It was my first day of high school. I was in the car with my mom. The radio was on, but it just played commercials that I tuned out.
"You excited for your first day of high school?" asked my mom.
"I don't know," I said, shrugging my shoulder. Actually, I wasn't. I was really nervous.
"Don't worry sweetie, you'll do fine! Make lots of new friends, okay?"
"I'll try," I said, half-heartedly. The car pulled up to a stop by the curb. The traffic was somewhat calm because we got there early. My mom patted me on the shoulder.
"Have a good day! I'll see you after school, 'kay?"
"All right mom. Good-bye!" I waved to her and walked up the steps that led to the door. Only the freshmen were here today. We were told to put our stuff in our lockers and head to the gym. I jogged over to my locker, punched in the combination, and shoved all my stuff in my locker. I made sure I had my schedule before closing my locker. I went over to the gym and took a seat on the bleachers. I wasn't the first one there; teachers and a handful of students were also in the gym. We lived in a small town with a population of a little over 3,500.
A minute later my friend Zach Varmitech showed up, sitting next to me. We have been friends for a really long time. We lived next to each other until he moved two summers ago. Since our town wasn't very big, I could still walk to his house. He wasn't ever here for summer though. He'd been going to a summer science camp since he was 8-years-old. If we hadn't lived next to each other, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be friends. Zach was average height, loved dark colors like black, and hated Chris and Martin Kratt. We all lived in the same town, but I had never me either of them. That was due to Zach, of course. And also because I wasn't a really social person. I preferred to keep to myself.
Zach wasn't my only friend though. I had other friends, but they all moved because their parents didn't like the small town. We still kept in touch, thanks to e-mails and texting, but other then that it was just Zach and I. It was basically just like moving to a new town and having to make new friends.
"Hey Zach," I said, waving.
"Hey Aqua," he replied, running his hand through his hair.
"You excited for your first day of high school?"
"Not really. I'd rather be at home inventing." Figures. He was different then most people. He wasn't a jock, or a skater, or a prep. Neither was I. Zach was kind of a bully, but I wasn't. He was rude to Chris and Martin, calling them 'rats' because their last name, Kratt, sounded like rat.
He also was into me, but I only liked him as a friend. He was still trying to win me over, but to no avail. I promised myself I wasn't going to date because I'd seen what it did to one of my friends, Angie. That and it was totally pointless. They never really lasted long, not when you lived in a town as small as this. She had a boyfriend in fifth and sixth grade. One day, he broke up with her. She had no idea why she thought that she was ugly, that nobody loved her, and that she was a disgrace to the world. All because of that immature boy. She got over that, thanks to the help from her therapist. That wasn't the only reason though. I just wasn't into Zach. He was a friend, that's it.
"It won't be that bad," I said, trying to cheer him up.
"How do you know? You haven't been through high school before," Zach snapped.
"I know I haven't. I just-"
"Exactly. So, technically, you wouldn't know."
"I was trying to cheer you up," I sighed.
"Well, don't. I don't want to be here and there's nothing you can do or say to make me change my mind."
"Whatever," I said, rolling my eyes. He was always so stubborn. Sometimes I wondered why we were friends. I sat in silence and watched as the gym started to fill up. The bell rang and all the chatter stopped. There weren't very many people there, maybe seventy-five or eighty freshmen total. It doesn't sound like much, but to me it was. The principal, Mr. Smith, stood in the middle of the gym.
"Hello everyone!" called the principal, his volume of his voice amplified by the microphone he had. There were a few half-hearted responses, but that was it.
"Welcome, all you new freshmen! We'll start off the day by touring the high school. You will be sorted into groups. Then you'll eat lunch. After lunch, you are to report to your classes. They will be shortened because we won't have enough time to do full-length classes. Then, after the last bell rings, you'll be free to go home. Any questions?" No one raised their hand, so the principal continued.
Anyone with the last name starting with 'A' to 'G' will be going with Ms. Jackson over here," he said, pointing to a teacher with short, curly hair, red-rimmed glasses, and a yellow dress. She waved and smiled.
"Students with the last name beginning with 'H' to 'N' will be with Mr. Fenkle," said Mr. Smith, pointing to a young, but handsome, man. He waved and smiled.
I'll see you at lunch, okay? Try to have some fun Zach," I said, getting up to walk over by my guide.
"Ha. Yeah, right. Watch out for the rat," Zack said, looking around. I walked over to my guide. I couldn't tell how many people were in my group because there were still kids getting up. I figured there would be ten, maybe fifteen people, total. We had to wait for the principal to finish sorting everybody into their groups before we could go. I watched as Zach reluctantly trudged up to Miss Jackson. He could be so stubborn at times."All right. Let's begin the tour. As you all know my name's Mr. Fenkle. I will be your guide, and I may also be your science teacher," he said, taking us out of the gym. One of the kids raised there hand.
"Yes?" he asked, a little annoyed.
"When's lunch? I'm hungry," said Alicia, my old next door neighbor. I sighed. The tour had just started, and they were already thinking about food. This was going to be a long tour.
"Lunch is at eleven thirty," said a boy with brown hair. He was dressed in a green T-shirt and khaki shorts.
"Yes, until then we tour the school. Now if no one else interrupts, it'll be done before you know it." He took us to the cafeteria, where we would eat our lunch. Freshmen weren't allowed off campus until third quarter. Next we went to the art room. It had posters of all sorts. There were posters of famous people, pictures that other kids had drawn, and lots of inspirational quotes. The art teacher was sitting at her desk, filling out lesson plans. She looked up as we left the room and waved. Our guide waved back and we then went on to tour the rest of the school. We finished the tour by going to the auditorium. It was huge! There was a main stage and rows upon rows of comfy chairs.
"Can anyone tell me what this is used for?" asked our guide. The same boy who answered Alicia's question raised his hand.
