A World of Her Own

Chapter 20

Liora was up long before it was time to leave. She could barely sleep all night. There was an edge of anxiety to her thoughts but mostly she felt excited. She quickly got ready, brushing out her thick, curly hair and clipping it back. She looked at herself in the mirror after she got dressed. She looked like all the other students she remembered from her visit to Rainridge. A blue blazer, white blouse and blue dress slacks. She had a couple skirts hanging in her closet but had no intention of wearing one until the weather was warmer. 

It was too early for breakfast so she sat down and once again went over the welcome packet from the school. She had no real reason to look at it. She had stared at it so much that she knew it by heart. She idly flipped the pages. She heard someone get up and head into the bathroom. Probably Katelynne. She was always the early riser of her siblings. Liora usually liked to sleep in as late as possible before school but today she was up before the dawn. The minutes ticked by.

Finally she couldn't stand it. She headed downstairs. Her mother was in the kitchen. "I made you pancakes because it's your first day," she said. She had also offered to pack her lunch but Liora wanted to try the food at the school cafeteria. The menu was much more varied than the typical school lunches and there were a lot more international dishes. Liora knew that some of the meals came from the culinary arts program. She couldn't wait to try the food. Her family was not overly adventurous when it came to eating. The food Kartika had served when she had them over for dinner was the most adventurous they had ever tried. Liora couldn't wait to expand her horizons. 

Liora sat at the table, a big heap of pancakes in front of her. Blueberry. Her favorite. Her mom was obviously using frozen blueberries since it was the middle of winter but it was a delicious treat. As Liora was eating, Katelynne came wandering downstairs. "Mmmm! Pancakes!" she exclaimed. She pulled up a chair next to Liora and started eating. In between mouthfuls, she looked at Liora. "Nervous?" she asked. "A little," admitted Liora. "Don't be," said Katelynne. "I'm sure you will love it. And you've already made quite a few friends there, before you've even started your first day." They ate and chatted, then Liora looked at the clock. "I'd better get going. The bus will be here any minute." On cue, she heard the bus pull up in front of the house and honk. Liora hugged her sister and her mom, grabbed her backpack and jacket and headed out the door. 

She climbed up the bus steps and immediately spotted Adriana and Nathaly at the back. They waved to her and she made their way towards them. Adriana was sitting next to Rachel, their friend who had hosted the Hanukkah party. Nathaly patted the seat next to her and Liora slid in. She looked at Liora. "Nervous?" "Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Liora replied. She thought about putting on a brave face for her friends but decided to be honest. "I'm a little nervous. I'm glad that I have all of you going to school with me." "You are probably the most popular new girl ever," laughed Nathaly. "You already know half the Junior class. I'm sure you will know everyone by the end of the week. Don't worry. You are going to love it here."

Rachel leaned over and chimed in. "I'll introduce you to everyone. We have so many classes together, we are going to be around each other for most of the day. And we all have lunch together which is great. I wonder what is going to be on the menu today? Just wait, Liora. This is going to be the best food you've ever tasted. Certainly better than any cafeteria food I ever had and I was going to preppy private schools before this." She fiddled with her hearing aid. "I'm going to have to get these adjusted," she complained. "Too pitchy." "Do you go to Dr. Bronsky?" Liora asked. "No, I go to an audiologist in the city. A woman. Beth Seinburg. We used to live in the city when I was younger and then we moved down here because it's quieter. But I really liked my audiologist so we kept going to her. She's practically like a second mom to me at this point. I've been going to her forever."