"Yahoo! Today. Is. Great!" Shouted a lightly tanned blue haired girl running through the neighborhood bright and early in the morning.
Her hair trailed behind her like embers in the wind, her skin glistening as bright as her smile with sweat.
Wearing a sky blue zipped up sports jacket with a red metal shoulder plate over her left arm and being shorts, her sprinting left her tennis shoes to get further beat down by the gravel pavement below.
She saw a few familiar faces along the way and spent barely a second to wave "Hey-lo!"
Her priorities were set and her spirits were higher than the clouds.
Breaking out of the neighborhood and into the bustling streets, she ran alongside the cars going southbound and kept herself at their pace.
A child in the back seat of one car looked out in awe, and the girl smiled, giggled, and waved at him before kicking up her pace just a bit more.
He heart pounded and pounded "Thump thump thump!, "Thump thump thump!"
But every gasp of air she took to keep the rhythm going was another opportunity to build up more sweat on her skin.
"Hee hee hee!" The wind tickled her skin with a chill.
Once she hit the intersection she had to stop for the red light, but the pace of her sprint kept going in place.
"C'mon, c'mon!" She whispered until the light broke green, and not even a blink passed before she took off.
She saw a couple buses along the way and smirked competitively, "I'm gonna win!"
A few blocks was all it took for her to pass them up and head to the main part of town, where the nearby gas station caught her eye.
Her stomach spoke quickly and with a lick of her lips she swerved to satisfy it.
"My stomachs fulla eggs but…!" She slowed down juuuuust a little bit as she enters the store and headed straight for the smoothie machine.
"Nothing beats a strawberry smoothie!" She pulled out a sports mug, filled'er up, and took it to the counter, fiddling through her pockets for change.
"Morning Serra! Got another fun day ahead of you?" The attendant asked.
"Yep! I'm starting high school today!" She declared while throwing change onto the counter.
"Whew…! Where's the time go? I remember when your dad-"
Serra turned and was already out the door, her voice muffled through the windows, "Sorry, gotta run! Keep the change!"
She downed that icy delight in a matter of seconds and laughed at the ensuing brain freeze.
After which she kept back up at her original pace, briskly brushing through the town she grew up in.
Nothing much has changed, yet it was totally different too, and that was just the way she liked it!
Finally, she arrived at the new school: Bluegreen High.
Standing under the shadow of the plaque with a forward smile and the grit of her knuckles drilling into her palm, she clenched her fist and prepared herself.
"Gyms! Track fields! Pools! Sports courts! Ready or not high school, Serra Whiter's coming to make her mark!"
She marched into the parking lot and pumped her fist knowing she had beat out all the buses.
Buuuut the downsides kicked in when she realized she'd have to wait to go in.
She ran a few paces around the parking lot and then hit the fences to peak at the track. It was your standard quarter mile run with white lined lanes and the wear and tear of runners past everywhere she looked.
She wiggled her fingers through the fence holes, ready to pounce and take a run. But…! She would wait.
A few more paces and stretches later and the first bus arrived on the scene, then the second, then the third.
It was only at the fourth bus that she budged from her spot.
Cause out walked a boy in a red hoodie jacket with one of those musical note thingies as the zipper, blue jeans and brown sneakers. He had wavy smooth brown hair and auburn eyes with a naturally calm demeanor.
Serra swung her hand up high and shouted, "See! Toldja I'd win, Leo!"
Leo was staring at his phone and with a nonchalant tone of praise he said, "Congratulations, Serra. Here is your prize."
He then lifted up two backpacks in his left hand, one marked with a worn down NASCAR sticker.
"...Oops!" Serra replied with her eyes wide and vacant.
After taking the backpack Leo told her, "Also. I cleaned your plate before I left."
Serra thrust a thumbs up towards his face and shouted, "Thanks bro!"
Leo sighed and as he put his phone away, "I wish you could put some of that competitive spirit into cleaning the dishes better than me."
Serra laughed, "I wanted to get here as soon as possible! Tell me you're not excited, bro!"
Leo briefly looked at the school and tucked his hands into his jacket, "I've been looking forward to it all Summer. By the by, you know what I heard?"
"No what!" Serra remarked.
"Zelene will be attending the same school as us."
"Zely?! Cool! The more family members the better!"
Leo rubbed the back of his head, "I'm not so sure about that, but for her at least, she's probably relieved to be among familiar faces."
