Anna led me through the tall gates and into the school's bustling halls. It definitely looked old. Ancient. The floors were a little uneven, made of cobblestone, and the walls were red brick. I guess they would have had to compartmentalise everything for classrooms, dividing the larger cathedral halls. I don't think I had ever been around that many people in my life. Girls all around us were talking, hugging, reuniting after being apart over the summer.

"Your locker is here, next to mine." Anna showed me the locker. The number read 2510. "It used to be Elsa's. Our locker system is kind of all over the place so the fact that you got yours here is just luck. You can keep all sorts of stuff in here. Gym clothes, books, your backpack, whatever. In between classes, you have five minutes of movement time when you can come here and grab what you need. As long as you don't have anything illegal in there, you'll be good."

"Oh… is that a regular occurrence around here?"

She shrugged. "Just to be safe. They do spot checks sometimes."

More people filed in as we methodically placed things in our lockers, crowding the space behind us. "There are… a lot of people…" I stammered, trying to shrink away from the ever growing crowd. Every conversation they had melded together, echoing as a never ending dialogue in my ears.

"Hey Meg!"

"Astrid!"

"Watch out!"

"On your left, pardon me…"

"How was your summer?"

"Bitch, I texted you and you didn't reply for two days! What gives?"

"Hey, did you see the new kid?"

"Not the freshmen, genius, they're all new. The new senior."

"Haven't seen her around here before."

"Since when do we get new seniors?"

"Beats me."

"Maybe she transferred here?"

My head was spinning with the intensity of it all. I leaned hard against the locker door, not daring to turn around in case every eye was on me and I had to face them all.

"Rapunzel?" Anna placed a hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?" I shook my head frantically, my chest tightening. I felt like I was gonna throw up. "What's wrong?" she pressed on. I didn't reply her, struggling to find my voice, struggling to breathe.

After a few helpless moments, I blurted out, "bathroom!"

"Wait!"

On wobbly feet, I ran through the halls, bumping into a few people on the way, ignoring the expletives they hissed my way when I knocked them off balance.

"Rapunzel!"

Scanning each door I passed, I finally found a girl's bathroom, running into the farthest stall and locking the door behind me. Closing the toilet lid, I sat myself on it, curling into a ball and tucking my knees under my chin. My breathing was loud as I struggled to get any air into my lungs. Tears stung behind my eyes. Each hand gripped the opposite arm to try and control the uncontrollable shaking. Calm down calm down calm down calm down you can't have a breakdown on the first day just calm the fuck down and stop making a complete and total fool of yourself Rapunzel get a grip before you-

The door opened.

"Rapunzel?"

It was Anna. I could hear her footsteps pacing the floor, making her way closer and closer to the stall. She eventually stopped in front of the door. Dum dum da dum dum. Her knuckles rapped rhythmically on the door five times.

"I'm fine,' I squeaked. "Please, Anna, go away."

"You don't sound fine," she argued. A moment of silence passed between us before she spoke again. "Is this an… anxiety thing?"

"Maybe…" I panted, a little embarrassed. "I… I don't know, I… it's a lot of people. I got overwhelmed. Why… why don't you go to the assembly first? I'll figure it out."

She didn't move an inch. "My sister used to get really bad panic attacks while we were growing up." Her voice was soft and comforting. "She even sometimes gets them now. It might seem easier to go through this stuff alone but you shouldn't feel like you need to push people away or shut people out." I didn't respond. "Rapunzel, I hope you know I'm not leaving this bathroom without you."

Admitting defeat, I slowly uncurled myself and stood up on shaky feet. My fingers curled around the lock and I was greeted with Anna's concerned face.

She took my hand and our fingers intertwined as she squeezed mine encouragingly. "When you're ready, we'll go to the assembly. Together. I'll be right by your side the whole time."

