Junior High

Chapter 2

"RIIIIIIIIINGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!"

I groaned. My alarm clock was screaming its head off. I reached over my bed and turned it off. Peace at last. Suddenly, I remembered that it was the first day of school today. I dragged myself out of bed. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and brushed my hair. Then I ran down the stairs to eat breakfast.

"Good morning, Bree," Mom greeted.

"Morning," I replied. My sisters were late to breakfast. Apparently, they had all woken up late. For breakfast, we had toast, eggs, and milk. After I was done with breakfast, I rushed up to the bathroom and brushed my teeth again. Then, I hurried into my room and started picking out my outfit. I decided to wear a plain white short-sleeved v-neck shirt, a soft purple cardigan-ish jacket, black skinny jeans, and white high-top Converse. And, of course, my purple beanie overtop of my regular ponytail and many, MANY bracelets. I packed my school supplies in my Kanken backpack and attached a few of my favorite keyrings. Then I went back downstairs.

I saw Kiara wearing a cozy blue shetland sweater and white cut-off jeans. She had on her checkered white-and-black Vans sneakers, and her pretty blonde hair was tied back into her usual bun with a white-and-black polka dotted scrunchie. Her backpack was blue-and-purple gradient, and she had on small silver hoop earrings. Stacie had on jean shorts and a yellow striped t-shirt along with her cap, and she was wearing white Nike high-top runners. Skipper was wearing black jean shorts, a white short-sleeved shirt with red, yellow, and purple stripes, a purple denim sleeveless jacket with a few pins on it, and purple Converse.

I waited until the school bus pulled up into our driveway. My sisters were going to ride their bus to Los Angeles Elementary School (it was right next to my new junior high school), too, but theirs hadn't arrived yet.

"Have a great day at school, Bree!" Mom and Dad called as my sisters waved.

"Thanks!" I said back. I took a deep breath. It was time to face junior high and eighth grade. It was my first year as a teenager. My heart was thumping wildly as I walked up to the bus, but of course I didn't portray it on my neutral face. Then, I took my first step into my junior high adventure.

I climbed up the stairs and scanned the area to find an empty seat. I tried not to make eye contact with anyone, because everyone was staring at me. Putting on a straight and even facial expression, I made my way to the back of the bus and sat down. I looked out the window, not wanting to be the center of attention. The bus started forward. After we rode for a bit, the bus stopped at a new destination. I was happy to see that it was Isabella's house. Isabella had been in my friend group in elementary school. She was very rich, and her parents were the owners of Pandora, a famous jewelry store, at the mall. That's why she was always so fabulously dressed and jeweled. Since we were going to junior high now, I was sure that she would look even more amazing. Isabella hadn't been exactly the kindest friend, but she usually hadn't judged me or done anything mean to me and had helped me when I needed it. I was pretty excited to see Isabella again.

Just then, I saw Isabella elegantly walking towards the bus. When she boarded the bus, everyone gasped. She was even more gorgeous than I remembered. She was wearing a dark blue rhinestone-studded denim jacket that made her deep blue eyes pop and a white pleated skirt along with a black shirt and cute schoolgirl sneakers. She also had on a necklace and a black sapphire headband. Her backpack was blue, her favorite color. It was decorated with glittering rhinestones. Her dark brown hair was curled wavy. Personally, I thought that it was a bit much just for the first day of school, and it was something that I would never wear even to a fancy ballroom party, but she still looked amazing.

"Hey, Isabella!" I called in a friendly tone.

"Oh . . . hello, Bree," she responded, raising an eyebrow as if I was a piece of forgotten pizza stuck under her sneaker shoe. "I'm sitting in the front with my other friends from Hollywood, just in case you wanted to ask if I was going to sit next to you," she said matter-of-factly, studying her jeweled nails.