"Augh, finally…!" Another voice grunted his way out of the bus, carrying a shoulder bag full of school and art supplies.
He was a pretty unremarkable guy, in fact Leo once fondly described him as a…Light Navel protagonist or something?
With his short brown hair, wrist bracelets and simple colored shirt and pants, it was easy for him to disappear into a crowd.
That is, if Serra didn't shout, "Hey buddy! Glad ya could make it!"
She walked up, threw her hands out, and after a sheepish gasp he smiled and patted her hands back.
"You…feel pretty sweaty this morning, Serra." He remarked kindly.
"Yep! I jogged all the way over here!" She said, planting a thumb on her chest.
"Sheesh, that's at least a few miles from home. You're incredible." The boy remarked.
He then snapped out of his small trance and turned to Leo, "O-Oh yeah, right."
He pulled out a small square case labeled "Sounds of the Sea" and passed it on to him, "That chip music was pretty high quality. Felt like I was swimming in the deep blue sea."
"Hopefully it led to some inspiration, Damian." Leo replied.
Damian shook his bag and smiled halfway, "I'll show you at lunch time."
"Awesome!" Serra interjected, "I look forward to seeing whatcha cooked up this time!"
Damian shivered with a nervous smile, "S-Sure thing…"
The three started strolling in front of the school with Leo remarking, "So which class were you assigned, Damian?"
"Uhhh…" He snatched a paper out of his bag and squinted at it, "207, morning half."
"Same as us! What a coin-in-dense!" Serra said while throwing her arm over his back.
"Coincidence." Leo whispered.
"Whuh whuh?" Serra said with that happy-go-lucky vacant stare.
"Ahem. Anyways. We have a few moments. We should wait for Zelene."
"Zelene's coming here too?" Damian expressed in surprise.
Leo closed his eyes and following a brief pause turned around towards the next arriving bus, "In fact, I think that's her bus now."
After a period of students unloading from the bus, one girl stood out from the end of the crowd.
She had a lady-like appearance and was of above-average height with a rather large chest. She wore a fuschia vest jacket with grayish sleeves and a black-white striped shirt underneath it, tucked into an ankle-length skirt with yellow, orange and pink stripes on the bottom and going up along to her left hip. A few red-gold flowers lined the stripes.
But what really stood out was her waist length purple hair with sunset orange highlights on the edge of her frontal bangs, the portion of hair above her right ear braided.
Her red-brown eyes slowly looked around and landed on the approaching trio, causing her heart to skip a beat and then ease along with her lips.
Serra raised her hand up high and shouted, "Hey-lo, Zely! Welcome to high school, glad you could join us!"
Zelene gripped her bag before her waist and chuckled, "S-Serra…"
She then looked up and her tone got more relieved, "And Leo! Damian too! Oh good, mom said I'd see some friendly faces here."
Damian looked at her and remarked, "Hey Zelene, did you uhhh…gro-"
Leo poked him in the back with his finger and he changed course, "Get…a new skirt?"
Zelene bit her lower lip and smiled, "A-Actually, yes. Mom helped me pick this one."
She pinched the sides and gave a light, awkward twirl of the silky fabric.
"Looks good on you." Leo remarked.
"Thanks." Zelene replied in a soft, timid fashion.
Serra put her hands behind her head and whistled, " I wouldn't want a skirt. It'd get in the way of running!"
Zelene turned her head aside and muttered under her breath, "Nobody asked…"
Damian then commented, "Well…I'm glad we're getting to go to school together again. How long's it been? …Elementary?"
"Something like that." Leo remarked.
Serra pumped her fist and shouted, "Yeah, but we see each other often enough anyways! Lets stop standing around, my feet are getting impatient!"
Leo popped out his phone briefly, "She's got a point. Class is about to start."
As they began to head for the door the remaining students started looking out onto the road as the roar of a smoky turbine got louder and louder.
For high schoolers, having a car signals you're someone to keep an eye on.
Have a motorcycle, however, and you're sending an immediate message to your new classmates: "Here I am"
It was an older model, sure, with a red hood and room for two. The wheels were fresh however, and so was the helmet of the person riding.
Once they parked, they took it off, causing a buzz among the students as it was the face of a red-eyed girl with unruly long ash black hair.
She had tight dark blue jeans with tears and a black zipper jacket marked by a skull and flames on the pockets. She was tall, she had curves, she was putting herself in the spotlight with everything she did.
And while the rest of the students had their eyes on her, the friendly four were eyeing her with a curious sense of familiarity.
