September 1st,1992
St Keller, Maine
5216 Violet Avenue
"Sissy. Sissy, wake up." A little voice calls at my ear. I open my eyes and see Nathaniel. "You HAVE to say rabbit today, and you have to say it before breakfast." "Rabbit" is a tradition in our family where if you say it on the 1st of a new month, you have good luck for that month. "Rabbit", I say tiredly. "Where's Collin?"
"Collin went to wake up Lori. Now come on, we'll be late for the bus if we don't hurry!"
Wait-BUS?!
No. Oh no.
I forgot.
Today is the first day of school.
I get an apple, and grab my backpack that Mom packed for me last night. Me and my siblings go outside, and I see Toby, Ryan, Mike, and Penny all going to the bus stop. "Hey, let's catch up with them!" cries Nathaniel. "Guys wait up!" yells Collin. We finally get to them, and Toby says, "Wanna sit with me on the bus?" He literally knows no one else, so I do sit next to him. Behind us, Nathaniel and Collin and Ryan are all trying to squish in one seat, and Mike sits next to Penny, since she's practically petrified of school. We stop at the elementary school first, and while the boys get off like there's no tomorrow, Penny has to be carried out by the bus driver. Next is the middle school and the high school, since they're just across from each other. Me and Toby get off, and just stare at the building, taking it in. The sign reads, "Welcome to St. Keller Middle School, home of the Fire-Breathing Dragons." Then Toby says, "This is where my mom and dad went to school. They met here."
"Really? I thought you were from Florida."
"Born in Colorado, actually. We moved to Florida when I was 1, then to England when I was 4, then back to Florida when I was 6. My parents grew up here, and that's why we moved this time."
"Why do you move so much?"
"My dad's job used to move us around a lot, but he got promoted. The position he has now is more stay-in-one-place, and we picked here to stay cause it's where he started."
I nod and ask, "Ready?"
Toby replies, "Ready."
And we walk inside the school.
