ASSIGNED

Chapter 1

I woke up, the aches and pains from my body hitting me like a truck. I wasn't particularly strong, and doing multiple trips to and from the truck, up and down the stairs, carrying boxes full of clothes, shoes, decorations, and furniture wasn't exactly an enjoyable experience. The aftermath wasn't good either, probably worse. I pulled myself out of bed, groaning as I did so. It was 6:30am, and my new school started at 8:40am. I sighed in relief as I realised I had enough time to have a relaxing shower to release some of the tension in my muscles.

I let my eyes pan around my new room, full of half unpacked boxes and furniture still covered in old bed sheets. It was a lot bigger than my old room back in Adelaide. We were lucky enough to be able to afford a house in a really nice area just above the Queensland border. I admired my new room gratefully. It had an ensuite, a walk in wardrobe and a beautiful bay window that looked out onto our street. Gorgeous trees lined each side of the road, and since it was Autumn they were beautiful shades of orange and red. I looked down at our front yard just as my mother was pulling our car into the driveway. We had been sharing a car since we moved here last week since I had to sell my car in Adelaide. It was old and wouldn't have survived the long drive to Queensland.

I dragged my tired body into my ensuite and turned on the shower. The steam filled the room as I stripped out of my pyjamas and stepped into the cubicle. I let the hot water run over my body. I felt my muscles instantly relax and I sighed loudly. My sigh turned into a groan as I realised that I had left my shampoo and conditioner in a box in my room. I cursed to myself as I quickly grabbed a towel, running out to my room and trying to wet the carpet as little as possible. I grabbed the box full of toiletries and picked it up, carrying it back into the bathroom.

Washing my hair was always a task as it was relatively thick and fell down to my tailbone. I was one of those people that went through a bottle of conditioner in about two weeks. I lathered my legs with shaving cream and got out my razor, making sure to get every single hair. Today was my first day of school and I wanted to make a good first impression, even though I was fairly sure no one would notice if I had spiky legs. I thought about who I would meet, what friends I would make and potential love interests. I had been talking to a guy from my old school in Adelaide but nothing ever came from it. All it was was a boost to his ego and a stab in my back. I vowed to myself that at this school I wasn't going to let anyone in as easily as what I had in the past. I had learnt to put walls up, and I'd be damned if I let anyone break them down.

I got out of the shower and dried myself off, throwing my hair up into a hair towel to let it dry. I wrapped my towel around my body and walked out to my room. I had made sure to take my uniform out of the box the night before, ensuring that it wasn't creased. My uniform consisted of black school shoes, white socks, a dark green plaid skirt, a white buttoned and collared shirt, with an optional dark green sweater with the schools logo. The high school I was attending was called 'Chadstone High School'. It wasn't a private or selective school, it was just the local public high school and I was perfectly happy with that. I wasn't brought up with a lot, and just the fact that we were able to live in a two level house in a beautiful suburb was more than enough. It was overwhelming, and I assumed that the local high school for such a beautiful area would still be amazing.

It was 7:15am by the time I had changed into my uniform, so I walked downstairs to have some breakfast. My mum was busying herself in the kitchen making herself a cup of tea. I walked into the kitchen and kissed my mum on the cheek.

"Morning, mum!" I said brightly, stepping around her to grab the bread off the counter.

"Morning, sweetie! Are you excited for your first day of school?" my mum asked excitedly. I could tell she felt guilty about having us move out here so suddenly, but she didn't need to be. I was sad to leave my friends behind, but a fresh start was exactly what my Mum and I needed.