*BEEP BEEP BEEP BE-*
I slammed my hand on my alarm, silencing it, before I got out of bed.
"Clem? You up?" I heard.
"Yeah." I replied.
"Okay, well breakfast is ready downstairs."
"Thanks, Carly." I said as I got dressed.
Today was a big day and a terrifying day for me. First day of High School… I put on my jeans, shoes, socks, white tank top, and denim jacket before putting on my trusty hat. I walked out of my bedroom and downstairs to see Lee Everett, my adopted father, and his wife Carley. Carley was in the kitchen, brewing some coffee while Lee was at the kitchen table, enjoying some bacon and eggs.
"Hey Lee." I said.
"Hey sweet pea, you ready for school today?" Lee asked.
"I guess…" I said.
"Oh you know that you'll love it. You get to meet other kids your age and besides, we ran out of stuff to teach you." Lee said.
"So I am too smart for you two?" I asked.
Lee chuckled.
"When it comes to history, I'd say we're about even. But Carley is on a whole other level than either of us." Lee said.
Carley winks at Lee and smiles.
"Damn right." Carley said. "Besides, it will be nice to make some new friends Clem."
"I have friends." I said.
"You have Duck and that's it." Lee said.
"One friend is enough for me." I said.
"You say that now, but you haven't been around other kids. Now have your breakfast, we have to go in ten." Lee said.
I walked over and sat next to Lee and enjoyed my breakfast of eggs and bacon.
Later
Lee and I walked outside of the house and towards Lee's car when we saw Kenny and Duck working on cleaning Kenny's boat.
"Hey Kenny." Lee said.
Kenny looked at us and smiled.
"Oh Hey you guys. I see the little missus is heading off to school?" Kenny asked.
"More like nicely dragged." I said.
Kenny chuckled.
"You know, I met Katjaa in high school. Who knows? Maybe you will meet that special someone."
"Oh boy that will be the day." Lee chuckled. "So Kenny, where you heading this time?"
"The big blue Lee, it's salmon season. You should come some time." Kenny said.
"Oh I don't know, I'd have to ask the lady of the house and she is not the biggest fan of the water. Remember when we went out on the lake?"
"Oh lord do I…" Kenny shivered.
The two chuckled at that.
"Hey Clem." Duck said.
"Hey Duck." I said. "You seem busy."
"Yeah, this old thing will be fully upgraded by the time you say motorboat."
"Motorboat." I said.
"Okay now say it but make it last three days."
"Heh. Well we better get going, see you guys later." Lee said
"Bye guys." I said.
"See you guys later." Kenny said.
Lee and I got into the car and we were off.
"So Clem, what are you interested in today?" Lee asked.
"Getting home." I said.
Lee looked at me.
"Look. Clementine, I know that you aren't very social. It still amazes me that Duck is your friend. You have been homeschooled since first grade, ever since…" Lee looked down, "I promised your parents that I would look after you when they passed, but I can't just let you hide in your room."
I looked out the window and stared at the sky. It's been thirteen years since my parents were killed in a car crash. Lee and Carley were close friends and took me in at the age of two. I was with a nanny when the police came. Ever since, I haven't been very social. I spend most of my time in my room or with Lee or Carley.
"Just promise me that you will try and make a new friend." Lee said.
"*sigh* Okay Lee." I said.
"Thanks sweet pea." Lee said. "Ah look. Here we are."
I saw the school. It was… big.
"This… is gonna be difficult."
"I know, just try and find a friend and we will go get an ice cream after school." Lee said.
"Nnnn…" I looked at the school again as we pulled in.
Lee pulled into his parking spot and we got out.
"Okay, class starts in about fifteen. Why don't you head to your first class, which is…"
"*sigh* Chemistry." I said. "Lee… I don't want to do this."
"You will enjoy it here. I just know it." Lee said. "Here, I'll walk you to chemistry."
The two of us walked through the school, passing other students. I felt… awkward. I saw people looking at me, some snickering, some whispering, and some just minding their own business.
"Lee… they're all staring at me." I said.
"They are just interested in the new student." Lee said.
We walked down the hall and made it to the chemistry room.
"And here we are." Lee said.
I looked inside and saw the classroom and some of the students. There were a lot of students.
"Lee." I said.
"I am going to go now. Class is starting soon and I need to get going." Lee said.
"W-Wait, Lee—"
"Clem, tell you what. Feel free to come by when you feel anxious. I am on the second floor, room 208."
The bell rang and kids started swarming.
"I have to go." Lee said. "Have fun."
Before I could respond, Lee disappeared in the crowd of students. I turned around and slowly walked into class.
The class was filled with tables and chairs. I saw one was empty in the far back, so I quickly walked over to that one and sat down. I watched as multiple people took their seats, leaving me by myself.
The room was almost filled, but luckily, I was the only one with an empty space next to me.
The teacher walked in and I recognized her from her time at my house. Lilly Armstrong. Her father is the principal of the school and he is not the friendliest towards… well people like Lee and I. Lilly is different though, she would always apologize for her father's attitude and seemed nice.
"Okay class. My name is Lilly Armstrong. Yes, my father is the principal of the school, but that doesn't mean that I am going to be the snitch for my father. Now lets see, it looks like we have an almost full class. Let's see who's here." Lilly checked her list.
