Maisie 'Baby' Bronze

33. Slumped

"Mum, come onnn, I don't want to be late" I shout up the stairs, my rucksack slung over my shoulder, my phone tightly gripped in my other hand. Keira lent against the wall opposite me, slightly laughing at me whilst she twirls her keys around on her finger. 

"I'm coming, I'm coming" I hear as mum eventually jogs down the stairs. "You're not going to be late don't worry"

"I will be if you keep going on like this"

"Well I'm ready now, are you?"

"Yes" I sigh.

"Lemme get a photo" 

"Noo! Mumm"

"It's a ritual, stop, stand still and smile"

To stop the pestering, I quickly smile, mum smiling at the camera, and let her take the photo. "We done?" 

"Yes, now let's go"

"Nervous?" Keira asks as we drive along the streets of Barcelona.

"Yeah" I mumble, gazing out the window, my heart pounding in my chest.

Starting a new school was terrifying at the best of times, the whole make new friends and fit in thing, however, imagine doing all that, just in a completely different country with schools with different rules, standards and, don't forget, a completely different language. Well I didn't have to imagine anymore. This was about to become a reality for me, in approximately 3 minutes according to the satnav.

"You'll be fine Maise, it wouldn't surprise me if they all love you, after all you're an exciting new English kid whose mum's a footballer" Keira shrugs.

"That makes it even worse, I'll just get bombarded with Spanish" 

"No, they'll probably all be fluent in English" Mum says just as the school comes into sight, "and look at that, we're here"

"Oh god" I shrink into my seat, pulling the rucksack over my head, covering my face. I hear mum and Keira get out the car before I feel my door get opened.

"Cmon, out ya get" 

"Hi, nice to meet you, I'm Lauren, I'm one of the English teachers here and your tutor" A lady with wavy blonde hair and an English accent holds out her hair towards mum and Keira, as I stand awkwardly in the reception. "And you must be Maisie, nice to meet you too" She smiles at me as I nod, not really sure what to say. "I'm here to show you guys around and make you feel as settled as you can be here, Maisie, I'm guessing you're a bit nervous?"

"Yeah, just a tad" I laugh nervously.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine, you're also not the only kid we've got here who's from England, gone through the exact same process you'll go through"

I nod again, still not really sure what to say or do.

"Our headmaster will be in shortly to have a chat with you all, but I'll warn you, his English is a bit hit and miss" I laugh slightly, already warming to this English teacher. It was comforting to know at least I had one person in the school who I could ask questions without a language barrier in the way. 

Lauren chats away with us for another 5 minutes, before a rather tall, dark haired man strides into the room. "Maisie, hello" He holds out a hand to me, to which I shake, and then plonks himself down in the armchair after greeting mum and Kei. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you" He says in an incredibly thick accent, it's slightly difficult to work out what he's saying. "You are 15, yes?"

"Yeah" I nod.