Alice

First Day

When Tessa walks into Newton high school, dreading her first day, looking up at the big brick building which much of been the office, she realised that she would rather be anywhere but here. Here, in the place where every citizens lawn was mowed, cut and trimmed till it was pristine condition, the place where cliques weren't just for high school and where you weren't best friends with the lolly shop owner. She hated this town, it wasn't friendly and the only reason she was here was because her mother decided she didn't want Tess living at home alone while she went away so she shipped her off to live with her father. Tessa became frustrated with the situation and noticeably sped up walking toward the main brick building, she was way to caught up in her thoughts to look at the freakishly clean school. She didn't realise she had scowl on her face until a girl with a kind, soft, sort of round face stopped her and said "hey are you okay? You seem a little angry and lost?" With a kind smile which Tessa returned gratefully thinking about how this was the only kind person she'd seen the whole time she had been here, "yeah I'm ok, it's my first day so I'm lost and no one would talk or even look at me" Tessa said to the girl, scowling again. "Aha I know how you feel, I stared last term and I still have no one to sit with at lunch!" She said with a exasperated sigh "maybe we can sit together? I'll show you to the office but first" sticking her hand out in front of Tessa's "I'm Jamie-Lee! I'm in year 10 and I love unicorns" Tessa gave a self-conscious laugh at that, while shaking Jamie's hand back "Well, I'm
Tessa and in year 10 and I agree that unicorns are pretty damn awesome!" Tessa looked up to realise that they'd stopped outside a building that had manicured bushes into shapes that looked like hearts but Tessa couldn't be quiet sure so she looked into the perfectly clean window to see a older lady with a frown on her face looking Tessa up and down from the window, hoping that she wouldn't notice. Tessa self-consciously smoothed down her criss-cross back, v-neck singlet and looked down at her black skinny jeans thinking that she thought this was a good choice..... She was thrown out of her thoughts when she heard Jamie say "okay so enough of my blabbering, this is the office, where you'll get your timetable and a map of the school" with a grin, this girl is perpetually happy, Tessa thought "but seeing as you have me I'll be your personal GPS today and for as long as you think you'll need it!" Tessa threw a grateful smile at Jamie as she walked in to the air-conditioned room saying "Thank you so much! I'll be right back, give me a minute"

Jamie waited for her on the little path into the building that barely fit two people side by side, looking down at her phone. As Tessa walked out she looked down to realise she had maths for two hours and she silently cheered 'thank god! Something I'm good at first will make a great first impression' "so Jamie what do you have first?" Tessa asked kindly and Jamie pulled a crumpled piece of tattered paper out of her back pocket of her freakishly tight jeans "uh, maths, you?" "Awesome I have maths as well, maybe we can sit next to each other?" Tessa said, only then to realise she sounded needy. "Cool" Jamie replied "let's go!"

They got to the maths room with some time to spare waiting outside the room for the teacher to unlock the door and Tessa grew to know that Jamie was definitely obsessed with her phone- she barely put it down! The maths teacher, Mrs Martin, a hard looking women but underneath was very quite soft and warm, took a liking to Tessa immediately- probably because she was the only one in the class paying attention. As Tessa grew on the teacher, the teacher grew on Tessa, she didn't make her stand up in front of the class and say things about her she seemed understanding that this was a daunting day.

At lunch they all sat down in the dining room, as the students called it, and Jamie told Tessa about every single one of her classmates, every last one of them.
Just then a tiny framed looking girl with bright purple, pixie looking hair walked into the lunch room and everyone's conversations muted almost instantly but the girl only looked at all her onlookers with a frown so deep it looked like it ran into her soul, all she said in a high, angry voice was "take a picture it'll last longer" and stalked out of the room. The second she left the conversations started again but in more hushed tones so Tessa lent over to Jamie-Lee and whispered "who is that?" And all Jamie replied with was "that's Alice".