Gone Soft

Ch. 1 - The First Day

Mia's pov:

It was the first day of 12th grade, I was honestly so done and tired of school that my usual first-day nerves were nonexistent. That was until I woke up 30 min past my alarm!

"Oh no, oh no no no! I can't be late for the first day!! Walking into class would be so awkward!" I thought to myself as I flew out of bed, threw on the school uniform I had laid out the night before, a navy blue polo shirt, and a figure-length skirt, then I practically ran out the door to the bathroom, where I threw on some mascara, perfume and brushed my hair. I rushed down the stairs, nearly tripping down the stairs. I knew I didn't have time for breakfast, so I grabbed a granola bar and ran out the door.

5 minutes late. As I waited for the front desk to write me up a tardy pass, I could feel my hands shaking, I told myself there's nothing to worry about, and just because the morning was ruff, didn't mean it would be a bad day or year.

The front desk lady handed me my pass, as I pulled out my schedule from my backpack, and quickly checked what room my first class would be in. Room 302. I had to walk nearly halfway across campus to reach my destination.

Finally, I arrived, gently opening the door, hoping for the least amount of stares. Sadly, nearly all heads turned, I put my head down and handed my late pass to my teacher.

" Late on the first day, I see Miss Mia?"

"Oh... I- I'm so sorry, it won't happen again- I promise!" My mouth was dry, and my voice cracked.

I glanced across the room, were there no empty seats? With a deeper look, there was only one, next to a boy with his head buried in his arm. I quickly walked toward him and sat down next to him. Flustered, I let out a "huff", causing him to raise his head, to which his bright blue eyes made contact with mine for a split second. I don't think he expected me to look, so he quickly put his head back down. I smiled, but it was too late. I focused my gaze forward and started taking notes. Occasionally I would glance over at him, his head was still down, and he wasn't taking any notes. The nerd perfectionist in me wanted to slap a pen and notebook on his desk, trying a little to never hurt.

I noticed his rather round, folded-over figure as I glanced at his folded arms. He was wearing a dark blue sweatshirt that had visible pilling on it and was rather snug around his waist, showing more of the soft curves of his love handles. His carrot red hair framed his chubby face, I quickly snapped out of the stare... Was I being rude? What possessed me to stare for so long? Was I judging him? I didn't want to judge him.

Class ended, and he stood up, quickly grabbed his stained backpack, and walked out at a fast pace. I realized he was much taller than I had thought, after not being doubled over. I resisted the strong urge to follow him, to attempt a conversation, but instead, my gaze followed him out the door.

Austin's pov:

I opened my eyes recently, I could already feel my stomach filling with first-day nerves. I had previously been homeschooled all of my high school experience since my middle school bullying experience, and today was my first day back in "normal school". I was terrified.

I slowly placed my feet on the floor, sitting on the edge of my bed. I hung my head over my disgustingly round abdomen. I felt my stomach rumble, reminding me of how I got so fat- eating food. I sighed, got up, and stumbled down the stairs for breakfast. I procured myself a large bowl of cereal and sat down to eat. I finished within minutes and poured myself another one. Cheerios weren't my favorite, to say the least, but as Dad put it they would "help me not have a heart attack before I hit 21". I quickly got ready for the day, trying not to focus on who looked back at me in the mirror, before heading out the door. As I entered the school building, I tried my best to make myself nearly invisible. I wanted to be invisible.

I arrived early enough to choose my seat in my first-period class. I was one of the first five there and decided to take a seat in the very back. I started to regret the excess cereal from earlier, as my bloated stomach, mixed with nerves was not a pleasant feeling. The class didn't start for another eight minutes, so I put my head down, wishing I could be anywhere but here.

Five minutes had passed since the bell rang, I heard the door open, and the teacher confronted the student for being late, but the next thing I knew, I felt a presence next to me, filling the air with a sweet aroma, coconut perhaps. My stomach dropped, did someone just sit next to me? She signed, frazzled and I subconsciously glanced over my arm, my gaze meeting that of a stunning girl, I was shocked. Why did she sit next to me? There had to be other seats open! I quickly turned away from her soft brown eyes, the light sun-kissed freckles on her cheeks, and her long blonde hair. My right leg started bouncing up and down, I couldn't help it, simultaneously, I started to sweat like a pig, "she must be disgusted to have to sit next to someone like me." my inner critic voiced, I heard her starting to jot down some notes, and I resisted the urge to make any more movements, even though I should probably be taking some notes too. Gosh, I hope she isn't late tomorrow so I can sit alone.

To my relief, the bell rang, and without looking in her direction, I quickly stood up, grabbed my backpack, and ran out the door. 

Authors note:

               If you enjoyed this chapter, please vote or comment and I'll hopefully see you down below!