Damian muttered, "Something about her's clicking in my head…"
Leo rubbed his chin, "That messy hair…Unmistakable and yet…"
"Oh great…" Uttered Zelene.
But Serra shot out across the parking lot with her hand up high and shouted, "Wow! If it isn't my old Pal-in! You look incredible!"
Leo then shrugged, "Well that settles that."
Damian nodded, his eyes still wide with disbelief, "THAT'S Erin…? No way…"
Serra stopped in front of the biker girl and leaned out with her hands laid flat, "C'mon, gimme two fives!"
The girl placed her arms under her chest and scoffed, "I'm sorry and you are…?"
Serra blinked with her blank stare and Erin chuckled with a wag of her fingers, "Pffft. I'm just fucking with you cuz. So. Seems your tan's improved."
Serra pulled back and slapped her calves, "And so have these babies!"
"Neat." She said.
The other three rolled up and Erin tossed a glance pass Serra, "Well, if it ain't the three goons. Seems I ain't the only one who's done some growing."
She glanced at Zelene's chest and hummed with aggression, while Zelene's fingers twitched tighter on her bag.
Leo remarked, "I wasn't aware you were back in the area, Erin."
"Just moved back yesterday." She said quickly.
"And your brother?"
"Yeah. Here." A more subdued, kind of meek and lanky looking boy crawled off the back of the bike. He was wearing a black coat with a red inside and a more prominent zipper and hoodie. He had on blue jeans, clean, and red shoes with white laces. His hair was blacker than his sister's, bangs combed over his right eye. And he had wireless headphones around his neck.
He was still a bit of a gloomy guy tbh.
He wagged his hand at Leo, "How's it been?
Leo waved back, "Fine, Alex. And you?"
"Well, the move drained me dry but otherwise, same old, same old," Alex sighed in relief and then craned his head back, "Good to know you're the same as ever."
"Well…" Erin interrupted, gesturing across her hair to make it sway in the breeze as she strutted confidently, "Twas 'fun' catching up, but we got to get to class."
She then waved at Alex and he followed close by her side, tossing one wave back at his cousins.
Erin stopped on the dime though and smirked at Serra, "Oh, and thanks for noticing, cuz. I DO look incredible."
Once she was gone, Leo tucked his hands into his jacket and remarked, "All our family members here at once, what are the odds?"
Zelene remarked, "You think one of our parents set this up?"
Leo shook his head, "Doubtful. This is just fate at play."
Zelene furrowed her brows a tiny bit and mumbled, "Well Erin's rubbing me the wrong way already…"
Damian added with his cheeks red and flustered, "Y-Yeah uhhhh, she's definitely changed a lot in four years."
He then looked at Serra, realizing she hadn't gotten her hand clap, and saw her trembling with her fists hanging low.
Unable to reach out for her shoulder, he meekly but sympathetically remarked, "...S-She really did just brush you off, huh?"
"Heh heh heh!" Serra held her head high and thrust her fists towards the sky, "Yeah!"
Damian wound up drawing a blank as he witnessed her punch her palm and declared, "I haven't felt this kinda competitive edge from someone in a long time! Pal-in has gotten really outgoing, I'm so proud of her!"
"T-That's your takeaway…?" Damian murmured.
Leo patted him on the shoulder, "You know better by now."
"Damn it, you're right…"
The four had to hurry right along to class now, and while Serra took an astounding lead she also didn't know where 207 was so was forced to double back and stick to the others' pace.
Tons of new faces littered the halls. New friends, new experiences, and potentially new rivals awaited her in what was sure to be the most exciting years of her life!
Uuuuuunfortunately, first she'd have to wade through the dull part: Class.
20 other students had shuffled on into the room and seated themselves ahead of them so it wasn't hard to find their spots.
Serra craned her head back and stretched her arms, pedaling her feet under the desk like she was on a bike.
She then rested her hands behind her head and sighed, "It's just the same as always, but with better lighting."
At least she had a good view of the outdoors from here. Her smile of eager anticipation was a sight to behold, as if the track and field was a long lost friend she longed to reunite with.
But finally, the office door opened and their new teacher walked into the room. Her height really made her look like a middle schooler. She had silver-purple hair, oval glasses, a green vest, and-
Serra stared blankly at the girl until the plug finally crawled into the socket, "Oh, wait!"
"HEY!" She announced like the sudden sound of gunfire, waving her hand in the air as their teacher's balance was thrown off.