XXX

When I could will myself to leave the bathroom, Anna stayed true to her word. She didn't leave my side, not even once. The assembly was in a massive auditorium, what used to be the main church hall back in the day. We sat in grades. I assumed there were about 100 kids per year group. A smaller school than I had expected. The principal, Ms Wendy Darling, welcomed us, but if I'm honest, I definitely zoned out hard during that speech.

"Everyone, welcome to the start of a new academic year, and for those of you returning, welcome back… Of course, as is always the case at Willows, there will be new girls entering every year group… I expect all of our returning students to extend a helping hand to anyone in need of assistance… In terms of administration, there has been an extension to the art and design blocks over the summer break, so students who take an arts elective will be further informed by their teachers on new equipment and expectations… New security measures mean that students are not allowed on campus after 6pm without a member of staff present…"

She seemed gentle, not like some dictator principals I had read about or seen on tv. There was such a maternal nature about her, like she saw us more as her own children rather than a horde of teenagers she had to supervise. Her hair felt in neat waves just over her shoulders. The shade looked to be a mix of orange and brown. I wonder what I could paint with that?

"She has a daughter in sophomore year," Anna leaned over to whisper. "Jane's not like her mom. A massive tomboy. I sparred with her a few times last year, she's pretty good, She managed to knock me off my feet on multiple occasions."

"...we still have our extracurriculars running from last year, with some new additions with the extensions of some campus facilities, including the new design and tech module… sign ups for the school musical open next week, with auditions starting the week after…"

They made us stand for the anthem, the pledge of allegiance, the school rally, all of which I would have to get used to, before girls began filing out of the hall.

"Where are we going?" I asked, walking next to Anna.

"We have extended homeroom because it's the first day back," she explained. "You're with me, in Mrs Davis' class. She'll likely make you stand and introduce yourself. Where you're from, three interesting facts, the standard procedure." I could feel myself tense, and Anna was quick to notice. "But don't worry. Our homeroom is super chill. The most laid back class you'll ever meet."

A small group of us filed into a classroom. Each desk accommodated two people, so Anna and I sat at one of the tables near the door. A quick count told me there were about 14 of us in total.

"Hey!" A cheerful looking redhead sat in front of us turned to look at me. "You must be new. I'm Ariel." She offered me an outstretched hand, which I hesitantly shook.

"Rapunzel."

"It's rare that we get new people in senior year, but we've always had people come and go. I think Anna's told me about you before. You live down the street from her, right?" I nodded meekly. "Well, I'm sure you're gonna love it here even if you're only here for a year. They say the friends you meet at Willows are the friends that stay with you for life. I should know, my mom went here."

"Oh wow."

She nodded proudly, "class of '97. Her and my six sisters are all alumni."

"Six?"

Ariel stifled a cute giggle, hiding her mouth behind her palm. "Six older pains in the ass. But they've all enjoyed their time here and I'm sure you will too."

"Alright girls, settle down!" Mrs Davis strolled in, balancing a laptop and a mug of coffee in her hands. The coffee mug had a space design on it. One of those Buzz Lightyear toys which had been all the rage when I was little. I had begged my aunt to get me one, but of course, she said no. Space toys were for boys.

Is it crazy I still resent her for that? Nah. I have the right to hold a grudge.

"It's your first day of senior year, which means things will be ramping up for you all as students…" Mrs Davis went on some motivational speech about this being our last year of highschool and that we needed to make the most of it. I found myself wandering, lost in my own thoughts, my vision fixed on Ariel's red locks which fell in natural waves over her shoulders, almost like an ocean of hair. "...and finally, we have a new student in class today. Rapunzel, would you stand up and introduce yourself?" Anna's elbow gently nudged my side and my legs worked on their own accord, mechanically forcing myself to my feet. Mrs Davis looked at me kindly. "So, just introduce yourself, where you're from and three interesting facts about yourself."

"Hi… um… my name is Rapunzel Hollen," I gave an awkward wave. Every eye was on me and I tried not to tremble too visibly.

