The Chase ▹ Ashton Irwin

CHAPTER THREE

AN: sorry there isnt much excitement! its going to start picking up soon :))

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I woke up around 6:00am the next morning. My room was just like the way i left my old ones: full of boxes. I decided I would clear things out and organzie everything this weekend. I dug through a box and I hastily threw on a pink dress and a pair of white toms. I wound my hair up into a slick bun on top of my head and put on a little blush, followed by some brown mascara.

I had to go into my new school around 6:45. It starts at 7:30, but I need time to check in and get my schedule. It was 6:30 by the time i had finished a bowl of cereal and packed whatever i needed in my gucci purse (it fits all my binders and whatnot). "Mom," I called. "You ready?"

My mother came down the stairs and led me to the garage and into her van. I have my liscense, but I have absolutely no idea where my new school is. "How far away is it?" I asked. "Oh, its only about 5 minutes," my mother replied. "You could even walk, too."

I decieded not to walk, ever, because I could end up getting dirty or messing up my hair. We drove in silnce as my heart bagan to pound harder. I shouldn't be this nervouse, should I? I know I'll make friends, but I assume that being the new kid after the school year has already started is pretty tough. Before I knew it my mom stopped the car and I looked outside. "This is it," my mother said. "Palo Verde High School."

I nodded and looked over to her. "You nervous?" she asked. I shrugged. "I'll be alright." I smiled as I grabbed my bag and opened the door. "Do you need me to come in with you?" my mother asked. "No I'm alight," I responded. "I'll text you once I get my schedule."

I slowly walked into the brown buliding, and out into an open courtyard area. There were barely any kids here, so I thanked myself for going in early. I saw across the courtyard where I needed to be. The office. I kept walking, trying not to draw attention to myself.

I turned the corner and before I could blink my eyes,  I'm knocked right off my feet, and onto the ground. I hit the cold floor with a smack to my hands and the side of my face. I was too shocked to really process what had just happened, for this seems to be the absolute most predictable thing to happen on a girl's first day at a new school, right? All I see is me on the floor, along with my books and bag. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" I hear a voice behind me. I turn my body to see a girl standing over me. She looked about my age, a junior, and she had blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She helped me up on to my feet and picked up my books. "Are you alright?" she asked, carefully putting my books back into my bag. "Y-yeah, I'm fine." I stuttered. She studied me for a minute. I was beginning to feel uncomfortable. "I've never seen you," she finally said. "Are you new?"

"Yeah... I moved in yesterday." I replied. She smiled. "Well, welcome to Palo Verde! Where nothing is as good as your old school! Well, that's just what I'm guessing. This place sucks." She must've noticed the confused look on my face. "Not to scare you or anything! its a good school! Damn it, I'm blowing it right now."

We both laughed. "Its no trouble, I'm just a little shy I guess." I said. "I'm Brooke."

"Jessie." the girl replied. "Do you have your schedule?"

"No I was just on my way to go get it..." I looked passed her to see the office was not too far away anymore. "I'll take you over there! And then I'll show you around and let you meet the girls!" Jessie said happily. I nodded and followed her to the office. Jessie casually walked in and up to the front desk. "Mrs. Stevens," she said to the old lady working at the computer. She looked up and met my eyes.

"Are you Brooke Anderson?" she asked. I nodded. She handed me a little slip of paper and asked Jessie if she would show me around. I looked down at the piece of paper to see my classes. First I had AP Art, then AP world history, then Spanish 3, then Calculous, then AP chemistry, and English 11 honors. Pretty good schedule I would say.

"C'mon Brooke!" Jessie said as she walked towards the door. I said thank you to Mrs. Stevens and followed Jessie out into the dry air. "Can I see your classes?" Jessie asked. I nodded and handed her the paper. She scanned it and her face it up. "We have English together!" She cheered. I sighed in relief that I would at least have one friend in a class and highfived her. Jessie looked back down at my schedle. "Damn, ALL AP? are you like, a genius or something?" she laughed and I explained to her that I just liked school. She thought that was unordinary.

Brooke and I spent the next 15 minutes walking around campus. She showed me all he bathrooms, the library, and where all my classes were. By then the courtyard was filled with kids. The school population was about 1,800, which was as much as my old high school in Orange County. I could already tell there are a bunch of different cliques, which saddened me a little. Jessie led me over to a group of 3 girls. "Hey Jessie!" One of them called. She has long brown hair and brown eyes. Another had dirty blonde hair and side sweep bangs. The other had short blonde hair. "Heyoooo," Jessie said. "This is Brooke, she's new."

All the girls smiled and said hello. Jessie pointed to the brown haird girl. "This is Amanda," she pointed to the dirty blonde. "This is Annie," and she pointed to the short blonde. "And thats Abby." They all hugged me and seemed like really nice people. I silently thanked God for letting this girl run into me.

"Did you show her around?" Abby asked.

"Pretty much," Jessie replied. "What else should we show her?"

A group on nerdy-looking guys walked past us. They were laughing and one of them said a calculus pun, and I silently laughed along. "As you can see there's a ton of cliques at this school." Annie pointed out. She turned my body face the lunch tables. "All the nerds and 'weirdos' sit over there. And then you have your jocks and pretty white popular girls." She pointed over to the middle of the courtyard. A huge group of overly-muscular boys and cake-faced girls all huddled together. "Where do you guys belong?" I asked out of curiosity. "Oh, we're our own people," Jessie replied. "We don't feel as though cliques are very....well, nescessary."

I told them I felt the same way, and they all high-fived me. I turned around to see a crowd of people hanging out by this big tree on the far side of the courtayd. They were all pretty much dressed in black, and they were throwing food and yelling and making a complete rucuss. "Annnnd those are the druggies." Jessie said in a monotone voice. "Theyre so annoying you don't even want to look at them."

I could tell what they meant. At my old school, there was the same kind of group of people. The kind that I would never hang out with. The kind that physically urked me with their low tollerance for discapline. I made a promise to myself a long time ago that I wouldn't get involved in that type of crowd.

"Don't you dare ever talk to any of them." Jessie said. I was surprised by how serious her tone of voice was. I shook my head yes, and the bell rang.

"Do you know where you're off to?" Amanda asked. I nodded, I have art first period. I said goodbye to my new group of friends while Jessie told me where to meet them for lunch. I hurried off to my first class.