Being The New Girl

3: Lucky Me

Grabbing my backpack and swinging it over my shoulder, I crouch down to lace up my beat-up sneakers. I shout a goodbye to my mom and she does the same as I swing the door shut behind me, sounding a click to signify it locked. I turn around on the porch and find Kayla waving to me from the driver's seat of her fancy new car. She's too happy for eight in the morning. With a sigh, I make my way to the driveway.

Swinging myself into the car, I can barely shut the door before she's backing out onto the street and firing questions at me like she's on a firing squad.

"So..." She sends a grin my way. "Are you excited? First day of senior year and all." I open my mouth to answer but she beats me to it. "I am because this year means I finally get to be senior captain of the cheerleading squad. Ooh, that reminds me. Tryouts are tomorrow. You gonna come? It'd be fun, you and me on the same team." She nudges my shoulder as she drives.

I manage to suppress the laugh threatening to emerge. "Me? And cheerleading? Yeah, no way."

"What's wrong with cheerleading?"

"Nothing, we just don't mix. Besides, I prefer to be on the field rather than the sidelines."

"Alright," she nods contemplatively. "Well, that can still work. Tryouts for the other school teams are tomorrow during gym, too. There's track, basketball, football—"

"Volleyball?"

"Yeah, sure, we've got a great team. You play?"

"I was captain two years running at my old school." My stomach turns at the word was. "Is the team any good?"

"Good? They're better than good. They went to state last year and made it into the finals. You should've seen it, there was this one pass..."

Sensing a tangent coming, I turn my attention elsewhere and gaze out the window at the passing streets for the rest of the drive.

Finally, the car pulls to a stop in a cramped parking space in between two other cars, and when I step onto the asphalt, I come face to face with a two-story brick building. Beyond it lies an open grassy field and to my right is a football field. The school isn't as big as my old one, so I hope that means it will be easy to navigate as well.

Kayla hops out of the car with a swing in her step, throws her hand over her shoulder, locking the car with a beep, and then we walk side by side across the lot and up a winding path until we reach the looming double doors that lead into school. She plows right in, leaving me to spare one last fleeting glance at the students sprawled on the lawn before following her.

As I take in the hallway and the people in it, I notice a good amount of stares being directed my way. But hey, I suspected this. With such a tight knit school, it was bound to be hard to stay off the radar as the new girl. I ignore them and keep walking.

We barely make it five paces before a group of three girls come up to Kayla, whisking her away without a single glance my way. No introductions, no goodbyes, no nothing.

Earned some real cousin points right there, Kay, I think sarcastically.

Blowing a stray hair out of my face, I steel myself and head further into the school alone.

It doesn't take long before I reach a door with the word OFFICE printed proudly in bold across the center. I walk in to find two women sitting behind their separate desks. The one on the left is engaged in a conversation with a light-haired boy who leans on the desk between them while the other types silently on her computer, so I head on over to her.

I stand in front of her desk until it's clear she's not going to notice me. Wishing there was a bell or something on the counter I could tap, I clear my throat.