High School is the time when you explore your identity in the crazy society we have today. High School opens up many opportunities in life, it's where you will choose your friends, partners, and overall environment. However, high school is not the same for everyone. "AHH! What is that?" screamed Elijah Stein, a fourteen-year-old teen who is about to start his first day at school. Elijah has been accepted into the prestige school of Cape Coast High, known for delivering the best students as well as being the best in sports and academics. Only top students can enter, and luckily, Elijah was one of them.

A few months ago

"Mom, do you think I'll be able to enter this school? It seems very pricey, and I might not be what they're looking for," said thirteen-year-old Elijah.

"Are you kidding me? You graduated middle school at the top of your class, Cape Coast would be missing out if they didn't accept you," said Monique Stein, Elijah's mother. She is a single mom who raises Elijah and his sixteen-year-old brother, Luke, who also goes to Cape Coast.

"You never know maybe it would be best to apply to more schools."

Present

Elijah is very nervous and likes to overthink well about everything. He prefers staying at home, rather than being in the crowd or striving for popularity. His favorite book and a cup of hot cocoa just feel great for him. Right now, Elijah is having his first acne outbreak, on his first day of school.

"Dude, calm down, it's normal for someone your age," mentioned Luke, his older brother.

"For you, maybe, but I can't go to school looking like I got some disease. I need to cover it up somehow," he replied, panicking. Just as he tried looking for a solution, luckily, his mother comes to the rescue. "Don't worry sweetie, are you okay with make-up?" she asked, showing her make-up palate.

"Anything, just fix my face."

Monique sat down beside him, applying all kinds of make-up covering his warts and pimples. "You know Eli, this is just a sign of puberty. There are much worse things that are about to happen, it's natural."

"Like what?" he asked, out of curiosity.

"I don't think you want to know the answer to that," said Luke, rushing around.

"Well, you're going to grow bigger in areas like your chest and shoulders, and you're going to grow hair in places you never even knew could grow hair," she mentioned, applying make-up.

"What do you mean?"

Monique leaned in and whispered into his ear. "EWW! How is that possible?" he asked, disgusted.

"It's just part of your natural growth, but it's in your own hands to groom and remain clean and looking fresh. There, all done."

Elijah looked into the mirror, happy to see that his acne was hardly noticeable. He hugged his mother, grateful for fixing his so-called mistake. Elijah walked to the bathroom, continuing to finish up, in preparation for his first day at High School. Fixing his hair, and putting his clothes on, Elijah went to the kitchen where Luke and his mother, Monique were chatting.

"I want you to make sure he is protected from bullies," she said, making them porridge.

"I can't come to school, just to help him. I'm sure he can fight on his own," replied Luke, sitting down in front of her.

He walked downstairs, overhearing the conversation. "You don't have to worry about me, I'm sure I'll be okay. Ally is going to be there, so I don't have to worry about awkward situations," he said, grabbing his porridge.

"I'm just making sure your high school experience isn't terrible. I want you to have fun and explore yourself," Monique replied.

"Listen to him because I can't take care of him all the time, I have a life y'know."

"You know, I remember when you were small..."

Eight years ago...

"You were only six, and Luke was eight. He stuck to you and always made sure that you were okay," she said, having a flashback.

When Elijah was small, he was sensitive to many things and he couldn't speak up. Luke was his only friend, he stuck up for him when he was bullied by the people in his grade, or even shared his lunch when Elijah's was stolen.

"That's also when I met Ally."

"In my high school years, I made sure everyone knew who Monique Fortune was, that's how I met your father too," she said.

Elijah and Luke's father left their household when they were just five (Elijah) and seven (Luke). Elijah can't remember who he was and Luke just acts like he doesn't exist. "Did he ever tell you why he left?" asked Elijah, continuing to eat.

"Your father, he was a bold man. Never afraid to take risks, that's why I loved him."

"But then why did he leave us?!" asked Luke, with a bit of aggressiveness.

"When I told him I was pregnant, he wasn't excited at all, but his love for me kept him for the time being. When we had you, Elijah, he just found it overwhelming and left. Of course, he paid his child support but he didn't want to be in your life because he didn't think he would be good enough," she said, stirring as her memories took over. Elijah does remember one thing from his father, a faint but emotional memory that he subconsciously buried.

