Back to Back - ON HOLD

Chapter 2.

"Hello? Miss?" Someone was saying to me but I was completely zoned out.

I then came to realisation that I was staring at the receptionist, "Can I help you?" She asked.

"Oh, right! Sorry. I'm April Lloyd," I told her and she gave me a quizzical look, "uh, the new student in the senior class?"

"Oh yes! Of course! I have your schedule here," she told me passing me the sheet, "and I have your lock number, combination and student planner here. Would you like someone to show you to your locker and class or would you like a map?"

"A map will be fine, thank you so much," I smiled as she passed me the map of Oakwood High School. Oakwood after the guy who founded it apparently.

"No worries! And if you ever need help, come straight here!" She reassured me. Could she really see how frightened I was? Perhaps an exaggeration...

Walking through the glass door of the administration building I enter back into the summer heat. I look down at the map the lady gave to me and look for my first class, matching it up with my schedule. Block D, level 2, classroom 6 OR D26. Mathematics. My locker is in A block. That's easy - right next to administration.

I walk over and through the door of A block. My locker is number 127 so I make my way down the hall until I eventually find my own. Maybe a hand to help me around would have been helpful. I put in all my books and take my binder and phone with me as I close the metal door and make my way to class.

Walking through "the courtyard", as it's named on the map, I look around at the different buildings, the sports field and track behind the school, all the different plant boxes and gardens in the school and I try to figure out which way the lunch room would be. Not going to lie but I love food and would seriously find it a problem if they didn't have at least one good lunch day.

When I finally make my way to the D block staircase I start to freak out a bit. Where will I sit? Will they be tables in pairs? Will anyone say hello to me? Will someone throw food at me? Okay, so maybe the last one isn't so realistic but I happened at my old school. Something about special initiation for new kids. Yeah, it was fun...

I open the glass door to get inside the building and it's filled with students making their way to first period. I slowly get through the crowd and find my way to classroom 6. Eventually, I find it and walk in through the already open door.

As I walk in, I can already feel the heavy gazes on me but my eyes are trying to hard to take it all in so I can't focus on a single face. I just duck my head and make my way to the back of the classroom hoping that there's a spare desk. They were in pairs, much to my dismay.

Sitting down and placing my binder on my desk, I finally look around and find that a few curious students still stare. I can already imagine their thoughts. Intruder. Intruder. Intruder.

"Hey! I'm Bailey," I hear from a female voice beside me.

I turn around to a smiling girl with shoulder length curly brunette hair, big green eyes and simple jeans, white tee and white converse.

"Hi, I'm April. April Lloyd!" I smile at her and give a slight nod out of habit.

"Lovely to meet you April," she says and then asks, "is this seat taken?"

"No, no, go ahead!" I say excitedly. Well I hope she didn't know I was excited but this is like the perfect scenario for a new kid.

"So..." Bailey begins sitting down, "where are you from?"

"Portland," I answer.

"Woah! To Oakland? That's a while away. Big move I'm guessing," she says.