Aythea

Ready For School? Well, We'll See...

     Times have been tough as of late, the move to Norcosta has been very difficult for me even with all the extra support I've gotten. Any time I think about my parents I get teary-eyed and have to leave the room before it becomes anything more than a moment of overwhelming emotion.

But, I did my best to switch my focus over to other things as more time passed. School will be starting soon and I got registered at the high school that was decided on for me to attend. It'll be my first year of high school and depending on how things go with my parents, I might end up finishing school here.

I'm sure things will start out smoothly, right?

A couple of Wednesday's after I arrive, Aunt Aria wakes me up and tells me to get up and get ready. I rub my eyes and sit up, yawning widely. I take a deep breath as I remember that this is not only my first day as a high schooler but also as one in a city I'm not used to living in. I climb out of bed, grab the clothes I set out for today, and get dressed. Once I'm done I slip on my sneakers and head downstairs.

As I make my way down, I smell the sweet aroma of Aunt Aria's oatmeal coming from the kitchen. Once I make my way into the dining room I see Aunt Aria cooking and Uncle Jensen sitting down at the table, reading a novel.

I get myself seated as Uncle Jensen peers up from his book and asks, "Good morning, munchkin. How'd you sleep?"

"I slept well," I said while squinting to try and see the title of his book. "What are you reading?"

He waved and said, "Oh, just some book Aria wanted me to read. It's pretty boring, but don't tell her I said that." He smiled widely towards Aunt Aria.

"Oh, you hush! You know you like it!" She threw a towel in his direction only for him to catch it and snicker. I laughed with him.

As I'm pulling a chair out to sit down, my uncle sets down his book.

"So Eidri," he begins. "Are you ready to start hanging out with the big kids?"

I pursed my lips and shrugged. "I'm honestly not too sure. The only person I know here is Tina, and she's not going to the same high school."

He nodded in acknowledgment. "I understand how you're feeling right now. My mother was in the military when I was growing up, so we were moving every few years."

"Really?" I look at him with surprise. "I didn't know that."

"Yep. So I understand being the new kid. You're a great kid though, I have no doubt you'll meet some good friends at school. So don't worry too much, okay?"

I took a deep breath and sighed. "I promise I'll try not to. It'll just be weird since I've never gone to school here."

Aunt Aria pitched in. "We know, sweetheart," she said earnestly, whilst bringing the food to the table. "As your uncle said, you are such a great girl and so genuinely kind towards others. I'm absolutely certain you'll make friends in no time."

"She's right," Uncle Jensen cut in.

Aunt Aria smiled at him. "It's a very good school from what we've heard. A few of our friends have children going there that say they enjoy the school very much."

I smiled at both of them and responded with, "Thank you, guys. I feel a little bit better about it now." Though honestly, I was still unsure about how I felt about the whole thing.

We ate in silence for the rest of the meal. The only sounds were the clanking of spoons against the bowls and occasional swallows of food.

Once I'd finished eating, I set my spoon down in my bowl and wiped my face with my napkin and asked, "Do either of you by chance know what the school is like? It seemed nice enough when you took me to get registered," I looked towards Aunt Aria, "but there'll be actual kids there today."