"Adopted By" Oneshots!

Shirley Cook

AN: I've been wanting to write Shirley's backstory for a while, so here we are! Shirley was actually the first OC I've ever made, she was created when I was eight years old, and I'm so glad I was able to write her in a Wattpad book. Enjoy!

Book: ABH Sequel (or rather, the year before it was set)
Year: 2015
Shirley, Catlynn, Red, Cesca, Astrid's Age: 14 

TW: bullying

Shirley's POV

When we moved back in July, Mom said to just be myself when I go to my first day of high school. Can't be that hard, I love being myself. I love being that chatterbox of a kid who can make friends in seconds. I love being the girl who shows up to school every day in a skirt and tie.

I'm not going to lie, I was a little scared for my first day of high school in America. But at the same time, I was really excited. I was sure there are some cool kids here, I was sure I can make some friends.

Right?

_________

"Hi, I'm Shirley Cook, a nice mug of Swiss Miss hot chocolate, a piece of Swiss cheese if you will!" I said, bounding up to this group of girls that were talking by a set of lockers.

"What is wrong with you?" this one girl in the group said, her friends behind her laughing. "We get it, you're Swiss or something! Also, you're really weird. Go away."

"Oh. Okay." I said, adjusting my tie and backing away.

"What's with the tie? Do you not understand that you don't go to a European rich kid school anymore? This is America, you can drop the tie. It makes you look stupid." the same girl said. 

"I guess I just like ties. They're my thing." I said, starting to untie it. I guess this is what you have to do to make friends in high school. Change your entire sense of self so people will like you.

"Also? Pro tip? The hot chocolate thing is just weird." the girl said before walking away.

What was her deal? I'm Swiss, born and raised, and apparently Swiss Miss was a hot chocolate brand here. Do people not like hot chocolate or something.

I had fully taken off my tie at this point and I had shoved it in my back pocket. I sighed and leaned up against a locker, pulling out my schedule and looking at it. 

"Oh my God. What the hell is wrong with her?" another girl said from behind me. Great. Someone else who wants to tease me for my nationality or my sense of style or for me being an extreme extrovert.

"Just ignore her. She's a jerk." another girl said. "What possessed her to think saying that stuff was okay?"

"Were you really surprised, though? Violet giving the new kid a bunch of crap?" a third girl said. 

Violet?

Who the hell was Violet?

"Hey." the first girl said, coming up to me. I turned around and was met with a girl with short, wavy brown hair and big brown eyes. She was honestly really cute, but I know it's probably not in my best interest to flirt with a random girl on my first day of school.

"My name's Astrid. Sorry about what happened, Violet and her little posse are jerks." the girl said. 

"My name's Shirley. A-" I said, starting to go into my spiel about being Swiss but stopping myself. "Let's start over. I'm Shirley Cook. I moved here a few weeks ago from a small village in the Alps. Switzerland."

"I'm Astrid Waters. And I'm from a crowded apartment in New York City with six siblings. And these are my friends! Catlynn McLemore, Red Ashley, and Cesca Sawyer!"

"Hey guys!" I said, waving. 

"What's in your back pocket?" the auburn-haired kid, Catlynn, asked.

"Oh, it's just my tie. I was known for wearing neckties all the time back in Switzerland and Violet or whatever her name is told me to take it off cause I'd never make friends wearing it." I said.

"Shirley, please, for your sake just don't listen to her. She tried to murder Catlynn last year, I'm not kidding." the girl Red said. 

"Put the tie back on. I wanna see how it looks on you." Astrid said. I grinned and pulled the tie out of my back pocket and tied it around my neck.

"So?" I said.

"Awesome! Hey, come sit with us at lunch. We'd love to get to know you."