"I moved from North Carolina to San Fransokyo when I was five months old, and up until now, I was homeschooled." Thankfully, my voice was relatively steady.

"Um… three interesting facts…" Don't bore them, Rapunzel, at least try to sound interesting.

"I do digital art in my free time." No one's fallen asleep yet, that's a good sign.

"I cut my hair for the first time in my life right before I turned seventeen. It was several feet long before that, nearly touching the floor." I hastily tried to push the bad memories away as they threatened to creep back into my mind and consume me. Think of something interesting. Something that makes you sound cool. Remember, you want these people to like you.

"...and I know how to ride a hoverboard."

The class all began to speak at once, this comment clearly peaking their interest. "Where did you even learn that?" a girl with blond hair and bangs done up in a single braid asked across the room. I could see a dragon pendant resting on her chest.

"I have some friends at the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology. He taught me over the course of an afternoon, on my seventeenth birthday."

A dark skinned girl with a southern accent piped up. "Was it much harder than riding a bike?"

"Believe it or not, I learned to ride a hoverboard before I learnt how to ride a bike," I said sheepishly.

Just then, the melodic chiming of the school bell rang, indicating movement time to the next class. It wasn't like the shrill ringing of a red bell like high school movies portrayed. It was more musical, less abrasive.

"Okay, everyone. You'll all have a chance to talk to Rapunzel during lessons or lunch, but you need to start making your way to classes now before you're late. See you all tomorrow!" I glanced around as everyone picked up their bags and binders and blindly followed suit, letting Anna lead me to our next destination with a reassuring "come on".

After that, our lessons went relatively alright. Anna and I took the same classes and electives so our schedules were identical and she stuck with me through every one. I aced art history, earning praise from my teacher which was a huge boost of confidence. Math was something no one has to talk about ever. Chemistry was interesting, even if I almost set the lab on fire. Then, lunch.

"Lunch is catered," Anna explained. "Your mom would have paid at the start of the semester, so you can just line up and pick what you want. Warning, don't pick the green beans. You'll thank me later." After the lunch lady slopped a series of somewhat unidentifiable food onto my tray, I followed Anna to her table, the knots in my stomach putting me off my appetite. The rest of her group was already there, chattering away as we approached. It was a big table, I had to admit. Eight of them in total, with space for Anna and I and then some.

"Fun fact: every table in the cafeteria here fits twelve people comfortably, in honour of the school's twelve founding members!" Anna said cheerily.

"That's… a lot," I admitted, getting a little nervous.

Anna noticed and looked at me with a kind smile. "Hey, don't look so worried. The girls are all chill. New people come and go all the time, it's really flexible. You'll be fine." When she saw I wasn't convinced, she added, "if anything, just let me know. We can have lunch on the courtyard. But you should give it a shot."

Taking a shaky breath, I nodded. "Okay. I trust you."

"Hi Anna!" One of the girls called out, her voice masked by a thick Scottish accent, accompanied with a thick head of red hair that curled out in all directions. "Who's the new lass?"

"Girls, this is Rapunzel." Anna and I sat our lunch trays down at an empty spot on the table next to the cheerful scot. "Rapunzel, this is… well, everyone. You've met some of them before, though not all officially. Merida, Cinderella, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Moana, Tiana and Mulan." She pointed at each girl in turn, who all looked up at me.

"Don't worry about getting all our names down," the girl named Mulan assured me. "I came in during sophomore year and it took me weeks to not mix everyone up."

"Thanks," I said, offering her a small smile.

"You're lucky you came when you did and there are less of us. Elsa, Snow, Pocahontas and Aurora have all graduated, so that's less names for you," the blonde - Cinderella? - said. "But by next year most of us will be gone too. I believe the only juniors among us right now are Moana and Jasmine, right?" The rest nodded in agreement.

"So Rapunzel," Jasmine turned to me. "What brings you to Willows? We don't get many new seniors around here."

