You Bring Me Home

Chapter 1

Chapter One:

Set in 2011:

"Hi, can I sit next to you?" I say to the long dark hair girl at the plastic picnic tables in the schoolyard. Although I'm usually the most introverted person you'll ever meet, I decided to be outgoing today and try and make a new friend.

"Sure! What's your name? I'm Daisy," I sit down and pull my lunch bag out of my backpack, setting it down and taking out my sandwich which my mom insisted I eat for lunch. I told her this morning that I wouldn't need a sandwich and I could eat the cafeteria food, but she said, 'In order to have a good first day of school you have a healthy and nutritious lunch!' I swear to God that woman never shuts up about nutrition. I mean, yeah she is a dietician, but for once I can eat cafeteria food.

"I'm Maia. Today's my first day here and I didn't have anybody to sit with,"

"That's okay! Have you found all of your classes? I've been here for a month and I still get lost," Daisy says while laughing and pulling her sandwich out of her brown paper lunch bag. To answer her question, no, I'm like a newborn baby deer that's lost in the wild.

"Yeah, I'm still a little lost to be honest. What's your class after lunch?"

"I have Mrs. Williams for math, what do you have?" she asks, while taking a bite out of her sandwich and pulling a bag of carrots out of her lunch bag.

"I have her too, can we walk together? I have no clue where I'm going," I say while lauging and opening my bag of chips. After some small talk and getting to know each other more, the bell rings and I stuff my bag of chips in my backpack and stand up from the picnic table walking towards the door with Daisy.

"Turn right and then head down the hallway towards the door with the yellow sign on it," Daisy tells me .

"Thank you so much for walking with me and letting me sit with you at lunch. Seriously, I don't know what I'd do without you," I tell Daisy, while walking towards the classroom and giving a smile to her. Seriously, I really don't know what I'd do without her. Being here on my first day after moving from North Carolina was hard enough, and walking into my random new school was terrifying.

I walk into the classroom and Daisy points towards a seat by her for me to sit in.

"Good afternoon everybody, please pass up your homework from last night and grab a calculator," Mrs. Williams says as I grab a calculator and sit back down in my seat. I swear, if she makes me introduce myself I am going to die. Honestly, asking to eat lunch with Daisy was probably the most extroverted thing I've ever done, which says a lot.

She starts taking attendance when all of a sudden she pauses and scans the room looking straight at me and smiling.

"Oh! I totally forgot! We have a new student today. Maia will you please stand up and introduce yourself to the class?" Mrs. Williams says as I turn and look at Daisy who's silently laughing and gesturing for me to stand up.

"Look, just do it and get it over with. It won't be that bad," Daisy laughs as I stand up and push my calculator to the edge of the desk.

"Maia, please tell the class where you're moving from and a fun fact about yourself. Make it quick please," Mrs. Williams tells me with a smile.

"Hi...I'm Maia Hilman. I moved here about a week ago from North Carolina," I say while looking at some of the students in the room and feeling my face start to blush. Oh no. Don't embarrass yourself.

"Keep going, Maia. Say a fun fact about yourself," Daisy awkwardly laughs while looking at me and looking like she's starting to panic for me.