The next morning I woke up tired. I miss my comfortable bed back in California. It also didn't help having to sleep under someone I can't stand. To make matters worse, Ashley tossed and turned all night long, hitting the wall a couple of times. She even talked in her sleep numerous times. She kept saying that she was sorry. She mentioned the name Christine a couple of times. Maybe Christine was an ex-girlfriend or something. By the time I decided to get out of bed it was a little after six. Ashley was already gone, and her bed was already made. Soon I heard the alarm on Madison's phone go off. She got up and hopped down from her bunk.
"Damn that was the best night of sleep I've had in weeks!" said Madison as she stretched.
"I was sleeping great till I heard Ashley and Spencer arguing over a damn lamp," said Kyla as she got out of her bunk.
"Well it was all Ashley! I feel like she just wants to start problems with me," I said getting my stuff for a shower.
"Ignore her Spencer, Ashley doesn't really get along with a lot of people. We better get our showers, breakfast starts at seven," said Kyla yawning.
"So what do we do today if classes don't start till tomorrow?" I asked.
"Well today will be the welcome assembly and then the clubs will set up in the gym and the court yard. I'm president of drama club so I will be in charge of that table all day," said Kyla proudly.
"Are you in the drama club as well Madison?" I asked the Latina girl.
"Performing plays and musicals isn't really my thing," said Madison as she got her stuff for her shower and the three of us made our way to the bathroom.
"So what is your thing?" I asked Madison as we walked down the hall.
"Dancing. I'm captain of the dance team here at Westcott. It's my favorite thing to do. I would love to dance professionally once we graduate, but my parents have other plans for me," admitted Madison.
"Who cares Mads, you have to follow your own dreams, not your parents. You're really good, and I know you have a shot to make this dancing dream a reality," said Kyla while looking at her best friend.
"Thanks Ky," said Madison with a smile.
"So Spencer, did you belong to any clubs back home?" asked Madison.
Truth was, once I started dating Carmen, my grades started to slip. In fact most days I wouldn't even go to school. I used to be involved with art and music in middle school. That all changed when I became Carmen's girlfriend. For starters, most of her family belonged to a gang. I know I shouldn't have let myself be around that kind of shit, but I loved Carmen and I knew that she herself wasn't a gang member. Of course Carmen wasn't an angel either. She had been picked up for shop lifting a couple of times. In her defense it wasn't for fun, she just didn't have the money to pay for it. She also loved to party and drink. Occasionally I would sneak out of the house during the night to stay overnight at a party with Carmen. I would come home wasted in the morning, my father would yell at me and my mother would cry. My brothers got to the point where they couldn't even stand to look at me sometimes because I was tearing our family apart. I knew what I was doing wasn't right, but Carmen made everything wrong feel so right.
"Um, you know, my old high school really didn't have that many clubs actually. It was a small school," I said, trying to sound convincing.
"Oh well Westcott has a tons of clubs and it's a great way to branch out and meet people. I'm also on the events committee. We plan out dances, field trips, and fundraisers. I'm president of the committee and if you are interested I can get you in," said Madison happily.
"Well I would like to see all of the clubs before I make a decision on which one I want to join. But I will keep the events committee in mind," I said lying to Madison.
"Okay sounds good Spencer. Oh my god there's Trina Kapowski! I have to find out how her and Mike broke up this summer!" said Madison making her way over to a slender red-headed girl.
"Madison can be pushy sometimes. Personally I wouldn't give too much thought to the events committee, their members are so fake and snobby, except for Madison of course," said Kyla as she brushed her teeth.
"Well planning events isn't really my thing. I'm sure I'll find a good club though," I said taking out some toothpaste from my bag.
Breakfast was just as good as dinner was last night. We had plain oatmeal and a banana. I swear by the time this semester is over I'm going to look like a skeleton from lack of food. At least they offered coffee as a breakfast beverage.
"So Tiffany sleep walks into the wall and keeps banging her head till finally I couldn't take it anymore and I wake her ass up! She probably sleep walks from all the damn chocolate bars she has before bed! And don't get me started on all of the fucking candy wrappers she has around our bunk," said Chelsea sounding frustrated.