I rubbed the back of my neck a little sheepishly. "Well, the very short and simplified version of that story is I used to live with my dad, then his sister, and now I live with my mom."

"Was it a shared custody situation?" Cinderella asked.

"Sort of…" How was I supposed to explain this? "My parents divorced when I was little so I lived with my dad. Dad dies. I live with his sister. Sister dies. At this point, my mom is in another state and it takes me a while to find her and I'm living with a social worker for the time being. Then I found her and well… now I'm here."

"Where were you going before this?"

"Uh… I was homeschooled," I answered hesitantly. "I'm still kind of getting to know my mom. We literally met in August so… yeah."

There was a moment of silence before Merida raised her carton of chocolate milk. "Welcome to the club, lass. Most of us have mommy issues one way or another."

The girls chattered in agreement while I was surprised. "Really? How?"

"Abusive stepmother," Cinderella said, her tone surprisingly cheerful considering the words that just came out of her mouth. "Made me more of a cleaner than a kid. I used to talk to rats when I was little as a form of escapism. But it's all good now. She's out of my life."

"Ooh, remember Snow's stepmom who forced her to spend every minute of her day telling her how beautiful she was?" Tiana recounted, earning sounds of agreement from the others.

"Asian mom," Mulan laughed. "That one should be pretty self explanatory. Love her to bits though."

"My mom is a massive control freak. She can be so overbearing," Merida added, "no pun intended."

"Pun?" I asked curiously.

"I was so done with her shit. On Halloween, she wanted me to wear a princess costume but I wanted to be Robin Hood. It was one of the last times I would be able to trick or treat too, so I was so frustrated she was trying to dictate everything even though I was old enough to make my own choices. She was dressing up as a bear to chaperone my brothers so in a moment of anger, I may have super glued the seam of the head which got her stuck in the costume. It was entertaining for a bit, until she nearly suffocated and I nearly lost her forever. Don't look at me like that! We talked things through after and our relationship is much better now. She's mellowed out a lot, and is pretty fine with me being my own person."

"See?" Anna nudged my shoulder. "You fit right in."

I smiled warmly as the girls continued to talk and catch up after the long summer. "Yeah, I guess I do."

XXX

"Last period is gym," Anna was leading me around the back of the complex, towards the smaller sports building. "We've gotta hurry. Coach Pelekai won't like it if we're late." The gym looked more modern, like a new addition to ancient architecture. It seemed like the gym of any high school movie, with courts, bleachers, basketball hoops, the works. I followed Anna into the locker room and was immediately taken aback. Everyone was there. Changing in the open.

I guess I should have expected it. It was an all girls school, after all. But everyone was just so… open about it. Girls were stripping left, right and centre, and my dumb lesbian self tried not to stare. People were getting out of their warm blazers and stuffy ties, changing into sports bras and gym shorts and t-shirts and trainers.

"Anyone got a spare tampon?"

"Oh shit, I think I lost my deodorant."

"Hey, cute bra! Where did you get it?"

My chest tightened. I wasn't exactly ready to answer the question of "why are you wearing boxers?" on the first day with people I barely knew. Looking around, I noticed a row of shower cubicles, still relatively dry.

"Be right back," I told Anna, who was already half naked. Before she could say anything else, I bolted into a cubicle, locking the door behind me. The inside was a little damp, but otherwise relatively alright. I was able to hang my gym bag on a hook on the door and quickly strip, throwing on my gym clothes before anyone could realise I was gone. Thankfully, the shorts were very baggy and unflattering, giving nothing away about me being intersex.

When I got out, wrestling my sneakers onto my feet, Anna was standing outside the stall.

"All good?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Yup," I squeaked, moving past her to leave my bag in a locker. She didn't look entirely convinced, but just shrugged and linked her arm in mine, bringing me out into the gym.

