Annica: Starseed Ambassador

Chapter 2: Extracurricular Activity

Annica finished her first day of high school without speaking to anyone at all.

The day began with first period biology and second period world history. The 90-minute classes mostly consisted of syllabi review and some basic instruction, without the social introductions that were more common at Annica's last school.

She ate alone during lunch. This came naturally to her; she didn't know anyone she would consider a friend, and she didn't feel inclined to assert herself into any social circles. It wasn't that she disliked other kids, but she was never really sure what to talk about, and she felt perfectly comfortable being alone. She had always preferred large, open social settings without the pressure of direct one-on-one interactions. Barring that, her own company was sufficient.

She picked up a salad from a food cart and sat on an isolated bench away from the main Quad area. Between bites of croutons and dressing-soaked lettuce, she read a bit of Alice in Wonderland. She was about halfway through the book, after spending a good portion of her summer vacation reading through classic literature. Several students shot Annica odd glances, puzzled by the sight of a freshman actively choosing social isolation on the first day of school. Annica paid them little attention. She was in her own world – one where climbing social hierarchies had no importance at all.

Immediately following lunch was gym class. She remained completely silent while changing her clothes in the locker room before the class began, somewhat surprised that other girls used this time to socialize. Annica hadn't been required to change into different clothes for physical education in middle school, and the whole situation seemed weirdly out of place to her. Why, she wondered, was an educational institution that was so strict about dress codes during other classes now forcing its students to strip down to their underwear in front of each other? She wasn't ashamed of her body, or really all that self-conscious, but regardless, the principle of the matter felt degrading. She hurried through the process as quickly as she could.

Annica was again surprised and a bit perturbed when the gym teacher started the class by asking the students to run several laps around the football field. The temperature was at least in the lower 90s, and after just 10 minutes Annica was already red-faced and soaked with sweat. Her heart was pounding, and instead of breathing rhythmically through her nose she was gasping for air through her mouth. Middle school physical education had mostly consisted of light recreational activities after a bit of stretching – nothing nearly this uncomfortable. The laps were followed by push-ups, jumping jacks and various other aerobic and anaerobic activities. By the end of the 90-minute ordeal, Annica's neatly braided hair had turned into a frayed mess.

The day ended with fourth period geometry. Even after changing out of her gym clothes and cooling off a bit, Annica still felt sticky and gross. She could tell that her natural body odor had overpowered the deodorant applied that morning, and she guessed others sitting nearby could probably tell too. The whole situation was highly unpleasant, and concentrating on math proved difficult.

She felt great relief when the final bell rang. She shoved her geometry textbook into her backpack and hurried off campus. Her house was about a mile from school, and the walk home provided a much-welcomed opportunity to clear her mind. The first half mile was a fairly typical suburb; little spacing lay between the single-family homes behind manicured lawns, and several stoplights directed after-school traffic.

The last half mile of Annica's walk took her down a single-lane, pothole-filled country road running through the outskirts of town. Traffic was almost non-existent here, and the houses were more derelict, with significant spacing between each one. Large fields of dry, overgrown grass home to noisy summertime crickets bordered the road and stretched for miles beyond each property.