𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐘 | 𝙅𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙥𝙝 𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙨

1: have you no idea that you're in deep?

Being one of the first girls to go to the first co-ed school sounds... intimidating. 

I would've easily preferred the Catholic all-girls boarding school over in Normandy, but Papa insisted that I should go to Lyceé Voltaire. It was close to our home, and it would be a special experience. I highly doubted that, though. 

As I sat at the dining table, eating breakfast and listening to the radio, I wondered about the amount of girls they had for this experiment. I could ask Papa, but he was off to work and Maman doesn't know about politics or possibly any of the news these days, so I kept my silence. 

I finished my plate of cornflakes, got up and went up to my room to get ready. Brushed my teeth, got into my clothes, braided my hair - you get the idea. Hopefully I wouldn't stand out too much. Or well, I just hoped that I'd get friends on the first day.  

I rushed downstairs, passing the kitchen and giving Maman a kiss on the cheek. The poor woman got misty eyed, seeing her only daughter get ready for her last year at lycée.  "When did you grow up so quickly?" She sobbed, dusting off my white blouse. I just rolled my eyes playfully and hugged her, going out to the entrance to put my Mary Janes on. 

"I'm going now, Maman. I'll come home as soon as I can." I said, before walking out the door and hopping on my white bike, sandwiching my book bag in the carrier. 

I pedaled through the city, listening to the bustling streets of people going to work and students walking to school. I wasn't scared or nervous, on the contrary, I was quite... excited. New school and possibly new friends, right? 

Finally, reaching the school gates, I parked my bike and got off. I fixed my skirt before grabbing my book bag, taking a deep breath as I stepped past the gates. 

What I didn't expect were boys - to be more precise, so many boys looking at me as if I was an animal at the zoo. I brushed their stares off, clearing my throat. Look forward and just walk, I told myself. God, have they never seen a girl before or what?

My steps were careful, calculated as I walked quickly across the school yard, eyes forward. I tried not to make eye contact with anyone of them, but I couldn't help but take a quick look around. 

A small gasp leaves my lips as I meet eyes with a boy with curly brown hair, a burning hatred stirring in my stomach. I had forgotten about that whole ordeal, and that he went to this school.

Joseph Descamps, the son of one of my mom's prayer group members, and my lifelong enemy. 

I whip my head back and beeline my way towards the bulletin board, huffing. He was not going to affect my last year in lycée, not one bit. I'm going to act like he doesn't even exist. It couldn't be that hard to ignore one person in this whole entire school with a dozen other kids, right?

I walked up to the bulletin board, standing behind 2 other girls and a boy. Finally, some girls - I thought I was the only one in this lion den. "Oh, another girl!" The girl with blonde pig tails and fluffy bags said, looking over her shoulder. I smiled and the other girl also turns around, greeting me and smiling. 

"You're so pretty," The girl with brown hair said, looking as if she was in awe. I just blushed, smiling and thanking her, returning the compliment back. "You're the butcher's daughter, right?" I said to the blonde girl, the familiar face I've seen many times before after accompanying my Maman on her weekly trips to the butcher making me smile. God, she was so cute and happy. 

"Yep! I'm Michèle," The blonde girl answered, and the brown haired one followed shortly after. "I'm Simone!" 

I nodded and looked over at the guy, smiling and waiting for him to introduce himself too. His eyes went wide and he stuttered a bit, which made me giggle. He was very sweet, and reminded me of a cousin I had. "I'm Henri, but everyone calls me Pichon."