"Mirielle...Mirielle... good morning mi estrella." I hear quiet coo-ing from my door way.
"Huh what?" I groan before realizing it's my dad.
"Cmon we don't want you to be late in your first day." My dad smiled as he turned on my lights. I sat up in my bed and huffed
"Why do I even have to go? It Friday!" I groaned.
"That's not up to me..." my dad put his hands up in surrender. "Alright I'll be downstairs, hurry up, you don't want to miss your bus." He said closing the door behind him.
I swung my legs around to the other side of the bed and stood up. I took a deep breath and ran my hand through my hair. I walked over to my dresser and opened a drawer to grab, a black turtle neck and big yellow tshirt that said 'Alaska' on it. I closed the drawer to open another to grab a pair of black jeans. I slipped on the outfit and threw on a pair of gold hoop earrings. I picked a claw clip from my desk in the corner and twisted it into my hair. I grabbed my grey backpack and walked out my door and downstairs. When I got into the kitchen I saw my father cooking at the stove and my mother standing at the kitchen island.
"Mirielle." she was short with me.
"Camilla." I looked her up and down.
"Good morning." She said to me.
"Morning." I responded making a bee line to the fridge.
"Are you excited about school today?" My mother asked me.
"Yep." I dryly answered her grabbing the oat milk and creamer. I walked over to the coffee machine and pressed the iced coffee button. I watched the coffee pour into my glass and added creamer and oat milk and stirred it with my straw. I know riveting stuff going on in this kitchen!
"Well breakfast is served my two wonderful ladies!" My dad smiled walking over to my mom and I with a plate full of chocolate chip pancakes. "Here you go me estrella." He smiled putting two pancakes on my plate and planting a kiss on my forehead.
"Thanks dad." I gave him a small tired smile.
"Here you go mi reina." My dad smiled putting some pancakes on my mom's plate.
"Ah gracias mi amor" she titled her head up at my dad for a kiss which lasted a little too long.
"Eww get a room you too." I complained with a mouth full of pancake.
"Ugh Mimi, it's completely normal for couple to kiss ..." my mom explained holding on to my dad's chin.
"Whatever I gotta go!" I insisted putting my plate in the sink and rushing over to my front door.
"Uh bup bup, you forgot something..." my dad sarcastically said.
I pivoted myself around and gave him a side hug. "Bye dad."
I walked back over to put my doc martens on and laced them as tight as I could. I opened up the front and walked out into the Massachusetts august air.
I made strides over to the corner where my bus stop is to see another girls with curly brown hair waiting there.
"Hey." I greeted her.
"Hey." She said back.
"What your name" I asked her.
"Ginny." She looked up at me annoyed.
"I'm..." I hadn't really thought about what I wanted to be called in the new town. I mean I don't mind people calling me Mirielle, but it's just too long and I can't stand the nick name Mimi, it's too childish. "Elle." I said after an uncomfortable five second pause.
No response back from her.
Before our riveting small talk could continue a big yellow school bus pulled up in front of us. The doors opened and Ginny and I were greeted with a rather plump woman.
"Mornin' ladies." The driver spoke. "M'name's Darla. And I will be driving you to and from school."
Ginny and I started walking into the bus. I popped a seat near the back where I knew I wouldn't be bothered. I put in my head phones and let myself be encased by the music while I stared out into the grey Massachusetts morning.
~~~~~~
The halls of Welsbury High School were exactly how those cheesy Disney movies described them.
Teens scattered throughout the hallway, almost as if they were little birds in flocks trying to stay away from the apex predators. Well if I've learned anything from the movies is that; if you want to fuck with the eagles, you're gonna need to learn how to fly.
Suddenly the school bell brought me back to reality and I was hit with the fact that it's just a high school and teenagers have friends.
The good thing about the school I that it was pretty small and hard to get lost. So finding classes wouldn't be that hard.
~~~~~~
I walked into the AP literature class only to be met with rows upon rows with of teenagers in designer brands and fake unkept perms. No sign of a cool teacher in sight.
"Can I help you?" An older man said to me very slowly.
"Uh-" I tried to respond before he cut me off.
"Sorry I'll say in your language. Puedo ayudarle?" He said in the most American Spanish I've ever heard. I caught on to what he was doing right away. Why do people always assume I was just dropped in this country. So I'm my most confident Spanish I said.
"Hola señor, yo soy la nueva estudiante en su clase. Estoy muy emocionada estar aquí!"
He looked at me dumb founded. "Also, I speak English." I added.
"Oh! Well I'm glad we have a- uh- multicultural student in our class! I presume you haven't read the mandatory summer reading. Now Mirielle, the AP students take this class very seriously, so if you feel this too much I suggest you do yourself a favor and drop down to regular English or possibly...ELL. Now we cover all the greats, Salinger, Miller, Homer, Fitzgerald. Sixteen books in total, I can get you Spanish copies if you want." The teacher told me while handing me a piece of paper with the reading list on it.
I quickly grabbed it from him. "It's Elle." I stated walking away. I walked to the only desk available was next to a girl in a very bright pink jacket and wild hair. Then the bell rang and I took my seat next to girl.
"Welcome to AP English. Now hiding in the back you'll find our newest student Mirielle Del Gado. I trust you will make her feel welcome here." Our teacher spoke at the class while holding a stack of papers
"It's Elle!" I rolled my eyes from the back.
"I know it's our first day back from summer break but I thought it was an excellent opportunity for a pop quiz. Those of you who didn't do the summer reading of the crucible, you are in for a world of pain." The teacher went on. "Uh- don't worry Mirielle, I don't expect you to have read it."
Ok I'm sick of this guys shit. I raised my hand.
"Yes Mirielle..." The teacher rolled his eyes at me.
"There are sixteen books on this syllabus-"
"Yes like I said you can always drop down-" He went on
"Fourteen of them were written by men, fifteenth of them were written by white people. And I'm guessing the one book written by a black man will conveniently roll around during black history month. Am I right?" I look him dead in the eyes.
"Excuse me?" He questioned, turning bright red.
"I'm very serious about my education Mr.Gitten. And as your newest 'multicultural' student, I'm worried that I might internalize the main viewpoint, the view point worth studying in class, the viewpoint of 'the greats': is only that of the white man thus eradicating my voice as immaterial. Finally I'm worried I won't be stimulated intellectually." I said with nothing but a firm smirk on my face. Which made the whole class laugh. "Also, I've read the crucible. In English, so I think I should be just fine taking the pop quiz for today"
"Are you finished, Mirielle?" Mr. Gitten asked with sourness in his voice.
"No, please call me Elle." I smiled.
"Well I don't know how you did things at your last school, But here we don't tolerate political outbursts or grant standing at the expense of your peers' class time-"
Then the girl in the pink jacket raised her hand.
"Yes Maxine?" He raised his voice.
"Hi... I'm ... like also super concerned about my subconscious digestion of the superiority of the white male perspective. And also, I have period cramps so can I go to the nurse?" She smiled sarcastically.
After she was done she looked over at me and did a small hand clap.
AN: I think after this chapter I might write the rest of the book in third person