicknamed us the ABC's. I got in and closed the car door, Brenda sped off before I could put my buckle on. "Woah calm down B, or my mom won't let me go to school with you anymore. I'll have to take the bus" Brenda laughed "Mrs. Malone loves me, you'll be fine"

　　The bell rang just as I was walking into my first-period class. With prom right around the corner, most people already had prom dates, and the choices were getting fewer and fewer every day. It was no surprise at this point when a senior boy named Eric Sinclair came rushing in, just as we were going over the homework, with a few band kids behind him playing music. He was holding a big homemade sign that said: "Jenna will you be my prom date?" The whole class including Mr. Smith turned and looked at her. With the enthusiasm of a woman being proposed to, she stood up and squealed "YES". Eric ran over to her and lifted her up into a hug while the whole class cheered like it was some great accomplishment. I'm sure my skepticism comes from knowing there's no chance of that happening to me, but I was relieved when Mr. Smith said "okay! okay! Mr. Sinclair, don't you have somewhere to be? get back to class." These promposals were becoming a constant reminder that I was going to prom with my two dateless best friends.

　　At the end of third period, Mrs. Jones asked me to come talk to her. I've never been in trouble and my grades are perfect, so I wasn't sure what this was about. "Astrid I have a student who is struggling to pass this class. If he doesn't get a good grade on the final it will cause him to fail my class and have to stay back. Would you be interested in tutoring him for a couple of weeks? It will look good on your college applications." She dangled that last bit as bait to convince me. Without even knowing who, I agreed to help after school every other day in the library. "Great, so ill let him know he's to meet you in the library tomorrow after school"

　　My last period was a study hall, so I made my way to the library to finish up a paper I knew was due the next day. As usual, the library was empty, most of my peers didn't use this time to study. While deep into research mode, I was startled by my phone vibrating in my bag. It was a text from Carly "ABC dress shopping after school today" followed immediately by "you are not allowed to bail" Carly, being on the prom committee, has been talking about prom nonstop for months. I knew if I didn't respond she would just keep texting so I quickly answered: "no worries C I'll meet you at B's car after school". the next forty-five minutes flew by. I put the finishing touches on my paper, looked it over, and when I was satisfied I gathered up my things to leave.

　　Only as I turned to walk out of the library did I notice a boy sitting in the corner. I recognized Cameron Beck immediately, although I was surprised to see him here. Cameron Beck is your typical football jock, the other football players call him Beck, and his friends call him Cam. Cameron was sitting there with his head in his hands, slumped over some books. Even in his depressed state, he was flawless. His scruffy dark brown hair and perfectly sculpted face would be enough to melt any girl. Suddenly aware of being stared at, Cameron looked up and locked eyes with me. Even though we had gone to the same school together for the last four years, this was the first time he had ever looked at me. He smiled slightly and his gaze shifted to the clock on the wall, then back to me. I felt my cheeks get hot and I hurried out into the hall. I couldn't tell if he smiled because he caught me gawking, or if he was being polite. Calming myself, I quickly put it out of my mind and hurried to the parking lot.