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MidReal Story
Among the Girls
Scenario:I walk through the school gates, feeling out of place as the eyes of every girl around me turn in my direction. Whispers fill the air. The environment is tense, and I can feel the curiosity and judgment from every angle. I’m the only boy here, and the entire school is already watching my every move.
Me: This is going to be... interesting.
School (voice of the bot, a voice, almost too smooth, echoes through the hallway): "Oh, look who it is… the only boy in this whole place. You’re definitely going to stand out, huh? The entire school’s already talking about you, wondering what kind of trouble you’ll stir up. Will you be the nice guy, or will you cause chaos?"
I hear giggles and curious whispers from nearby students.
"You’d better watch out. There are plenty of eyes on you now. And some of us are already wondering what you’ll do next."
Create my version of this story
Ethan Logan
new student, relationships with other students are developing, tall with messy brown hair, curious and adaptable
Ava Torres
outcast student who befriends Ethan, friends with Ethan and rivals with Lily, short red hair in a pixie cut, rebellious and insightful
Lily Chen
senior student and leader of a popular clique, friends with Ethan, long black hair in a ponytail, ambitious and protective
"Uh. Hi?"
I was pretty sure that wasn't the way I was supposed to start this conversation.
But the girl in front of me had taken me completely off guard.
I hadn't even noticed her standing there until she asked me my name and what I was doing at the school.
I was beginning to think that maybe I shouldn't have worn my uniform to the coffee shop.
It was the only decent set of clothes that I had brought with me, though.
And it wasn't like I knew anyone in town to ask where the kids hung out.
Besides, it wasn't like I had a choice in coming here.
My mom had gotten a new job here in the city, and she didn't have any other option but for me to come with her.
Dad died a few months ago, so it wasn't like she had any other option.
I was coming to terms with it, but the girls at this school seemed to be having a harder time than I was.
I had never seen every single eye in a room turn towards me before, but it happened today during my first period class.
First period was PE, and it wasn't like I was even changing clothes or anything.
The girls were just staring at me like I was some kind of freak.
And now one of them was talking to me.
The girl in front of me had long black hair in a ponytail.
She was wearing a pair of high heels and a mini skirt that showed off her long legs.
I shifted uncomfortably in my chair.
The girl slid into the seat across from me, her coffee cup making a soft clink against the table as she set it down.
"I'm Lily Chen."
She smiled at me, her perfectly manicured nails drumming against the ceramic.
Two more girls appeared behind her, hovering like shadows.
They were dressed similarly to Lily, in short skirts and high heels.
I was pretty sure that they weren't supposed to be wearing those shoes at school, but no one seemed to be saying anything about it.
Lily leaned forward, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"You should know some things about St. Margaret's. There are certain teachers you should avoid, certain cliques that rule certain areas of the school. And there are definitely some girls you shouldn't mess with."
She nodded towards the two girls behind her.
"My friends and I can show you who's who. You're going to want to stick with us." The bell on the café door jingled as someone came in.
A girl with short red hair walked past our table, her eyes flicking towards us briefly before moving on.
Lily leaned back in her chair, stirring her latte with a plastic straw.
She hadn't taken a sip of it yet, and I wondered why she had even bothered ordering it.
She pulled out her phone and began to scroll through her photos, stopping at one.
The photo showed the red-haired girl who had just passed our table.
"That one," Lily said, tapping the screen.
"Ava Torres. She's trouble. Started a protest last semester that almost got the principal fired."
Her friends nodded in agreement.
I wondered why Ava was the only girl who had actually looked at me when she walked past.
Everyone else had just whispered and pointed.
"Who's that?"
I asked, nodding towards the taller girl who had been walking beside Ava.
Lily smiled wickedly.
"That's Sophia Martin. She thinks she's better than everyone else just because her mom is a movie star."
She rolled her eyes, flipping through more photos on her phone.
"There are some girls you should watch out for, too. Like Rachel Lee. She's pretty popular, but she's also super fake. And then there's Emily Patel. She looks sweet, but she has a mean streak a mile wide."
Lily flipped through more photos, naming off student after student.
She stopped on one of a blonde girl with a big smile.
"And then there's Olivia Taylor. She's pretty nice, but she's also really shy. She's the president of the debate club, so you might run into her there."
I watched as Lily continued to scroll through her phone, her perfectly manicured nail tapping against the screen as she stopped on each photo.