"You in the green shirt," Mr. Fenkle said, pointing to the boy.
"It's used for plays, choir concerts, and talent shows," said the boy. The teacher nodded. The boy smiled, proud of himself. The guide looked at his watch. He led us out of the auditorium.
"Okay kids, this concludes the end of our tour. You are now free to go to lunch," he said, walking towards the cafeteria. The kids cheered and raced off to the cafeteria. I followed them and went in the shorter line. I pulled out my schedule and looked for my lunch code. When it was my turn I punched in my code and got my lunch. It was chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes. I looked around for Zach, but he wasn't at any of the tables or in either line. I sat down at a table at the end of the lunch room, knowing that Zach would have picked this table anyways. I opened my milk and took a drink. It tasted fine but I would rather have water. I looked up to see if I could find Zach, and instead saw the green clad boy walking in the direction of my table. I figured that he was going to sit at one of the tables in front of my, but he kept walking towards the table I was sitting at.
"Is this seat taken?" he asked, pointing to the spot in front of me.
"Yes. Oh, wait. I meant no. Sorry," I mumbled. The boy set his tray on the table and sat right across from me.
"Oh, my name's Chris. Chris Kratt," he said holding out his hand. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but I was too busy wondering why this boy wanted to sit by me.
"My name's Aqua Canales," I said, shaking his hand. He smiled and I smiled back.
"That's a pretty name. Very unique."
"Oh, thanks," I blushed a little, not used to compliments.
"I hope you don't mind me sitting here."
"Not at all. My mom said I needed to make new friends this year."
"Really? My mom said I should too."
"How did you know about the auditorium?"
"Well, I have an older brother who is a senior. His name is Martin Kratt." That name also sounded familiar.
"What is this rat doing here!?" exclaimed Zach, walking towards our table. Then it hit me. Those were the names of Zach's enemies. Chris turned around, obviously confused.
"Calm down, Zach. We were just talking," I said. Zach glared at me.
"Your friends with Zach?" Chris asked.
"Yeah, she is. Is there a problem with that?" Zack hissed, sitting down next to me. I sighed.
"No, not at all," Chris said. He looked at Zach, who glared at him and stuck his tongue out. I elbowed him.
"Ow! What was that for?" Zach cried, glaring at me. I laughed and Chris did too.
"Shut it green guy! You're not in this," Zach hissed. I laughed even more because Zach was being a big baby. He glared at me. I looked at Chris who was laughing quietly.
"Okay green guy, it's time for you to go," Zach said. Chris looked at me.
"No, Zach, he can stay. He doesn't have to go anywhere." Chris smiled at me and I smiled back.
"Fine then, I'm leaving," Zach huffed. He got up, took his tray, and left.
"Sorry about that Chris. He can be such a pain," I sighed.
"I know! Tell me about it. Thanks for letting my sit here," Chris said, smiling.
"No problem. Can we still be friends?"
"Of course! Why wouldn't we be?"
"Because I'm friends with Zach."
"That doesn't matter. I'm used to him."
"Can I see your schedule?"
"Sure." I compared his to mine. We had the exact same classes at the exact same times! His locker was right next to mine too.
"I don't believe this," I said, wondering if this was some sick joke.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, looking over our schedules. He was shocked.
"We have the exact same classes. What are the odds?" he exclaimed.
"And we're locker buddies! How cool is that?" He grinned broadly. I couldn't help but grin back.
"So, where do you think Zach went?"
"Bathroom, I think. What's the deal with you guys?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why does he hate you guys so much?"
"I'm not quite sure. He says that we were really mean to him when we were kids. I've tried apologizing to him, but it doesn't work. He will always hate us." Chris sighed.
"He's really stubborn. I'll try to talk to him, but don't get your hopes up." I looked at my food. I wasn't really hungry, but ate my mashed potatoes. I went to go take my tray up, but Chris stopped me.
"Here, I'll take that up for you, if you don't mind," he said, reaching out to grab my tray.
"Such a gentleman." I smiled and he chuckled. I sat back down and noticed that Zach was walking towards the table I was sitting at. He grabbed my arm and said, "You're coming with me." I pulled away from him.
"Zach," I hissed, "you're causing a scene." Some people were looking at us.
"We need to talk," he said.
"Later, yes. But not right now. Lunch is almost done."
"Fine. Just stay away from that rat."
"No can do. He's mine friend, and there's nothing you can do to change that." Zach mumbled something under his breath, grinning deviously. That look usually meant that he was planning something bad. Something very bad. Chris walked over to our table and Zach left.
"What was that all about?"
"He wants me to stay away from you."
"That's going to be tough, considering we have all the same classes."
"Don't worry, I'll still be your friend," I said right before the bell rang. Chris and I walked to our first class. I took a seat in the middle of the room and Chris sat on my right. Zach came and sat next to me on the left side. He made a face at Chris when he wasn't looking. I rolled my eyes. The rest of the school day dragged on. Every teacher seemed to say the exact same thing and after the third teacher, I stopped paying attention. When the last bell rang, I raced to my locker and grabbed my stuff. Zach was by the doors, waiting for me. We only had three classes together which, for me, is a good thing. I ignored him and walked out the doors. I found my mom's car. She smiled as I got in.
"So, how was your first day of school?"
"It was pretty good," I said, smiling.
"I know that look. You met a boy, didn't you?"
"No, I didn't!"
"What's his name?" Mom said.
"Okay, fine. His name is Chris," I said, knowing she wouldn't give up until I told her.
"Is he cute? What's he look like?" I sighed.
"He has brown hair, brown eyes, and yes, he's cute," I said, blushing. She smiled and we rode home in silence. My mom knew, even if I would never admit it, that I was falling for Chris. But was love worth losing a friend?