Exposed

5

I didn't want to go to school on Monday but I knew things would get worse if I didn't go sooner. So, Sunday night, I set my alarm for 7 AM and gather my new books and stationery together. I sit on the edge of my bed for a while wondering whether or not to pick out a good outfit the night before, I decide against it.

I wake exactly ten minutes before my alarm goes off, I get up and splash water on my face. Time to prepare for my death, maybe I should wear the dreaded funeral outfit.

I pull out a pair of faded blue jeans, a plain black jumper and white converse, this would do. I skip breakfast thinking if I ate anything I would probably end up throwing up over somebody in class, what a great first impression that would be.

"Are you sure you don't want a ride sweetie?" Mum offers but I shake my head.

"I'll be fine, besides you already have to get Marcus and Rex to school"

"Okay then have a good day" She calls as I open the door and step out into the cold Wellington air, I plug in my headphones and walk to school.

I pull out a map and timetable and try my hardest to find my first class, form time. I had 20 minutes to be there but it was such a big school I had no idea whether I'd find it on time. Suddenly I bang into someone and drop all my stuff.

"Ah, whoops, sorry!" She says, she bends down to pick up my pamphlets. Her brown curls wave in the wind and she wears a twenty one pilots t-shirt, I should've worn mine. I realise she's handing the papers to me so I grab them and smile.

"It's my fault, I wasn't looking where I was going" I say. She laughs, "Neither was I."

"You must be new here?" The girl questions.

"Yeah, I can't find my form class, this place is way bigger than my old school" I tell her. She scans my timetable and her face lights up.

"We're in the same form class! I can take you!" She says excitedly. "I'm Lily by the way."

"Thanks so much, I'm Annabelle"

"Oh shit no I didn't mean that, I'm.." I pause a minute and she looks at me a bit weirdly.

"Charlie" I splutter.

WHAT THE HELL? She nods and starts walking. I follow her to form and sit down with her, hoping she won't mind. A group of loud, popular looking kids enter the room and sit in the back row, I make eye contact with a cute guy with brown fluffy hair but I glance away quickly.

"You can, um, go sit with your friends, don't worry about me" I tell Lily, as more kids file into class, secretly hoping she would stay with me.

"Nah most people in our class are dicks" She says "And besides you really need a friend on your first day, so here I am"

The class quiets down as the form teacher comes in and takes the roll. Halfway through the roll the classroom door swishes open and a flush of wind pushes into the room. I shiver, wishing I had've worn another jacket. In walks a boy wearing jeans and a black Metallica hoodie.

"Jack, please remove your hood" Instructs the teacher.

The boy snorts and pulls it over his head, out flicks a mane of long bleach blonde hair. He catches me staring, winks and pulls out a chair to sit on. The teacher calls out my name and I turn back and say to her that, yes I am here. Lily looks at me strangely and I realise I gave her a different name. "I'll explain" I whisper to her. I know changing the name I went by would have its complications but I wanted a fresh start and forgetting as much as I can about 'the old me' the better.

The bell rings and everyone rushes out to go to our next class.

"So, why'd you give me the wrong name?" Questions Lily, raising her eyebrows slightly.

"Well..." I say, debating whether or not to tell her the full story. I decide against it.

"Some stuff happened back at my old school and I really needed a fresh start, so we moved here" I begin, "I wanna forget as much as I can about back home so I'm going my a new name, Charlie. I've always liked that name" I say, my words come out a bit fast and I am scared Lily will judge me and not want to be my friend, but she nods understandingly and I breathe out in relief.

"That's cool" She says "What will you do about teachers and roll though?" She asks

I stop for a minute and start to speak for a moment "Wait a minute, I have an idea! My friend Frankie knows a guy who's really smart with computers, he could possibly have your name changed in the school system to Charlie, that way the teachers will call you that as well."

That sounded slightly illegal to me but I was desperate.

"You'd do that?"

"Well I couldn't but he sure would" She smiles "I understand the struggles of being new so I'm happy to help"

"Well, thank you so much." I say and she taps my shoulder

"That's our next class right there, oh and by the way, our science teacher is very strict so stay quiet"

~

At the end of the day Lily and I exchange phone numbers at the front gate.

"See ya tomorrow!" She calls while biking away. I wave back and start walking down the main road, then round the corner into a not so main road.

My phone starts to ring at the dinner table that evening. Dinner time phone calls used to always annoy my parents, but instead of nagging they told me to take it to my room and answer the phone.

"I'm glad she's settling in well" I hear my mum say

I answer the phone and am greeted by an excited squeal.

"OMGGGGGG" Lily yells into the phone

"HE'S MOVING, HE'S ACTUALLY MOVING!!!"

"HUH?" I ask, what was going on?

"MY BEST FRIEND IS MOVING RIGHT HERE, I'M SO EXCITED CHARLIE YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW"

She used my proper name, yay, I smile.

"Exciting" I laugh, "you seem very excited"

"You'd like him" she says, "he's really nice" I smile, hoping she won't abandon me completely when her friend arrived.

"That's really cool" I say, I then hear my brothers thundering up the stairs "Crap gotta go, see ya soon Lily."