Switching Sides | A Jamie Johnson FanFiction

• Part 1

It was my first day at Thornlake, and I was terrified. I knew nobody. Even my old friends from primary school were going to Kingsmount, the other school in the area. My grandparents had wanted to pay for me to go here, so I accepted. My sister, Indira had wanted to go with her friends, though of course that was a much her friends' decision as it was hers. So there I was, starting a new school, by myself.

I'd read over the starter pack for new students hundreds of times, and knew that I had to make it to the school hall for 8:30 where all the year 7s would be. What made me most nervous was that Thornlake was a private school and it was attached to a primary school, so most of the kids would already have been going there for years.

When I walked into the hall lobby, the lady at the desk asked for my name and I gave it to her, trying to act more confident than I was.

"Isabella Cave?" I said clearly, always getting embarrassed when I had to repeat myself for talking to quietly.

The lady didn't even look at me; all she did was write my name on a sticker and hand it to me along with a load of information packs and leaflets. "Your form tutor is 7H, sit in one of the chairs allocated to your group. They're sitting at the far end in the corner." She said monotonously, and I muttered a thank you before stepping into the main hall. It was huge compared to the tiny dark hall I was used to at my primary school, and there was an actual permanent stage at the front that was currently empty.

I took a seat in the corner group and started looking through my starter booklets, the leaflets bouncing around on my knees as they shook uncontrollably with my nerves. I was trying to understand some of the stuff I was reading about extra curricular activities and how you have to be a member of at least three clubs by the end of the first week, when a boy turned around from the chair in front of me, making me jump.

"Y'know, I'd put away the leaflets and stuff if I were you; let's everyone know that you're new." He said, smirking, and I quickly shoved them in my rucksack and ripped off my name sticker, but he was quick enough to read it.

"Isabella Cave? You have a brother?"

"No."

"A sister?"

"Yeah. But she doesn't go here." I replied, and he nodded. "Is that a normal thing you guys do?" I asked. "Check to see if you know anyone I'm related to?"

"It's only because Callum likes to know everything about everyone." A girl sat next to him said who had obviously been listening to our conversation. "What's your name?"

I opened my mouth to speak but the boy, Callum, interrupted. "Her name's Isabella."

"Bella." I corrected. "I go by Bella."

"Doesn't matter here. Teachers will never call you by a nickname. Seriously I've tried it." He replied.

"Yeah but no one's going to call you Cal are they?" The girl responded. "And if you don't get called by a nickname none of us even have a chance."

"Why?" I asked.

"Callum's a suck up." She replied, which made Callum roll his eyes. "The teachers love him because he's smart."

"Ruby!" He said, obviously irritated. "Speaking of suck ups though," he said, looking towards the middle of the room. I followed his gaze to a boy walking in confidently, two boys and a girl trailing behind.

"He's a suck up?" I asked incredulously.

"Not exactly." Callum replied. "His dad donated a load of money to the school, so the teachers have to be kinda nice to him I suppose. But the truth is he's the worst behaved student in the school."

"What's his name?" I asked, still staring straight at the blond boy as he took a seat in the form tutor next to us.

"Jethro."