Many years ago...

It was a rainy day, as he remembered. He put on his blue raincoat and played in the backyard. He was waiting for his father to come home, growing impatient as time went on. His father promised to play his favorite games with him, making him count every single second until he came home from a day in the law firm. The rain became violent and the sky became dark. Elijah walked in sad, wondering why his father did not play with him. As he walked in, he heard arguing from his parents and saw Luke lurking on the stairs behind them. His father was drenched, and he looked tired but very angry. "I can't do this anymore, I just can't," he said, sitting down by the table.

"What do you mean? I can't raise them by myself, they're your responsibility too," cried Monique.

He stood up and took his bags. "I'm going to pay for everything; I just can't handle the stress."

Elijah saw the pain and anger in his parent's eyes, and that feeling overwhelmed him, making him cry too. His father left in the rain, and Monique cried by the table. "Is he coming back?" asked young Elijah, not receiving an answer. A faint memory buried deep down, waiting to jump out.

Monique stood up, fetching her wallet, and giving them each money for lunch and extra snacks. "In the future, don't ever abandon your families. Don't be like your father."

Elijah felt a feeling of despair, as well as a newfound curiosity. "You guys need to get ready for school, I'm going to head to work," said Monique.

She went around giving them forehead kisses and wishing them good luck before leaving for the world of medication and health. Monique is a well-known doctor who started as a nurse.

Luke and Elijah started cleaning the house as they always do. Starting with their bedrooms, moving to the bathroom, then the toilet, and lastly the kitchen. "So, how are you feeling about today, you nervous?" asked Luke.

"Very nervous. I don't want to stick out, but then again, blending into the crowd is kinda my specialty," Elijah replied.

"You know, a great way of making new friends is joining an after-school class," suggested Luke.

Cape Coast High School offers many different opportunities to broaden your skills. Different languages are available, such as Mandarin, Spanish, Japanese, and many more. After-school activities include a drama club that gives scholarships to go to acting schools in New York, Paris, and all over the world. A choir that allows us to nurture future musicians, a hospitality club that allows us to make future chefs. There are many more opportunities at Cape Coast.

"I guess I'll just have to see."

With the house, all clean, Elijah and Luke's driver arrived and they were now on their way to Cape Coast High. In no time, they arrived. Luke just saw this as any other day but Elijah felt as if his heart was going to implode. Turning back was not an option, he could only walk forward. His foot entered the school gates and it was just as he expected. The fields with green lush grass and students chilling to something of their interest. Someone was standing in front of the school's door, handing out pamphlets. "Welcome to Cape Coast, can I get your name?" they asked.

"Elijah Stein," he answered with no hesitation.

"Hello, Elijah, your class is upstairs on the right."

"Wait, my right or yours," he thought before the person moved on to the next student.

Elijah entered the school and went upstairs as that person said. Following those instructions, Elijah found himself in Class 8-A, seemingly being the last person as almost all the seats were filled. He entered the class and all eyes were on him. Overwhelmed, Elijah greeted them and found the closest seat that was available. "Now that everyone is here, allow me to introduce myself, I am Mr. Johnson, I will be your home room teacher. Your timetable is on your table so you should adapt to it as soon as possible. You will be moving around a lot because of classes but for now, I'll allow you to communicate with each other before you will go to your first class. Also, before I forget, your lockers are on your student IDs which will be given to you by me," said Mr. Johnson before handing out the student IDs.

"Your student IDs are very important as they are your key to everything in this school, your lockers, your lunch credits as well as your online courses and resources on the Cape Coast Network, a new app developed by our former students so that we can all keep up to date with school work and even drama in a student only section. You can thank us later."

The teacher started handing out school tablets meant for school purposes. The class gasped in excitement as they each were handed their tablet. "If broken, you will need to find your way to fix it. To connect to the school's network, you're going to need to just tap the student ID card onto the screen, and voila, done."

The classroom was filled with sounds from the tablets connecting to the school's network. Elijah looked at his tablet as it had a picture of him, and all his classes for the day, as well as all his lunch credits and an app, called GOSSIP!, as well as the resources for the different subjects.

"The student IDs work as phone numbers so you can gather people's IDs and chat with them. Come, let's go claim your lockers."

