Been Here All Along

00| prologue

"They say that good things take time, but really great things happen in the blink of an eye." - Hannah Montana

*10 years ago*

   The first day of school is one that everyone dreads; it means that summer is at a close and we have to start waking up at six in the morning again. I think it's safe to say the first day is even worse since it is the first day of middle school where all of the sixth graders from the elementary schools of the district begin going to school together. As nervous as I am for this new experience, I like to view myself as an optimist — always trying to find the good in situations.

   Bright side of middle school? I get to meet new friends. Plus, my mom always tells me about how exciting it is to have different classes and a locker to personalize. School won't be all that bad; at least that's what I try to tell myself.

   My friends and I have already compared schedules, and I have at least one of them in most of my classes. If I don't make any new friends, at least I know I'll always have my friends since the beginning.

"Josie!" Kaila yelled from the back of the bus as soon as I stepped on. She's always been "the early bird gets the worm" type of girl. I try, but it's not always a success.

"Hey, Kai," I greeted once I made it next to her.

"This is so riveting, isn't it? I mean, it's middle school now! One step closer to high school."

Kaila Fletcher and I have been the inseparable type of best friends since we were five years old. It all started when we were playing house during indoor recess in kindergarten. We both leaned over the play-sink at the same time and bopped heads. Being the stubborn hard-heads (quite literally) that we are, neither of us cried. We just laughed instead.

"It's school," I reminded her, chuckling. There's only so many bright sides to school.

"Get excited, Josie!" She grabbed my arm and shook it to get me pumped.

The bus came to another complete stop and a girl I didn't recognize stepped on with two other unfamiliar males. They must be from a neighboring elementary school from the district. That doesn't matter anymore though because we all go to the same school now.

After picking up the strangers, the bus went to the school where we would only spend two years. However, these two years we would spend building our name and profile for our four years of high school. I'd find the friends that would stand by my side forever, or at least through high school. Middle school was just the beginning.

~•~

So far, I'd say middle school was that classic saying "so far so good." I was fortunate enough to know at least a handful of people in each of my classes and socialized with a couple of people I only just met today.

"I'm going to buy my lunch," I told my table of friends.

My older brother, Anthony, warned me about this part of middle school and high school - the food. It didn't look as bad as he made it out to be though.

He'd described it to be like the food one sees on television shows on Disney Channel where the food is lumpy and gross and no one actually knows where the meat originates from. The food looked pretty normal to the naked eye though.

The lunch lady scooped me spaghetti and placed it on my tray — it was today's special. Anthony told me that if I had to buy lunch from school, I should get the special.

I made my way back to my table with my friends, scanning the tables I walked by for familiar faces from elementary school. Right as I turned my head to watch where I was going, I collided with a stranger and my whole tray of spaghetti dumped on him and his white shoes.

Great job, Jos. Way to make an impression.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," I immediately apologized. For some reason, I thought it'd be effective to try and wipe the sauce off of his baby blue shirt with my hands. It wasn't effective in getting the sauce off, just making me look even more stupid.

The boy stopped me from vigorously wiping his shirt by grabbing a hold of my wrists and offering me a playful smile. "It's not a big deal."

"But your shoes..."

"They're old anyway."

That had to be a fib because they looked like brand new white Nike's if you ask me.

"I really am sorry, I should've watched where I was going."

"You could make it up to me by inviting me to sit with you," he suggested with a grin. "I'm Ian Miller." By now, the whole cafeteria was watching us, but I hardly even noticed. The encounter was enough to make me forget about just how many pairs of eyes were on us.

"Josie Pappstein," I held my hand out for him to shake it and he did.

"Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Pappstein."

I tried to bite back my grin as I led Ian back to my table with my friends.

"Mind if my buddies join?" Ian whispered to me as we set our trays down at my table.

I shrugged and nodded. There was plenty of room. Ian motioned a pair of boys over, who came and sat across from us.

"Guys, this is Ian," I introduced the boy I just met after dumping a tray full of spaghetti on him.

"These are my friends, Mason and Noah."

"I'm Kaila," she leaned forward so she could get a better look at Ian. "Wow, she really did dump a whole tray on you."

"Yeah, but I think she got the shorter end of the stick here. I mean, she's out a lunch and has to sit with me," Ian broke eye contact with Kaila and shot me a teasing smile.

"Well, through that point-of-view, I'd hardly say I got the shorter end of the stick." Judging by his facial expression, it looked like he was taking that as I didn't mind he was sitting by me. While that was the truth, I couldn't let him receive the compliment that easily. "I mean, I did get to dump spaghetti all over you after all." To top it all off, I winked to show I was only joking around.

"I like you, Pappstein," Ian concluded with a friendly pat on the back. "Here, have half of my sandwich."

•••

I'm so excited to be writing this story, and I hope you all enjoy it! I think you will ;)

I've not much to say since it's only the beginning, but keep reading! <3

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- emily