It was at dinner that I finally came out of my green-eyed shell. My Aunt Jen was asking me to get the forks and spoons out. My senses came back in a rush. I could smell the delicious cinnamon biscuits, and the soup she made especially for me. I love Egg drop soup, and cinnamon all around. I could see she was tring to make me feel at home here. I appreciated her effort a lot. I don't remember ever sharing that information with her either.
I handed her the silerware, and then joined my cousin in the living room. It would be a waiting room for now though.

When I sat in the only chair, Christian's eyes flicked to me. I looked up and saw his huge smile. I grimaced.
"What did you do to the chair Christian!?"
"NOTHING I SWEAR!", he choked back giggles as I sat up. Mr. Twinkle, their house cat was beign squished by me! Why hadn't he meowed or something? I picked him up and put him in my lap while I stuck my tongue out at Christian.
Christian was my 20-year-old cousin, who sat in the house and did nothing but watch cartoons while eating gummy bears. He used to be so lively when I had met hom only 3 years earlier. My guess was he got the one year thing in his head. You know when graduates say they will take a year off then go? Yet, they never do. Yeah, Christian definitely had that in his head. I wonder if his beds been slept in lately.

I knew when my Uncle was home, because Mr. Twinkle jumped down and scratched the door. How predictable this family was sometimes amazed me. Nothing changed. I had been here about two weeks, and the only thing that has changed is Christians hair color. He fancied the rainbow I guess. This week was neon green. Most people would think he was a freak. I thought it made him his own person.

"The table is set now, and Roger is just changing his shirt, come sit down," I sat up, only to be run over by Christian. I staggered and finally balanced enough to get to the table.
When my uncle walked into the room Christian's smile faded. I never really got their silent relationship. It had to be the not going to college thing again.

We ate in silence for a few moments, and the phone rang. I think we all jumped. But my uncle snarled and got it.

I was not expecting what happened next. His head popped out of the kitchen doorway and was glaring balefully at me.
"The phone is for you, make it snappy."

I scurried out of my seat with a paled face. Who would call for me? Who even knew where I was staying? Who would subject me to my uncles grumpy side? Yeah, when he was finished eating he would apologize later for it, but man was I scared.
"Hello", my voice was faint but with some malice in it for the caller.
"Abby? It's Rye! Hey! Beths here with me! We miss you!", my eyes almost popped out of my head. Riley and Rosey were my best friends from my old school.
"Oh, jeez, sorry! We're having dinner guys, i'll call you back!" ....me and whispers don't work well.

I hung up without their answer. I hope they didn't take it personal or anything. I'll just explain it later, they will understand.

The rest of dinner went by in a blur. I was in my room with all my homework finished. I fell on my bet wishing for sleep to come. Images of my day kept coming in, and with them Edgar crept in with them. I would die to see Riley and Rosey's reaction if they saw how strange this boy treated me. And he was strange. He didn't seem to talk to anyone except the teachers. And well, now, me.
Then it hit me. I'm a new person. He must be excited, because I'm like some new thing he has never encountered before. Maybe tomrorow will be different. Maybe overnight he will realize I'm a nut, and stay far away from me.
Somwhere in between convicting him and feeling guilty about it I fell asleep.

I woke with a sense of optimism. Maybe due to the clear day I saw out my windows. I loved the puffy clouds around here. I dressed and went down stares for breakfast. Christian was laying on the couch in his pajamas. I bet there was another late night marathon of Spongebob or the Oblongs. Aunt Jen left a muffin for me, and a paper on the fridge telling me to have a lucky day.

With the muffin stuffed in my mouth I walked out to my car. It was Christians, but he had no use of it. It was a black 63 Impala wagon, with rust stains all over. It was running, and then half way to school already. The beach boys were playing when I took a parking place.

When I looked at my watch, while getting out of the car, I should have realized multi-tasking isn't my talent. I fell out onto the concrete, my wonderful muffin falling into the grass nearby. Well, there goes my breakfast. I picked myself up, in the mean time I noticed my bag off the ground. Weird, it was in my lap when I fell out.. Where'd it go?

"I don't think your a klutz exactly, I just think you like doing more things at once. Though you don't really pay attention to all them like you're suppose to." His voice came from the behind me. When I turned he was looking at the book that was poking out of the zipper. Just standing there casually, like we were friends, and this happens every morning. That was a little much for me.

"Well, thanks for the enlightening opinion. I gotta go, thank you", with that I grabbed my things and shut my car door and headed for the lockers. I felt so powerful walking away from him without looking at his eyes! Maybe next time he decides I'm entertaining I can look at his face and ignore his eyes. One step at a time.
My first two classes held no interest at all to me. I was thinking of how to deal with my little problem. So, he hadn't concluded to me being nuts. What am I supposed to do?

My science class was finished with the labs, so we had about 15 minutes of free time. My lab partner is Arnie Harper. Arnie is the class-act nerd. He has coke-bottle glasses, and wonderful orange hair that was strangely not curly. I could see how he didn't have a partner. He clearly didn't fit in with much people. That's why I'm glad I'm his partner, because I like the nerds. They're my kind of people.