The learners took their bags, with their books in toe, and went to claim their lockers. Elijah just walked up to one, and let it scan the student ID, linking it to the tablet. "I guess this tablet controls our whole school life," Elijah thought before he filled his locker and went back with the other students. "You guys have Grammar right now, so I'm going to take you there, come along."

They walked downstairs and passed other classes, where Elijah caught a glimpse of Ally, speaking with some of her classmates. This made Elijah have the urge to speak to at least one person in his class. On their way to their Grammar class, Elijah eyed out another student to try to speak to. After looking, his eyes wandered to another person in the class. They had eyeliner on and had a darker aesthetic. They had curly dark hair, covering the Air Pods in his ears. Elijah slowly moved to him after gathering up the courage and tapped on his shoulder. "Hi... I'm Elijah," he stuttered, holding out his hand.

"I'm Dustin, can I help you with anything?" asked Dustin.

Elijah started thinking about all kinds of things and started getting awkward and nervous. "Um... uhh, I...I just want...ed to be f...friends," he stuttered. Dustin looked at him confused but replied. "Sure, I'll be your friend, I don't really know how this kind of thing goes so..." he replied.

Did I just make my friend? This counts right, right?

"So, what kind of things do you like?" he asked.

"I like pop music, manga, and sushi, you?"

"Me? I like reading books, I like listening to calming music, and, ooh, my favorite food is ice cream," he said, happily.

"Cool," he replied.

They sat down in their seats and the Grammar teacher introduced herself. "Hello new students, I am Mrs. Abrahams, I will be your Grammar teacher. How about we just rest and introduce ourselves and say one thing we each like," said Mrs. Abrahams.

"That sounds great, I have to go teach the higher grades so if you'd excuse me," said Mr. Johnson.

Students in the 8-A Class started introducing themselves. "Hey, I'm Dustin Ross, I'm fourteen years old and I like reading manga if any of you even care," said Dustin, before sitting down. Soon, it was Elijah's turn and he stood up quickly, "H-hi, I'm Elijah or Eli, whatever your choice. I-I like ice cream," he said, sitting down quickly.

Once everyone was done, they choose different roles in the class, the class monitor was a girl named Cindy Martin, and the Runner was Kareem Adams. "So, do you have any siblings at school or are you alone?" asked Dustin, checking his phone.

"I have an older brother here in tenth grade, his name is Luke. Do you?"

"I have a twin brother but he's probably in another class trying to impress some girls," said Dustin, sounding uninterested.

"You have a twin brother?"

"Yep. His name is Rohan, we are total opposites. We aren't identical either," he replied.

"Interesting."

Grammar was a free period for the class of 8-A. Elijah and Dustin began speaking, while still being awkward. Soon, it became the lunch break. The cafeteria looked much bigger than how it looked in the pamphlet, it was almost overwhelming. "Why is it so big?" asked Elijah, looking around the spacious cafeteria.

"This school is very advanced with its technology and its buildings. Apparently, they have robotics and aerospace clubs that are sponsored by NASA. I'm expecting some very big things from this school," mentioned Dustin.

"Every time I turn around there is something new. So cool."

Elijah and Dustin took their plates and walked to the school chefs who were students in the hospitality club.

Today's menu: Steak pie, with steamed vegetables and a cup of strawberry milkshake.

"Wait, what? That's today's menu, sign me up." Standing in line, they scanned their student IDs using their student credits. However, Elijah had a tiny problem.

"Sir, you don't have any credits on your account."

Beginning to stress, "Is there any way I could get more?" he asked.

"Do you have any physical money on you, or is there a parent who can assist?" asked the lunch man. Elijah checked his pockets frantically as all eyes were on him.

"Should I pay for you?" offered Dustin.

As he checked he felt something in his pockets and pulled out a $100 note. "Does this suffice?" he asked.

"That will give you 10,000 school credits, thank you," he said, as they moved on.

"Why do have so much money on you?" asked Dustin.

"My mother gave it to me just in case I wanted to buy lunch, so it came in handy," said Elijah before they sat down by a table, right in the middle of the cafeteria.

Just as Elijah was about to dig in, his eyes were covered by someone who had a very familiar voice. "Guess who?" they said.

