How a Year Can Change Your Life

Prometheus School of Running Away From Things

The ice cream shoppe was cute, Piper had to admit. It was pastel and had little stools on the bar when you could order your ice cream.

There was also an outdoor patio, which was where Piper and her mom and dad sat currently eating there ice cream.

"So, Piper," Her dad said, "We know you're probably upset about everything, but we promise, it will get better soon. School starts in a month, and by then I'm sure you'll have made plenty of new friends to help you get around."

"Yeah!" Piper has always been really good at controlling my emotions. If she wanted to be happy, she would be happy. "I heard that the school is really good!"

"Yes, they have really good teachers and a bunch of different activities."

They talked about the school for a while. It was a big public school, near where they were sitting at the moment in fact, Piper could see it's steeple. Her parents had already met with the principal, and they said that she was very nice and would help Piper if she needed any.

"Your father and I need to go get some stuff," Her mother said, "How about you explore the town and meet us back here at five?"

"Cool," Piper got up, "See you guys."

"See you," Her parents could be cool at some points.

~

The town was actually pretty big, though there was only actually one school, the one Piper was going to go to. They weren't actually in Naples, but a smaller town near Naples, that considered itself a part. Piper just went with it. Best not to do anything wrong now.

She found herself at the school. Her parents were right, it was big, with a huge grassy area outside.

Surprisingly enough, there were a lot of other kids around her age milling around. She would have thought that they would want to avoid school. Maybe the kids here were different from where she came from.

She approached the front doors. There was a statue in the front honoring some man that she didn't really care to look at. The grounds reminded her of something more from a college than a high school.

Despite the fact, Piper wasn't intimidated. Although she had never moved before, facing new things was not a new experience.

"Hello," two girls, both around her age, were approaching her. "My name's Dagney." She had dark skin and her hair was big and wild. "What's yours?"

"Um..." Piper stuttered. Were people normally this nice? Naples was so different from what she was used to. "My name's Piper. I'm new here in Naples."

"Oh you're Piper!" The other girl exclaimed, "I've heard all about you!"

"You have?" Apparently news spread quickly too.

"Yeah, my dad's part of the police system here. I sometimes listen in on his conversations." She said it proud that's for sure. Piper decided she liked this girl.

"And she tells me stuff so then I'm informed." Dagney interrupted. Piper looked back at the other girl.

"Oh sorry, my name is Dora." She was hispanic and had short, pixie cut hair. She smiled and said, "People always tease me 'cause I have the same name as Dora the Explorer but I don't care. My name is technically Greek though. It means 'gift'." She talked really fast like she had so much to say, but so little time. Maybe she actually did.

What struck Piper though, was the fact that she said how people teased her. She'd been in this town for almost a day and there has been no one she'd met who has acted mean to her at all. She was starting to wonder if the bullies existed at all.