Gasping For Air

Chapter Two "Change"

After my school was closed down and was being demolished grade four was starting, the summer came to a end and It was then time for me to go to school once more. My grandma and mom found me a new school to go to as most of the teachers and students from my old school were going there so she picked it for me so I would be with familiar faces. But deep down I was really nervous and that cramping up feeling was back. My mom was off to work so it was up to my grandma and grandpa to get me ready in the mornings and drive me off to school, my mom was also dating a guy at the time and was spending a lot of time with him. I never got to meet him yet but mom has been out on a couple dates with him already during the summer. I walk out the backdoor with my new grade four backpack and of course grandma stops me before I am able to open the gate to get to the car. She had to take pictures of me beside the house. Every year she takes pictures of me in the same place in her backyard so she can compare all of them together. We all get into the van and start to make our way down the street towards the new school, my hands were starting to sweat and my heart beat starts to increase. What if the students hate me? What if I start to cry again? Do I know my way home if I leave? All these questions rushing to my head and we aren't even a block away from home yet. 

We arrive at the school and grandpa parks in the parking lot "Have a great day buddy" grandpa says looking into the mirror. I get out the van with my grandma and she takes my hand and walks me to the playground where all the other children are playing, my heart beat starts getting faster and faster. "Okay sweetie you can go play" my grandma says letting go of my hand. I didn't feel comfortable to go play with other kids or go on the playground I felt more safe and comfortable standing next to my grandma so that's what I did until the bell rang to go inside. "Okay I have to go now, the teachers will tell you what to do, I will pick you up later" my grandma says walking away from me. All the students ran to a big brown door lining up with some teachers and I follow them and line up with them. We all slowly walk into the school as teachers say "Follow Mrs Mayda she will be taking you to the gymnasium". Walking down the hall I noticed some pictures of other students and signs that read "Stay calm kitty cat", I also noticed a picture of the old playground from my previous school hung up on the wall that made me think of the school and the memories I had there. 

We all entered the gym and that's when my heart rate increased even more as there was hundreds of kids everywhere standing and sitting. We all sat down crisscrossed next to each other as the teachers all sat in chairs next to us, a man in a dress shirt and tie walked up to the microphone and started talking "Welcome students, each teacher will walk up and will say there name and say the students names, if you hear your name please follow that teacher to the door". It took maybe twenty minutes until one of the teachers said "Andrew Parks", my heart stop for a second and I got really sweaty. I look around and saw the teacher walking to the door, myself and other kids stood up and walked towards the teacher and we all left the gym down the hallway. "Hi I'm Miles" one of the students whispers to me, "I'm Andrew" I replied to him sweating up a storm.

Didn't take too long until we arrived in our new class room, polished floor, eight rows of desks, lockers for our bags and coats and lots of books. It was much nicer than my last school but I was still very nervous, I didn't know if it was going to be hard or easy. "Students please pick a desk to sit in and we will begin with some icebreakers" The teacher said sitting down in her seat. What the heck is a icebreaker? I sat down in a desk and was trying so hard to think of what it could mean but I was just Nine years old I didn't know what it meant. Everyone sat down in their desks and the teacher walked up in front of the desks by a white board and wrote down her name. "Hello everyone welcome to grade four my name is Mrs Russel". I looked around the room as she spoke and noticed a couple kids that I used to play with at my old school and I felt relieved that I at least new a few students in the room.