The preparations are now all set in place. After a year of preparation I am finally ready to show them who I am. I am Daniel Pierce, a sophomore going to Fareach High school. I spent my entire freshman year preparing to show the 3000+ students in my school who I really am, and it's time to get this show on the road. I spent all of last year attempting to look as neutral as possible. Wearing a solid color T-shirt and unremarkable Jeans. I never wore any specific popular brand clothing and my shoes were simple black running shoes. I always had my hair tucked away either in a bland hat or stuffed in the back of my shirt.

But as I woke up this morning, I put on a shirt that displayed a popular anime, and I threw on black jeans with unique designs on them. I let down my long hair, and it drops below my waist. I put on a hoodie showing my favorite heavy metal band Eturnal Demize. I stick earrings into my ears that are diamonds in the shape of a Norse War Axe that dangle down comfortably. I do my normal routine, but I fix my hair up nicely and make sure I have a healthy balanced breakfast.

And as I walk through the door to exit the house to get into the car in which I got the legal license for over the summer, I stop.

I look in the mirror at myself standing about 5" 11 mixed ethnicity with an almost caramel skin tone. Long streaking red hair and extraordinarily rare green eyes. A humbling demeanor is constantly surrounding me, one that says he is secluded but willing to work with others at any given notice. Although with my new look it is slowly fading. An easy 8/10 on looks without even trying. And despite all this I drew no attention to myself all freshman year.

I smile at the thought that my plan is about to execute so flawlessly.

I exit out to my car which previously when it was technically my father's was painted a bland tan color, but now it has a primary paint of black with gold tinted outlines. Fresh new tires and a beautiful spoiler in the back. I open the door and sit down and place the keys in the ignition. It roars to life and I grin from ear to ear. All my preparation, planned money saving and spending, and all my research is about to pay off.

"Let's do this shit"

As I drive to school I find myself more excited than I expected myself to be. My plan will finally be executed after what felt like an eternity. I turn on the radio to a heavy metal station. Playing on the radio is a song that taunts the people of a higher status for leaving us middle classmen in the dust. It speaks of the issue with gender imbalance in the workplace and the constant war against homophobia and racism. I head bang along to the bass and sing along to the lyrics.

Topics like this would most likely be prominent in the debate club. Which is great because I plan to join it, along with a few other after school activities. I have it precisely planned out so none of the meetings will overlap with one another. As I think about what I must do today I pull into the school. I bought a parking permit prior to starting this school year. As I drive by I see other students waiting outside the school, talking and waiting for the doors to open. My school is fairly large in order for it to house as many students as it has. Plastered along the side of the building is a blazing hawk representing our school team the Fire Hawks. The school is 9-12th grade, as I exit my car I remember this exact instance a year ago.

I exited the car and gazed upon the school with a plan immediately in mind. From the second I stepped in to the moment I left I placed preparation. I grin to myself and advance towards the front of the building. As I walk towards the door I notice an immediate shift in atmosphere around me. I'm being stared at, but it's to be expected. Even though I wasn't exactly putting myself out there last year. It's still fairly easy to notice me, afterall I do look a tad bit abnormal. And now with all my extra flare, I probably stand out like a rose in a field of dead grass.

I see a girl bite her lip and look me up and down as I walk past. I see multiple people stare at my face obviously truly noticing just how green my eyes actually are. Having a girlfriend would be nice I suppose, I'm not really interested in that right now. It's not a part of my current plan to have one. And trying to fit one in my schedule would be exhausting to say the least. Besides, I don't even know what I like, and I mean that in every form.

But that's besides the point, I search the crowd looking for a familiar face. And then I spot him, my best friend Ashton Webber and the only person in this school that knows my plan. Afterall he's a key component in it, at least at the start. I don't want to rely on others during the middle-end parts of my plan. Other people can be unpredictable, but I know myself and what I'm capable of.

I walk over to him, Ashton is a simple person. For instance most people never know what to do with anything in their life. What to eat, what to do, where to go, what job they want? All a mystery when you're so young. Ashton was the prime example of no direction in life. This fun loving dweeb stands at 5" 10 with long curly hair and brown eyes and white skin. He gives off the vibe of someone that simply wants the simple pleasures in life, parties, food, and sleep. Although he isn't exactly the brightest he does keep his own in classes. Such a simple existence.

I lightly chuckle to myself as I remember how we met. He was attempting to cheat off my work in Algebra and I caught him. And instead of being an asshole about it I offered to tutor him. And since then we've been pretty close. As I approach him he looks up from his phone and says "Well I'll be damned I never would've thunk I'd see the day that Daniel Pierce didn't look like he was the most boring person in the world." He says with a smug grin. I chuckle and reply "well I suppose being a genius would be boring for you, after all your brain is made up of about two brain cells and weed."

Ashton holds his hand up to his chest and gasps "I'd be hurt if that wasn't true".

We both laugh and then I quickly shift my tone of voice "Alright but in all seriousness do you have the pass?" He nods and pulls a yellow slip of paper out of his backpack and hands it to me. This allows me to access the hallways during class time without restrictions. In order to get one you have to either have a medical disorder, or be part of the Student Founders club. Which is honestly just a bunch of sellouts who have too much money that they got from their parents. Donating money to the school allows certain privileges and immunities. Even life is pay to win most the time.

