1 "Wouldn't it be perfect/ If I could sit with you/ And we could change a thing or two/ We'd change a thing or two" -Good Charlotte, "East Coast Anthem"

I walked into the lunchroom, wondering (as usual) where I'd sit. My friends, few as they were, sat scattered around the airy gym. They were labeled as everything under the sun - jocks, punks, skaters, and the ever- proud preps. If someone were to try and label me, I'd wish them luck - I had my days as everything - jock on soccer game days, prep on the few days I dressed up, skater when I boarded to school, or -nearly every day- punk. I have to say, punk was my favourite of the cliques. Hey, it could have been that I'm most accepted by both the punks and the skaters, but the truth is that it was because my best friend was a punk.
Of course, I had a friend in every clique - Keira was my lone jock friend on the MHS soccer team; Cass was my only prep friend, and believe me, she hadn't been preppy for long. All the skaters liked and Joel were like brothers to me, but Charlie? God was she hard to get through to at first.
The best friend I mentioned earlier? That would be James, Jams to many. I'd known him since I was born. His mom, Andrea, and my mom, Niko, had the same connection.
I snapped out of my daydreaming - which I did often - when I heard Jams scream my name.
"Del! Over here!" He beckoned me over.
"Hey Jams, what's up?" I greeted my friend.
"I HATE the Fishman!" he exclaimed.
"Ignore him, everyone does," said another good friend, David, referring to our evil math teacher, Mrs. Fishman. She talked, acted, and looked like a guy.
"Yeah, I know," I replied, setting my tray down on the metallic table.
"Hey Meb, are you going to Ion's party Friday?" Andrian, or Andy, asked me.
"Nah, I have a Bio paper due Monday and I'm busy for the rest of the weekend," I said.
"God, you actually have a life!" said Syrus jealously.
"Yeah, well she also has friends," retorted his girlfriend, Drea.
"Yup, that and Niko's making me clean the ." I said miserably.
"It's so cool how you call your mom by her first name," Jams said.
"Well you call her that, too."
"Yeah, but she's not my mom!"
"I meant that you call your mom Andrea, stupid!"
This spiraled into yet another argument between us, but don't be fooled, I was closer to Jams and the rest of my friends than I was to my own two siblings, Mads and Sierra. Of course, that could be because Maddie is only a year older than me at 18, and is a typical jerk of an older brother. Sierra and I got along great until she turned thirteen two years ago and started stealing my clothes.
It was less than and hour after the lunchtime feud, and Jams and I were walking to English together.
We walked into the cramped classroom and grinned at each other when we saw the substitute teacher at the front of the room. We always had fun with subs. They mean: not sitting in your assigned seat, talking, no won, no matter what!
We flopped into desks at the back of the room next to Joel and Charlie. We all said our hello's as I pulled my CD player out of my bag. Another plus of subs - they never knew that CD players were banned.
The teacher, Ms. Malloy, started taking roll while I put my New Found Glory "Sticks and Stones" CD in.
"Mindelan Emilie Branson?" she called.
"Ya, here, it's either Del or Meb, though." I replied.
"Okay," she said with just a hint of sarcasm, and continued taking roll.
So that was me. Mindelan Emilie Branson; Del (short for Mindelan) or Meb (my initials) to everyone. I was tall - 6'4" - with spiky, short hair that had been every color from pink to black. At the moment, it was green. My skin was tan, always tan.
Jams was barely an inch taller than me at 6'5", with a 'fro of brown hair and creamy brown skin that I wish I had. He was about the greatest friend I'd ever had, and about the only one that hadn't turned on me after learning a few things about me. He had always been there for me, and always would be. He played lead guitar and sang lead vocals for our band, Neverending Lie.
The two biggest things in my life then were music and soccer. Our band, Neverending Lie, was awesome. I played bass, sang harmony, and wrote music. Our soccer team had a 90% chance of going to State that year, which all of us were psyched for.