99 | Phan

Chapter One

Seventh grade is such an awkward time. Some people expect you to act like an adult and some people still treat you like a kid. You don't fit in children's clothing but the adult section is too big for you. You're too old to order off the kid's menu but the adult menu has too big of portions. You're still trying to figure out who you are, what you like, and what you want to do with your life. Then, to top it all off, adults expect you to start maturing and making your own decisions, but everyone knows you're still too little and you can't take that kind of pressure. 

Well, seventh grade is where our story begins.  

The date is August 29th, and it's the first day of school on a dreary foggy day in the small town of Wormwood, England. The wind blows a little but not too much and the sun is nowhere to be seen, blocked out by the never ending sheet of clouds that always seemed to cover the city.

The kids seem dreary and foggy themselves,  too. None of them are ready to be back sitting in classrooms all day. Just last week, they were out playing in the sun, running around, swimming, playing sports, and just being kids. But now, and for the following long months, they'd have to be stuck in a classroom all day long, doing homework and assignments and projects. 

~Phil's POV~

My head filled with the clanging of our school bells. Yes, actual school bells. Our school's SO old fashioned. I gulped and pulled up my left backpack strap with my right hand as it starts to slip of my shoulder, and quickly adjusted my tie and blazer before taking a deep breath and walking through the doors of my school.

I looked around as I walked, observing the endless rows of space gray lockers and unwelcoming brick walls, plastered with a poster here or there that said "You can do it!" Or "Hang in there!" For a moment, I thought I was lost but them remembered that I still knew my way around from the tour I was given and switched directions, running and sliding myself into the last open desk in what I assumed was my home room just as the bell rang.

The teacher at the front of the room eyed me, disappointed, before picking up a clipboard and taking attendance and then picking up a different piece of paper. She cleared her throat and began speaking.

"Hello children, and welcome to your first day of school. If you have not assumed so already, I am your home room teacher, Miss Cleveland, and I would like to inform you that first and foremost, although the purpose of home room is to become acquainted with other classmates, I will have zero tolerance for fun and disrespect in this classroom. Each day, for the duration of this block, you may study, do homework assignments, work on projects, or discuss any topic of your choice with classmates sitting near you but please keep in mind, the volume level must be at a minimum or I will forbid socialization completely. I hope you students have a wonderful year, and remember, if you do what I ask, we could get along smoothly."

I watched as she stuck her nose in the air and then sat down at her desk. For a minute or so after she sat, the entire classroom was quiet, and then it started to fill with scared whispers of my fellow classmates.

I felt a tap on my left shoulder, and I turned to see a friendly looking girl sitting next to me. She was short, and had long, dark, wavy hair that was slightly frizzy and seemed to change color every time she moved. One moment is was brown, then black, the reddish.

"Hi. I'm Jess, and I think it's for the best if we're best friends." She smiled, and stuck out her hand. I smiled back, and shook her hand firmly.

"I'm Phil." I said shyly. I was nervous, but my anxiety was starting to melt away. I'd already made a friend in my new school.

"So what do you think of Miss Cleveland?" Jess whispered, nodding her head in the teacher's direction.

"I think she seems crazy- I have a feeling it's gonna be a LONG year in here..." I replied, cringing.

Jess chuckled. "And I have a feeling you're right about that."

~Dan's POV~

"Stupid honors piano class. I'll never find the classroom, and the bell rang five minutes ago. I can't believe I'm late on my first day..." I muttered to myself as I glanced from my schedule to the rather confusion direction signs on the wall, trying to find the music classroom. You see, my mum had enrolled me in an honors piano class that would take the place of homeroom. She loved hearing me play piano but my teacher had stopped giving lessons, so she put me in this new private school.

I looked up from my schedule in surprise as I ran into a girl who was kinda tall, skinny, and seemed to be just as confused as I was. She had dirty blonde hair pulled back into a messy ponytail and freckles dotting across her nose.

"Did I hear you say you're looking for the honors piano classroom, by chance?" She asked me, embarrassed.

I nodded meekly. "Well, yes."

"I am too. I've been looking around here forever and I can't even find a teacher to ask for directions... Man, this school is crazy... I'm new here!" She ranted.

I smiled slightly. "I'm new here, too! My name's Dan. It's nice to meet you, uh..."

"Lise! My name is Lise. It's nice to meet you, Dan!" She smiled at me. 

I smiled back but then glanced at my watch. "Aww, man, we're already 10 minutes, late to class!"

"Oh no... Gosh. By the time we find the room, the school day will be over!" Lise giggled nervously, as she fidgeted with her map.

We both looked around, searching for any sign of the honors piano classroom or any directions to there, but we still had no luck.

"Excuse me, you two. Aren't you supposed to be in class?" A deep voice boomed behind us.

"Yes, well, no, well-" I stuttered.

"We can't find our class, sir." Lise informed him politely.

"Where are you going?" The man asked us.

"Honors piano." We both replied in sync, and then laughed a little. I was starting to like Lise, and I was hoping to become friends with her.

"Come this way, I'll show you." Said the man, and he led us off down the hall to a classroom that, as it turned out, we had both walked past a hundred times.