Sticks and Stones

Chapter 5

Well, here we go. First day of high school. As I'm walking through these big, glass doors, it's really beginning to hit me. I'm not ready for high school. Some part of me knew that I'd have an issue with high school at some point but I didn't know that it'd be here so soon. I guess I still know a few people from middle school but I guess you could say that we weren't always the best of friends.

There's Carrie, Annie, and Steven. Carrie and Annie were the "sluts" of middle school. They weren't really sluts technically but they were sort of the wannabe sluts. Like they looked and dressed and acted like sluts but I mean they didn't sleep around...as far as I know. They were the girls that everyone predicted would become strippers but not the cold, hard cash kind. We mean the kind that you find begging for money outside an airport. They called themselves and their other little slutty friends the "Sexy Six." Pretty pathetic right? For those of them who didn't become strippers or prostitutes...they might very possibly have the potential to become alcoholics...maybe. And Steven...well, Steven was my middle school crush. He was really nice and everything but he was sort of a part of that group.

You see, the "Sexy Six" was simply the slutty girls group but once you threw in their boy toys you got the "Naughty Nine." As stupid as it may seem to all of you, they thought of it as like their own special religion. They even had initiation for the "Naughty Nine." Rumors spread quickly afterward saying that a few of the girls got really drunk at the initiation party but some people would contradict that statement. I, personally, still have no idea what happened. I wouldn't be caught dead in one of those initiations.

I'm afraid I've strayed away from the point here. Well I guess I can start with the looks of things. It's not an overly huge school. The halls are pretty standard for a high school. Big blue lockers line the halls and a wooden door stands on each side of the hall, a few yards apart from the previous one. The walls are blank and ominous. It looks as though it could be a prison cell. God I hope not. I want this year to be perfect. Stupid dream right? I don't know. Maybe it's just one of those silly naïve teenage hopes but who could blame me? 

As I'm walking down these long stretching halls, I see a lot of familiar faces. It's weird because I know all of these faces but I can't seem to put a name to any of them. Of course there are a few that I know from middle school but I've chosen to avoid most of those people. I haven't seen Steven yet but his locker is right next to mine so I assume I'll be seeing him soon.

Everything seems entirely alien to me. Things are so different here. Colorful posters lined the halls in my middle school but these walls are barren and sinister. A hand touches my shoulder and I jump. I am able to let out a breath when I see that it's just Sam. She started going to school with me last year. We had algebra 1 together. I remember she always brought gummy bears and I would steal them all. We had some really good times in that class. We've been best friends ever since.

She spins me around so that I face her. Her smile extends from cheek to cheek and she looks just as she has every other day. She's easily the happiest girl I've ever met always with that big smile and happy attitude.

"Can you believe it?" she practically squeals.

"I know," I say "high school already."

"Yep it's finally here and we're finally freshmen."

"Yeah bottom of the food chain again huh?"

"I guess you could look at it that way but just think what Hayley would say..."

"Yeah, yeah I know. Plenty of new hot guys to go around."

We both laugh at my last comment knowing that it's definitely something that Hayley would say. "Yeah. I'm gonna miss that girl."

"Me too but there'll be football games and such."

"Yeah I guess so. Well this is my stop. See you at lunch! Love ya!"

"Love you too girl."

And with that I continue to walk down the stretch to my locker on the other side of the hall. I stop in front of it and take it all in for a moment. Then I put in my combination and open it up to find an empty space before me. I through the few books that I have into my locker and attach a small mirror to the door. I look at myself for a moment and flash a smile at the reflective square. I think I'll be alright. I'm going to do just fine here.

Right as this reassuring thought crosses my mind, my locker door slams shut, almost taking my head with it.

"Hey man! What the hell?" I shout before I notice who it is.

Steven.