I was counting my footsteps, praying the floor wouldn't fall through. The door got closer, and I took a deep breath.
This was it. This was the day.
I walked through the door, trying not to get in anybody's way.
The first day of my new school. I was pretty sure it wouldn't be much better than the one before this, but I was still hoping.
"Watch where you're going," someone barked my way, and I muttered a 'sorry', pressing myself to the wall.
I was used to going to a new school every now and then. I did it all the time. Somehow, knowing that I would go to a new school every year was a relieve.
I never really fitted well in schools, but I always managed, because by the time the other kids would have figured out ways to get to me, I would leave again.
The reason I changed schools so much was because my mom travelled a lot so we moved all the time. But now, she was going to Africa for a little while and I wasn't allowed to come.
"It is for the better, Ally" she had said. I wasn't so sure of that.
Not that I didn't like living with my dad. I loved my dad. We have our love for music in common, and although he wasn't always the best father figure I could wish for, I knew he tried really hard.
But my mom had said this might be… Well, forever. She wanted me to have a normal life, without moving around all the time.
That scared me. This school could be it, this could be the one I would have to stay in.
And that meant that this first day was so much more important than any other first day.
The bell rang. Crap, I still didn't know where I had to go.
"You don't look familiar."
I froze when the voice sounded from behind me, but I didn't turn around.
"You new?"
"Uhm…"
The girl who the voice belonged to now stood in front of me. She was smaller than me, but she looked very confident.
Confident very often meant mean, I had found that out a long time ago.
"What, you can't talk?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah."
"Yeah you can't talk?"
"No, yeah, I mean, I can, and I am. New, that is."
This wasn't coming out right. Good job Ally, you were already ruining everything and you have only just walked in.
"Where you going?"
"Algebra," I answered. "But I don't really know where that is."
"Well, it's your lucky day," the girl said.
I doubted that.
"Cause I'm going to algebra, and I don't mind if you follow me."
She started walking. "What's your name?"
"Ally. Ally Dawson," I answered, quickening my pace to keep up with her.
"I'm Trish. You any good at algebra?"
I smiled, school was pretty much the only subject I was comfortable talking about.
"Kinda, yeah. I love algebra… But I also love science and English and Sp…"
"Woow." Trish stopped, and since I was walking very closely behind her, I bumped into her. She turned around.
"You… love.. algebra?"
"Yeah. And Spanish and…," I tried to continue, but she interrupted me again.
"You're nuts. But, also helpful. As a thank you, to me, for letting you walk with me, you have to sit next to me in algebra and help me with this homework that I was supposed to do weeks ago but haven't so I'll probably have to do today, yeah?"
I didn't answer, but simply nodded. I didn't mind sitting next to her and helping her. It would spare me the embarrassment of sitting alone, and helping her with school would give us something to talk about.
Trish pointed to a door.
"That's it. The teacher is a jerk, but I think he's kinda scared of me, so I'll keep you safe, okay?"
I smiled at her. I wasn't surprised if the teacher was scared of her, she was very scary. But if she'd decided to take me under her wings, I wasn't complaining.
I'd rather deal with her scary than with the scary of the unknown. She was the kind of girl that barked a lot but didn't necessarily bite.
Trish pushed open the door and I followed her through. Class had started and the teacher looked a little annoyed at our entrance.
"Trish Delarosa, you are always late and I…" he started with a loud voice, but when he saw me behind Trish, he stopped.
"You're the new girl," he stated.
"Yes, and I helped her find her way, so it's not my fault I'm late," Trish said, and she walked an empty table. When I didn't come, she waved at me.
"Ally? Helloo? You coming or are you gonna just stand there and stare?"
I shook up, realizing I had indeed been staring at the teacher, and hurried myself to Trish, plopping next to her.
"Okay then," the teacher said, and he turned around and continued with whatever he was talking about before we walked in.
At all my other school, the teacher of my first class had introduced me to the other students. Here, I guess Trish had done that for him.
I wasn't sure if that was a good thing.