PART ONE
Sunny Skies
&
Green Pastures Ahead
CHAPTER ONE
Monday.
“This is your day, Dakota. Yours. And he will notice you,” I said, repeating my corny affirmation as I gazed confidently into the bathroom mirror and inspected my smooth, red hair one final time. Its glossy sheen was a definite improvement over my usual trademark frizz-fest. That straightening iron was worth every penny; although, it wasn’t my penny. My parents had invested a fortune in me lately, including professional teeth whitening after having my braces off, contacts to show off my big blues, a new wardrobe, and a shiny, red, super-fab eighteenth b-day gift.
Oh yeah. I am talking car. VW Bug. And it was all mine, mine, mine.
Now, if you’re thinking that this is the most spoiled, materialistic girl you’ve ever met, give me a chance to explain.
Ready? Here it is...
I’m a loser.
Big time.
What defines a loser? Well, I possess a certain lack of self-confidence and an undeniable social awkwardness, along with a love of all things geeky. Example: If I had to choose between watching Pretty Little Liars or a special about aliens and Egyptians, ninety-nine percent of the time I’d watch the aliens and DVR PLL. But I’d DVR the alien show, too, so I could watch it again. Ten times. I know, kind of geeky.
I’m also terminally unpopular—the bubonic plague’s got nothing on me—which is why I’ve had one and only one friend since the first grade: Mandy Giovanni. Lucky for Mandy, she’s not as socially revolting to the general population as I am, but that’s because Janice Jensen, head cheerleader, doesn’t consider her enemy numero uno. That privilege belongs to me. Why? Couldn’t tell you. But my hypothesis is that it’s like those chickens that gang up on the weakest hen and partake in communal pecking until loser chicken is left with zero feathers. Janice’s favorite way to remove my plumage is to tell me I smell like a dog because I work at an animal shelter on weekends, and, apparently, being kind to homeless pets is not cool in her book.
Yes. Janice and her cheer-posse are such peckers. Yes. I mean it both ways.
So that’s me. Loser chicken.
Well, I used to be, anyway. Because today, after the weeklong spring break, I would return to school as the new me. Eighteen, flat hair, and confident. All in preparation for an even bigger event: graduation. I absolutely couldn’t wait to enter that big, wonderful world waiting just for me. College, new friends, cute boys who might not throw up at the sight of me. Paradise. I’ve waited years for this.
But first, there is one thing I need to do: overcome my fear of Janice. I realize it sounds lame to someone sitting on the outside looking in, but imagine spending the rest of your life knowing that you let someone bully you, humiliate you, make you feel as big as a freckle on a flea’s ass, and you did nothing to stop her.
And I’m not talking about the occasional snide comment thrown my way. I’m talking having my panties stolen from my gym locker and hung on the flagpole while I swam laps, enduring a seven-day Tweet attack by “Jgirl,” who insisted I was once a boy, and food being thrown at me every day.
I was sick and tired of being the reigning Queen Loser of Los Pinos High, located in the glorious Bay Area burbs of sunny California, for four years in a row. And no way, no how was I about to end high school holding that title.
From this day forward, I would stand up for myself. I would conquer my fears. I would face Janice.
Hey. And who knew? Maybe even Dax, the yummiest guy in school, would notice me. A smile, eye contact, whatever. After pining from afar for four long years, nothing would make me happier or erase my self-imposed Queen Loser title faster.
Of course he’ll notice you. You’ve been doing your affirmations, right?
I took one last look in the mirror and smiled. “That’s right, Dakota. This is your day. This is your moment.” I turned and tripped over my purse on the floor.
CHAPTER TWO
Mandy waited in her usual spot under the overhang at the front of the school. Her big brown eyes lit up like disco balls when she saw me pull into the lot in my new red car. She immediately ran over to inspect it.
“Ohmygod, it’s amazing! And you look amazing,” she said as I slipped from the car. We hadn’t seen each other over spring break because she had gone to Florida to stay with her dad. I ended up at the Hamptons with my aunt, for the third year in a row, due to my dad being away on business and my mother having to work. At least this time I’d whittled the trip down to four days. I told my mom I’d rather be alone at home for my birthday than with her crazy sister.