Stay Alive

A Fresh Start

After a week of recovery from the tour, Tyler and Jenna took Alyssa to the nearby high schools. The principals showed them the schools and Alyssa went home that afternoon wondering which school would be best for her. The first school had a lot of kids. But the second one was smaller. Alyssa picked the second school, James High School. Her first day would be on September 28th.

The night before her first day, Alyssa lay in bed. She was wide awake. So many thoughts were running through her head. What if the kids are jerks? What if I make friends but find out they're fakes? What will I do if I have to sit alone at lunch? She tossed and turned until she finally drifted off to sleep.

The alarm went off at 6:30. Alyssa lifted her head up and groaned. She threw her head back into her pillow for a minute before dragging herself out of bed. Hitting the top of the alarm so it would stop, Alyssa yawned. She walked to her closet and thought,  It's my first day. What should I wear?

She decided to wear her black jeans and a plain, red, short-sleeved shirt. She put on her bracelets and left her room. Tyler was in the kitchen with Jenna. Tyler turned to Alyssa as she walked in. "Good morning! Ready for your first day?" He asked with a smile.

"I think so," Alyssa answered with some confidence.

She put some waffles in the toaster and waited at the table. After the waffles finished cooking and she ate, Alyssa went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth and hair. She put on some deodorant and washed her face. Alyssa sat in the living room until Tyler was ready to go.

They left the house at 7:15. Alyssa was quiet in the car. Tyler glanced at her. Her left leg was shaking. At a red light, he rested his hand on her leg. "Hey, it'll be ok. I'm sure you'll make friends" He said softly.

When they arrived, Tyler turned into the parking lot. "Do you remember where the office is?" He asked.

Alyssa nodded and got out of the car. Tyler said, "I love you. Text me if you need anything."

"Thanks. Love you too!" Alyssa smiled.

She crossed the parking lot and looked around. When she had visited, everyone had been in their classes. But now, kids were everywhere! Luckily, the office was right by the parking lot. Alyssa walked in and told the lady at the front desk that she was new.

Alyssa got a map of the school and her schedule. Her first class was Science in Room 41, followed by English, History, Algebra, Drawing, and P.E. She followed the map and arrived at Room 41 when the bell rang. A middle-aged man was sitting at the desk to the left of the class. He looked up at Alyssa and smiled. He shook her hand and said, "Hello. You must be my new student. I'm Mr. Hernandez. What's your name?"

"My name's Alyssa," Alyssa answered.

The other students came in and sat in their seats. Alyssa took an empty spot towards the back, by the door. The kids sitting by her didn't even glance at her. Alyssa awkwardly took her binder out of her backpack and did her best to not make eye contact with anyone. If they didn't start a conversation with her, how could Alyssa start a conversation? Starting a conversation wasn't easy for Alyssa.

English was a little better. In this class, Alyssa sat next to a girl with short, red hair and light green eyes. Alyssa didn't say anything to her. But when Mrs. Willow asked the class to turn to a partner and discuss the question on the board, the girl said to Alyssa, "Hey, you're new I'm guessing?"

"Yeah. My name is Alyssa," Alyssa nodded.

The girl introduced herself, "I'm Samantha. But you can call me Sam."

Alyssa looked at the question on the board again and asked, "Well Sam, what do you think? I have no idea."

Sam laughed and thought about it for a moment. "I don't know either. But Mrs. Willow won't call on us since it's your first day. So tell me, Alyssa, where did you come from?" Sam wondered.

Alyssa chose her words carefully, "I went to a school about an hour and a half away from here. Then, after summer ended, I was homeschooled for a bit and here I am now."

Mrs. Willow called the class together and they discussed the question. Alyssa didn't pay attention. She was wondering Is Sam being a friendly classmate or will we actually become good friends? She thought about it for the rest of the period and during break. Sam wasn't in Alyssa's 3rd and 4th period. None of the kids talked to her.

When the bell rang for lunch, Alyssa followed the crowd. The students ate anywhere they wanted on campus. Alyssa took a seat on a bench under a tree. Tyler had made a lunch for her. He had packed her favorite sub sandwich, a bag of Pringles, some strawberries, a can of Sprite, and a couple of cookies. She unwrapped her sandwich and heard a voice call her, "Alyssa? Hey!"

Alyssa looked up and saw Sam walking towards her. "Are you eating by yourself?" Sam asked.

"I, uh...yeah," Alyssa stuttered.

Sam smiled, "You can't be alone! You should sit with my friends and I. Please?"

Alyssa hesitated at first, but she accepted Sam's offer and followed her. Sam took Alyssa to a small table inside the cafeteria. At the table sat two other girls. Sam said to them, "Guys, this is Alyssa. She's in my English class. I invited her to sit with us. You okay with that?"

The girls didn't mind. "Alyssa, these are my friends: Christy and Hannah," Sam introduced Alyssa to her friends.

Christy had darker skin and light brown eyes. Her black hair was up in a ponytail. Hannah's brown hair was wavy and her eyes were a sparkling green. Alyssa sat across from Christy and Sam sat beside her, across from Hannah. Christy asked Alyssa, "I don't think you're in any of my classes. But what do you have after this?"

Alyssa grabbed her schedule from her binder and handed it to Christy. Hannah looked over Christy's shoulder. "Hey! You have P.E with the 3 of us!"

"All 3 of you?" Alyssa's excitement grew.

"Yeah, you should hang out with us!" Christy said, returning Alyssa her schedule.

Tyler picked up Alyssa after school. He asked her all about it when she buckled her seatbelt. "There's a girl named Sam in my English class. I sat with her and her friends, Christy and Hannah, at lunch. I have P.E with them too!" Alyssa smiled.

"That's great! How are your other classes?" Tyler wondered.

Alyssa said, "My teachers are nice. But not many kids even knew I was there, except for Sam."

Tyler frowned, "Aw. Well, I'm sure you'll be talking to them soon."

Alyssa nodded and looked out the window. She was happy that Sam had talked to her in English. Sam, Hannah, and Christy were so nice! Maybe it won't be that bad here. Maybe I can have a fresh start. She thought.

(A/N Hey guys! So Alyssa has some new friends now. But what do you think will happen when she starts hanging out with them more? You'll have to wait and see!)