"I know this voice, Ally, is that you?" he guessed.

"Yeah it is," said Ally, hugging him tightly.

Ally Brooke is Elijah's best friend since they were five years old. She has brown hair with dark brown eyes. They have stuck together when his father left, and when she moved, and so much more. They are inseparable, and nothing could come between them.

Many years ago...

After an eventful day at the day-care, young Elijah runs to go to sleep, before falling in front of a young Ally, crying. "Are you okay?" she asked, as he cried even more. She lifted him and put him in her pink stroller. "This is going to be a little sore, but here's a plaster," she said before applying the plaster. Elijah let out a little shriek before he wiped away his tears. "Thank you very much for helping me."

And that's how their wonderful friendship began.

"These are my new friends, Thandi and Rohan."

"Hi," they greeted before he greeted back.

"Wait, Dustin, is this your twin brother?" asked Elijah.

"Yep."

Ally and Thandi looked at Dustin, then Rohan, trying to see the similarities. "Hi, I am Thandi Quinton." Thandi is actually from South Africa, but her family moved to get better jobs. She had black with blonde highlighted braids. They all sat down by the table and began conversing. "Can I get your student ID code?" asked Ally.

"Sure."

Ally took out her tablet and let everyone tap their cards, adding their contacts. "Isn't this school just spectacular," said Ally.

"I mean based on what I've seen so far, yeah, it is. I heard that they have a huge field with a huge swimming pool too," replied Thandi.

"I'm hoping to enter the football team," mentioned Rohan.

"I haven't really thought of a club to join or anything like that but the school is very advanced and sophisticated," Elijah replied, "what about you Dustin?"

"I don't know, plus it's only the first day," he replied, eating on.

Looking around, Elijah looked at some of the students, feeling pressured to do better. "I have Mathematics after this so should we head to class?" asked Thandi.

"We are going to Accounting after this. I need to stop by my locker though," said Dustin, before standing up.

"Let me just finish this and then we can go," Elijah replied.

Once done with their lunch, Elijah and the rest moved to put their plates away for cleaning, but Elijah had an uneasy feeling as if something bad was going to happen. Of course, this could just be him overthinking again. On his way out, Elijah turned, only to knock into another student, falling to the ground as water spilled on his face and clothes. "I'm so sorry, let me help you," said the student.

"No, I'm fine," replied Elijah, wiping his face. Elijah turned around and saw his reflection on the plate. He gasped as he saw the makeup dripping off his face, uncovering his acne outbreak. He looked at his hand, covered in foundation. Stress overcame him, and once again, all eyes were on him. He remained looking down, covering his face before leaving the cafeteria, hiding in the toilet, hyperventilating.

"Eli, are you okay?" asked Ally.

"What are you doing in the men's toilet?" asked Elijah, calmed down.

"I snuck in here. Luke told me that you were wearing makeup to cover your pimples. You know you don't have to," she said, leaning on the toilet door.

Elijah took a deep breath, and replied, "Everyone here looks like they had professional artists do their face, meanwhile I look like I have potholes on my face."

"I'm pretty sure they've all gone through or are still going to have an outbreak. It is natural, but I'm guessing you're not going to agree with me, so I'm offering to redo your face," she offered.

Elijah opened the door, and said, "Really?"

Ally left to her locker took her makeup palate and started working on Elijah's face, making sure to not make it heavy but cover up all warts and pimples. Elijah looked in the mirror and hugged Ally, thanking her. "Hey, that's what friends are for," said Ally.

Elijah and Ally returned to their classes, Elijah finally calmed down, avoiding a near panic attack. "So, are you okay?" asked Dustin.

"Yeah, it was a close call. It was like my face was busy melting."

"You know, if acne is a problem, my cousin has a skincare brand called Lovely. They specialize in different kinds of skincare, maybe give it a try."

"I'll ask my mother to buy it for me. If it can help my face look better then I'll definitely check it out," he replied.

While in Accounting, Elijah couldn't help but see one of the students passing in the hallway. That was the same student who spilled into him. He had short curly hair, caramel-colored skin, and brown eyes. He was taller than Elijah, at least from what Elijah can remember. "Do you know who perhaps knows who that is?" asked Elijah.

