I stand in front of the heavy front door next to my sister.
"Smile girls!" I put on a small smile and my dad's camera flash blinds me.
First day of school pictures.
He's got gobs of them.
I'm still seeing spots when I see the large yellow bus pull in front of the house. I grab my bag and walk with Charlie.
"Bye, dad!" I holler.
"Later kid." He says, going inside.
The bus doors whoosh open and we walk up the steps. The bus is full save for an empty spot up front next to a small blonde boy.
The bus driver who even sitting is taller than me-stares at the small boy.
"Well, Sam...er, you feel like being squished?"
We look at the boy who looks disheartened as he scrunches as close to the open window as he can.
Charlie gives me a quick glance before sitting next to him as close as she can. Even then, I still sit half off the seat.
Not knowing what else to do, I give Sam an awkward smile.
He just stares straight ahead.
We drive off and get to the school in twenty minutes.
After mentally preparing myself, I get up and walk out, Charlie following suit. I see tons of people outside of the large building.
A boy and girl walk hand and hand and Charlie remembers her righteous anger. She stomps in front of me and I jog to keep up with her.
"Char-" I bump into someone's shoulder and stagger back a bit before continuing after her.
"Charlie! Wait up!" I say. She doesn't look back and I see her disappear into the building in a flurry of brown hair.
I struggle to rush after her and when I get through the large doors, I see her entering the main office.
I follow her in and we stand at the counter. A woman comes over.
"Hello, how can I help you girls?"
She puts on a guise and smiles widely.
"Hi! We're the Finleys, we're new." The woman seems to appreciate this positive attitude because she gives a smile twice as big.
"Oh, of course. Let me just fetch your schedules." I watch as she rummages through a purple tray on a desk. Growing impatient, I turn to look out the blindless window and see a group of boys.
They don't look much older than me and they stand at the opposite side of the hallway. There's a tall one with shaggy black hair. He's eyeing smaller kids with a smirk as they walk by, not wanting to turn their backs on the group.
Then there's a skinny one with light blond hair. He doesn't fill his gray tee-shirt and has a scowl on his face.
My eyes flash to one who's holding a small boy by his backpack. He's a bit bigger than the rest and is wearing a cap and a smile.
My gaze shifts to the last one. He has a mullet like hairstyle and isn't doing much of anything. He has a watchful gaze on everything going on and when he speaks, the rest turn to listen.
I get called back by Charlie who holds my schedule. I take it with a small smile to the woman and a thank you.
"Here, you're going to need these as well," She goes under the desk and comes back up with two small leather bound books. She hands one to me and one to Charlie.
