The New Student

Chapter 2

"Enjoy your first day, honey!" Jennifer yelled as Sydney exited her car. Sydney turned back around and waved at her mother. She was relieved her father didn't accompany her on the ride to her new school because he definitely would have lectured her on what her priorities were coming into an unknown environment. Nothing else mattered at the moment besides meeting up with a certain someone. She watched her mother leave the front of the school and went through the main entrance.

Upon entering, Sydney was greeted with the familiar sounds of student chatter and announcements for the intercom. A few feet in front of her was a display of the school's athletic achievements. Football and basketball trophies filled up the decently sized display case. The LHP Knights seemed to have a formidable athletic program. Before she could dive deeper into the school's achievements, she noticed a familiar face appear as a reflection on the display case window. She turned around and was instantly attacked by two arms that wrapped around her tightly.

"Oh my god, girl! I can't believe you made it here!" Sydney's friend lifted her off the ground and did a full three-sixty.

"Nice to see you too, Keisha. Now can you put me down?"

"Sorry, girl. I'm just so excited we finally go to the same school. Albeit three years too late." She set her down and grabbed her hand. "Come on, we only have twenty minutes before the first bell rings. I need to show you around. You have your schedule right?"

--BREAK--

There were ten minutes remaining, but Derek had already arrived at his first period class. Luckily for him and the rest of the students, the first day of school landed on a Thursday. These first two days served as their orientation, so the first real week of school starts on Monday. He held his schedule tightly with both hands.

English 12 first, huh? God, I hate essays.

Derek leaned against the wall opposite to the classroom door as a few students gathered by the entrance. He couldn't recognize anyone amongst the crowd of seniors. He already knew James wouldn't be here. Lucky for him, cooking class would be the first on his list. Sandra was already taking Algebra 2 even though she was in her junior year.

Man, she's gonna get overwhelmed. She better not ask me for he-

"Excuse me."

A soft voice from his left knocked him out of his thoughts. Turning his head to find the source, his first glance was at a pair of bright blue eyes. He then saw the bigger picture; a girl whom he'd never seen before at this school. This person caught his attention for sure, but he forgot to respond.

"Y-Yeah, what's up?" That response was all he could muster at that moment.

Who is she?

"I know it says 'Room 12', but I just wanted to make sure. This is..." She glanced down at her schedule and said, "... Mrs. Schmidt's class? English 12?"

"Uh yeah." He got off the wall and turned his entire body towards her. He put both of his hands in his pockets to hide the sweat. This always happens, whether it's doing presentations or talking to pretty girls. Her eyes were fixed on his. The outside world seemed to continue on, but he felt the two of them were in a separate universe. And yet, they both said nothing. Only one second had passed since he responded to her, but to him it felt like an eternity.

Dude, say something!

"Are you new here? I haven't seen you before." He didn't have time to think that one over, but it seemed to be the right call. She raised her eyebrows and let out a brief smile.

"Yeah, I just transferred here from my old school. My name's Sydney. What's your name?" Derek reached out his right hand somewhat slowly.

"My name's Derek. Nice to meet you." Sydney smiled and shook his hand. Derek could barely comprehend the situation. He's never had this experience before. He's had a previous relationship during his freshman year, but it wasn't anything serious. This is the first time he interacted with someone like her. He couldn't quite explain the reasoning in his head, but there was something different about her. What the hell is going on?