Angelie shoved her books and folders into her new backpack, zipping it up. She placed it on her back and shifted, the look of discomfort clear on her features. The thing was way too small for her, and she struggled to make the tight thing sit nicely on her shoulders. And it's design wasn't helping either; there were dozens of pink butterflies and flowers splattered over a muted gray background, and she sighed at its immature tone. Sighing; that's all she did these days.
She made her way downstairs, Stardust hot on her heels. Her mother was in their new kitchen, slicing bananas and all sorts of fruit she deemed "healthy enough for a breakfast." Angelie smiled slyly and stole a piece of strawberry, her mother trying her best to put on a stern face, although they both collapsed into giggles.
Eventually, they headed out to their car; it was pale gray and small, and one of the only things that was still familiar and comfortable. Angelie got in and nestled herself against the passenger door, gazing out the window. The car was filled with comfortable silence, and she was glad that it enveloped her.
The ride to her new school was fairly short, and she felt a lump in her throat when she saw it. On the front of the building, there were large, white letters that spelled out "Lincoln High School". The building itself was made up of brown, almost orange bricks, and windows had a darker sheen that you couldn't see through. It was just like any generic local high school, and Angelie felt the resentment rise up in her.
She exited the car with a quiet "bye" to her mother, watching her drive away. She stood on the gray pavement, staring up at the sign as hundreds of strangers' faces passed her without a care. She sighed in frustration; she couldn't escape it this time.
She headed into the building and to the front office, which was more like a counter with the "office" as a whole room behind it. There was a small brown-haired woman sitting behind the counter, with a computer and paperwork scattered all over the workplace. The lady barely looked up to address her as the new student.
"Ms. Robins, I'll have your guide here with you in a moment," she said monotonously, typing away on her computer, eyes not reaching up to Angelie's.
"How did you know-" Angelie started, her eyes widening in shock.
"No one ever comes here," the lady paused, "and we have your file." The lady finally looked up at her with a slight nod, and Angelie nodded back mutely. Already embarrassing herself at the entrance to the rest of her life...
She stood there awkwardly for a few minutes, until someone emerged from the crowd. It was a girl, with curly dark brown hair and light brown skin. She had a friendly mood, and smiled as soon as she saw Angelie.
"You must be Angelie?" she asked, shaking her hand. Angelie smiled and returned the gesture, noting her kind voice and bright eyes.
"I'm Rebecca, and you'll be with me for the rest of the school year. We have the same schedule, so I'll help you out," Rebecca smiled wider, and waved her hand to convey "come with me".
Angelie listened as Rebecca talked and pointed to different things all around the school, taking in all the huge pieces of information. Eventually, Rebecca showed her to her locker, and left her until the first class started. Angelie sighed, happy to be alone; it wasn't that she didn't like her new guide, just that her bubbliness was a bit much after all the things she went through.
She started to put the code into her lock, and was confused when the locker didn't open. She tried again and again, only to be disappointed each time when it stuck. She growled in frustration, and hit the locker before trying again.
"Need a little help with that?" a deep voice asked, startling Angelie out of her tantrum. She turned to see a boy looking at her with a smirk, her eyes widening as she shifted uncomfortably. She realized how stupid she must look right now: her hair frizzled and a hot blush creeping onto her face, paired with a hot pink, too tight childish backpack.
"I uh... I got it, thanks," she stammered, unable to take her eyes off the boy's face. He had longer hair than most, curving along his jawline, and his smirk accentuated his facial features even more. He had brilliant green eyes, and the way he held himself showed his playfulness. He was cute, and Angelie was annoyed at herself for thinking so. But it was true, though.
"My name's Taylor," he announced, still looking at her, and she answered with her name quietly. His smirk didn't disappear, and she was annoyed at it, although part of her actually wanted it to stay.
"Well, if you want to have a literal locker jamming party, you can find me," he winked, and she felt the hot blush creeping into her cheeks. He walked away just as Rebecca reappeared, and she looked from Angelie to the direction Taylor walked away in shock.
"Oh my goodness, you just got approached by Taylor Knowell?!" she basically squealed, gesturing excitedly to Angelie. "He's basically the hottest guy in this school!"
Angelie busied herself with putting her combination in her lock, this time with the locker actually opening. She put her stuff in and answered calmly, "well, it doesn't matter. Most of those guys are assholes anyway."
Rebecca was still mute with shock, although eventually they headed to their first class. Angelie sunk into the annoying familiarity of the school day, letting herself zone out as she remembered past days of a past life...
-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
"This fucking sucks," Mary muttered, sipping her snuck-in alcoholic punch. Angelie nodded glumly, and poured herself another cup of punch from the bowl in the middle of the table. They were standing by the food table during their freshmen year dance, purposely staying away from the main floor. It was one of the most boring events they had ever experienced, and they resorted to looting all the snacks.
They stayed there for quite a while, just drinking and eating and talking. They complained about the crappy music selection, which had mainly either been really slow love songs, or really loud, upbeat rap songs. And by some sort of miracle, the song "Owl" by Nightlight City, their favorite band, started playing.
Mary whooped and started toward the dance floor, gesturing for Angelie to follow. Angelie quickly followed behind Mary, trying her hardest not to lose her in the crowd. And by some sort of indie magic, the crowd parted to reveal Mary in the middle, eyes closed as she swayed with her heart as the melody played out. Angelie noticed her dress even more, as the rainbow lights danced across her glittering black dress.
Angelie smiled; she loved how she could look and feel so free. She pushed through the crowd to Mary and danced with her, and they ended up having the time of their lives.
Angelie would remember this moment forever.
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Hi, it's back! So sorry I didn't post yesterday; I was really busy with family stuff.
And I kinda didn't have a lot of motivation, so sorry if the story seems kind of dull. I just wanted to describe her going through a new high school :/
So anyway, thank all of you who have read/waited for this. It feels nice to have some people read my material and enjoy it, and I'll see you next weekend :)
~JAPEGB