Please don't be a game

Meeting

It was the first term of year eleven for Clara Evans. A bright seventeen-year-old with straight purple hair, and cheerful green eyes hidden behind clear frames that sat on a smiling tanned face.
Year tens, elevens and twelves all mingled regularly and as Clara walked up to her friend group, two girls in year seven were the sisters of two other boys in year ten and eleven but she'd adopted them as her own.

The two girls waved her over and she smiled at them as she neared.
" There's two new students. A girl in year ten and a boy in year eleven." Baily whispered and Rachel nodded.
" I hear the girl is mentally unwell and the boy is a major weirdo."
" How about you meet them before you start coming up with stories, yeah?"
" No no see, Rachel has friends that knew them." Baily insisted.
" I don't care? Find out first hand." She huffed but they kept on going over the details of a story they'd only heard, Clara rolled her eyes as the two gossiped, her attention turning to Terrence, who was younger than her but a little taller, a fact he relished in.
" Good morning Miss Evans." He sing songed as she wrapped her arms around his torso. She grinned up at him before pinching his cheeks.
" Miss me?" She asked laughing when he shoved her hands away and shook his head.

Tammy and Avery, her year eleven friends came over, Avery wrestling Terrence into a headlock while Tammy and Clara spoke.
" Excited for year eleven?"
" Not even a little."
" Hahaha, me either, Tammy how are we going to survive?"
" How should I know? You're the smartest in our year. If you fail the rest of us are fucked, Clara." Tammy hissed reaching up to squish Clara's cheeks and pull her closer.
She snorted in response before freeing her face." I hear there's a new boy in our year, excited?"
" I have a boyfriend. As if I care about some weirdo joining us."
" Weirdo? Why is everyone assuming this about the two new students? I swear we just found out about their arrival..."
Tammy shrugged and headed over to her sister, a year nine.
Clara shrugged before turning to Avery." Oh do leave the poor bloke alone, Avery, he's already got enough problems with his head." Terrence shot her a glare as he stood up and messed up her purple hair that she'd managed to get into two buns on her head. She smacked his hands away and flipped him off before noticing the teachers approaching.
" I'll see you lot at lunch, alright?" Clara, Avery and Tammy walked off to their class as the rest of the group did the same.

The usual array of events took place, class schedules were handed out and the importance of attendance was emphasised the same as usual.
Clara was a top student in her year last year, everyone expected the same for this year.
She did too, she was in a better place mentally than she had been in the middle of year ten after all.

At least, she thought she was.

As the terms work was outlined and assignments were handed out she felt her mind drifting away. Tired. Why was she suddenly so tired? Why was everyone's words distorted? She couldn't understand what was going on at all.

A bell rang out and she found everyone packing up for lunch.
She did the same after packing away her little mountain of work.
She found her friends hanging out in the back, the new girl and boy were with them. Skyler was the year ten girl and her older brother was Shane or Shawn, something like that, she didn't listen properly.
" Welcome to our little corner of hell, I'm Clara."
" Skyler..."
" You look very uncomfortable. Come along."
Before Skyler could protest her hand was grasped and she was led away from the larger group.
" I was an anxious mess when I started going to school, I know that look."
Skyler just gave a nod, Clara leaned agaisnt the wall watching her for a few moments." What do you do for fun? I like music and reading."
" I read sometimes too."
" What do you read then?"
Skyler shrugged and the two started walking the grounds, she ignored the bell ringing, it was the first day. It couldn't be that important to miss a class she'd do nothing in.

The two talked and talked, they talked about the most random things, anything and everything they could think of was discussed.
They linked pinkies and walked to the pickup point where she hugged her new friend goodbye.

Maybe this year wouldn't be as unbearable as she feared.