new beginnings // michael clifford

Chapter 1: First Day

PSA: her name is not summer because of 5 seconds of summer. I just liked the name, so I used it. I get that it could seem that way, I just want to set it straight because so many people comment saying that's why her name is what it is. okay, sorry for the rant.

Summer's POV

"Summer! Let's go! We're going to be late!" my twin brother, Adam called to me. I rushed to get my stuff together. I never ran late, it was so unlike me. I didn't even have to pick out what I was wearing this morning either because this new school required we wear uniforms. I slung my book bag over my shoulder and ran down the stairs. Adam was waiting by the door for me. "Seriously, Summer. What took you so long?"

"I'm sorry," I said to him as we walked out the door to catch the bus just in time. Today was our first day at a new school. It wasn't just a new school in a new neighborhood, but a new school in a whole new country. My dad got a job in Australia so we had to leave everything behind and move. I guess I could care less about the move because I didn't really have a life back in Alabama. I basically went to school, got perfect grades, and played the violin. Adam didn't want to move because he loved it in Alabama. He was on the football team and had tons of friends.

We took a seat in the front of the bus and I straightened out my navy blue pleated skirt, making sure there were no wrinkles.

"You look fine," Adam said to me, annoyed by my fidgeting.

"I'm just nervous. This helps."

"Everything will be fine," he replied and put his hand on mine. Adam and I were close even though we were so different. I knew that he would always be there for me and he knew that I would be there for him. When I was little I hated having a twin, especially a brother, but now I liked it. I don't know what I would do without him.

"Thanks. I just wish you were smarter so we would have classes together," I joked.

"Very funny," he said and gave me a little shove as the bus pulled into the school parking lot.

The school itself was huge, way bigger than our last school. My dad had told me that there wasn't that many students though, only around 500 total. I was just glad they had an orchestra. I don't know what I would've done if they didn't, since playing the violin was my only passion. The bus screeched to a stop as everyone stood up at once and rushed to get off.

"Good luck today, Summer!" Adam called to me as he made his way to his first class. I thought maybe that we would help each other find our classes or we would at least walk with each other for a little longer but I guess it was going to be just like it was in Alabama. Everyone knew we were related, obviously but we made no contact. Adam didn't talk to me at school or even look at me.

I stood in the middle of the quad and looked aimlessly around with my book bag hanging from my arm and my violin case in my hand. I was unsure of where I was supposed to go and I wished Adam was still with me. I was about to move to go to the orchestra room to drop my violin off when a boy bumped into me. "Oomph!" I said as my violin slipped from my hand and fell to the ground.

"Sorry!" the boy yelled as he rushed past me. His hair was a brownish blonde and was a dorky kind of cute. I should have been angry that he almost wrecked my violin, but all I wanted to know was his name.

Michael's POV

"Michael! Get up! You don't want to get another late slip," my mom was calling to me. I groaned and rolled over in my bed. I looked at the clock beside my bed and saw that I had to be at school in 15 minutes. Great. If I got another late slip, I would get detention. I got out of bed and found my uniform on my mess of a floor.

Even though I got ready as fast as I could and practically ran (which I don't do, because I hate physical activity) to the school, I still didn't make it on time. On my way though, I ran into a girl. "Sorry!" I yelled to her, but I didn't really care. When I glanced back at the girl, I didn't recognize her. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She struggled to get her violin that I had knocked out of her hand. Her blonde hair was pulled tight into a pony tail on the top of her head and her white button up shirt hugged her perfectly. When she looked up, we made eye contact for a brief moment before I turned away to go to the office to get my late slip.

"Late again, I see Michael," Laurie, the office worker said when I walked in.

I shrugged. "I guess I like my sleep."

"You know what this means right?"

"Another detention, I know."

Laurie wrote up my late slip and handed it to me. "You know you could start going to bed earlier or stop your partying. All these detentions will catch up to you."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I said.

"Just trying to look out for you." I knew she was but sometimes she got on my nerves. I knew the detentions weren't good, but how bad could they be? They weren't as bad as the other stuff, but that was in the past and I'd like to keep it that way. "Have a good day, Michael," she said to me as I walked out of the office. I didn't respond and made my way to my first class.

I was almost to my classroom when I saw the girl I literally ran into earlier standing in the empty hallway. She had come out of the music room without her violin. She still looked gorgeous as hell, but also flustered and lost. She had a map of the school in her hands that she was studying.

I walked up behind her and whispered, "lost?" in her ear.

She jumped at my closeness and turned to face me. I gave her a smirk. "You again," she said. "And no. I'm fine." She started to walk off.

"Don't lie to me. You have no idea where you're going," I told her, catching up. "Let me help you." I grabbed the sheets of paper out of her hand, which included her schedule. "Look, you're in the same class as me. English," I pointed at the first class of her schedule.

She groaned and said, "fine. I'm lost. I just can't believe how late I am. I was supposed to be in class 20 minutes ago!" She fixed her bag on her shoulder and snatched her sheets back.

"C'mon. It's your first day, right? You're not going to get in trouble. I'm this late and the worst they're giving me is detention. You'll be fine."

"Are you always this late?" she asked as we walked to class.

"Kinda. I like to sleep in," I explained.

"Nice of you to finally arrive, Mr. Clifford. And you must be Summer."

I didn't acknowledge the teacher at all as I took my usual seat in the back next to my friend, Luke. "Yes. Sorry I'm late. I got lost finding the classroom."

"That's fine. Just find a seat. The school can be confusing." Just like I told her; she wasn't going to get any sort of punishment or warning. She went and took the seat right in front of me. I wish she had chosen a seat on the opposite side of the classroom. The whole class period I stared at the blonde ponytail on her head and thought about how I wanted to pull the binder out to see her hair fall on her shoulders. I couldn't stop thinking about her and I hated it. She was good and I didn't like good girls.