Strawberry Sweet

.A Freash Start.

🍓Chapter Three: A Fresh Start🍓

🍓Strawberry Sweet🍓

Have you ever been the new kid at school? Most of you probably have, maybe once or twice, right? Then you know what I mean when I say my pulse was faster than a race car. My heart was beating out of my chest. I had forgotten how to breathe and my thoughts clouded my mind.

Maybe you had been at ease when you entered your new school for the first time, but me?

I was far from it.

All my life I had always been surrounded by the same people, in the same town, with the same smells, and the same voices. Sure there were new kids that had arrived at my school before, but I was never one of them.

I don't know how this school works, I don't know how these people will react to my brother and me, I don't know if they will welcome me or shun me. But either way, I had never been the new kid before and the first time is never easy, is it?

'Please don't hate me' is all I could think standing in front of my first-hour classroom door. I had gotten lost trying to find it and now I'm late. That's bound to attract attention, which will really help considering I'm new here. That was sarcasm.

Ryan doesn't have the same class as me and I had to find this place all on my own as he went to his first hour with Luke and Drake. I wish I had one of them in my class, that would make it so much easier.

Dammit, Nikki. Get a hold of yourself, stop being pathetic and get in there! I mentally hyped myself. I take a deep breath and turn the knob on the classroom door slowly. Opening the door I poke my head in. Just as I would have expected, all eyes are now on me.

"Ah, Nichole?" The voice of an old woman catches my attention. She has soft wrinkles on her aged face, and long gray hair tied into a messy bun.

"Yeah, sorry I'm late, I got lost" I explain with slight panic. I tried to mask my worried expression as best as I could.

"That's alright dear, come here" she gestures softly for me to stand next to her in the front of the class. I walk to her around the student's desks who have curious gazes locked on me. I stand next to her facing the class.

"Kids," the woman begins softly with a kind expression. "This is Nichole Delaware, she's new. I expect you all to welcome her with open arms to our school, okay?" She asks. They all nod their head with respect. It's clear they all admire this teacher, and I already have a clue as to why. She has a motherly aura around her. She's just like if your grandma was teaching your literature class.

"Hi, Nichole" the class greets me in unison. Suddenly I don't feel so uptight anymore, the class gives off a welcoming vibe.

"Introduce yourself dear" she urges. I nod.

"Right, um... well obviously my name is Nichole, I just moved here from Washington. This is my fathers hometown. It's, uh... where he met my mother and after she died he decided to move us back..." I explain. I don't feel comfortable telling all of these strangers my personal business. None of them need to know about my mother, and they sure as hell don't need to know about my father. But what was I supposed to say?

"You're a father?" The teacher asks. "As in Johnattan Delaware?" She asks with a hopeful glint in her aged eyes.

"Yeah, that's my dad" I assure her.

"Well, I'll be." She laughs "I was your father's teacher when he was in high school, come to find out, my new student is his kid." She laughs with tears in her eyes. "How is he? By your mom you don't mean Isabell Cottonwood, do you?" She questions with a hopeful smile.

"Actually, yeah" she throws her head back laughing.

"Well, who would have thought?" She chuckles once more before regaining her composure. "I'll have to speak with him again, sometime. For now, though dear, you can take a seat in the back next to Tatiana for now." She points to a Carmel brown-skinned girl with thick dreads. Tatiana -I'm assuming- waves at me with a small smile.

I walk over to her after nodding to the teacher and take my seat. Once I've sat the class directs their attention back towards the teacher who is now going on about the importance of simplicity.

"Hi, I'm Tatiana. You can call me tots" she offers me her hand.

"Hi, I'm Nichole, you can call me Nick" I chuckle.

"Don't you have a brother? The really hot white haired one?" She asks. Ew.

"Yeah. I mean he's not really... I wouldn't know, but he has white hair, yeah" I nod feeling discussed even beginning to contemplate rather my brother is 'good looking' or not.

"Well, welcome to Waterridge. Are you just moving back?" She asks.

"Well, no. I mean, I can't remember ever living here before, but it's supposedly where my mother and father grew up. My nana and papa lived here before but they passed away a couple of years ago" four years ago to be exact.

"Oh, didn't you say your mom..." she trails "well, you know"

"Yeah, she died. Just half a month ago actually" I explain. Wow, just half a month ago? It sounds so surreal, so... unnatural. I feel like it's been only a day since she was in the kitchen with a flower-covered apron. It feels like only hours since she was stroking my hair, telling me Chas Kingsley wasn't worth my time. It seems like only hours ago she was here... baking me strawberry pies.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. That's awful" she says with sincerity.

"Don't be, you're not the one who did it" and it's true, she didn't do it. She didn't make her distracted behind the wheel. She didn't kill my mother, so she shouldn't be sorry.

"Well, anyways. Do you want to come to lunch with me? I want you and your brother to meet mine" she offers.

"Actually, Drake Chambers already invited us to sit wi-"

"Oh what a coincidence, Luke, And Drake are friends with my brother and I. We all sit together anyways so that will be perfect" she squeals excitedly clapping her hands lightly.

"Oh okay" I laugh. Between Tatiana, Luke, and Drake I think Ryan and I will be fine here. This place couldn't be so bad with them around...

Right?