Virgin Mary

1/Welcome to junior year.

Josephine

"You have everything ready for tomorrow?" I hear my mother yell upstairs as I'm packing my things in my backpack. I shove my notebook in my backpack and grab the rosary on my dresser and place it in the front pocket of my backpack.

"Yes, mom!" I yell back down. "Goodnight." I say and shut my door and change into my pink and white cotton pants and a pink t-shirt. I rest in my covers and think about all of my expectations and what could come from tomorrow. I've seen some of the students there around the town, the town isn't very big so there's no way I could miss them on my way to the library or church. While I'm laying in bed looking at the ceiling my phone dings,

"Hey Jojo, I just wanted to say I hope you have a great first day tomorrow! Don't change for anyone and enjoy your time in a public school now, I hope you make some new friends and have a good school year. I love you and miss you most!" The text reads from my best friend Mia. Mia was at the private school my dad owns. We went there together since pre-school then she ended up moving to georgia. I miss her so much and I don't know how i'm going to go through this year or the rest of high school without her. My mom thought it was better for me to go to a public school for the rest of high school, my freshman year was good but I would see all the public kids walking around, staring at me. I didn't wanna go to a public school, my father didn't want me to either, he wanted me to continue going to his private school that he owns but my mother insisted.

"I will, I love and miss you too! I'll text you everyday!" I reply and rest my phone on the dresser next to my bed. I sigh and try my best to fall asleep.

"You got your phone, your notebooks and your pens? Correct?" My mother asks as I take the last sips of my tea and rest my cup on the island in the kitchen. My mother walks over to me as I place my backpack on my back. She places her hands on her shoulders. "Your outfit looks really nice Josephine, remember it's like your old school, just a little different." she smiles and I nod. My outfit is just a yellow flower dress with a jean jacket, brown boots and I curled my hair in a low ponytail. My father isn't a big fan of my outfits but I should be able to dress how I'd like, but I try to dress and follow his dressing rules as much as I can, I guess.

I nod as my mother and I begin to walk outside to her car parked in the double driveway. I hop into the black bmw, which no one would think the pastor's family would own, at all. My dad drops me off somewhere, I get stares and looks from all of the public school kids. My dad owns a school and my mother is a nurse, I guess we doooo have money, I just don't like to talk about it and I don't appreciate the stares I get when I get out of the car anywhere.

My mother and I drive down a couple roads to the school, it's about five minutes away. My mother places her hand on my hand that's resting on my lap and looks at me as she pulls up to drop me off. "You're going to do great,"she says and I smile. "Don't change for anyone, just be yourself and I'm sure you'll make some great friends."

I lean over for a hug and jump out of the car and wave to her as I shut the door and she drive off. I look around the lot and see some familiar faces that I've definitely seen around the town. I don't bother to notice the stares I'm receiving, only which I know I'm getting a lot. I just adjust my backpack on my back and walk into the school and go straight to the office to get my schedule and meet whoever is going to show me around today. "Come in," I hear as I open the door to the office. "Ms. Langford! So nice to meet you, I'm Mrs. Elliot!" The principal stands up and greets me with a handshake which I return. "Hello, it's very nice to meet you as well." I nod. Manners, Manners, Manners.

"Let's get your schedule printed out and I'll have your tour guide here in a minute, sound good yeah?" She smiles adjusting her glasses and running a hand through her brown poofy hair. "Thank you so much, I appreciate it." I nod sitting down at a chair in front of her desk.