Welcome to Reefside (editing in progress)

Tracy's First Day at Reefside High

 3.3  AC chills and Crushes

Normal POV

The first bell hasn't even finished ringing when Tracy slips quietly into Dr. Oliver's science classroom. Morning sunlight spills through the tall windows, bright enough that she has to blink a few times before choosing a seat in the middle row — close enough to see the board, far enough to avoid attention.

She folds her arms over herself, shivering as the AC blasts through the room. Michigan classrooms never got this cold.
Michigan classrooms also had Ashley.

Her throat tightens at the thought.

This is her first class at a brand-new school.
Her first class without her best friend beside her — doodling on her notes, whispering jokes, or nudging her whenever the teacher said something weird.

Her first class with no familiar faces at all.

'Come on,' she tells herself quietly. 'You survived Jefferson High. You can survive this.'

But another truth slips in behind it:

Ashley was her only real friend.
Everyone else at JHS had their own groups. They didn't invite her places. They didn't talk much in the halls. They never asked her to sit with them at lunch.

It was always just her and Ashley at their little table.
And Tracy always wondered if that meant she wasn't worth getting to know.

She exhales, pretending her chest doesn't feel heavy.

Kira leans over from the next row. "Hey... you okay?"

"Yeah," Tracy says softly. "Just... first-day nerves."

"What kind?" Ethan asks gently from a seat behind her.

Tracy twirls her pencil. "Back home, I only had one close friend. Ashley. Everyone else... didn't really talk to me much."

Conner raises his brows. "Sounds like their loss."

Tracy gives the smallest smile.

Before she can reply, Mike walks in — curly blond hair a little mussed, backpack slung over one shoulder. When he spots Tracy, he brightens and takes the empty seat beside her without hesitation.

"Morning," he says, warm and casual.

"Morning," Tracy manages, cheeks warming.

Kira gives her a quiet little smirk.

And then Dr. Oliver steps through the doorway, adjusting his lab coat as he sets his notes down.

"Good morning, class. Let's get started."

"All right, class," Dr. Oliver begins, "who can tell me something about the Jurassic era?"

Tracy pulls out her notebook and tries to focus. About twenty minutes into the lecture, Tracy rubs the sleep from her eyes and pushes her glasses back up her nose. She tries to find her place in her notes, but they all blur together. She feels a chill, her arms covered in goosebumps as the air conditioning continues to blow.

Mike notices Tracy's arms slowly covering in goosebumps and her shivering slightly. He quickly takes off his hoodie and drapes it over her shoulders.

"Here, put this on," he whispers.

"Thanks," Tracy whispers back, a shy smile on her face as she pulls the hoodie tighter around her.

She glances up at Dr. Oliver to make sure he knows she's still paying attention, then returns to trying to focus on her notes.

Quietly, she skips a few lines and starts sketching her old school from memory — the brick, the windows, the front steps she used to trip on every winter.