"Girl I told you it was hell rooming with her last year. It's going to get worse around Halloween, so be prepared," Madison said to Chelsea.
"Great! Ugh why can't I ever have decent room assignments!" said Chelsea as she slammed her head to the table.
"Least you don't have to room with Davies. I swear she and Spencer will kill each other before fall break," said Madison as she peeled down her banana.
"She starts it. I've done nothing to that girl, yet she seems to have an issue with me," I said looking at the girls.
"Ashley is just Ashley. Just best to stay out of her way," said Chelsea as she finished her oatmeal.
"Oh I better start setting up my table," said Chelsea as she gathered her things.
"Oh what club are you in Chelsea?" I asked.
"Art club. I'm president and it's a super fun club! I highly recommend joining Spencer," said Chelsea excitedly.
"I'll be sure to stop by your table," I said with a smile.
"I'll save my best pitch for you then," smiled Chelsea as she made her way out of the dining hall.
I took out my phone and checked for any missed calls or texts from Carmen. Nothing to show, I did however have a message from my dad and my brother Clay.
Dad: Hey sweetie, hope you are settling in just fine. Me and your mom love and miss you. Hope to hear from you soon about your first day of classes. I love you Spencer.
Clay: Hey Spence, how are you liking the new school? King hasn't changed much, I got stuck with Mrs. Newton again for Chemistry. I'm trying to see if mom and dad will let me visit you for fall break. I'll let you know. Love you sis!
I smiled at the messages. I know things aren't perfect with my family right now, but they never stopped loving me or giving up on me. I owe it to them to give this place a chance and try to turn my life around. I texted them both back, then finished my coffee. Sasha and Jessica came in with their trays, both looking like they rushed out this morning without checking a mirror first.
"Where have you two been?" asked Madison.
"You know morning sex is our favorite. And we have to wait for Jess's roommates to leave," said Sasha as she dove into her oatmeal smirking.
"Spare me the details. I need to go set up the dance table. I hear we're supposed to have some talented freshmen this year," said Madison getting up.
"Yeah I better get started on the drama table before Beth gets there and acts like she's in charge," said Kyla as she followed Madison.
Sasha and Jessica turned their attention to me.
"So Spencer, are you gay?" asked Jessica.
"Oh my god Jess, you just met the girl yesterday and you choose her sexuality as a topic starter to get to know her!" says Sasha embarrassed.
"It's totally cool. Yes I am gay," I said.
"I knew it! My gaydar was going off hardcore when I saw you yesterday!" said Jessica excitedly.
"Really? Most people assume I'm straight," I said surprised.
"Yeah well I'm not most people. If someone is gay, I know," said Jessica proudly.
"It's true. She knew I was gay even before I did back when we were freshman," said Sasha as she opened her orange juice.
"I must say, you are pretty hot Spencer. Single?" asked Jessica.
I looked at Sasha to see whether I should answer her girlfriend's question.
"You can tell us. Jessica is nosy and also loves to flirt, but I know I'm the only girl she wants," said Sasha with a smile.
"I have a girlfriend back in California," I said, hoping they wouldn't want details.
"Oh my god I knew it! Give us details," said Jessica excitedly.
I was about to speak when the bell signaled that breakfast was over.
"Damn I knew we took too long this morning baby!" whined Sasha.
"I didn't hear any complaints this morning baby," said Jessica with a smirk.
"We'll continue this conversation later Spencer!" said Jessica as she got up and followed her girlfriend out of the dining hall.
I smiled and shook my head as I threw away my trash and made my way over to the auditorium. The welcome assembly was brief thankfully. We were free to explore the club tables. I figured I would give clubs a chance, I need to do better for myself and clubs is a good start. The first table I spotted was Chelsea's. She had her paintings displayed and pictures from trips the club took to various art galleries around the city. After hearing Chelsea's pitch for a good half hour, I signed my name up to join the club. Chelsea was a really nice girl and I could see us becoming good friends.
