Rearranged

Chapter 1

     "Well, that's the last one." My dad sighed as he placed a cardboard box labeled "KITCHEN" on the floor.

     "You've grown up so fast." My mom proudly smiles as she gently cups my cheeks. I've always been prepared for this day. I start my freshman year at Brown University in a few days so my parents are renting me an apartment near the school so I can live on my own now. I didn't really have much choice in this, but I can't complain because it's for my own good. That's how it's been my entire life, "For your own good". Since the day I was born, my parents have controlled every aspect of my life for my own good. I wasn't allowed an ounce of free will, because "free will leads to rebellion". But, I've never really been the type to rebel. I understand that my parents love me and worked hard to make sure I get the best life I can have, so I obeyed and accepted whatever was given to me. Even if I didn't like it.

     Now that I'm pretty much an adult, I have to learn to make my own decisions. It's pretty scary, considering for the past eighteen years every single decision has been made for me. But I mean, it can't be that hard, right? I get to do what I want! The only problem is, I don't exactly know what I want.

     "Do you need any help unpacking, sweetie?" My mom asks.

     "No mom, it's okay. I got it."

     "Well, okay." She tries to seem fine with it, but I can tell by her look of defeat she's upset about no longer being so needed by me.

     "Good luck Madeline, I'm proud of you." My dad speaks up, putting his hand on my shoulder and giving me a hug. My mom gives me one final hug too, wiping away what would have been a tear once she pulled away.

     "I'm less than a mile away, you can visit me any time." I chuckle, trying to lighten the mood.

     "Make good choices!" My mom tries to squeeze those words in before my dad shuts the door behind her, leaving me in solitude.

     I plopped down on the new couch, sinking in to the fluffy cushion, and take in my current situation. My mind begins whirling and creating flashbacks, to see how they all led up to where I am now.

     I'm five years old. It's my first day of school, and my parents take endless pictures of me with my backpack and school uniform, which consisted of a crisp white polo shirt tucked into a navy blue pleated skirt, with white knee socks and black Mary Janes. Even my backpack screamed conformity. Navy blue with white stitching, a patch with the school logo, and my name embroidered below it. Boy, was I naïve.

     Fast forward five years, I'm now ten years old and wondering why the kids in my school, who all looked the same, were so different from the kids outside of school. Sure, we were all rich and academically above average, but we didn't know how to be average kids. All the fun and games from toddler years seem to have morphed into studying and stress. We didn't play games, we played instruments. We didn't scream and wrestle each other on the playground, we had calm and civilized games of chess. But considering the majority of the community had their children enrolled in the same private school, we didn't really know we were missing out. We thought this was the norm. Until...

     High school. At the emotionally vulnerable age of fifteen, your journey at Lewis and Clark private school ends, and you're tossed in to a public high school.
Whoever is in charge of education around here doesn't believe in private high schools, because at our age, we should learn how to interact with a more diverse crowd. AKA pop the bubble that our parents have been sheltering us with. And boy, did that bubble explode.

     I stared down at my brand new black shoes as I walked through the new and unfamiliar hallway. Taking a look around, it was like a jungle. You have kids yelling, running, making out against lockers, with the rare few that walk peacefully. I made my way to my first class, smoothing out my pleated skirt before taking a seat in the front of the classroom. My parents told me that would be the best place to sit. I watched as more students fill the room for the next few minutes, noticing how different they each looked. You had some people wearing all black clothes, with piercings and wildly colored hair. Then you had some kids that wore bright colors and bold prints. You could tell that they were confident. There was one boy with long, blonde hair, wearing a tie dye shirt, beanie and skinny jeans. He seemed very... relaxed. When he walked past me to get to his seat, I couldn't help but notice he left a trail of odor that smelled like skunk.

     Four years later, I managed to escape and am now going back to a school where people actually want to learn. The few friends I had made along the way moved to different parts of the country for college, but hopefully it won't be so hard to make new ones.

     I take a look around at the stacks of boxes around me, and begin to unpack. The next few hours are spent putting things in drawers, cupboards, and closets. By nine pm, I'm exhausted. I plug my phone into its charger, the practically body slam on the bed, knocking out within minutes.

Soooo what did y'all think of chapter one? What's your opinion on Madeline's childhood? What do you think will happen? What do you want to happen? Leave a comment, and don't forget to vote!
-Jackie