"Hello, class, and welcome to 12th grade gym!" Coach Pelekai was a tall, curvy woman with tanned skin and a round face. She looked young. Her name to me sounded Hawaiian or Polynesian. "I see some familiar faces but for those who don't know me, my name is Coach Pelekai. I'm from Kaua'i, Hawaii and I used to be a professional surfer when I was in high school."

"That's so cool!" I whispered to Anna.

"Right?" she agreed. "Coach Pelekai is super chill, but be ready for a workout."

"Eyes here, girls," she snapped her fingers twice, getting our full attention. "Our unit for this term is basketball. For a warm up, three rounds around the perimeter of the court, then stretches before we split into groups for drills."

My legs were shaking. My body was sweating. My lungs were burning. Maybe I wasn't cut out for sports? Maybe it was the seventeen years of quarantine? Though, surprisingly, the only person I thought was worse than me was none other than Anna.

"Are you sure you do martial arts?" I laughed as she struggled to dribble the ball from one end of the court to the other for the fifth time.

"I'm not that bad-" her sentence was cut short when she bounced the ball a little too hard, hitting herself in the face. "Okay, maybe I'm a little bit of a clutz."

Trying to contain my amusement, I took the ball from her and practised my dribbling before the whistle blew, signing our water break. "Isn't hand eye coordination just as important in MMA as it is in basketball?"

"I don't know how to explain it, but ball sports just aren't my thing. I'm better at hand to hand combat."

"We should practise after school sometime," I suggested. "I saw one of the neighbours has a hoop. Maybe we could borrow it?"

She shook her head vigorously. "Yeah, that's a no from me. It belongs to Sid Phillips. A freaky kid. He's more of a teenager now, I suppose, but still. Gives me the creeps." As Anna continued to tell me about the kid who used to set his toys on fire with a magnifying glass, I noticed Coach Pelekai step off to the side, wrestling her phone out of her pocket.

I could only hear bits of the conversation, but what I did hear got the cogs turning in my head. "Lilo, I'm working right now… later tonight… photosynthesis… okay, make sure to get your homework done. When I get back, we can take Stitch for a walk together. Sound good? ...okay, love you, bye."

Lilo… wasn't there a drawing done by a Lilo in Cass' office? And wasn't there a dog named Stitch in it too? Before I could spend too much time thinking about it, she blew her whistle again, ripping me from my thoughts. "Game time!"

After what I can only describe as a brutal defeat on my part, the final bell of the day rang. We helped pack away the equipment, rolling trolleys of balls into the storage closet before making our way back to the locker room. One glance behind me showed Coach still waiting by the bleachers, typing something on her phone. My mind kept tugging at me and I slowed.

"Hey, we're walking home together, right?" Anna asked, slowing down with me.

"Um… yeah, definitely, but…" I scratched the back of my neck. "You go change first. Meet me by the gates. I need to ask Coach about something first."

"Okay, don't get lost without me," she teased.

My legs worked on their own accord, mechanically propelling me forwards until I was right in front of her. She looked up from her phone, a little surprised that I hadn't bolted for the main gate like any other sane teenager.

"Hey, it's Rapunzel, right? Need something?" she asked kindly. Her dark eyes seemed to look right through me, like she was reading me. It was only then that I noticed how long her lashes were, her lips that were round and plump, her long dark hair which framed her face, finally loose from the ponytail that restricted it during class. Don't go into gay panic mode right now.

"Hi Coach. I was wondering, and I'm… uh… sorry if this is a weird question… and I might be prying…" she looked at me with a perfectly plucked arched eyebrow, the corner of her lip tugging upwards. "I couldn't help but overhear that you were speaking to a 'Lilo', and I was wondering if you knew Cass. Cassandra Hamada. In San Fransokyo. On the other side of town?"

She bit her bottom lip slightly. "Lilo is my little sister."

"Is your first name Nani?" I asked curiously.

A light chuckle escaped her. "It is indeed."

