The Girl Code

Introduction

I once loved the idea of high school.

The possibility of finally getting a chance to figure out what I could be in life excited a version of me, filling me with hopes and dreams. I dreamt of anything. I would watch space documentaries, and for months, my aim in life would be becoming a worker for NASA. Then, the next week, a new inspiration would present itself to me, and I suddenly wanted to become an artist or so. I remember the flexibility of my childhood, how easy it was to imagine, so when I finished middle school, I was through the roof about finally being mature. I would no longer be the cringy little girl that the older kids saw me as, but most importantly, I could finally make all my dreams a reality. I could finally make friends. Maybe i would even have a friend group so big that we all were the popular girls or something, like in those cheesy high school movies. I expected so much for this new chapter of my life. I would have best friends, even, but not a boyfriend. My mother always told me that if she ever caught me having a boyfriend, and I wasn't an adult yet, she would disown me and cut off all contact with me forever. From then on, I told myself to always be reluctant to interact with boys in high school.

And here i was, on my first day, a confused girl with braces and hair up in a messy ponytail, clutching her new school's guidebook in shaky, sweaty hands. I said goodbye to my mother and, taking a deep breath, made my way into the school building. My intrusive thoughts made me feel like jumping around and greeting everybody in sight, wishing them good luck on the same journey that I was on; navigating their lives through secondary school. But I just kept it in, hoping to make sure that my first impression on people was nothing short of proper, orderly, and well-behaved.

During the first week, I met my best friend Audrey, a confident girl that I guarantee I could never be like. She had my back when nobody else did, and always made me feel better when I lost a few other friends. She was my rock, and our friendship was unmatched. We're still best friends to this day, although she moved to a different school after a few months. Luckily for me, I'm still sane thanks to her.

Life was still good...

until Victoria Singh joined the school.