Winter in the Mountains

Chapter 5

Author's note: before i officially begin Chapter 5, i just want you know that this chapter, as promised, will be about Lauren and Cathy's school. In a way, their school is a lot like a middle school i attended. I actually find this story kind of relatable. And it might seem weird that i'm writing this in the summer. Anyways, back to the story!!!!!

Three weeks have passed. It's time for me to go back to school. After a few shopping trips, I have come up with the perfect first day outfit: dark wash skinny jeans, white Converse sweater, and black converse sneakers. I braided my hair and tugged a navy blue beanie hat on. I put on my maroon North Face and grabbed my teal backpack. "Lauren! You ready?" I called. She appeared in the hallway moments later.

"Ok, I'm ready. Let's go," she said as we walked downstairs into the living room. "We're going to go now," she called. Aunt Abby, Uncle Jason, and Marcus waved good-bye to us. We walked outside and down to the bus stop, where two boys and a girl were already waiting.

"Hey Lauren!" called a tall, brunette girl with a pink North Face and faded jeans. "Who's the girl with you?"

"This is my cousin, Cathryn," Lauren said. "Cathryn, this is Michaela Logan."

"Hi, Michaela," I said.

"Hi, Cathryn," she replied. "This is Jake Walker and Ryan York. They're in our class, too. I'm guessing you'll be in the same class as the rest of us?"

"Well, I'll probably be in Lauren's class," I said. I looked over at Lauren. She nodded.

"That's great!" said Ryan. He smiled at me. He's pretty cute. Tall, blond hair, cute smile.

The bus arrived. As we boarded, I sat in the middle of the bus, left side. Lauren and Michaela sat across the aisle from me, Ryan sat behind me, and Jake sat next to me. The whole bus ride, we talked about our school.

"So, I've been hearing from Lauren that Mr. Andrews is a little crazy. Is this true?" I asked. Lauren, Michaela, Jake, and Ryan chuckled.

"Yeah, a little," Jake said. "Did Lauren tell you about swap day, where we actually called him Brent?"

"Yep," I said, "and then she said that she's scarred for life."

"It's true," said Ryan. "She had this mildly terrified look on her face for the rest of the day. Look, there's the school!" Sure enough, there it was. It's this massive brick building. When the bus stopped, we all got off and went into the school.

"Guys, meet us in homeroom. We'll be there in a few minutes," Lauren said as we walked into the office. Michaela, Jake, and Ryan walked across the lobby and down a hallway.

As we walked into the office, the secretary looked up. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Yes," Lauren replied. "I'm Lauren Smith, and this is my cousin, Cathryn Quinn. We've already gotten a letter from the school with her schedule."

"Thank you for telling us, Lauren. Does Cathryn need any help getting around the school?" the secretary asked. "Oh, by the way, my name's Mrs. O'Hayes. Everyone calls me Mrs. O. I'm the school secretary. Now, you girls should go to your homeroom. Thanks for coming in!"

We said good-bye to Mrs. O. and walked down the long hallway. "So, what homeroom are we in?" I asked.

Lauren looked at me and hesitated for a minute before she spoke. "Mr. Andrews's homeroom," she said.

Author's note: you must really hate me for these cliffhangers...but check out Cathy's first day outfit on the side!