"Oh, wow…" It was at that point I realised I had no idea where I was going with that conversation. "Sorry, I'm being kind of a prude right now. It's just that I spent the last few months living with Cass and I happened to see a drawing Lilo did that was pinned up in her office and when you took her call earlier I couldn't help but overhear and connect the dots in my head and I really don't know where I'm going with this I just though it's interesting that we know the same Cass and now that I think about it it probably means that your home life may not have been the best which makes me feel terrible for bringing it up so I'll leave now see you next week-"

"It's fine." Thankfully, she didn't look offended at my word vomit. "Teachers who teach you would have been informed of your circumstances. Not all the details, but just that you're still getting used to things." She didn't elaborate.

"We met Cass a few years ago, when Lilo was six and I was nineteen. We'd just moved here from Hawaii. Long story short, I wasn't able to balance taking care of her, going to college and working a part time job, so Cass helped us out. But all is well now and we stay together as a happy family, me, Lilo and our dog Stitch."

"Oh," I smiled at her sheepishly. "That's really sweet. Sorry, if I was sticking my nose where it doesn't belong."

"It's no problem."

"Well, I'm gonna head off then." I turned to leave, speed walking towards the changing rooms.

"And Rapunzel?" She was fidgeting in her place, considering what to say. "I think I remember the drawing you saw, so I think I know that you know that I come from a broken family. Or, at least not a nuclear one." I saw a faint blush warm her cheeks. "If you ever have troubles in school or at home, I'm always in the office. Stop by anytime for a talk if you need."

"I… uh… thank you."

XXX

"Hey, Punz? Can I call you that, actually? Rapunzel is fine though, if you'd rather not have a nickname." Anna and I were walking out of the school gates and back towards Crescent Road. By then, most girls had already left campus or were staying back for some after school clubs.

"Punz is fine," I sighed wistfully. "I've never had a nickname before. I kind of like it."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Lay it on me."

"Why do you change in the shower stalls?"

I blushed, rubbing the back of my neck. Surely, I can trust Anna with this. That nightmare I had is in no way a representation of reality. She's been nothing but sweet and kind, she wouldn't just turn on you like that. Just be honest with her, what's the worst that could happen? "Oh… just body conscious." Well, it wasn't a lie.

"There's no need to be," Anna said reassuringly, squeezing my arm. "Us girls know the importance of sticking together and empowering one another rather than bringing each other down. Most of us are gay anyway, so if anything, they'll be gawking for a good reason."

"Oh… um…"

"Girl's schools are essentially lesbian conversion camps, or some other equivelant," she joked. "I'm not ashamed to say that I like girls. My friends and family know, and come on, it's 2032. People are more accepting of it now."

She's surprisingly casual about this. "Oh, that's cool. Love is love."

"Exactly!" There was a small skip in her step, her hair bouncing off her shoulders, still done in their two plaits. "Homophobes are just stuck in the past. I think we should have advanced far more as a society by now." Oh Anna, you have no idea. "Well, this is me."

Looking up from the pavement, I realised we had indeed reached the Krysi household. I noticed Iduna waving at me from her closed kitchen window and sheepishly returned the gesture. "How about we meet here tomorrow?" I suggested. "Shall we say eight? Since homeroom is at eight thirty, and I won't need a tour this time."

Anna nodded enthusiastically, pulling me into a tight hug which admittedly knocked the wind out of me. "See you then!"

Walking up the rest of the street, I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket.

"Hey honey!" Mom's voice was breathy when I picked up the phone. "I had to run to the office quickly. Slight emergency I have to deal with. You have your keys so you should be sorted. I've left some snacks for you on the kitchen counter. How was your first day.?"

The events of the day flashed in my mind.

...They've all enjoyed their time here and I'm sure you will too...

...Most of us have mommy issues one way or another...

...Stop by anytime for a talk if you need...

..I'm not ashamed to say that I like girls...

"It was great."

A/N - Hello dear reader! Once again, hope you enjoyed the chapter. The next one will be out soon so keep a lookout for than, and in the meantime, stay safe and wear a mask :)