Just before Lilly spoke, the door opened and a girl walked in. She had short blonde hair and a green eyes. She walked in and quickly looked around before at Lilly.
"Sorry I'm late." She said.
"That's fine, just don't let it happen after the first day. Why don't you go sit back there with- oh Clem, I didn't see you there. Welcome."
I immediately pulled my hat down and tried to hide myself.
I heard footsteps and the scraping of metal against the ground.
"Okay let's see…"
Lilly began listing people's names.
"…Hey." I heard next to me.
I looked to my left and saw the girl looking at me.
"…Hi." I said.
"Violet Penn?" Lilly asked.
"Here." Violet said next to me.
"And Clementine Everett is here…"
I heard a few gasps and murmurs were heard in the class.
"Today, you will be getting to know who you are going to spend the rest of the year with. The person to your right or left will be your partner. I will be right here answering questions."
I slowly shifted my gaze next to me and saw her looking at me.
"Well… uh…" Violet began.
I was silent.
"My name is—"
"Violet." I said.
"And you're the daughter of a history teacher in the school."
"Adopted." I said.
"Really?" She asked.
"Y-Yeah…"
"That's cool."
"I uh… I'm sorry. I'm just not very… social." I said.
"Heh I hear you…" Violet said as she pulled something out.
I looked and saw that it was a notebook with drawings in it.
"…Those…" I said.
Violet immediately shut it and looked at me.
"What?" She asked.
"They uh look… cool." I said.
"…Thanks." Violet said.
The rest of the time, it was just quiet between Violet and I. Soon, the bell rang and kids began to get up and leave.
"Okay kids, tomorrow we will be going over the syllabus and starting our first lessons. Clementine, I need to speak with you."
I heard more whispers and murmurs as kids walked away.
"Teacher's kid."
"She's gonna be a snitch."
I grabbed my bag and walked over to Lilly who looked behind me. When I heard the door shut, she looked at me.
"How are you feeling?"
"Nervous."
"I know that this was a big step for you. If you have any issues, let me know okay?"
I nodded and left.
Later
Today's classes were simple. I stayed quiet and sat through class when the bell rang again, signaling lunch time.
Time to go see Lee.
I walked into Lee's classroom and saw him. He was writing his lecture on the wall about the syllabus.
"So you're going over the Bubonic Plague first? I expected you going over the revolution since you're US History."
"History is everything Clem. You know that more than anyone." Lee said. "Lilly told me about class today."
"I know, I was super shy." I said.
"Walk with me. Can't have lunch together without lunch." Lee said as he walked to the door.
We walked out and towards the cafeteria.
"Lilly told me that you started talking to someone in class."
"Violet."
"And?"
"She seems nice… I don't know. We didn't talk much though."
"Well that doesn't matter. I am glad you managed to talk to someone." Lee said. "How have other classes been?"
"As expected."
"Well even a little conversation is a huge improvement." Lee said as we made it to the cafeteria.
We grabbed some food and left the cafeteria when we saw all the other students eating at tables.
"Oh shoot, I just realized I have a teacher meeting. Clem, I have to go before Larry gets on my ass again." Lee said.
"But—"
"I know, but just try and find some people you know. Like that Violet girl." Lee said as he ran off. "Love you Clem."
"B-Bye." I said.
I looked around and felt the anxiety come back. I looked around. There were so many people…
I walked through the multiple tables and saw Violet's table. It had three people at it. Violet, a guy with dreads, and guy with black hair.
I slowly walked up and the guy with dreads saw me.
"Who's that?" He asked.
Violet looked at me and her eyes widened a bit.
"Clementine?" Violet asked.
"H-Hi." I said.
"Guys, this is Clem. Clem, these are the some of the few people I call friends." Violet said.
"Name's Louis. Wassup?" Louis asked.
"James." James said.
I sat down and began eating.
"She's shy." Violet said.
"Well then she will fit right in." Louis said. "So Clem, how are you enjoying the school?"
"Well… I uh… its nice." I said.
"That's cool. So how do you know Vi?" Louis asked.
"We are in the same chemistry class." Violet said.
"Well might I be the first to say, welcome to the club Clem."
"Club?" I asked.
"The Club of Misfits as Louis likes to call us." James said.
I thought about it for a second and chuckled a bit.
Later
I was walking down the hall with Violet to Lee's room. Classes ended, but she said that she would walk me over just in case.
"So Clem? You seemed a bit more talkative during lunch." Violet said.
I shrugged.
"Well, whatever it is, I think the others like you." Violet said.
I smiled at that as we made it to the room. When we were outside of the classroom, I turned to Violet.
"Well uh… thanks." I said as I walked in without saying anything else.
I sighed as I opened my eyes and saw Lee working on his computer. I ran over and stood next to him, which he noticed.
"Hey Clem, how was it today?"
"I… liked it."
"Really? That's great. Who did you have lunch with?" Lee asked.
"Violet and her friends."
"And how are they?" Lee asked.
"Funny." I said.
"Well a promise is a promise. Let's go get ice cream." Lee said.
"Finally." I said.