Chapter 3
Waking up was not something that I enjoyed doing, especially when it was to the sound of an extremely annoying alarm clock.
Letting out a loud, frustrated groan, I turned over, burying my face deep into my pillow as I threw an arm out to the side and continued slamming my hand down until I succeeding in hitting the sleep button, stopping the horrible beeping sound my alarm had been making.
After staying in my bed for a couple extra minutes of relaxation, I sighed, knowing that I had to get out of bed and get myself ready for the long day that was to come.
Today was the first day of school.
I had been going to school with the same people for the last thirteen years and, suddenly, I was in a whole new place, starting completely over for my senior year.
Throwing my comforter to the side, I slid my feet off of my bed until they touched the floor before bringing my body upright and stretching out my tired muscles.
Putting my hand over my mouth as I yawned, I noticed that there were no sun rays shining into my room this morning. Walking over to my curtains, I pulled them open in hope for some extra light however, I was greeted with a sad sight. The sun wasn’t even out yet because I had set my alarm so early, needing time to get ready for the first day.
Rolling my eyes, I didn’t even attempt to close the curtains again before turning towards my en-suite and grabbing a towel for the one thing I knew would wake me up at this time in the morning; a nice warm shower.
As I stepped under the spray of my showerhead, I immediately felt all the stress in my muscle flow out of my body as I let my brain wander to the past week. I had visited the library a couple times, but I hadn’t run into Olivia again since the first day. However, the elderly librarian, that I later learned owned the aging building, had a kind heart and wasn’t afraid to strike up a short conversation on more than one occasion.
Clearing my head, I lathered my shampoo and conditioner into my hair one at a time before washing my body and turning off the water. I used the towel I had brought in here to dry my body off, running it through my hair a couple of times before tying it securely around my body.
I walked back into my room and smiled as I saw the slight array of brightness shining into my room. The sun was finally rising and as I looked at my bedside clock, I saw that I had been in the shower for a half an hour and it was now coming close to seven thirty.
Holding my towel up to my body, I used my free hand to open the door of my closet and run through my racks of clothes. Over the past week, when I wasn’t out and about checking out the town, I had spent my time unpacking the remainder of my belongings and finding a place for them to go. My closet had been one of the last things I wanted to unpack, but it had been done a couple of days ago and now it was overflowing with clothes.
Running my hand through the various racks, I finally decided on a black chiffon t-shirt that had a white polka-dot pattern, paired with a white bandeau and a pair of white denim shorts.
Pulling the clothing out of my closet, I smiled at my choice before dropping the towel and pulling them on after my underwear.
I walked over to the mirror and wasn’t disappointed as this outfit actually looked sort of good on me. I brought my damp towel up to my dripping hair, trying to get the excess water out as I walked back to my bathroom to finish getting ready.
Twenty minutes later, as I finished french braiding my hair, I smiled tentatively at myself in the bathroom mirror. As I started to move around the bathroom again, I brushed my teeth and applied a small amount of lip-gloss and mascara. I wanted to blend in with the people in my new school and going over and above was just not my thing so, I went for a cute but innocent look.
After giving myself a final onceover in the mirror, I exited the bathroom and went over to the side of my room where I had set up my desk. I had gone school shopping with my mom two days ago and had bought all the essentials; pens, binders, paper, etc. Throwing all my supplies into my bag, I picked up the shoulder strap and threw it on before heading downstairs for a quick breakfast.
Barreling down the stairs I made sure I didn’t trip before turning towards the kitchen as my feet met the bottom floor.
Entering the kitchen, I saw my mom in her work clothes, looking slightly nervous about starting her new job. I went over to her and placed my hands on top of her shaking ones.
Giving her a comforting smile, I tried to calm her nerves. “Mom, calm down.” I said in a slightly amused voice. “You were amazing with the kids back home, and the kids here will love you just as much as they did.”
It looked as though my words had given her encouragement as her shoulders visibly relaxed and she let out a long breath. “Thanks sweetie.” she replied. “That was just what I needed to here.” she continued, bringing her arms around me in a comforting hug.
As she pulled back, she brought her hands down to her side to smooth out her blouse. “So, how do I look?” she asked, biting her lip in anticipation for my reply.
I looked over her outfit once again. She was wearing a coral short sleeve blouse that fit her perfectly and a sophisticated black skirt that stopped right above her knee but, what really tied her outfit together was her black flats that had a small white flower on the top. She hadn't really been wearing anything other than her everyday casual clothes for the past couple of weeks, but that hadn't stopped her from looking good this morning.
“You look good mom, totally professional.” I replied.
She smiled at me and nodded to my outfit. “Thanks, but you definitely look amazing today. What’s the special occasion?” she asked teasingly as I rolled my eyes. She clicked her tongue jokingly before continuing. “Oh that’s right, my little girl is starting her senior year today.”