"Who?"

"The dude who I knocked into at Lunch," answered Elijah.

"No, I don't, but I'm pretty sure Ally has his student ID," said Dustin, writing down his notes.

Classes continued until it was Break, in which students were able to roam the grounds, passing by the students in higher grades. Elijah, Ally, Dustin, and Thandi met by a bench under a tree. "Damn, we just got homework. Who gives homework on the first day of school?" said Ally, frustrated.

"We actually didn't get homework yet, but we still have Chemistry and Mandarin," mentioned Dustin.

"Ally, I have a question. Just how many students did you make friends with?" asked Elijah.

"Not only did she get the student IDs of the entire class but during Lunch, she asked a bunch of random people for their student IDs. Talk about being an extrovert," said Thandi.

She scoffed, "That's just the beginning, I'm not going to stop by just the eighth graders, I'm going all the way to the seniors. It's my step-by-step plan of becoming popular."

Didn't expect anything less.

While their break continued, Rohan and another student walked up to them. "Hey, who is this?" asked Ally, "and why haven't I befriended them yet?"

"Sorry. I am Matthew Peterson. We are here to inform you that extra classes and after-school activities will be available to apply for by tonight," said Matthew.

Elijah looked up, locking eyes with Matthew, before remembering him. "Oh, I'm sorry for what happened in the cafeteria," he apologized.

"No, I wasn't looking at where I was walking, there is no need to apologize," he replied, anxious.

"Okay, then I'll see you guys around," he said, before walking away.

"So, what do you guys want to do? Here they show Drama, Art, Choir, Robotics, Hospitality, Aerospace, and even Piloting, wow," Thandi said, looking at her tablet.

"I'm going to join hospitality because I need to be wife material for my future husband, and my two children," Ally mentioned. Ally is very clear on what she wants in her future; a working mom who can do everything.

"You planned everything out already, I wish I knew what I wanted to be," said Thandi.

"We still have five years of high school so it isn't too late to change if things aren't sitting right with you," Ally advised.

"I want to go into forensics, dead bodies are fascinating," said Dustin, swiping on his tablet.

Elijah went deep into thought as that question floated around the group. He didn't really know either, but he did know that the more exposure he got, his answer would become clearer. Right then, he remembered what his mother said: "High School is the time where you discover your identity on this Earth."

Elijah's path was even clearer now, having a goal to discover who he is, and to determine his future. Soon after, their tablet got a notification. The message read:

Welcome Students of Cape Coast High. Applications for extra classes and after-school activities. Of course, these are optional but we do encourage each one of you to join and expand your mindset and skills. Next week, we will also be voting for the student body council members. At the end of the day, each class, from eighth grade to twelfth grade will choose two people and we will have a vote. Have an awesome day and don't forget to SLAY the day.

"Did they really have to say that?" cringed Dustin.

"You know how some old people are, trying to get with today's time," said Ally, before they all laughed.

Soon, their breaks were over and only two more periods remained, those two being Chemistry and Mandarin. After going relatively faster than other classes, 8-A returned to Mr. Johnson. "So how was your day, did anything interesting happen?" he asked. Some students were still shy as this was the first day but some just answered, comfortable with their position.

"Don't forget that you all have a platform to post whatever you want unless we're speaking about inappropriate things, then you can't but anything else is okay." The whole class just nodded before the school bell went off, dismissing them. Elijah walked to the gate, chatting with Dustin before meeting up with the rest of the group. "Dustin, I have to speak with the coach about joining the football team," said Rohan, before running off.

"Okay, I'll just – wait," he replied. I sat down by one of the benches with Ally, Thandi, and Dustin.

"Soooooo, how was everyone's first day of school?" asked Ally, hyperactive.

"Very calm. I expected us to be under heavy loads of work but so far, very calm," Thandi replied, fixing her classes.

"Eli, how about you?"

"I don't know. Not much happened today other than that accident but aside from that, it's okay. Tonight, I need to choose my after-school activity and order skincare materials. How was your day?" Elijah replied.

"It was amazing. I met so many people from different classes and grades. The school is so futuristic and advanced, it's everything I've ever wanted," she squealed.

"And you Dustin?"

