After Everything

Chapter Six: First Day Jitters

Lola stood apprehensively in front of her new high school, waiting for the first morning bell to go off so she and her peers could be let in. She held the school map closely to her chest, running her locker number and combination over and over again in her head so she wouldn't forget. She felt embarrassed peaking at her map in the hallways, fearing that someone would make fun of her.

She then figured taking a picture of it would be her best bet so she could look down at her phone and avoid eye contact with anyone she walked past.

The first morning finally bell rang, nearly sending her into heart failure. She took a deep breath, knowing she needed to calm down. There was no need to be so anxious. Everything would go fine.

She followed behind the crowd of people who walked through the front door, trying to stay hidden. She knew she would stay out of trouble that way.

Her eyes widened once she stepped foot into the school. It had a big entrance with high rise ceilings. The white and turquoise walls made the school feel even bigger than it was, making her anxiety of getting lost even worse. She glanced down at her map, trying to find the location of her locker. 328. She assumed that was upstairs, but she couldn't be too sure.

She made her way up the staircase anyway, hoping for the best - but the upstairs was even scarier. Lockers were everywhere. She didn't even know where to begin. Her eyes landed on the lockers beside her. 128, 129, 130. She figured she was in the right place.

She walked further down the hallway, trying her hardest to avoid eye contact with the people that walked past her - but she was truly struggling. She found it hard to ignore the herd of football players walking past her, all clothed in a turquoise and white jersey. She gulped, feeling even more intimidated. Her eyes then caught sight of cheerleaders, whose uniforms were the same turquoise and white color as the football jerseys. She quickly looked away.

245, 246, 247 ... she was getting closer to her locker. Thank god, she thought to herself. She didn't know what she would do if she didn't find it. She was too nervous to ask someone. 320, 321, 322 ... she was in the right place! At least she was already off to a good start.

Then bam!

She spoke too soon when she collided with someone in front of her. The sound of items dropping onto the floor made an obnoxious and piercingly loud noise. An unnecessary amount of attention was drawn towards her, making her feeling very embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," said the high-toned voice of the girl in front of her. Lola looked down at her picking up a pair of black and white cleats, a textbook, a binder, and shinguards. "That was my fault."

Lola immediately outed herself. "No, that was my fault. I wasn't looking."

The girl stood up from kneeling on the ground, struggling to hold all of the items in her hands. Lola's eye caught the turquoise soccer uniform she was sporting. The girl furrowed her eyebrows. "You look familiar."

"Don't tell me we've met and I don't remember you," Lola laughed nervously, praying that wasn't the case. "I'm Lola Cook."

"Oh!" Exclaimed the girl as her eyes widened. "You're the new girl!"

Lola shook her head. "Is that what everyone is referring to me as?"

"Yeah, sorry," she said, not making Lola feel any better about the nickname she was destined to receive. "I'm Cassie Mendez," she greeted, alarming Lola. She was another one of the girls Jake warned her about. She instantly tensed up, not knowing how to act around her. "I was at the party Jake invited you to but we never formally met."

Lola was pleasantly surprised by her. She didn't seem at all like Jake described her as - short-tempered and a ball of fire. She seemed so cute and innocent. Maybe it was her appearance that portrayed her that way? She was small-figured and had cute facial features - a small nose, big blue eyes, and a pretty smile. Even though she only had said a few words, her charm pulled Lola in. She seemed fun and friendly.