The Invisible Girl

Chapter 1

SUMMER

I glanced in the mirror and decided I was satisfied with what I saw. Loose jeans, an oversized gray hoodie, a plain T-shirt underneath, no makeup. My long, wavy—almost curly—brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, all in the name of staying invisible. Today was the start of my final year, in yet another new school, and I had no desire to make friends. All I had to do was survive a few more months and then I could finally move on to college. I sighed. If only Chris were here to help me through this.

Dad had already left for work by dawn. Being a doctor meant he often worked shifts. Our apartment wasn’t big, but it was enough for just the two of us. Instead of a house, we’d chosen a place with a terrace in a nice neighborhood, complete with a doorman. I ate a quick breakfast, got into my beat-up old car, and drove over to school.

I already had my schedule and locker, so there was no need to linger in the hallway. The school looked exactly like my old one—lockers lining the corridor, students chatting, couples glued together. With only a few minutes left before class, I found my room. By the entrance, a dark-haired boy was leaning against the wall, making out with a girl. I walked past them and into the classroom, where a handful of students had already taken their seats.

Math. Didn’t matter where I sat. If I sat at the front or in the middle, I’d stand out too much, so I tried to find a low-key spot. My eyes landed on a chair in the far corner. No bag on it—just one on the chair beside it—so I slipped into the back row. Pulling out a book, I smiled at the story, but someone suddenly stopped next to me.

“Nobody usually sits in the corner,” a deep voice said.

I looked up. A tall, black-haired guy in jeans and a navy hoodie was staring at me, clearly annoyed by my presence. His almond-shaped eyes hinted at Asian heritage.

“Uh…” I stammered. “There wasn’t a bag on the chair.” I really didn’t want to argue on my first day.

“New kid?” he asked, looking me over before dropping his backpack to the floor and sitting beside me.

“Yeah,” I said quickly. “I can move.” I made an attempt to stand, but he didn’t budge, blocking my way.

“There aren’t any other seats left,” he remarked, sliding in his earbuds.

So I stayed, trying to shrink into myself, determined not to bother anyone. The hoodie was too hot, though, so I carefully slipped it off. He glanced at me but then turned to face the teacher, who had just entered.

A tall, balding man set a folder down on the desk and walked between the rows. “Let’s not waste any time,” he began, placing sheets on each desk. “Nothing better than a test to see how much you’ve all forgotten over the summer,” he chuckled at his own joke.

Groans filled the room. I took out my pen and waited for my paper. When the teacher spotted me in the corner, he gave me a once-over, then looked at the boy beside me.

“Calm at last, Mr. Thompson?” he quipped, dropping test sheets in front of both of us.

“You’ll be the last person I’d ever report to,” the guy—apparently Thompson—replied smugly.

“Begin,” the teacher said, heading back to his desk.

I skimmed through the test—nothing difficult. At my old school I’d been head of the math club, so this was easy. The last problem was trickier, a higher level, but still solvable. The guy peeked at my paper a few times, and I didn’t bother covering it. I finished quickly but waited for the bell, not wanting to stand out.

When class ended, I turned in my paper after he did.

The next class brought no surprises. I once again sat in the back, only to find the same guy next to me again. This time he took off his hoodie, revealing a T-shirt from the Frosting Wolves hockey team. Lame team. He gave me another reluctant once-over, but said nothing.

A boy in front of us turned around. “Hey, Jake,” he smirked. “Can’t believe you let some chick take your bag’s seat. Gotta admit, she’s pretty hot though.”

Jake—so that was his name—grinned. “She smells better than my bag. She’s new. Let her have at least one good day.” He said, and his friend snorted with laughter.

I shrank down in my seat, wishing I could put my hoodie back on, but it was still too hot. Luckily, the teacher walked in, and English class began. Well, these students certainly weren’t going to be the next generation of geniuses. Most of them couldn’t even answer the teacher’s basic questions, so after a while I started raising my hand myself—just so we could move on already.

“Fantastic,” a girl muttered in front of me. “Another nerd in our school.” A few nearby students snickered quietly, careful not to draw the teacher’s attention.

So much for being invisible.

By the time lunch rolled around, I had one more class to suffer through. I didn’t want to sit next to Jake again, so I picked an empty seat toward the middle. Not too close to the front—that was just asking for attention. Jake spotted me anyway and strolled over, leaning on my desk.

“Don’t tell me you’re scared I might bite?” He grinned.

“I just don’t want to ruin my jeans on the stains from your bag,” I shot back.

