coming back to you

4- new school

I woke up in the morning and I got ready for school. It's 3rd of january and we are going to new school, not really new school because we were going here before we moved to the Netherlands. Dad said that he will drive me, Dea and Nika to school and Lucas to the kindergarden. It's a big school which has in kindergarden, primary and high school.

I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting my backpack straps as I took a deep breath. Today was my first day at new school, a place I was both familiar and unfamiliar with. My family had moved back to this island over the winter hollidays after living in the Netherlands for almost six years. I had attended this school until i was eleven, so it wasn’t entirely new, but six years was a long time. I knew I would recognize some faces. I was worried they might not recognize me at first, but than my friends from bright fields all remembered me and I calmed down

“Ready to go, Ana?” my mom called from the hallway.

“Yeah, I’m coming,” i replied, giving myself one last final glance. I straightened my shoulders and I headed downstairs.

The drive to school felt too short. Before I knew it, I was standing in front of the school building. It looked the same as I remembered. Red brick and walls, tall windows, and a large oak tree near the entrance where students used to hang out before class. Some things hadn’t changed, but I knew I had changed. I wasn’t the shy third-grader who had left this school; I am older now, a lot more confident, but still, the anxiety of being the new kid again lingered.

"Are you two ready?" I asked Nika and Dea and they both nod. They stepped into the school before me

I stepped through the school doors last, and the familiar smell of floor wax and paper hit me. The hallways were bustling with students, some in groups, some hurrying to their lockers. I scanned the faces, trying to spot anyone she remembered from elementary school. My friends told me that they will be late so I'm alone

“Is that Ana Toman?” a voice called out. I turned to see a tall girl with long, wavy hair and a friendly smile approaching her. It was Lia, her friend from third grade.

“Lia?” I asked, her face lighting up.

“Yeah! Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it’s really you!” Lia exclaimed, giving me a quick hug.

“When I heard you were moving back, I couldn’t believe it. How’ve you been?” she said exited

“I’m good! I was really nervous about today, but seeing you remember me makes it so much better. And bright fields calmed me down” I smiled, relieved to see a familiar face.

“Don’t worry,” Lia said reassuringly.

“You’ll fit right back in. A lot of people remember you. Come on, I’ll walk with you to homeroom. You really went to bright fields, that's for wierd people” she told me

"Fuck you" I say said and Lia and her snob friend walked away. As they walked down the hall i showed them middle finger

“Good morning, Ana,”  teacher said as I reached my homeroom, where the teacher, Mrs. Walsh, was greeting students as they entered.

“Ana, it’s so nice to have you back with us.” Mrs. Walsh said with a warm smile

“Thank you, Mrs. Walsh,” Ana replied, feeling a little less like an outsider.

I took seat near the middle of the classroom. As more students filtered in, Ana recognized a few more faces—Ethan, who had been the fastest runner in third grade; fanny, who used to always wear her hair in pigtails; and Jake, who had been in her math class. Some looked almost exactly the same, while others had changed so much she barely recognized them and than my friends came to the classroom. All of them. Pin, zoe, Jade, becky, Marcus and Gaby. Mia and susie came too.