Bleeding Color

2. New Places, New Faces

Waking up early to go to the school seems to be a bust. Christina isn't exactly happy about that. Once my mom drags Christina and I to the school, they tell us that we have to wait until the first day of school and come in that morning to get everything figured out.

I wake up just before my alarm Monday morning. I'm a morning person so I bounce out of bed and head for the shower. I'm completely dressed and making my way downstairs when I hear my mom knocking on Christina's door. My mom is dressed in uniform, ready to go to work right after leaving the high school. I can tell my mom is stressed, but she puts on the sweetest voice she can to try to get my sister awake.

"Christina, you can't be late for your first day."

Christina opens her door abruptly, only enough for her to stick her head out. "Technically if I don't go, then it isn't my first day." Christina shoots my mom a smile and goes to close the door, but my mom's foot stops it. My mom pushes open the door gently, and makes her way into Christina's room.

Christina's room has a door that leads into the bathroom that can also be accessed in the hallway. I walk through the hallway door into the bathroom and grab the towel that my mom had left on the counter for Christina. My mom ushers Christina into the bathroom, and I throw the towel at her. Christina knows she's defenseless against the two of us so she reluctantly gives in and agrees to get ready.

My mom swings an arm around me before we leave the room. She gives me a quick kiss on my forehead to thank me for not protesting like Christina. I know Christina wouldn't have time to eat a real breakfast so I put two Pop-Tarts in the toaster for her. Christina is definitely not a morning person.

We must get to the school right before the students start arriving because the only people entering the school look like teachers and other staff members. Christina and I follow my mom into the school and straight to the main office. My mom manages to do most of the talking so Christina and I sit silent for the majority of the next hour.

After Christina and I are officially enrolled and have our schedules, the counselor sitting across the desk from us stands, signaling that it's time for us to actually begin our first day. The counselor, my mom, Christina, and I walk back to the lobby of the main office. The counselor stops to greet a student who is sitting in one of the chairs in the office.

My mom turns to my sister and me and gives us both hugs. "Have a great first day. Work hard and be nice," she jokes. She looks directly at me and places a hand on my shoulder. "Are you sure you're not upset about all of this?"

I nod and send my mom a small smile. "Mom, I'm okay. Really." No matter how many times I reassure my mom that I'm fine, I know she'll keep asking. She gives us another quick hug then leaves.

The counselor walks towards my sister and me with the student he had stopped to greet walking beside him. "Hi, I'm Athena Weichsel." The girl flashes a big smile to us.

"She's going to show you two around the school this morning." The counselor hands a copy of our final schedules to Athena and walks back to his office.

"Okay so which one of you is Cameron and which one is Christina?" Athena asks, glancing through her glasses at the papers in her hand.

"She's Christina," I says pointing to my little sister. "You can call me Cammie."

"Awesome. Well let's get going." Athena swings her tan backpack over her shoulder and leads the way out of the office. Athena is somewhere in between Christina's height and mine. Her long strawberry blonde hair is curled and keeps falling in front of her thick black glasses. She has a sweet smile that makes me want to smile back at her every time.