All Aboard the Remington Train

Chapter 2

         I walked into my room, and it was completely empty, save for my two large suitcases. My real roommate must have not arrived yet. I stand still in the middle of the room, shifting my weight from foot to foot and surveying my surroundings. I sigh after a minute, and begin to unpack. New seventh graders have an hour to unpack or change—or shower, clearly—before the first seventh grade assembly of the year commences. I take out all my clothes and put them away into a chest of drawers, identical to the one across the room. After putting my clothes away and washing my face, my roommate still hadn’t arrived. There were only ten minutes before the assembly.

            I take the opportunity to change out of the blouse my parents forced me to wear and into a beige sweater. I walk around the room again. My new blue boots make a nice snap as they hit the floor, their sharp wooden heels sounding as if I were dressed up. I walk around for a bit more, just enjoying the sound, and then stalk out of the room. As soon as I see the flow of students towards the assembly hall, my stomach twists with anxiety and I pull the ends of my sleeves over my fists and cross them under my armpits.

            I take a deep breath and smooth down my tight black riding pants, before letting my hair loose and straightening my black head band and walking with the crowd, blending in with all the other students that I would be spending the next six years with.

            When I arrived at the assembly hall, everyone seemed to be talking or laughing with someone. I sat down at an empty seat, and waited patiently for the headmaster to start speaking.

            “Attention, attention!” A deep voice said. He had a thick, black beard and intense eyebrows. Was he the headmaster?

            He continued. “My name is Professor Crawley. I am the Assistant Headmaster of Blackburrow Academy. I would like to welcome you all to the next six years of your life!” A round of applause sounded. “And, now, I would like to introduce you to the headmistress of Blackburrow Academy, Professor Harvey.”

            Crawley stepped down and a smaller, less intimidating person stood up. Professor Samantha Harvey, as she was listed in the guidebook, was a short, but strong-looking woman with salt and pepper hair and a firm mouth. Her neatly pressed lilac and grey suit made her look gentle and professional. Her surprisingly warm eyes were a light shade of blue.

            “Welcome, students. You’ll all be getting your schedules, room keys, and blazers today. First, a few basic rules…”

            I stared dreamily at the decorative ceiling, my thoughts fluttering away from what the headmistress was saying. My attention focused again when she began calling names. As each student was called, they went to a respective teacher.

            “Remington Costa, Professor Wilkes,” Harvey said. I started and lifted myself off of the bench nervously. I stumbled over to the white-haired man with a wide smile on his face. I tripped over my feet slightly, and a couple of the girls giggled a bit. I turned a bright shade of red and rushed over to the group. Fifteen or more students were gathered around him all tittering like cheerful birds. We waited for the rest of the students to be called. A couple more students walked over to Wilkes’ group.

            I then heard the name, “Benjamin Walker,” and watched as my first friend smiled and sauntered over to his teacher, Professor Moore. I frowned slightly, wishing he was in my group. His hair was dry now, and shade of light brown that I hadn’t expected. It was still messy, but the smile on his face made him look like a different person than the embarrassed boy I met back in his room.

            Once everyone was called, Wilkes led us to classroom, and proceeded to call everyone’s name to give us our schedules, keys, and blazers.

            “Remington Costa,” he read off his list. I rushed up to the front.

            “It’s, uh, it’s Remy, not Remington. And small.” Wilkes eyed me and handed me a small blazer, my schedule, and a key.

            “Okay, class, I want everybody to put on their blazers, make sure I gave you the right size.”

            I put on my blazer. It’s dark blue with a red inside. The silver Blackburrow emblem is on the breast pocket. All the boys smoothed down their lapels, grinning at each other, and the girls giggled and smiled at their new fashion accessory.

            We were all officially Blackburrow students.

            Everyone was then dismissed for the rest of the day, to relax and explore the grounds before the first day of class starts.

            Naturally, I followed the rest of the students, and we seemed to end up in the courtyard, where all the other students were. I saw students from all grades laughing and joking around. There was a tall girl grinning beautifully as her friends laughed hysterically around her, as if she had just said the funniest joke. I smiled lightly, hoping that that would be me when I was a senior—beautiful, funny, and loved.

            I walked over to where all the seventh graders were gathering. It seemed like everyone knew everyone, breaking off into clumps, easily making secure friendships. I walked around a bit, feeling a bit defeated. I’d never been very good at making friends. So far I had no friends here. Well, one. I saw him, surrounded by a couple other boys his age, talking and nodding and laughing. Well, I thought. He’s a popular one.

            I waved at him with a big smile on my face. He didn’t see me. “Hey, Ben!” I shouted, trying to get his attention from across the courtyard. I wanted him to smile and wave back.

            Finally Ben noticed me. When I saw that he looked at me, I waved a bigger wave and smiled excitedly. He gazed impassively at me for a brief moment, before turning back to his friends, as if I didn’t exist.

            My hand froze in the air and then slowly slid back down to my side. I was wrong.

            Remy’s Friend Count: 0