The first day at a new school is always the hardest. By now, I was sure I knew this better than anyone else on the planet. After my mom left me and my dad, we'd moved around a grand total of twenty-two times. Mostly staying inside of Connecticut, this was my first time living in a different state since I was one and we lived in New Bedford, Massachusetts. I woke up with a sense of dread hanging over my head because I just couldn t help it, and when I got dressed, I started to become sick to my stomach. The only good thing I could think of was that my outfit was looking good- black fireworks-covered tee, blue denim vest, skinny jeans distressed in a huge vertical line down the front of each leg, and my purple high-top Converse. My hair was in its normal barrel curls, the lime green chunks in front framing my face and clashing with the boring brown of the rest of my hair. I refused to eat breakfast, worrying my dad, and sat through the car ride with my headphones crammed into my ears. My playlist consisted of mostly rock Aerosmith, Metallica, Green Day, etc. mixed in with some classics like The Ramones and Led Zeppelin.
I wondered the whole way there, not to mention worried. I wondered if I would meet anyone I liked there, then worried that everyone would hate me. I wondered if they would have a field hockey team, then worried that they wouldn't let me on it. I mostly kept imagining what it would be like if I was accepted somehow magically, though I knew that it would take a lot to convince those Lima kids that little old newbie me wasn't here to disrupt social peace, she was here because she had to be. I soon found our lame little Corolla pulling up to the McKinley high parking lot and then got the jitters. I realized I had no idea where I was going or what I was doing here...not to mention, I was probably the only person with green streaks in her hair that were so bright you could see em from a mile away.
I pouted as my dad yanked the headphones out of my ears. He d interrupted one of my favorite Green Day songs, 21 Guns, and I wasn't too happy about it. "Go. Have fun," he said to me as he kicked me out of the car. Have fun. Psh, yeah right! Hadn't he been to high school? Fun and high school just don t mix. I clambered out of the car, being careful not to trip and make a fool of myself the minute I stepped on school grounds, and started clomping towards the school. I didn t want to go to school. I didn t want to be here. This was such an unfamiliar place, and let me tell you, it sucks to be wandering around the hallways like a lost puppydog. Eventually I found a bathroom, the only place I could manage to find, and entered to avoid looking even stupider. I made it look like it was my intended destination to save myself the embarrassment.
Inside, I wasn't alone though. I guess I'd expected it to be empty, but I didn t get what I wanted, now did I? Some girl dressed like my ten-year-old cousin in a white cap sleeve blouse, blue wool jumper, Mary Janes, and tube socks was stapling flyers covered in gold stars to the bathroom wall. I walked in, plopped on the floor, and examined the map I was given at orientation one last time, acting like little Miss Fifth-Grader wasn't even there. But I guess I couldn t avoid all contact with kids my own age for long. The chick crouched down next to me and said, "Hi, I'm Rachel Berry, and I m guessing you're new here. I'm the New Directions -that's McKinley's glee club, by the way- female lead. We re looking for background singers, so you can check out the flyer I just put up if you're interested. She gave me one of those big, false, infomercial-type smiles. I gave her a weak smile back and said, "Okay", but I really meant, "Not in this lifetime." I wasn t big on singing publically, but I guess backup singing wouldn t be so bad. I didn t want to do it when I didn t know anybody, though, nor did I want to be stuck with a diva like this Rachel chick.
"Oh, and what did you say your name was?" she asked me, standing up. "I didn't, but I'm Dana Estelle." "Oh, okay! Hopefully I'll see you at auditions." It all sounded like a big lie to me, and it didn t help that she left the bathroom muttering to herself about how much of a pushover she thought I was, and how I would totally end up trying out for this New Directions thing and they could get more glee members without her having to give up her spotlight. Can you spell B-I-T-C-H? I couldn't help it, though- at least, the musician inside me couldn't. I'd played bass since I was seven and I'd won three singing competitions over the years, so I was drawn to the flyer on the wall. It was printed on scrapbooking paper with gold stars all over it and was typed in a fancy cursive-y font. "New Directions Glee Club, looking for backup singers-" Rachel must ve been responsible for the flyer, seeing as the word backup was mixed in there. "-Interested girls contact Rachel Berry or Mr. Shuester for an audition time. Glee Club meets every day in the music room down the hall from the main office." Part of me kind of wanted to try out, but not without someone else to go with me. If only a friend had moved with me...sigh. I went back to trying to locate my homeroom on the map.
After a good fifteen minutes of studying the best route from the bathroom to homeroom, I finally managed to leave the bathroom and try to get where I was going. My eyes were still glued to the map, though, because I didn't trust myself. But apparently I was right not to trust myself because I ended up running face first into someone. I didn't know who that someone was, but they were way taller than me (yet again, who wasn't?) and they had a rock-hard chest. "Sorry," I mumbled, my cheeks turning bright red. I looked up quickly to see who I'd run into and it ended up being a good-looking blond guy who seemed just as flustered as I was. "Uhh, it's okay," he muttered, attempting a weak smile. Then we parted separate ways. I guess he was as shy as I was and wanted to avoid any potential embarrassment also. But I wanted to know who this guy was! Grr.
I didn't find out until lunch that day when the New Directions club or whatever ended up performing. They had a really cool outdoor cafeteria that I thought was pretty much the best thing since sliced bread. I knew the song they were singing and started mouthing the words, staring at the ground. When I was looking down, I saw a foot tapping. Looking up, it was the adorable blond from earlier. Aha! Yes! I was going to get my answers whether he wanted to give them to me or not. I waited until the bell rang for the next period to begin and cornered him before he could get away. "So, uh, good song, right?" I said, trying to make conversation. "Yeah. It had a good beat," he said, shrugging. "I'm Dana," I told him, feeling awkward for not introducing myself straight away. "I'm Sam." I crossed my fingers that Sam would know where the Spanish classroom was.
"Cool name. How long have you lived in Lima?" I asked curiously, starting him off. If the answer was more than a year, he probably would ve been going here for at least a year, so he d know where he was going. "About a week I guess. I'm new," he explained. Shit. "I'm new, too. I've got literally no idea where I m going," I said with a nervous laugh. "Yeah, I know the feeling," he said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "So, um, I guess I'll see you around?" Sam asked. I smiled, meaning it. "Yeah, I guess you will," I told him. He cracked a smile and I headed off to find that Rachel chick. She didn't seem helpful, but maybe she'd give me directions.