She looked at me as though I was the most important thing in her world, to which I rolled my eyes again once more. “Mom, it’s not that big of a deal. It’s the first day of school and that’s all, I just want to fit in here.” I replied nervously.
She gave me an encouraging smile, putting her arm around me as she looked me in the eyes. “This isn’t your old school Jessa, and I’m sure that even if you don’t put yourself out there and just stay in the shadows nobody will treat you badly. This looks like a good town so give some of the people a chance.” she explained.
“Well, I met this girl at the library last week. “ I said, playing nervously with my fingers.
My mom raised an eyebrow in surprise. I hadn’t told her about my encounter with Olivia as I thought she would think I was adjusting and making friends, but really, nothing extravagant was changing about my personality.
“Oh really?” she asked, her surprise evident in her tone of voice.
I nodded shyly. “I was at the library reading and a girl my age named Olivia came over and started talking to me. Apparently she could tell I was new since everybody knows each other around here, and we talked for a couple minutes before she had to leave. She’s a student at the high school and she seemed nice enough.” I explained.
My mom smiled at me, seemingly proud. “That’s great Jessalyn. I know you’re not all that social and that’s completely fine with me, but at least you can see that there’s a possibility for you to make friends here.” she replied.
I nodded. “A small possibility, but it’s still there.”
“So, how about a quick breakfast before we both head out?” my mom asked, smiling at me as she walked around to the pantry and bent down to grab a box of cereal.
“Cocoa puffs please.” I replied, settling myself into one of the end seats at the kitchen table.
Breakfast was quick, but delicious. Cocoa puffs were probably my favourite cereal and I was just lucky that my mom wasn’t a health freak like some of the other parents I knew. In fact, my mom sat across from me the whole time as she dug into her own bowl of the sugary cereal.
Once I was finished, I stood up and placed my utensils in the sink, making sure not to leave a mess behind.
Checking the clock on the wall, I was surprised that it was already eight ‘o’clock and that school was set to start in a little less than half an hour.
Going over to grab my bag that I had set on the ground, I picked it up and threw the strap over my shoulder before turning to my mom. “Well, I think I’m gonna head out now, hopefully I can find my class before the first bell rings.” I said.
“Oh okay, do you need a ride to school?” she asked, getting up from her seat and putting her dishes in the sink before starting to clean off the table.
I shook my head, replying with a negative answer. Over the last week I had found the way to my new high school and it actually wasn’t that far away, maybe a ten minute walk into town at the most.
“No, it’s fine, I’m just going to walk. I know the way so I’ll be fine.” I replied.
My mom nodded before coming over and giving me one last hug before I left. “Okay and good luck. I hope you like this school much better than the last one.” she said with a smile as she pulled back from the hug. “Now get out of here and have a good year.” she said teasingly, pushing me towards the front entryway.
I laughed as I headed for the entryway, stopping to put my favourite pair of black gladiators on before heading out.
As I walked down my driveway, I felt the rising sun beating down on my exposed skin. Today would definitely be a hot one because it was already scorching outside and the morning had barely even started. I had been getting used to the warm air and the humidity as the days passed, and I was smart enough to know not to leave my hair down when the weather was like this - it would just turn into one big tumbleweed after an hour or two.
The walk was long enough and on my way I spotted a couple of cars pass by that held kids that would more than likely be in some of my classes, yet they didn’t know who I was.
Standing in front of the school gates, I took a deep breath to calm my nerves before slowly making my way onto the school's property.
Even though I kept my head down as I walked towards the front doors of the school, I could still feel the confused and questioning stares of the people loitering around in the parking lot. I was probably the only new person starting this year and I had already figured out that this was a pretty tight-knit town however, I forgot about the fact that most of these people would probably want to know why I moved here out of all places.
As I raced up the front steps and opened the doors to Crestview High, I was immediately greeted with a blast of fresh air. As the door closed behind me, I was very glad that the town's school board had enough common sense to install air conditioners, unlike my old one where we had to crack the windows open on even the coldest of days.
Walking down the halls of this foreign building didn’t appeal to me in the slightest, and since I didn’t know how this place actually operated, I figured I would just look for the front office and see if they could help me out.
It turned out that the front office wasn’t as hard to find as I thought it would've been; it was just around the first corner I turned. I walked into the office and was immediately greeted by a middle-aged woman that I assumed to be the school’s secretary.
“Welcome to Crestview, I’m assuming you’re the new transfer student?” she asked in a cheery voice, awaiting my reply.
