I'd like to say I'm a happy person.
But I can't.
My life has been pretty normal, one happy family: me, my mom, my dad, and my sister. Then things changed.
My mom found someone else and decided that she was too good for us, and now we've been moving from place to place since I was fifteen. Now I'm starting my senior year.
My dad said we were going to stay here until I'm finished with high school, but all I can do is hope to god that that's true.
With every move, every new school, I've had to put on a brave face, make new friends, and pretend that everything's fine. But inside, I'm just a mess of uncertainty and loneliness. I wish things could just go back to the way they were.
I'm tired of the upheaval and the constant change. I just want to have a normal senior year, make lasting friendships, and create memories that I can look back on fondly. But with my life as it is, I don't know if that's possible.
My first day of school I pull up and park my car. It feels just like every other time we've moved. I go down to the office and get my schedule.
SCHEDULE
HR1- English Literature
HR2- Chemistry
HR3- Calculus
HR4- History
HR5- Lunch
HR6- Free Period
HR7- Art
HR8- Gym
As I stare at the schedule, I can't help but feel a sense of dread. Another school, another set of teachers to impress, and another group of students to try to fit in with. I take a deep breath and brace myself for the day ahead.
When I walk around I can already see the cliques. The jocks, the nerds, the cheerleaders, and the skater kids, all huddled together in their respective groups. I know I'll have to figure out where I fit in all over again. It's like a twisted game of high school bingo that I never signed up for.
I get my my first class and sit at the desk closest to the back. I hope I can just do this for every class. I want to make myself as unknown as possible so people don't notice when I inevitably leave. A girl with dark hair and headphones comes and sits next to me.
She takes off her headphones and places them on her desk.
"Hey, I'm Alice," She says
"Oh, hey, I'm Y/N," I say
"Are you new? I've never seen you around before," She says
"Yeah, I just moved here," I admit, forcing a small smile. "It's my first day."
"Cool, cool," She says, putting her headphones back on.
"I'm here if you need any help figuring things out," Alice offers, giving me a small, reassuring smile before she turns her attention back to her music. It's a small gesture, but it's more than I've gotten at any other school on my first day.
As the rest of the people pour into the class I start feeling more and more anxious. Just when I think the room can't possibly hold any more students, the door swings open one last time to allow a tall boy with messy black hair to enter. He has a skateboard tucked under his arm and a grin that doesn't quite reach his eyes. It's clear that he's late, but he doesn't seem to care as he saunters to an empty desk at the front of the room.
