2022 Version |
Nina Torres has everything she could ever dream of. Friends who stick by her side, a family that supports her, and a cute boyfriend. High school is going to be the best years of her life.
Lucas McKlane is a boy who tries to blend with...
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The sun was warm against my cold skin as I hopped out of the truck. I grabbed my purple Jansport backpack and closed the truck's door. I tucked my hair behind my ear and I looked up and saw that my two best friends were behind the truck, waiting for me.
"Hey, girlies!" I giggled.
Lily, who had straight black hair and side bags, walked up to me and gave me a big hug. She pulled back, her smile wide. "Oh God, we missed you so much!"
Then there was Candy, who had a different look since I last saw her in May. Her hair was cut just above her shoulders and the ends were a faded purple.
Candy rolled her eyes and we hugged. "So," Candy said. "How was your trip to Mexico?"
I stared at Lily, who was too busy staring at Joel, my ride to school, and my older brother. "It was okay," I shrugged, "a little hot, mosquitos, but I had fun."
"Okay, come on Nina," Joel called out, "We have to pick up our schedules."
Joel walked ahead of us as the girls and I walked behind him as Lily talked about how her dad taught her how to drive over the summer.
" —It was so easy! Soon, we don't have to ride the bus anymore," Lily said.
"Don't you have to be like sixteen to get your license?" Candy asked.
"No," I spoke, "Joel recently got his permit, and when he turns eighteen then he'll get his license."
I reached out and pulled the doors towards us. There was a second set of doors and Lily pulled them this time. I took my first steps into the school. I looked around, but there wasn't much to see. School started in twenty minutes, but it seemed the whole school was here already.
The entrance was filled, but taking a second look I realized they were making lines. Wow, nothing like middle school where the teachers refused to let us in if we didn't make a perfectly straight line to go back inside from recess.
"Uh, what are we supposed to do?" Lily questioned.
"Um," I looked ahead and tried to see what was at the front of the line. I then got a glimpse that said 'FRESHMAN' and then I realized what it was for. "Oh, it's the line to get out schedules."
Trying to stick together in a space where six-foot tall boys and way older and pretty girls were hard to navigate. We got to the end of the line and soon we were at the front.
"Last name?" asked a blonde woman, a teacher, of course, as she stared at me for an answer.
"Torres," I responded.
She shuffled through piles of papers. It took a while until she looked up and said, "Nina Torres Gonzalez?"
"Yup!" She handed me my schedule and Lily was next in line. As I waited for them, I looked through my schedule. First things first, I had to find my locker.
