Just As I Am

Chapter 4

The week flew by, and before I knew it, Monday had arrived. With it, the first day of school. I'd had so much fun with Zay the previous week that I completely forgot to dread the coming of this day. Even my late night conversations with Eric, as few as they were, pushed the thought of starting school far from my mind. But when Mia told me we were going to the salon Friday, it all came rushing back. At least I knew two things, I would look fierce on my first day, and Isaiah would be there to help me through it. With that in mind, I got dressed. I put on a white three quarter sleeve shirt and a sleeveless grey open front cable knit vest. I paired it with a pair of faded skinny jeans and grey boots. I applied a small amount of makeup and my accessories before filling a grey and black Coach purse and grabbing my backpack.

"Oh Jazzy, you look so beautiful!" Mia squealed when I walked downstairs. She was in the kitchen preparing breakfast. "So Zay's bringing you home right?"

"That's what he said. I may stay and watch his basketball practice though. If that's okay?"

"Yeah that's fine, but not too late. Hurry up and finish your breakfast so we can leave." I ate the elaborate breakfast in hurry, not wanting to be late for my first day.

"I won't be able to do this when I drop you off, so come here." She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly. "Okay, now we can go!" I rolled my eyes and smiled as I grabbed my coat and followed her to her car.

The drive to the high school took about fifteen minutes. I checked my reflection in the mirror to make sure there was no food stuck in my teeth or stray hairs.

"You look great. Here is everything you need and some money. Call me if you need anything. Have a great day!" She said as she handed me a folder and five ten dollar bills. I put the money in my purse and put my phone on silent.

"See you later." I took a deep breath before walking into the building. There was a grey haired lady smiling at me as soon as entered the office.

"Can I help you dear?" She asked sweetly.

"Yes ma'am. I'm a new transfer." I answered, handing her the folder containing all the necessary documents. She gave me some forms to fill out and told me to have a seat. I filled them all out in about ten minutes and waited. Close to fifteen minutes later, I heard my name. I looked up to see a nice looking latin man smiling down at me.

"Hi, I'm Mr. Vargas, and I'll be your counselor. Would you please follow me?" We walked into his office and he pointed me to a seat. We talked for about twenty minutes about the classes I had to take. After printing out my schedule, he gave me a map of the school, a student handbook, and my locker combination. "Give this to each of your teachers and return it to me at the end of the day."

I looked over the note and then my schedule. All of my classes were Honors or AP, except Crime in America, Spanish II, and Accounting. A student aide from the office led me to my first class, Physics.

The classes were easy enough and everyone seemed nice so far. I was so thankful that none of the teachers made me introduce myself. By the time lunch rolled around, I wasn't as nervous as I was that morning. That is, until I walked into the senior and junior commons. It seemed like every eye was on me and there was only one empty table. I got bottled water and a bag of chips from the vending machine, saying a small prayer before turning around to face the looks. To my surprise, Isaiah was standing there smiling.

"Enjoying your first day?" I was so happy to see him. Some point during the course of last week, he'd become my best friend. It was strange, but my hollow space decreased drastically whenever he was around.

"So far so good." I smiled back.

"You look nice."

"Thank you." I blushed a little, which caused him to chuckle.