"How much did it cost?" I ask him while pulling out my wallet. He places his hand on my wallet and pushes it down and shakes his head "Dude with as much as you helped me out last year, it could've been a thousand dollars and I would have got it for you. So don't sweat it, it's the least I can do". I look at him reluctantly for a moment then nod and place my wallet back in my pocket. We stand there and chat for a short while and then the doors open. Students funnel into the school and I tread forward with a mission on my mind and determination in my eyes.

As I snake through the hallways walking towards a room on the other side of the school I can almost feel the eyes on me. This feels way too cliche if I'm being honest. I understand I look different than last year, but am I really that much different? It seems my plan is going more flawlessly than j had foreseen. My first destination was the debate team, they also hold recruiting before school in the art room. I finally make my way to the art room and I reach for the door, but I stop.

I hear voices inside conversing.

A female voice says "That is obviously an over exaggeration. You are clearly Ill informed if you can stand here and confidently say to me that the events that happened in Delaware with the power plant weren't accidental!" A male voice responds "All things point to him clearly doing it for the money, a man's greed knows no bounds and with you doing what you do you of all people should know that." "During the interrogation he said he accidentally flipped the lever in a panic in the middle of all the chaos" "That may be true, but don't you think that someone who killed several people due to his actions would at least be apologetic and quite reasonably despaired?" "Why fall into despair when you can't be blamed for something you do in a burst of panic."

As I listen to them bicker back and forth, I make a slight adjustment to my plan that I think will work in my favor. I abruptly open the door and immediately begin speaking. " Although to you it may have seemed as if it was done in a panic if you look closely at the footage of the event that was released, if you see his eyes it is apparent that he is completely composed. Although anyone could have been fooled by his impeccable acting at that moment. After All he was a small bit panicked judging by that fact that it was clearly a on the whim decision. What you failed to report is the fact that he was the manager of the building and he knew such an event happening would give a lot of insurance money in return to the company. He saw a chance and took it. Afterall in the midst of chaos comes opportunity."

They both stare at me blankly for a moment before the male student starts lightly clapping and the girl just slightly smiles. After seeing her face I finally noticed who it is. , A highly respected student among the school not only for her impeccable debating skills, but simply for her just being who she is. A small yet feisty girl. Barely 5"0 from the ground with fierce blue eyes and blonde hair. An aura surrounds her of pure confidence and morale boosting energy. Her mere presence is projected simply by how she walks and stands showing she is the star of her world.

"And who might you be" she asks with a curious and excited tone. "The name is Daniel Pierce. It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance Miss Wellgafe." The Miss part practically slips out of my mouth, I suppose it's because I'm used to referring to those I respect in a proper manner. She looks slightly taken back by my words before speaking again "I've seen you around here before although I would've never expected this out of someone with your demeanour." I think to myself the fact that was kinda the point. She looks me up and down and says "what's your opinion on the current crisis happening in Florida with the riots due to the unjust price raise of necessary medicine?"

I knew this would happen, she doesn't seem like the interviewing question type. She wants straight results and clear answers on my part to anything she may throw my way. "The price raise has spread farther than Florida at this point, bordering states are beginning to suffer the effects as well. The riots are spreading and crowd control is at an all time low. That being said, the riots are outrageous due to the amount of harm it's doing way outweighs the good. It should be about sending a message not harming people simply because you don't get what you want in such a short time."

The smile on her face widens. "Alright then Daniel, you're pretty good I'll give you that, but riddle me this. Years ago when debate became a huge topic in school, who fought for women to have the right to participate in such activities." I tap my chin attempting to recall, a smug look grows on her face. Then I finally recall the name. "I believe it was Victoria Eldorado. She helped pave way for not just female debate club participation, but female education on a whole. She even had a couple cards in on helping women be more recognized in politics."

Her grin goes from smug to pure excitement. "Please tell me you're here to sign up and don't just have art class and happen to know about these subjects." I laugh "No don't worry, I'm here to sign up." She walks up to me and takes my hand. She pulls a pin out of her pocket and places it in my hand. She looks up at me with glee in her eyes ``welcome to the debate club Daniel." After she gives me the pin she walks over to greet someone else walking in the door. I look at the pin and twirl it in my hand. It says the words ``Certified Debatist". I'm pretty sure that's not a word, but it serves its purpose. I then exit the room with triumph in my heart.

After leaving the art room I go to my first period which is ELA 10 Honors. I sit down in a seat and place my bag next to my desk. Students come into the class one by one, most of the people here seem to know each other. That was always the one flaw in my plan, other than Ashton and one other person I didn't really know anyone. It's not like I'm socially awkward or anything, I just didn't really talk to anyone. Eventually every desk except the one next to me is occupied.

Then the bell rings and the teacher stands up. She begins to roll call and begins to call names. People give their respective "heres". And then she gets to a name "Lily Violet? Do we have a Lily Violet?" a small voice can be heard from the doorway "I'm here! I'm here! I'm so sorry I'm late. I got caught up in something at home and then I couldn't get here on time because my mo-". The teacher raises her hand "I understand, life happens just take a seat." Lily nods frantically and looks around the room and see the seat next to me.