Next I made my way down rows of different sports tables and academic tables. Nothing really caught my attention. I was about to call it quits when I spotted a table with big black sparkly music notes around it. I had always loved to sing in the middle school choir team. I really wanted to join the choir at King, but Carmen said it was lame and time consuming, so I gave it up.
"Hey I'm Jonica, can you sing?" asked a girl with short blonde hair.
"Yeah, I mean I haven't in years, but I used to all the time. I mean like now I do in the shower and in the car. I'm decent I would say," I said rambling.
"Cool, you should join our choir, we sing modern music and it's really fun. We go on competitions around the state. It's really fun and the girls in the club are really cool. You should join," said Jonica.
"Where do I sign," I said with a smile.
"Right here," pointed Jonica. "We have our first meeting tonight in the juniors lounge after dinner. See you there…?" she said looking at me with her hand extended.
"Oh! Spencer, Spencer Carlin," I said shaking her hand.
"Alright cool, see you later Spencer," said Jonica.
When I got back to my dorm Kyla was on her bed writing something in her notebook.
"Hey Kyla," I said with a smile.
"Call me Ky Spencer," said Kyla returning my smile.
"Okay, as long as you call me Spence," I said.
"Deal Spence," said Kyla returning to her notebook.
"What are you working on Ky?" I asked her.
"Possible plays for the fall. I kind of want to do a mystery. Drama club meets tomorrow to vote on it so I need a list ready," said Kyla, not looking away from her notebook.
"Oh cool," I said, walking over to my bunk.
"I haven't seen Ashley all day," I said to Kyla.
"Consider it a blessing. She's probably in a janitor's closet with some chick," said Kyla as she continued to work on her list till the lunch bell rang.
"Man I hope lunch is decent," I said following Kyla.
It wasn't.
After lunch I realized that I really didn't have anything to do, I decided a walk was a great idea. I decided to check out where things were. I started in the library, which was huge and had so many books, computers, and rooms used for study groups. I then made my way over to the recreation building, it had two big rooms with four tvs in the center with chairs surrounding. There was a game room, and even a room with pool tables. I also spotted the school store, and a coffee shop that seniors got to work at to earn some extra money. After I finished exploring that building, I made my way back to Tressman Hall. I didn't feel like going back to my dorm yet, so I went in the junior lounge. It wasn't that big, it had a 46 inch tv and a couple couches and chairs. I decided to sit in the chair in the far corner of the room by the window. I took out my phone and called Carmen. Unfortunately it went to voicemail. I didn't feel like leaving a message. I wondered what in the hell could Carmen possibly be doing that she couldn't answer her damn phone. I decided to get up and head back to my dorm. When I went in Madison was laying on her bed, and Kyla and Chelsea were sitting on Kyla's bed.
"What's up guys," I said as I sat down on my bed.
"Well we're trying to figure out how we can sneak out of here this weekend for a party we really want to go to," said Madison.
"I don't think we should risk it. Especially on the first week of school," said Chelsea.
"Where's your sense of adventure Chels?' said Madison.
"Well I'm sorry if I don't see getting suspended as a great adventure Mads" said Chelsea as the dinner bell rang.
For dinner we had roasted chicken, sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli, and vanilla pudding. It wasn't that bad, better than any of my previous meals. Sasha and Jessica came late again and almost missed dinner. After dinner I made my way over to the junior lounge for my first club meeting. I had to admit, I was a little nervous and excited at the same time. When I walked into the room I spotted Jonica with a group of girls in the back. She waved when she saw me and I made my way to where they were and grabbed a seat next to this girl named Sherry.
"I'm just waiting on one more person and then we can start the meeting," said Jonica.
"I'm here! Sorry I'm late Jon, I had to get an issue with my classes straightened out!" said the late girl.
"It's cool Ash. For those of you who don't know this is Ashley Davies, she is in charge of picking out the songs we sing for our competitions. I determine who sings what though. Ash why don't you have a seat over there next to Spencer," said Jonica.
Ashley walked over and took the seat next to me.
"What happened Blondie? The book club was already full?" whispered Ashley before turning her attention back to Jonica.
Great, over twenty different clubs and I had to choose the one Ashley was in. Just great…
