Down to the River

Chapter 3

Sunday flies by unbelievably fast and I find myself facing the first day of a new semester at Southside. I wake up early and put sections of my hair in curlers all over my head. While the curls form, I put on my everyday makeup. I take the curlers out and spritz hairspray all over my hair, fluffing it a bit everywhere with my hand. Since it's January, I wear dark skinny jeans with a beige striped shirt and an emerald green cardigan. I throw on long boot socks and force on my new Frye boots that my parents bought me for Christmas. I grab my brown leather jacket and trot down the stairs.

I check my appearance one last time in the long mirror beside the front door before grabbing my big teal book bag, which was an essential for all of my honors classes, and heading to school.

After I park in my assigned space beside the school, I put on a layer of chap-stick to keep my lips hydrated. I wave to a couple of friends that are hanging out beside their cars and make my way towards the cafeteria doors.

Inside, I join Allison, Cane, and Katie at one of the tall long tabletop bars beside the food lines. I stand beside Katie who's wearing floral pants with a chambray shirt and new navy Keds. "You look cute!" I compliment her as I plop my book bag on top of the bar. "So do you!" she gushes,"By the way, one of my friends, Hailey, is supposed to be here in a couple of weeks. She and her parents are moving back from Texas."

"Great! Can't wait to meet her!" I reply as I feel someone grab my arm.

"Isaiah!" I shout and pull him into a hug. "Hey, bebe," he says, hugging me back tightly. "We need to hang out soon, like go to the mall or something," I tell him. "We can go scope out the guys," he wiggles his eyebrows playfully.

"Oh my gosh! Stop! Who says that anymore?" I laugh, slapping his arm.

I catch back up with a few other friends before the first bell rings, signaling us all to start migrating towards our homeroom classes. I hate my homeroom class since it's in the JROTC room, a class I refuse to ever be in again after my awful experience with it my Freshmen year.

After a short trip down the hall from the cafeteria, I walk into the JROTC classroom. Colonel Sanders, whom I think had made it his life goal to earn that title to sound like the KFC man, is back in his office on the phone when I enter. The rest of the class is already loud and getting rowdy as they catch up on each other's summers.

I have no problem with anyone in my home room, but I try to stay away from the big table of people including two female football players, a set of Hispanic siblings who argue all the time, softball players, and the extras who try to fit in.
I pass by Alicia and Jose, who look like they could fight at any minute, make it to the back and sit with my big teddy bear of a friend, Dalton Mora. He's a defensive linemen on the football team and he's also a monster in physical build. "Hey, Alex," he sighs, looking away from the bickering siblings to pull me out a chair. "Hey," I reply with a smile, setting my book bag down and giving him a hug. His older step brother, Skyler, sits to his right laughing and egging Alicia and Jose on. Skyler Taylor is also on the football team and he's always been a funny guy who can almost get along with just about everybody.

Just as I see Alicia raise her hand as if she's about to slap Jose, the announcements sound over the intercom. Brandon Chavez's familiar voice rings out around the school in that famous chipper mood he always seems to be in:

Good morning, Southside High School! Welcome to a brand new semester on this beautiful Monday morning! I have Rebecca Castro with me here today to assist me in bringing you your morning announcements! But first, let's start with the pledge and a moment of silence!

Dalton rolls his eyes as we stand up to say the pledge of allegiance,"His voice gets on my last damn nerve." "I like Brandon," I gasp.

After the morning announcements go off, we sit and wait for Sergeant Schulman to hand us our schedules. Before he can do so, however, Colonel walks to the front of the class dressed in his Class A uniform and I can tell he's about to start his same speech he does every semester, telling us how its a great day and we're going to have a fun semester, and so on and so on.