We lock eyes for a short moment and she looks away quickly and walks over to the seat and sits down. The teacher continues to call names. I sit there writing in a document that contains my entire plan. I check off the things I have done and add some things that I need to do now. I knew my plan would need some adjustments. After all, I'm not omniscient. I can't foresee everything that could happen and how to remedy it. I notice Lily eyeing my computer screen curiously. It almost looks like she wants to say something but refrains from doing so.

After role call the class begins. Since this is the first day it's mostly talking about what the class will be like and what the expectation for it are. Then she says something that riles up the students "I hope you say next to someone you know or would like to know because that is your partner for the entire year." Lily sits up straight and glanced in my direction. I know I don't talk to people either but the way she looks right now is painful to watch. Her face is slightly red and she's frantically tapping the desk. I'm heavily contemplating if I should say something. I finally decide I should probably introduce myself.

I turn to her and say "Lily was it?" She slightly jumps at the sound of my voice and then looks at me. As we lock eyes her face is flushed red. I quickly noticed she has two colored eyes. I'm sure most people in this situation would see her awkwardness as cute, but to me I see it as something holding her back, something to overcome not to be called cute for. I quickly formed a profile of my partner for the foreseeable future.

A voice that can barely be heard, a mind that never speaks its truth. A trapped soul in her own prison. Standing at what seems to be roughly 5"7 with heterochromia displayed by her blue and hazel eyes. lightly tinted brown skin and brown hair up in a ponytail that's braided down her back. A general demeanor that says leave me be there is nothing here for you. But I have the feeling that she's hiding something. Looks like watching all those criminal profiling shows are paying off.

I notice I'm staring at her for longer than I intended. She notices I'm staring too "My apologies I appear to have gotten lost in thought, my name is Daniel nice to meet you". I notice her eyes have slightly widened as she looks into mine. Instead of formulating a normal response to me she instead simply says "green…" I point to my eyes ``ah so you noticed, although they aren't exactly hard to spot." She quickly looks away "I didn't mean to stare. I'm sorry. I've just never seen green eyes." "It's quite alright, I don't mind you staring afterall your eyes are quite captivating as well". She hides her face in her hands at my words. I probably could have put that less.. insinuating.

She takes a minute to compose herself before saying "T-thanks" I simply smirk and nod. After that unfortunate exchange the teacher continues talking. Somewhere near the end of the period she says "make sure you have a way to contact your partner outside of school. You will have to work together after school for certain projects." Oh boy this is gonna go great. I turn to Lily who seems all too aware of what I'm about to ask. "So what's your number?" She doesn't speak, instead she hesitantly pulls out her phone and displays her number. I responded by putting her number in my phone under the name Lily. She then pulls out hers and I input my number. After that the bell rings and everyone stands up to leave. I notice Lily sits there not moving. She appears to be shaking and trying to compose her breathing.

Now I don't exactly have a reputation for being nice or much of a reputation at all yet, but I'm not just not going to check on her. We have ten minute passing periods and my class is right around the hallway so I take a deep breath and sit back down next to her. She looks up at me "do you need something" she says in a voice so small I can barely hear it. "Are you okay?" The words seem to affect her more than I had imagined they would. She places her forehead against the desk and says "I just can't stand crowds so I wait until the hallways clear, but it always makes me late to class." I think for a moment "I see, I can see how that would be a nuisance". She nods her head in agreement.

People like her are delicate in a way that you can't be too forward when speaking to them, but also can't hold back too much. As time consuming as it can be to get them used to you, she will be my partner apparently In and out of school. So I should probably aid her in such affairs to see if I can ease her out of her shell. "Which class do you have next" I ask. "Pre Calculus in room 106C '' she responds. That's the same class as me. "You are aware that is directly down the hallway correct?" She nods "I just can't get myself to go out there with so many people." I suddenly have an idea. I stand up and say "come on we're gonna go to class." She stares at me with surprise and fear. "I can't go out there with them I'd break down" It surprises me how open she is to others about the fact that she has social anxiety.

"Listen I have the same class, you can walk right behind me and even hold onto my backpack to make sure you don't stray away if you want. It's only right down the hall." She sits there clearly uncertain of what to do, but she stands up and grabs her bag and grabs a hold to my backpack. I nod and walk out the door. Even though it was a thirty second walk it felt like an eternity. By the time we get to the class she is practically hugging my backpack.

As we enter the door she physically eases up and let's out a sigh.

I sit down in a seat near the back of the classroom. Lily looks around at all the vacant seats. They are all next to people she obviously doesn't know. I swear this girl is hopeless. She looks over at me and I simply gesture to the seat next to me. She plops into the seat next to me and whispers "thank you".

The class went past faster than I thought it would. Since we didn't have any actual assignments today we had the majority of the class just to talk to other students. I didn't do much talking and ended up slowly drifting off to sleep. As I fade into the dream world a face appears in my mind. I dismiss it as some things are best left forgotten.