Before he could answer, another voice cut in from behind him. “That’s my seat,” a tall, spiky-haired boy said, giving both of us a look. “What are you doing here, Thompson?”

“Walker,” Jake stood and faced him. “I was just helping clear your desk.”

“Sorry,” I murmured, getting up. I looked for another seat, but the others gestured that the remaining chairs were taken.

So, back to the corner I went—again, next to Jake’s familiar backpack. He dropped into the seat beside me with a smirk.

“Relax, kitty. I don’t bite.” He winked and popped his earbuds back in.

That class, I didn’t raise my hand once. No point. Everyone here was hopeless, and I didn’t want more attention.

—

During my free period, I hid out in the library, waiting for lunch to arrive. I’d brought my own food, but finding a place to sit wasn’t easy. Getting there early didn’t help—groups already claimed their spots, and sitting with the wrong one meant more attention than eating alone. Luckily, I found an empty long table with benches on either side at the back and sat on the edge. I found it strange that no one was sitting there, but I figured maybe my luck had finally turned. I was wrong.

I’d just unpacked my food when a noisy group of boys burst into the cafeteria, two girls with them. Spotting me, they stopped short, exchanged looks, then two of them marched straight over and flanked me.

“And who exactly are you?” one demanded. The entire cafeteria went silent.

“Uh…” I fumbled, gathering up my lunch.

“Mark, Connor—leave her,” a voice called from the doorway. Jake. Of course. He sauntered over. “Miss Uh… she’s the new student.” He laughed

“But she’s sitting at our table,” one of the boys protested.

“No one ever sits on that side.” Jake waved it off and sat down. “Come on, we’ve got things to do.”

The two boys reluctantly moved to the other side of the table. I sighed and continued eating. From their conversation, it became obvious this was the hockey team’s table. I’d played hockey at my old school too, but girls’ teams never got the same credit. So I just listened in silence.

Two of the guys already had girlfriends next to them, and halfway through lunch the girl who had mocked me earlier plopped herself onto Jake’s lap. They weren’t shy about their PDA.

“I owe you an apology,” a voice said on my other side. I turned.

“Excuse me?” I asked.

It was the spiky-haired boy from earlier. He sat down across from me. “For snapping at you this morning. I’m Kyle.” He held out his hand.

Before I could respond, Jake’s familiar deep voice rang out from down the table. “What the hell are you doing here, Walker?” He set the girl off his lap. “Who gave you permission to sit at our table?”

“I don’t need your permission, Thompson,” Kyle shot back, standing.

“This is still our table,” Jake said flatly, rising as well.

“I was just introducing myself.” Kyle smiled at me. “Besides, she doesn’t even belong to you guys.” he added, nodding toward me.

“She’s sitting at our table,” Jake countered coolly. “Now get lost.”

Kyle gave me one last smile. “If you want, I can show you around later.”

I nodded faintly, and he left.

The rest of the day blurred by. On every class we shared, I was stuck sitting beside Jake in the back corner. I only raised my hand when I couldn’t stand the silence anymore.

In the afternoon, I asked around in the teachers’ lounge about the math club, but it had been disbanded years ago because there weren’t enough members. Wonderful. I’d landed in a school full of idiots.

I didn’t rush home afterward. Dad was working, and I’d be alone anyway, so I decided to study in the library. I was walking down the hallway, putting up flyers to recruit members for the math club, when I noticed the school’s trophies and old photos on display. Dad had gone to this school too — and he’d played hockey — so I started scanning the pictures, looking for the right years.

“What are you looking at?” A deep voice spoke up behind me, and I jumped. It was Jake.

“Uh—nothing,” I said, turning around. He had a gym bag slung over his shoulder.

“Did I scare you?” he asked with a smug grin, then continued before I could answer. “What are you doing here? What are those papers in your hand?”

“I’m on my way to the library to study—and putting up flyers along the way. I’m hoping to restart the math club,” I said with a small smile, starting toward the library.

“What are you studying on your first day?” he teased, walking beside me.

“Just what we learned today,” I replied. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?” I asked, glancing at his bag.

“I’m done for the day,” he said. “Had practice at dawn. Why aren’t you going home?”

“It doesn’t matter where I’m alone,” I muttered. Jake looked like he wanted to say something, but a sharp voice echoed down the hallway.

“Jake!”

It was the girl who’d called me a nerd earlier—apparently his girlfriend.

“Have fun,” I said quickly and slipped into the library as Jake headed toward her.