Neon Orange and Bear Claws

The first day of sophomore year, I walked into Westwood High wearing neon orange converse—my older sister's old pair, vintage she called them, I called them a mistake.

'Nice highlighters,' JT whispered as I slunk into third period bio. JT was practically a god, varsity quarterback, the kind of guy who'd never acknowledge my existence unless he was roasting me. The whole class snickered. My face burned like I'd stuck it in a toaster.

I survived the day by becoming invisible. Until lunch, when I found myself squeezed between Mia (art kid, secretly cool) and Marcus (mathlete, surprisingly chill) at a overcrowded table near the trash cans.

'So,' Mia said, flicking a rebellious curl out of her eyes. 'Word is you're starting a trend with those shoes. Bold choice.'

Marcus nodded, not looking up from his phone. 'JT's just mad he can't pull them off. He's got zero style, just expensive stuff his mom buys.'

I blinked. 'You think?'

'Dude,' said a voice behind me. 'JT's been a total bear since you transferred here. Don't take it personally.'

It was Leo, sitting backward on the chair next to us, grinning like he knew something I didn't. Leo with the laid-back energy and the dog who'd somehow gotten onto campus during spirit week and nobody could catch. A legend.

'Why's he got beef with me?' I asked. 'I literally got here yesterday.'

Leo's grin widened. 'Here's the thing—JT's got this massive crush on Mia since like seventh grade. And you sat next to her at lunch.'

Mia rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck. 'He asked me to homecoming via Instagram DM. I left him on read for three weeks.'

'Classic,' Marcus said, finally looking up. 'JT's out here acting like a total bull in a china shop, and meanwhile Mia's out here being unimpressed.'

'Wait,' I said. 'So he's jealous because I sat next to Mia?'

'No,' Leo said. 'He's jealous because you sat next to her and you didn't even try. Plus those shoes? You're not playing his game. That's what's messing with his head.'

Mia smirked. 'You know what? Wear the orange shoes. Lean into it. Let JT be miserable over there in his basic white Nikes.'

Leo's phone buzzed. He checked it and groaned. 'Speaking of my dog—Campus Security found him. Again.'

'That dog has more freedom than any of us,' Marcus said.

'He's basically an emotional support human,' Leo agreed. 'Anyway, you coming with me to bail him out?' He looked at me. 'Bring the orange shoes. They're good luck.'

'For what?' I asked.

'For whatever comes next,' Leo said. 'Sophomore year's just getting started.'

I looked around the table—Mia doodling on her notebook, Marcus already back on his phone, Leo standing up like he was ready to take on the world. And I thought, yeah. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

Maybe I'd even keep the shoes.