I awoke to the screech of my alarm clock indicating that it was time to get up. I really hated that old digital clock. The way it stared at me with it's piercing red lights, and then seemed to take pleasure in disrupting my dreams. It was an old clock that once belonged to my Dad. Maybe it was nicer to him. Suddenly my thoughts shifted to the importance of the day ahead of me: My first day in Jr. high school. I slowly worked my way out of bed and then towards the door. As I found my way out of my dark room, my foot hit something hard. I heard it chime after being toppled over and realized that it was my cello which I had left out the previous night. After getting through my minefield of a room, I started towards the bathroom, which was conveniently placed directly outside my room. The house was dark and lifeless other than the occasional snore from the dogs sleeping in their crate on the other end of the hall. The rest of my family would be getting up in an hour or so. I had a habit of getting up incredibly early just to make sure i had enough time to get things together. As for the rest of my family, They worked better in a big rush.
I reached the bathroom and started brushing my teeth. Looking at the counter I saw a mess of hair products, random perfume samples, and a pile of necklaces all left by my little sister. She was starting 5th grade today, but she wont have to get up for another hour.
I let out a final spit and then began the process of brushing my hair, Which actually wasn't as hard as it is for most girls because I have very fine, strait, hair where as most girls had thick wavy hair. After brushing my hair, I started the long awaited hunt for my glasses. I could never quite remember where I left them the night before. I searched around my room and found them sitting on my desk amongst an enormous pile of junk. I wasn't the most organized out of the human race, which I realized would have to change now that I would be keeping track of six different classes. Jr. High is a big change in everybody's life, And I was hoping that everything would be ok. I got dressed in my outfit which I had laid out in advance. Looking out my window I saw the sun rise to reveal the cloudy Seattle weather. I didn't mind the clouds at all. I really liked all that Seattle had to offer when it came to weather. I liked the rain, clouds, all of it. My friend Carly on the other hand, prefers California weather. Sunny and hot all the time, thats her style.
I got my backpack together and wondered down the hall which was slowly becoming lighter as the sun rose. I got to the kitchen an popped a bagel into the toaster. Then turned to the fridge to start the making of my lunch.
"Good morning" My mom yawned as she walked drowsily towards the coffee maker.
"Good morning" I replied clearly not as tired as her. The next thing I heard was the growl of the coffee machine followed by the footsteps of my Dad joining us in the kitchen. He had already taken a shower and gotten dressed.
"Happy first day of school Lily!" he shouted over the coffee machine.
"Thank you!" I shouted back. It's a mirical that my sister Alex is still sleeping I thought. I finished making my lunch of a turkey sandwich and chips and slipped it into my bag. I ran one final check to make sure i had the right amount of binders and notebooks and then took a seat on the couch in the room across from the kitchen. And then, I waited. My friend May who lived next door would be coming any minute and then we would walk to the bus stop together. I felt like I had waited for hours before she finally arrived. After hearing the doorbell i jumped up, grabbed my backpack and ran to the door before my Dad could say goodbye. I jerked open the door with confidence and greeted May with a smile. "Lets go!" I yelled excitedly. May, being the unenthusiastic person that she is, sighed and then started walking towards the bus stop. We walked down the hill and stopped on the corner next to other 7th graders. There would be no 8th or 9th graders today because it was 7th grade orientation. we would be put in groups and then given two 9th grade volunteers to show us around the school and lead us in games for the day. My mom thought this was a great idea after recalling the mess her first day of jr. High was like. I looked over at another kid waiting at the bus stop named Aaron. He was in my class in fourth grade i remembered. He had always been kinda rude to me and in return i had built up a disliking to him. But today was different. He looked very nervous and barely seemed to notice that I was there. Should I be nervous? I thought. And just then all the fear and nervousness that I had been avoiding came back in one gust of wind. What of i dont get the same classed as all of my friends? what if my teachers were mean? Then one hit me really hard like a fist to my stomach, what if I dont get orchestra? I had been looking forward to orchestra all summer! What if it filled up too fast and I didn't get in? My thoughts were scattered by the shriek of the bus stopping at our stop.
The doors swung open with a thud and the few 7th graders at the bus stop climbed in one by one. Once inside, I heard someone call my name. I smiled when I recognized the voice as Carly's. she was sitting close to the back and was waving to get me to notice her. I took a seat by her and the Bus started with a Jolt.
"So Lily, How's life?" This was commonly asked by Carly no matter when the last time you saw her was.
"Good, I guess" I answered trying not to show how nervous I was. After a small while of silence, she exploded with all her worries.
"How are you GOOD? We are about to start jr. high and we dont know what are classes are yet or who is in them or if we have the same lunch!" She must have been keeping that to herself for a long time because once she started talking she couldn't stop. For the rest of that bus ride all that I heard was her voice and the hum of the Bus engine.
