One of the Popcorns

The First Day of School

Four months later, the following school year

Week One, Monday

It felt odd to be in dark blue, not pale blue. Unfortunately, it was still a dress and there was no badge on the pocket. But on a positive side, I would be away from all the people who bullied me. I was on the bus with my heavy school bag with all my books. Mum wouldn't be able to get me to Cockburn before eight and get to work on time. I was the first from Silver Oak College to get on the train, the others didn't start getting on until Kwinana or Wellard. I got off at Cockburn Central and found the bus that all the other kids from my new school were on. It was a little cramped and made my claustrophobia kick in. Considering I saw heaps of Panarama kids on the train I got on, I knew that I should have gotten on an earlier bus.

I walked through the gate as the bell went and walked to the reception. There were about nine other students there, who I assumed were the other new kids in year eight to twelve. I was told to sit down and the lady left. She came back with ten sheets of paper and called out the names on them. With my last name being Arebi, I was first to be called. I was handed my sheet. On the obverse side, it was a timetable with boring grey lines to mark each class. The reverse side had a map of the school. I had Pastoral Care, which I always knew as PC in Room 4A, which was rather close. Unlike Panarama, where PC had a mix of all the grades but stayed within one House, this one had the same grade but different Houses. Because the bell had gone, most of the tables had been filled, except for one at the front and one in the back corner. Everyone knew that sitting at the front on your first day was a bad idea, so I went to the seat at the back. It took me until I sat down that I realised I had chosen the spot next to the 'Popcorn' looking kids. The popular ones. I looked around and it appeared that there was a clear social structure in that room. The 'Corns', or unpopular kids were in the front. That was the biggest group in the class, maybe eighteen or twenty of them. The 'Kernels' were the kids in the middle. Well known, but irrelevant. People knew their names and who they were, maybe a thing or two about them, but they never got invited to the parties. Some of them, like me at Panarama, were hated. The only reason they received the Kernel status was because they were known within the grade. At the top of the food chain were the Popcorns, the four of them in the room. They always got the invites and everyone wanted to be their friend, but they tended not to be overly intelligent because they cared more about their social life rather than school. They were also meaner and didn't really care about others, as long as they were still up the top. It was a miracle to find a Popcorn with the traits and attributes of a Corn. The Corns didn't have friends in constant supply, so they valued it more, it meant more to a Corn. I noticed the Popcorns whispering and my insecurities instantly came back. Was my hair messy? Was my dress too long? Shoes too polished?

'What's your name?' One of the boys asked. I could see why he was a Popcorn, he was too hot to be anything else.

'Jordyn.'

'Where you from?' One of the girls asked. In a way, I recognised her, but I couldn't put a name to a face.

'Like school?' I asked back, trying not to stutter. I learned over time that it was better not to show any weakness to their species. Being an introvert and someone who people would tend to avoid, having Popcorns talk to me was discomforting.

'Yes, I don't recognise you.'

'I'm new, came from Panarama.'

'Went there in Year 7. Trinity Fraley, nice to meet you.' Shock creeped up my spine.

'Felix said you were dead.'

'Classic Felix, making up all his stupid lies again. Don't be so gullible next time.' I nodded. I went to turn around. 'Wait, how did you know instantly who I am?'