The afternoon crowd had started to arrive at the coffee shop, and it was getting pretty loud.
I glanced down at my own phone, which I had left sitting on the table when Lily and her friends showed up.
It was still on the home screen, and I could see that I had gotten a text from my mom.
I quickly checked it under the table, not wanting to be rude to Lily and her friends.
The message was just my mom asking me how things were going at school, and if I had gotten settled in okay.
I typed out a quick reply before tucking my phone back in my pocket. Lily was still talking about different girls at school when I looked back up at her.
I nodded politely, but I wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying anymore.
Instead, I was wondering about Ava Torres.
The girl who had started a protest last semester.
I pulled out my phone again and opened up a social media app, typing her name into the search bar.
Her profile came right up - it was public, so I didn't have to be friends with her to see what she posted about.
Mostly it was photos from around school or posts about student rights.
There were some photos from the protest she had started last semester that Lily had mentioned earlier, too.
Ava's profile picture showed her face clearly, so I could see that she was definitely the girl who had walked past our table earlier.
The bell on the door jingled again, and Ava herself walked into the coffee shop.
She went straight to the counter and ordered something from the barista, then stood waiting for it to be ready. Her uniform skirt only went down to about mid-thigh, and I could see that she was wearing ripped jeans underneath it.
That definitely wasn't within dress code, but no one seemed to be saying anything about it.
Lily's friends were both wearing skirts that were just as short as Ava's, but neither of them were wearing jeans underneath like Ava was doing.
Lily leaned closer, her voice barely above a whisper.
"See? She's always trying to make a statement, even with her clothes."
I glanced at Ava again, feeling a strange pull of curiosity.
Ava was still waiting at the counter for her drink.
She seemed completely unaware of the fact that Lily and her friends were talking about her.
Lily continued to whisper about Ava, but I wasn't really paying attention anymore.
I was watching Ava instead, wondering what she was like.
The barista called out Ava's name, and she went to the counter to pick up her drink.
She turned around, looking like she was going to head back out of the coffee shop.
I stood up from my chair, excusing myself from Lily's table.
"I'm going to get a refill," I said, nodding towards my cup.
Lily smiled sweetly at me, waving goodbye as I walked away.
I went straight to the counter, deliberately bumping into Ava as she turned around with her drink in hand.
She almost spilled it, but managed to catch it just in time. "I'm sorry," I said, steadying her cup with my hand.
"I'm Ethan."
Ava raised an eyebrow at me, clearly knowing who I was already.
"The famous new guy," she said, a hint of amusement in her voice.
"Careful, your new friend Lily might not approve of you talking to the school rebel."
I shrugged, feeling a little nervous under Ava's direct gaze.
"Maybe I'm not so worried about what Lily thinks," I replied, trying to sound more confident than I felt.
Ava smirked, taking a sip of her drink. "Good, because if you're looking for the truth about St. Margaret's, you won't find it with her."
I hesitated, intrigued by her words. "What do you mean by that?"
Ava glanced over at Lily's table, where she was still sitting with her friends.
"Come on, I'll show you."
She led me to the counter, ordering a refill of her own drink.
When it was ready, she handed me a folded piece of paper before turning and walking away.
I watched as she went back out the door of the coffee shop, wondering what she had just given me.
I tucked the folded paper into my blazer pocket, going back to Lily's table.
Lily narrowed her eyes at me when I sat down, but didn't say anything about where I had gone.
Instead, she launched right back into another story about Ava's history at St. Margaret's.
I nodded along politely, but my mind kept drifting to the weight of the folded paper in my pocket. I pulled it out when Lily's friend Sarah spilled her drink all over the table and everyone was distracted.
It was a crude map of the east wing of the school, with one classroom circled in red ink.
I quickly folded it back up and shoved it into my pocket again before Lily turned back to me.
"Want to join our study group tomorrow?" she asked, smiling sweetly at me.
I nodded, feeling curious about what Ava had meant by her words earlier.
The next day, I found myself standing outside the circled classroom from Ava's map, unsure of what to expect.
Ava appeared beside me, seemingly out of nowhere. "I see you found the place," she said with a knowing smile.
"What's in there?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.
Ava glanced around to make sure no one was watching before replying, "It's where the real stories of St. Margaret's are kept—stories that people like Lily don't want you to know."