I woke up with a jolt to my alarm loudly beeping. Whaa? I think, my blonde hair a mess on the top of my head. I wipe the drool from my mouth and turn off the incessant beeping. I slowly roll out of bed, groaning the whole way, and make my way to the bathroom. I rub my eyes and look in the mirror. Ugh, I think to myself, looking at the bags under my eyes and the zit that popped up on my chin overnight. I shower and do my best with makeup, and instead of trying anything fancy with my hair mop, I tie it into a messy bun on the top of my head. That's better, I look somewhat alive. Today marks my first day of junior year, in a new town, at a new school. I'm grateful for the new start, after what happened, but I'm not grateful that I know no one. It marks a fresh start for me and my sister, however my sister could be more graceful about her distaste for the small town of Greenville. I make my way back to my room and try to decide on an outfit. I throw on my cutest jeans, pale blue with rips all up the front, and a dark purple blouse I got for Christmas last year. I throw on random socks and my only pair of shoes and make my way downstairs. Shit, I'm gonna miss the bus. I pop two Eggo waffles into the toaster for breakfast and start chugging orange juice from the bottle. As soon as the waffles pop up I grab them and start heading for the door, Julie flying right past me running for the bus. As always, her hair's perfectly done, she's wearing a short skirt and a tank top with a stylish jacket. I started running after her and pushing her, fighting to see who could open the door first.
"Bitch!" She yelled at me. I shoved her with my hip and yanked the door open, just as the bus was pulling up in front of our house.
"Race ya!" I said laughing as we both ran for it. I beat her, obviously, and ran onto the bus, taking a seat in the front by myself. She ran up and sat next to me, we didn't know anyone here yet and you don't make your first friends on the bus. During the ride, I stare out the window while Jules texts all of her old friends back home. Only about half are answering. I explained to her when we first moved that she and most of her friends would grow apart, but she didn't want to listen. She's gonna have to learn that the hard way, just like I did. The bus makes it to its final destination, the school. The bricks were grayed and weathered, the very top floor had old windows that had gray shutters, everything about this school said gray, dark, dreary, ominous.
Here we go, I think, readying myself for what's to come. If I try to stay hidden, stay in the back, the only time I'll really be noticed is the first day. I started to hate my clothing, the purple blouse seeming too bright, the jeans seeming too flashy. I felt my heart start racing and my eyes started wandering from face to face. Look at the floor, no one's looking at you, I thought to myself. I avoided eyes and glances and stares on my way to the office, Julie following close by. We missed orientation, so we had to stop and get our schedules and information before classes started. The polished linoleum was looking menacing, until it turned into the dark blue carpet of the main office.