Tomorrow Holds Such Better Days

“Anthony, you need to get up sweetie! You don’t want to be late on the first day of school,” my mother said as she walked into my room. It was 6:30 in the morning, yet she had gotten dressed and finished her make up to perfection. I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between us, the same dark brown hair, pale blue eyes and high cheek bones that defined both of our faces.

                “It’s only the first day for me, mom. Everyone else has been at school for two months already,” I replied.  I was still angry that we had to move to Washington from our home in California. So far all I had seen was rain, gray skies, and lots of trees. My mom has a job in construction, and I suppose that this Seattle suburb was the prime place for that because there were houses being built anywhere they could fit one in. Although I missed the sunshine and the warm beaches, there was an upside to moving. I could get away from my past, and hopefully make my mind a better place to live.

                I crawled out of bed as my mom left my room, satisfied that I was awake.  I brushed my shaggy hair, grimacing at the memory of guys calling me a “gay fag”. Hopefully this school will be different, and the people nicer. I pulled on my favorite sweater, which was red and had a beige pattern on it. I made sure my sleeves were pulled down, because I didn’t want to have a reputation on the first day. Then I put on some black skinny jeans and some converse. I finished getting ready, and ran to my bus stop to avoid being late.

                There were about five kids already there, and I knew immediately that I was not going to fit in with this crowd. They all wore khakis, polo’s and loafers and the way they styled their hair reminded me of the 50’s. They looked at me with a disgusted curiosity, like one might look at a dead squirrel on the side of the road. I unconsciously pulled my left sleeve down, and luckily the bus rounded the corner after a few moments of awkward staring, and we all got on.  I found a seat alone in the back, and pulled out my iPod, deciding to listen to some music to make myself feel better.

                The familiar tones of Fall Out Boy filled my ears, and I leaned back as the music calmed me. I looked out the window, waiting for the school to come into view. We rounded a corner and I gasped at the huge building in front of me. It was almost the length of the whole block, and three stories high.  I could see the nets of a tennis court in the background, and the outside of a very fancy football stadium. As we pulled into the parking lot, I couldn’t help but gape. The people around me looked at me like I was crazy, but I came from a small town in California. To me, this was a whole other world.

                I got off the bus and dashed to the office to get my schedule. Because I was considered intelligent, I was taking all honors classes. I started off to my first period, which was chemistry. I got confused looking at the map of the school because it was just so big and complex. I wasn’t watching where I was going, and I bumped into some

one and they dropped their books. I looked up to see it was a girl, and I bent down to help her pick up her books. I briefly wondered if this would be a something out of a cliché movie, where we would look up into each other’s eyes and stare. That didn’t happen though, the girl just smiled and thanked me and walked on.

                “Excuse me!” I called down the hall toward the girl. She turned around and I jogged over to her. “Hi, I’m sorry but I’m new and I have no idea where this class is. Can you help me find it?”

                She laughed and said, “Yeah I thought you looked new, but in a school this size you never know. And you are walking in the complete wrong direction. Just head down that hallway and it’s the second door on the right.” She pointed the opposite way down the hallway we were in, and I thanked her and walked to first period.

                My classes weren’t too difficult and past quickly. When lunch time came, I felt the familiar feeling of anxiety that has plagued for the past year. Pulling my sleeves down, I entered the cafeteria and debated where to sit. I don’t make friends easily, so there is no one I knew well enough to sit with. I awkwardly sat at an empty table and opened up my math book so I could get a head start on the homework. I could feel people staring at me and I got really self-conscious, and I kept pulling my sleeves down and just concentrating on my book.

                After what seemed like years, the warning bell rang and we all scurried off to our next class. I walked to gym, panic growing inside at the pit of my stomach. Gym had always been a source of terror for me, and I sighed as I realized I would have to change into a t-shirt. Let the humiliation begin.