"Arnie, do you know Edgar Wickham?" It couldn't hurt to ask, right? Arnie's eyes looked at me really quick then moved back to his Chemistry book. I caught a glimpse of his hands fluttering together. Was Edgar like some mean person? My brows furrowed at that. Then why was he so nice to me?

"We are not aquainted. I know OF him, though. All the young women think he is rather dashing. Then first week he was here he was thwarted by them. The football team hated his guts. He's a very art loving fellow. I had him in my art class last year. Though, after the a month when he came, no one spoke to him."

I sat digesting that all. Why do people not talk to him though? Strange. "Well, did he set someone on fire or something? He seems nice to me." Maybe he really did do something bad.

"Oh, no, no. People just faded out. When the tiny new toy becomes used and newer toys are made, the old ones aren't interesting anymore. Edgar was always polite, but always distant, so he faded quickly." Arnie said this with a ditatched voice. It was as if he was talking about something offhand. It made me more curious than before.

It made me wonder whether I was his own 'new tiny toy'. I really wanted it to be the truth, so in the future, I would fade out also. Arnie and I made more small talk. I quizzed him on his music intellegence. He was the boy wonder on that subject. He loved all sorts, minus some country and rap. He detested jazz, and he really didn't explain that thoroughly. But, dang, he ended up quizzing me on my knowledge. Thanks to Christian I've been listening to the oldies. A few years back Rosey got me into the whole death metal scene, while Riley was a silent lover of all the new stuff. I remeber seeing a poster of Bright Eyes and Brand New in his rarely seen room. Arnie scoffed, telling me he would bring me music to educate me. I didn't decline. I needed music, since I left most of mine with Rosey, as a going away present.
When I left for my third course of todays divine classes, I had a smile and new reason to get home quicker. I needed to call them back, I felt rude about not doing so.

Mr. Tillan greeted me while putting problems on the board. I scaped out the desks. This is the class where you can sit where ever the heck you want. The floor was an option too. I picked the same seat as yesterday. The window veiw made it the best one. When Mr. Tillan explained the things I knew, I'd scope out things through the window.

"Hey, new student", I turned to see a girl with freckles and long brown hair. Did I mention the huge smile across her face?
"Hi. It's Abby, nice to meet you..", Did this little bundle of energy tell me her name?
"It's Teagan, nice to meet you too Abby." And with that she shook my hand. She shook hands like a professional. She had her books in a perfect pile, a pen and pencil sat perpendicular with the books. I looked to her face and she had that same smile. It looked almost painful.

"Well, how was your first day? I bet it was scary," I nodded, and she went on,"Well, of course your old school had to be ten times bigger, I mean, you lived in a city! What was it, Bismark?"
"Yes, Bismark, though it's not that huge I assure you," did she research me or something? I've only talked to a few people here. She was nodding like a maniac though. But, like a lucky charm, guess who interrupted?

"Teagan, I think it would be better if Abelinda still had two ears by the end of class, don't you think?," He sat behind me, making me have to twis tmy neck. At least today I wouldn't be sneaking glances.
"I'm not speaking that much, Edgar, I'm merely conversing, and getting to know a new person." She umphed and turned forward in her chair, grabbed her things and moved. Edgar took his chance and moved next to me.

I was mystified. I hope she talked to me later. I didn't want enemies. I looked at Edgar with a mean set to my jaw. He just screwed up a new friendship I could have had! Not for long, but at least for a little while.
"Alright class, today you will be in partners, doing all of these problems together. I expect them done by the end of the period," Mr. Tillan sat and opened his newspaper. Great. I get one extra problem.
"You know it's not a death sentence to be my partner, or even friend. I was trying to save you from a year full of ear aches and migraines. Teagan is a social leader who loves spreading anything she can. But if you would prefer that, please warn me now." Edgar seemed almost peeved. I gues my sigh was louder than intended.

"No, I guess I'm thankful then." I wished I could have taken back the thoughts I just had. She was whispering to a girl next to her right now. Was she actually pointing at me that bluntly? I wonder whether it was about me being a nice girl and Edgar a mean boy. I shrugged it out of my head, I would know soon enough.

Edgar took out a sheet of paper and was writing down the questions. When he finished I slipped it out from underneath him. He watched me as I finished five of the fifteen answers. His eyes didn't bug out or anything. He raised an eyebrow and took the paper back. I looked out the window waiting for him to be done with number six.

"Brainiac, huh?", Edgar gave me the paper back, with all the answers done. I looked at the clock. That took only 5 minutes to do ten problems!
"Wait, your good at Math!?"Anyone could hear my astonishment. I mean, that would take me awhile.

"I'm good at more than that Abelinda", he turned his head all the way to me. His green eyes seemed to glow bright, and he was smiling.
He took the pencil he was writing with and wrote on the paper:

So, when will you start noticing I'm not normal either?