Nodding my head hesitantly, I smiled shyly. “Umm… yea, I’m Jessalyn Hartley and I was just wondering if I was supposed to come here to pick up my schedule?” I asked nervously, playing with one of the small key chains I had hanging from my bag.
“Of course!” the secretary exclaimed, moving her chair back slightly to rifle through a pile of papers she had stacked on her desk. “Schedules are usually mailed to students during the summer holidays but since you’re new we didn’t have time to fix up a schedule for you, but I have it right here.” she said, grabbing two sheets of paper from her desk and sliding them across the countertop towards me.
I picked up the two sheets and stole a glance on the one on top. It was my class schedule and it looked like this school operated with semesters as I was only given a schedule for the first half of the year. Looking over it again, I smiled when I saw that I was enrolled in all advanced classes, just like my other school had. Advanced functions, enriched chemistry, advanced English and enriched biology.
“Thanks, but what’s this for?” I asked, taking a look at the second sheet of paper she had handed to me.
“Oh sweetie, that’s a map of the school. This place is quiet big and new students, along with freshman, usually get lost a couple times when they first start here. The map is just handed out to make your first day slightly easier for you.” the cheery secretary stated.
As I looked at it again, I realized that it was indeed a map, showing the halls and classes that existed on each of the three floors.
“Jessalyn,” the secretary stated, getting my attention again. “This is your locker number and your combination, make sure not to forget it as it costs five dollars for the janitor to break a lock and for you to get a new one.” she explained, handing me a sticky note with all the information on it. “Now you should head out and find your way sweetie, classes start in about ten minutes.”
I nodded, grabbing the sticky note before turning around to leave the main office. Just as I was about to walk out the door, a body came crashing into me as they were headed inside.
“Watch where you’re going.” the voice stated rudely, pushing me away from him as I clutched the strap of my bag.
“No need to be such a jerk about it.” I threw back without thinking however, when my brain caught up to my mouth, I realized what I had just said and snapped my mouth closed as my eyes bulged slightly. Taking a look at the person I had just insulted, I held in a groan as I saw one fo the hottest teenagers I had ever seen. His hair was covered with a grey beanie, and he was at least a couple of inches taller than me.
“New girl’s got spunk huh?” he commented, lifting the side his mouth up into a smirk.
I didn’t want to get caught up in any drama this year and I certainly didn’t want to be the object of bullying again like I had been in my old school - I wanted to stay in the shadows and get good grades so I would be able to get into a good university for next year.
Before I could reply, the secretary that I was previously talking to addressed the boy in front of me. “Mr. Michaels, already sent to the principal’s office? This must be some sort of record.” she stated dryly, in the complete opposite tone she had been using with me.
“No, I’m just dropping by to say hello to my favourite figure of authority.” the boy replied in a sarcastic tone.
Great, not only had I bumped into a hot guy, it sounded like I also bumped into one of the bad boys in the school. As the boy was paying attention to the secretary, I took the chance to slip out of the office and head down the hallway without being noticed.
Taking my schedule out, I saw that my first class of the day was advanced functions and it was in room 206. As I memorized the room number, I took a look at the school map and quickly located the room that seemed to be on the second floor.
Tucking both sets of paper, along with my locker information into my bag, I headed for the first set of stairs I could find in this school. Before I reached the stairs, a slightly familiar girl came up beside me with a smile.
“Hey Jessalyn, remember me?” she asked, and I smiled shyly and nodded.
“Yea, hey Olivia.” I replied.
Olivia, who looked cute with a sleek ponytail and a light blue summer dress hanging loosely from her body, smiled at me as she realized I recognized her. “So, how are you finding your first day so far?” she asked.
“Well, considering the day has barely started, so far so good.”
Olivia just shook her head in amusement at my reply. “What classes do you have this semester?” she asked.
“Umm…” I said, reaching into my bag to grab my schedule before opening it and handing it to her.
“Oh! We have functions and biology together.” she stated excitedly.
“That’s great, now would you mind if I followed you to functions so I don’t end up getting lost on my way there?” I asked shyly, not used to having anybody talk to me in school.
Olivia nodded with a smile as she handed my schedule back to me. “Sure, let me just stop by my locker and grab my I-pod before we head upstairs.” she said, nodding down the hall.
I nodded and went along with her. “Sure.”
As we walked beside each other down the hall, we made small talk and I realized that Olivia was actually really nice, which made me wonder why she wasn’t hanging out with her own friends. Whatever the reason, I was glad that I seemed to be making one friend on my first day of school.
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Update! And I hope you all enjoyed it. I know that this may be a little long but I just want to build up Jessalyn’s life before going into the real plot of the story but don’t worry, next chapter will definitely be interesting :)
Hope you take your time to vote for this chapter and leave you feedback or opinions in the comment section below, it would really mean a lot to me !