Sidelines ✔️

03 • The First Day • 03

People knew who I was.

Different students whisper my name and eyed me up and down. It was like I had come back to school as a different person. I had returned to school as a Lakewood, and they had all taken note.

Joe and I made our way to our lockers and put our books inside. We compared our schedules and discovered we were in each other's first class, which was English with Mr Atwood. I was very pleased as Mr Atwood was my favourite teacher and now my best friend was in my class.

When we arrived in class, we were told to go and stand against the back wall. Me and Joe rolled our eyes at the tradition. Every year, Mr Atwood had a seating plan that he introduced at the start of the year and every year he refused to sit me next to Joe or Taylor. However, I knew we were to blame and Mr Atwood had learnt his lesson from freshman year.

"Right let's see..." Mr Atwood started as he looked down at the piece of paper that had the seating plan on it. "Allen, Baker, Campbell, Diaz and Dixon in the front row." Mr Atwood said, and those particular students went and sat down in the allocated row.

Whilst Mr Atwood read out the names, I looked towards the other students in the class. Some of them I knew and some I didn't. Nonetheless, two people stood out from the crowd. Both Tommy and Harry were stood to the far back corner of the classroom glaring at me.

Wonderful.

"Elliott, McCarthy, Hudson, Jackson and Jones in the second." Mr Atwood continued and I looked to Joe sadly as he went and sat down.

"Then Kennedy, Knight, Lakewood, Lakewood and Locke — I mean Lakewood — in the third."

Everyone's eyes were on me as I went and sat down. Not only had Atwood put me next to my Stepbrother's, but he had also just drawn attention to the fact I had changed my name and was now a Lakewood. Anyone who didn't know who I was before knew me now.

What made matters worse was that my peers didn't hide their curiosity. Instead, they continued to whisper and gawk at me as I made my way over to the third row where everyone else who had been allocated a row had already taken their seats. The only space left was the space between Harry and Tommy.

"This should be fun." Tommy smirked, leaning towards me.

"This should be fun," Harry whispered. "This where we get you back for embarrassing us at the party. Now not only at school will you have to face us in the school hallways, but you also have to sit in-between us every day — Monday to Friday — here in English."

I mentally groaned as I realised that I was now going to be trapped between the pair of them for the rest of the year. They hadn't even done me the curtsy of sitting next to each other. I was sandwiched me between the two of them. This was going to be a long year.

"How did we find the Great Gatsby? I trust you all read it over the summer?" Mr Atwood began after he got everyone in their seats. "Can anyone tell me what it's about?" Mr Atwood asked.

Tommy looked to me and smirked, "I think Charlotte knows."

Mr Atwood looked in our direction and gave me a humble smile. He had taught me since freshman year and knew how much I loved English. However, I could also tell that he knew that Tommy was trying to show me up.

Mr Atwood looked down at me with friendly eyes. "I'm sure Charlie can speak for herself, Mr Lakewood. Charlie have you got anything to say?"

Thank god, I'd read the book.

"It's about believing in a false dream, an illusion and the hollowness of the upper class." I replied, shooting Tommy a glare.

"Exactly. Now would anyone like explain how the upper class are portrayed in the novel?" Mr Atwood continued, but then turned to me as he past my seat and said: "Very good, Miss Lakewood."