Crash Course

Chapter 1

First day jitters are the worst. Undoubtably. I checked my outfit in the mirror again. It was simple for a school uniform. Light yellow blouse and a pleated black skirt. Simple made blending in easy, and all I wanted was to blend in. "Bella!" My mother's musical voice rang from downstairs. "Hun, we need to head out soon, Andrew needs to meet with the coaches before class starts." I heard my older brother banging around in his room, assuming he was grabbing his gear. I sighed for the tenth time and smoothed out my shirt. Maybe if I stared at my reflection long enough I would suddenly become confident. Confident in starting at a new school, confident in making new friends, confident in creating a whole new personality. Andrew rushed past my door, pushing it open.

"Let's go brat!" He shouted as he sprinted down the stairs. I grabbed my backpack and slung it over my shoulders, hastily following suit. I picked up a banana from the fruit bowl and headed out the front door, locking it behind me. My mom and Andrew already sat in the running silver Toyota, I climbed into the back and began to put my headphones in when mom stopped me.

"Promise me you'll try, Arabella." She said, giving me a concerned look in the rear view mirror.

"I promise mom." I huffed.

"I know it's tough, being the new kid, but just think of all the opportunities Dayton Prep will offer you! Try out for the team, it'll be worth it." I didn't want to even think about extra curriculars until after I had set foot in the school. Andrew, on the other hand, could think about nothing else. When mom told us we would be attending Dayton Prep in the fall, Andrew did whatever he could to prepare for tryouts.

"Dayton Prep is a lacrosse player's dream." He would scoff. "If I can start for them I'll get my pick of college teams." He was right. Dayton was good at everything, they were the perfect private prep school. I returned to the task of putting in my headphones and staring out the car window the rest of the drive.

When we arrived, the school was only just starting to come alive. I hugged my mom quickly around the seat. I'm pretty sure she said something along the lines of "have a good day, make some friends." But my music was too loud. Andrew bounded off towards the lacrosse field, he had scoped out the school so much that he knew exactly where to go. I was more concerned with being able to find my locker. I stride through the entrance and into the main lobby. The school was beautifully built, every structure was stone and deep chocolate wooding. Sofas lined the lobby, TVs hung from every wall, a grand staircase was the main feature, leading up two more floors to classrooms and more open spaces. I was feeling overwhelmed again. Suddenly, a hand was on my shoulder, I spun around quickly and was greeted with a pair of bright green eyes.

"You look lost." A cute boy, about 6 foot with green eyes and messy brown hair smiled at me. "Can I help?" I nodded, not breaking eye contact for fear that he might disappear.

"I'm new, I just need to find my locker." I said, removing my headphones and handing him my paperwork listing my class schedule, home room, and locker number. He grinned, taking the paper from me and examining it closely.

"Okay Arabella," He started, reading my name on the top of the page, it was only then that I realized I didn't tell him my name. "I'm Nate. Your locker is in Cragmore Hall." I nodded as if I understood what that meant. "Come on, I'll walk you." He began walking up the staircase. "So what brings you to Dayton Prep?" He asked casually.

"We recently moved up north. My brother and I were at Manmonth, but it became too far of a drive." I explained. Nate and I exchanged small talk until he dropped me off at my locker.

"Well, welcome to Dayton. I'm sure you'll love it. If you ever need anything, don't be shy." He said, pulling out a piece of paper and scribbling down his phone number. "I'll see you around new girl." With that, he was gone. I fumbled with the combination lock for a minute before finally getting the locker open. I heard Andrew before I saw him, I turned to look over my left shoulder as my brother came walking down the hall, already looking like he owned the place, flanked by some other team mates. Right next to him was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. He had warm, chocolate colored eyes, dirty blonde hair that was perfectly styled, chiseled features and the frame of a Greek God. He somehow made the yellow school uniform look sexy. I stood with my mouth agape, almost drooling. Andrew stopped his gang before me.