Dustin looked up, thinking of his first impression of the school. "If I had to say, I would say it's alright because I already know what to expect but it's different for everyone," he said, before going back to his phone.

"Bold words, I like it," said Ally, hitting him on the back.

"I'm going to be right back," said Dustin, walking to the toilets.

After a long time of waiting, Luke finally showed up, along with his group of friends. "I see you've already found your pack."

"I guess, can we go home now?" asked Elijah, exhausted.

"Hey, Ally and?" asked Luke, holding out his hand.

"Thandi Quinton," she answered.

"Hi, Thandi. Yes, we can go."

"Goodbye, tell Dustin and Rohan I said goodbye," Elijah said before leaving.

Elijah and Luke drove home while having some small and awkward conversations. "I heard your makeup came off. I'm telling you; you shouldn't care about other people's opinions because I'm pretty sure they're all full of pimples and warts themselves," said Luke.

"It's not that, I just want to look good," Elijah replied.

"Oh. I see it now. You're trying to impress someone. It's Ally, isn't it?"

"No, why would I ever like Ally? She is just a very good friend, and nothing more," said Elijah.

"Whatever you say," said Luke, smirking.

Soon, they arrived back home at about 4:00 PM. Elijah went straight to his room, putting his bag by his desk, and opened his laptop, researching acne, and how to get rid of it. One article gave some skincare brands and short tips on how to get rid of it over time. An article by Blue Bird, a news network:

Acne at a young age is just another sign of puberty. Acne occurs when the oil glands are stimulated and hormones become active during puberty. This is the reason acne is more commonly found in teens. Tips to rid yourself of acne include:

· drinking a lot of water every day.

· Washing your skin every day

· Using dermatologist-verified products

· Reduce the intake of junk foods.

Elijah looked at the many tips and decided that from tomorrow, he will implement a skincare routine. Just as he was about to close the tab, he noticed a link to explaining puberty. His curiosity leads to him pressing the link: PUBERTY: What Is Puberty?

As Elijah read on, he learned more about his body, some things he already knew, some fascinating facts, and some disgusting ones too. At Middle School, puberty was a topic not a lot of children wanted to learn about because it made them uncomfortable. Elijah was one of them. Every time someone uttered the word puberty, he'd shut his ears. Learning about his hormones, his feelings, and other things was quite fascinating as he had always thought it was just dirty changes around your body. I can't believe the body can do that, interesting.

As the article went on, more Elijah knew. This included facts about acne, body hair, and emotions. Just before the article finished, Elijah read, "Genitals on the male body also tend to grow to certain lengths and sizes." Elijah uncomfortably looked at his pants, scared of what might happen on through his journey of Puberty.

Soon, Elijah and Luke prepared the necessary ingredients for their mother's food, defrosting the meat and vegetables as well as taking out and sorting the spices and the utensils. When their mother returned from work, she looked exhausted. "Mom. I want you to teach me your recipes so that we can cook meals for you," asked Elijah.

"I second that," added Luke.

"I like cooking for my children, just one of the wonders of being a mother," Monique said, entering the kitchen.

"As a doctor, you know that being exhausted, asks for rest and if you're cooking for us after a long day at work, your health will be affected."

Monique looked at them behind the counter, before approving. "Fine, I will teach you my ways, but only on the weekend, when I am off."

"Great," exclaimed Elijah, sitting by the counter.

"So how was school today?" asked Monique.

"Well..."

Elijah had a whole talk show speaking about his new friend group, the incident in the cafeteria, and the overall first-day experience. "Wow. Quite eventful."

"Yeah. After some research I wanted to ask if we can buy some skincare material?" asked Elijah as his mother began cooking.

"Of course, just send me the link and I'll buy it for you," she replied. When the food was done, Elijah set the table as they prayed and began to eat. After that was done, Monique headed to shower while Elijah and Luke cleaned up. Around 8:00 PM, Elijah and Luke completed their homework by the dinner table and then headed to their bedroom. Elijah laid on his bed, looking at the ceiling. High school has finally arrived and he is still trying to adjust. Just as he was about to fall asleep, his school tablet received a notification, reminding students to choose their after-school activities.

Elijah sat up and scrolled through all the options before finally finding a suitable club. "Hmm. What about the drama?"

TO BE CONTINUED...