a thousand words

chapter 3

5 days had passed since we first moved in — it was now Saturday — and I was finally starting to get used to the new house. 

I hadn't been out of the house since the day I went out to go eat pizza.

Not because I wasn't allowed or anything, I just didn't feel like it.

Yesterday I was finally starting to get a little bit antsy because of not going anywhere after a week, and today I had to go out but I'm wasn't looking forward to it, at all.

An email I got late Thursday night from the high-school my mom enrolled me to was to blame.

Eastwood High  September 24th, 2021
Dear Charlotte Mendez,

Thank you for your interest in becoming a student at Eastwood High!! Please join us this Saturday, September 26th, 2021 at 9am for your formal orientation of the campus. Our formal welcoming process is made to give information, make new students (like yourself) feel comfortable, give a brief tour of the school, and give a general idea of how things work here at Eastwood High. Our new student orientations are conducted by a fellow student (of your current grade level). In addition, any new students will be given an overview of the current school year activities (pep rallies, game schedules, etc.), an explanation of all the extra curricular activities and clubs provided here, as well as information on the sports the school has to offer.

New students are required to get a school ID, as it is required by the district.
* If you are considering getting into sports please let us know as soon as possible and have a physical form ready before applying for try-outs, as it is a requirement.

Sincerely, Eastwood High

With all of that being said it was 8am on a Saturday and I didn't exactly get the luxury of sleeping in. Last night I made sure to remind my mom that I was going to the school today so she wouldn't freak out if she came home early and I hadn't come back yet.

It was unlikely she'd come home before me but still I told her.

She was working almost as much as she used to — before we moved — and it was just a matter of time until she was working full time again and picking up extra shifts.

After I finished putting on a random outfit I slipped on my shoes & walked towards the restroom to wash my face and brush my teeth.

"Oh god." My hair was a mess.. I looked like I had been dragged through hell and back while I was asleep.

15 minutes later and I had managed to make my hair look at least half decent,  and put some makeup on so I didn't look half dead. I didn't wanna make a bad first impression after all. 

I usually did anyways but I'm hoping this time would be different. 

***

By 8:43 I was out of the house. Which isn't the best considering I'm supposed to be there by 9 and the school is 22 minutes away from my house according to apple maps.

With that being said I decided that it'd be smartest if I took my board there instead of just walking. I was taking the shortest route because like I said earlier, I didn't really wanna make a bad impression. Especially not before I even officially started the school year.

I made it to the school 10 minutes late. I could've gotten there 5 minutes earlier but I saw a cat near the school's fence gate and couldn't resist stopping  to pet it.

Either way the 5 minutes didn't matter, I made it in time. When went inside and signed in at the front office the lady said they usually start the tours about 15 minutes after the time they tell students, so I was okay on time.