“Oh my god, do you see her?”, “What is she wearing?”, and “She’s such a loser!” are the whispers that follow me as I trudge down the hallway to my next class. I keep my head down as I shove my way through the crowds. Even though I’ve left the voices behind, I still hear their words repeating in my head.

I’m that one girl. The poor girl in the middle of all the rich people. I don’t own any name-brands, except for whatever I find on the sales rack at Goodwill. The only reason I’m at the rich-kid, private high school is because my teachers in my old high school submitted me for a scholarship.

I guess Prep Academy liked my grades well enough to let me in.

I wish they hadn’t, though. I had been happy at my old school. I may not have had a lot of money, but at least there I didn’t get bullied for not wearing the right jeans or jewelry.

The only reason that I don’t go back is because of college. Mom won’t tell me outright, but I can tell that she’s hoping with the recommendation from here, I’ll get a good scholarship for yet another high-end school, perhaps Harvard or Yale, and I’ll be able to help her with my younger brother and sisters.

“Braelyn. Braelyn!” The Mrs. Collin’s voice rips me from my thoughts.

“Yes ma’am? Sorry, I must have been zoning out again. It won’t happen again,” I promised. I knew that it was a bad promise to make, considering I zoned out every day, but I still made it.

“See that it doesn’t,” Mes. Collin said, walking back to the front of the classroom as everyone else snickered around me, at me.

The only reason teachers didn’t seem to mind me zoning out was because I always got A’s on everything. I don’t know how, but it happened.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class and yanking me from my thoughts yet again. As I walked out of the door, I bumped into someone, a girl.It was Ashlyn, the most popular--and the meanest--girl at school.

“Watch where you’re going, peasant,” she sneered at me. She calls everyone she hates--i.e. me--peasant, because she considers herself a queen, and everyone else around her are her subjects.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, shoving past her in the hope to get to my locker before next class. Sometimes, I wished that I’d have the courage to stand up to Ashlyn, but I was too afraid.

I got made fun of, or snapped at, at least ten more times. I wished I could just go home and stay there, never having to come to school again.


“Hey, Mom,” I said when I got home that afternoon.

“Braelyn,” Mom breathed my name in a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness you’re home. I have work in ten minutes. Would you mind dropping me off and picking Abigail and Celeste up from school, then take them and Nathan to the park for a few hours?”

Abigail was my sister closest to me in age. She was in fourth grade, and was pretty much a pain in the butt. Then there’s Celeste, my sister in the first grade, the one that I’m most tolerant of. Finally, there’s Nathan, the baby and only boy of the family. He’s only four years old.

“Sounds good. I can take my homework and do it there on a blanket or something,” I said in response.

“Let’s go, then. Like I said, I have to be there in ten minutes, and I can’t be late again,” she called, already in the garage.

After I dropped Mom off at the local target for the first few hours’ worth of work that she’d face tonight, I drove to pick up Abigail and Celeste. It was a bit of a lengthy drive, and in the back, Nathan was asleep.

Within a few minutes, Abigail and Celeste had hopped into the back seat chattering away, unaware that Nathan was asleep.

“Guys, please be quiet,” I whispered. “Let Nathan get some sleep. Do you want to go to the park? I figured that we could hang there for a bit. I’ll do my homework and you three can play. Sound good?”

After hearing their quiet, but excited, murmurs of approval, I drove to the park near Prep Academy, knowing that the kids would like playing there.


“You know the rules. Abigail, stick to your brother. No letting him out of your sight. Celeste, don’t let Abigail out of your sight. Nathan, can you guess your job?” I said to them as I layed down a blanket for myself.

He pointed to both Celeste and Abigail. I said, “That’s right. Don’t let your sisters leave you. Now, have fun! We’ll leave once I’ve finished my homework.”

They all ran off immediately, relishing the chance to play. I sat there smiling for a moment, remembering the time when I was that carefree.

“You must love your siblings very much,” a guy’s voice said from behind me.

I jumped and turned around, seeing a guy about my age standing there and smiling at me. “Oh, you scared me. You’re good at sneaking up!”

“Sorry,” he smiled. Then, he gestured to the blanket. “May I join you? I’m pretty lonely here. Don’t really know anyone yet.”

It sort of shocked me that someone was being so nice to me. “Sure, go ahead. Yes, I do love my siblings. Even when they annoy me,” I smiled as I said this.

“It shows. You look like you’d do anything for them. I’m Jake, by the way.”

“I already do everything that I can for them. My name’s Braelyn. Do you live around here? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

“I just moved here. From California. Colorado’s only slightly different.”

I laughed. “Do you suppose that the difference could be about thirty degrees in temperature?”

“You’re good at guessing,” he smiled back. “Where do you go to school? It’d be good to have an ally on my first day.”

“I go to Prep Academy. The private school. It can be pretty brutal on your own. I would know.”

“Good,” Jake smiled. “‘Cause I’m pretty sure that that’s where my dad enrolled me.”

“Good,” I smiled back.

We ended up talking for a few hours, while I did my homework. I discovered that he moved so his dad could work, and that he hadn’t found any friends yet, except for me.

When the sun started to sink in the sky, I called Abigail, Celeste, and Nathan back, saying that it was time to go. To Jake, I said, “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow. All first classes are a forty five minute study hall. If you want, you can meet me at mine and I’ll show you around the school. Room D114; Mrs. Collin’s room.”

“Goodbye, Braelyn,” Jake said as I walked away.


The next morning in study hall, all anybody could talk about was “the new guy”.

“I heard he’s from California,” One girl said in an awestruck voice, as if she couldn’t believe it.

“Oh, he is,” Ashlyn confirmed. “I saw him earlier this morning. He’s got total surfer-guy looks. He’s so hot!”

And just like that, I knew that whatever I had had with him, it was over. If Ashlyn had already fawned over him, I doubt he would even remember my name.

A hush fell over the room, one so sudden that it made me glance up from the book I was reading. Standing in the doorway, glancing around the room, was Jake. I sunk a little lower in my seat.

“Yes?” Mrs. Collin said expectantly. “Is there anything I can help you with, young man?”

“I’m looking for someone,” Jake said as he kept searching.

“I’m someone,” Ashlyn said flirtatiously. “Is there anything I can I do for you, handsome?”

“Actually, yes. You could point out where I can find Braelyn Montgomery,” Jake said, flashing her a grin.

I stood up, surprised that he really had remembered me. How in the world was a male in this entire world immune to Ashlyn? “Right here, Jake,” I smiled.

“You’re here for her? She’s just poor trash, Jakey. There’s no point in associating with her,” Ashlyn said. “You can be with me instead.”

“You know, I’d really rather be with Braelyn,” Jake said, seemingly struggling to get out of the conversation. To me he said, “So, how about that tour you promised? I’ve already gotten lost, like, five times.”

“Let me just grab my stuff,” I smiled.

Ashlyn sauntered over to me. “Lay off, peasant. He’s mine. You understand me? You’re trash, girl. Why would a guy like that want to be with a girl like you?” She hissed in my ear.

“You know what, Ashlyn? I’m sick of putting up with you and your crap. Jake wants to be with me because he’s kind, and he looks past appearances. I want you to leave me alone,” I said, before I could lose my courage. I walked over to Jake with my backpack, who told me that I did a good job defending myself.
I was finally feeling more confident. Jake seemed like the type of friend that looked past labels. Maybe, just maybe, I had finally gained a true friend.