It was her first day of school, and she was nervous. Moving from middle school into high school, Jenny knew she was going to be the little fish in a big pond, but it was just high school right? How hard could it be? Jenny wasn’t the most popular girl, in fact she wasn’t anywhere near what anyone would call popular. She had a few friends yes, but nobody at school really noticed her or knew her name.
“Bye,” she breathed in as she opened the door and said her last words to her mom. She moved her feet out the door stepped out into a new world.
There were kids everywhere, hustling and bustling every which way with no regard for each other. It was like being in a hive of bees, random movements, pushing and shoving. She looked for a familiar face, anybody to hold onto, but no one appeared. There were kids there that looked like they were 25, kids who looked like adults. She put her head down and walked, trying to blend in, hoping not to embarrass herself. She walked into the building, searching for safety, searching for her first class. ‘Why is this school so big’ she thought to herself, wondering the halls, too afraid to ask anyone for help. Finally she found it, relief spread across her face, as she sat down in her first class. The bell rang, she was safe.
“Welcome everyone. Welcome to Advanced Physics,” the teacher put down her bag as she walked into the class.
‘Crap’, she thought to herself as she realized she was in the wrong class. But what to do. Sit through the entire class or get up in front of everyone and leave. After mulling it over, she stood up and headed for the door.
“Excuse me, where are you going,” the teacher called, obviously annoyed.
“I’m sorry, I’m in the wrong class.”She turned and everyone was staring at her. Her face turned bright red as she wished she could disappear. Some kids snickered under their breath as she turned and left the class. She wanted to cry. How could this day start any worse? If this was what high school was like she wanted no part of it. Finally, her right class, she walked in 10 min late on the first day. Now even the freshmen were staring at her, her own classmates muttering under their breath. She could die right there. Sinking into her chair she sat there, hoping the rest of the day would pass without incident.
Finally lunch came around, the one thing she couldn’t screw up. As she walked toward the stairs to the cafeteria, her heart sank. The cafeteria was more crowded than she could ever imagine. She scanned the tables for an open seat, but there was nothing. What was she going to do? There were no faces she recognized, no friends to sit with. What was she going… Suddenly she missed a step, tumbling head over heels down the last flight. The cafeteria grew quiet as she rolled to a stop. ‘No this isn’t happening’ she thought to herself. Her books were everywhere, papers lunch, everything on the ground. But that wasn’t even the worst part. The silence was deafening as kids from all over the room collectively gasped. Then it started; the laughter. It started like a small trickle, but engulfed the room like a wave, sweeping over everyone. Some kids pointed, others just stared at her. But no one moved to help her. She picked herself up, grabbed some papers, left her lunch on the ground, and sprinted out the doors. But no matter how fast she ran or how far she got, she couldn’t escape the sound, the sound of the laughter.
It was now 6th period and she was in the same spot she had been for the last 2 hours: the women’s bathroom. Hopefully she could hide out there and escape this hell. Her eyes were red, but she had run out of tears long ago. She just sat there praying for the final bell when she heard the door swing open and footsteps. ‘No, please don’t let them hear me.’ She sat there motionless, silent.
“Did you hear about that girl who fell at lunch?”
“That’s all anyone is talking about; I can’t imagine how embarrassed she must be.