𝐆𝐋𝐔𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 || #𝟏

Chapter 1

I furiously brushed my teeth, checking my cracked phone at the same time. Today was the first day of school. The first day of humiliation to me. It's not like I don't have friends, I do, but they'll probably ditch me for high school glory because the truth is - I'm lame. And they're cool. It's as simple as that.

I spit out the foamy minty residue and wiped my mouth with my sleeve. I look at myself in the cracked mirror, combing my dry brown hair filled with split ends with my hairbrush.

I can do this. It's just the first day of school. You've survived this like once when you were a three year old.

What am I even talking about? Of course I can't do this. Who could do this? Alexis, my former best friend was going to the same school as me now. And she hates me. We haven't even talked to each other since fourth grade because we were fighting over how I couldn't do the splits or something else. Either way, it was incredibly stupid. I can still remember our last bitter fight.

I can remember her hazelnut eyes filled with pure hatred, glaring at me while I choked down my tears and glared back. She had been rambling on and on about how I was a bad friend and I was being lazy, then a sudden shot of anger exploded within me and I snapped back at her.

I started hanging out with other people, the people that Alexis told me not to hang out with because they were a 'bad influence'. In reality, she was probably just scared that I'd ditch her for them. And I don't blame her.

They were much more kinder, nicer. And most importantly, they didn't try to control me.

So she tried spreading rumours about me, she tried spilling my secrets to the world and honestly. No one cared. Everyone already knew she was a maniac with sharp red butterfly glasses and a high ponytail that physically hurts anyone's eyes when you see it. Looking back, I'm not even sure why she willingly wore red butterfly glasses. They were completely awful.

While I look around my room for what to wear, a new memory of Alexis unwillingly tangles into my mind. This time, she's sitting at the playground hiding from me with her other friends.

I can remember running around the oval, searching for her. And when I finally did spot her, they run away, leaving me in the dust. Or in this case, grass. Does that even make sense? Not really, argh, I'm not the sharpest tool in the tool box... Did I even get that analogy right? Curses, I really don't live up to my asian genes.

I quickly changed into a grey shirt and fit on my black leggings. I don't really care about what I wear. I mean, I do, but it's not like I actually have a good sense of style - or where to even acquire it. I care about my appearance to the point where I wouldn't wear a clown outfit to school or anything - that'd be humiliating. Big time.

I run down the stairs, not prepared for my mum to start raving or screaming at me to get my butt out of bed. I always try to be downstairs before she starts screaming at me, because once she goes off - she goes off.

And what I mean by that, she'll start beeping with those annoying sounds from an electronic alarm. The only different thing between an alarm is her, is she doesn't have a snooze button and she has a mind of her own.

"Hey!" My mum enthusiastically says, "are you ready?"

"For what?" I distractedly say, grabbing a muesli bar and tearing off the red wrapper as quick as I can.

"School," My mum smiles. "I can't wait! You know, you might actually be a good student!"

I shoot her a glare from across the room as I throw the red plastic in the bin. She isn't smiling.

She's dead serious.

I'm surprised she hasn't whipped me to death by now.

I chuckle nervously as I grab my backpack laying by the door. "I'll see you after school?"

She doesn't reply, and part of me doesn't want her to. She always manages to say something snarky, annoying or just straight up rude. Sometimes I wish her personality towards me reflected on the outside, because she's only forty-seven and she looks like a thirty year old.

I open the front door, expecting to smell the summery hot air that I'm used to. Instead, I'm greeted by a handful of wetness. Water. And it's cold, and windy.

"Did I forget to tell you to bring a raincoat?" My mum calls out from the kitchen.

This time I don't reply, and I don't think she cares either. The only thing she wants is me to get good grades and to get a well-paying job. Of course she cares about me, but she just has a weirder way of showing it.

Taking another breath, I quickly reopen the front door, grab my yellow raincoat hanging by the door and I decide to redo this again.

So I take another deep breath, and it's much nicer this time. I'm not as cold anymore, and I'm dry. Sort of. 

I start walking off in the rain to my new highschool, avoiding all of the puddles placed on the ground. The only thing I can hear is rain pattering onto the concrete and water slipping into the drainage pipes on the streets. A kid slips on the road, and nearly gets ran over by a truck. Immediately, the kid begins to chase after the truck, leaving his mother while she screams at him. Can that kid even keep up?

Soon, a tall grey building comes into my view and I can make out a lot of people moving inside - pushing each other to get to class. A kid on the side of the building is already having a mental breakdown - crying as their friend starts to pull away this cutout of a... Random animated character, which I don't know where it's from.

"YOU CAN'T TAKE ME AWAY FROM MY BABIES!" She cries at her friend, protesting as her friend throws it away.

Huh. That's not something you see everyday.

I cross the road, hands in my pocket as I walk into my new high school.

This is where I'm going to spend the next four years of my life. This is absolute hell.

As soon as I step foot on school property, I can make out a very familiar face. An extremely familiar face.

I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's a girl wearing a white blouse and a navy skirt. She has brown, long hazelnut hair and she has brown hazel eyes. Everything about her screams confidence, and everything about her makes me more and more familiar with her.

She stops laughing as she sets eyes on me. Her face looks confused for a second, and then I realise. She knows me too.

I'd recognise her anywhere. Even if she'd disguised herself with some wacky horrible looking dye job.

It's Alexis.