"It's Loonie Luna! What are you doing here?"
What ensured from this carefree greeting was her teacher performing humorous movements to compose herself.
Serra lightened with a grin as her fellow students chuckled along with her, "Heh heh, you're a riot, Luna!"
After a few grumbles and a chance to pull herself back up against the chalkboard, Lunalei presented a paper before her face and marched in front of the desk.
A few students were already whispering about her height, continuing the chuckles from before.
Lunalei poked her eyes over the paper and was looking kinda grouchy.
"AHEM!" She coughed bluntly, "If you have something to say, I'm right here. Otherwise, you're here to learn, and free to leave. But I would HOPE you aren't planning to throw your future away just to say you 'owned' your teacher with your 'witty' gossip."
After a few seconds of silence Lunalei fiddled with her glasses and muttered "Ok…" before resuming looking at her paper.
"As you all know, high school is an important time for all of you here today. It's the last stepping stone you cross along the river of adolescence to adulthood."
"I'm sure all of you have dreams to fulfill, or perhaps you think that you have made it already. Whatever lot of life you come from, I, Lunalei Whiter, am here to fill in any gaps of knowledge or doubts you may have."
"Snkk…You couldn't even fill a straw." Whispered a roguish student after a cheeky giggle.
Lunalei glared in their direction and then looked down at her paper, "Alright, first I'll do the roll call, and then we'll go over some of the material we'll be covering in the first week."
Lunalei went through the list by last names in alphabetical order, so Serra, Leo and Zelene the last to be called.
"Leonardo Whiter?" Lunalei said.
"Present." Leo replied cordially.
"...Serra Whiter?" Lunalei said with a groan.
"Here!" Serra shouted with her hand held high.
"Zelene…?" Lunalei's eyes widened and for a brief moment her expression showed sincere happiness, "Zelene Whiter?"
"Pr-Present, sis…" Zelene slowly raised her hand partway.
When Lunalei made eye contact, her expression slowly returned to that grumpy, sour look.
Then with a heavy sigh she laid the paper on the table and remarked, "...Ooookay then."
She curled her hand into a fist and after briefly tapping the desk she got up on her chair and pulled out one of the many boring books in her stack.
"Right, so since this is the first week there'll be nothing super difficult. Just need to get you all used to the format and-"
Serra giggled a bit and then continued to stare out at the track and field. She saw herself running among other students and beating them with ease, save for a couple who manage to put up a good and fun fight.
She gets to win a few medals and trophies here and there, and will get to celebrate with Damian and her family afterwards.
Yep, that future looked really fun.
"CRCK!" Her concentration was broken by a ruler slapping her desk.
Lunalei was standing there barely above eye level, causing Serra to innocently chuckle, "Hey, Luna!"
"Teacher. You're going to refer to me as 'teacher', cousin." Lunalei said with a firm, orderly inflection, adjusting her glasses in such a way that one lens gave off a flash.
"Done daydreaming?" She said, relishing a bit in the power of the moment, "Now, pull out your assigned book to Page 3, if you would."
Lunalei turned and began to walk away while Serra did that, still raising a chuckle at her funny behavior, "You're so funny, Luna."
Lunalei froze on the spot and the atmosphere in the room grew colder. She turned, stomped back to Serra's desk, and planted her small hand firmly on top of hers.
Lunalei cracked a wicked smile as she stared her cousin down and whispered to her in a gravelly tone, "This isn't going to be like when I used to babysit you, Serra. In accordance with the sanctioned laws of our government, I own your air-head brain for three hours a day, five times a week. So you are going to listen, and you are going to learn."
Serra stared vacantly at her cousin with a grin.
Lunalei then backed off, looked at the other students cracking their own grins, and then made her way back to her desk.
"...Scary." Serra whispered, opening the book as commanded.
A student "accidentally" dropped a can in front of Lunalei's path, but without missing a beat she kicked it towards the front wall where it bounced off with perfect trajectory onto the student's desk.
She then glanced over her shoulder with a dash of smugness and remarked, "The recycle bin's out the door, to your right."
Nothing of note really happened from Serra's point of view. Just the standard "Blah blah blah" for three hours. But she paced out some stretches behind Lunalei's "all-seeing eyes" until it was time to get up and break for lunch.
Serra jumped out of her chair with a shout of "Yes!" and then joined Leo, Zelene and Damian out the door.
"My legs are happy to get up again!" She threw her arm around Damian's back and said, "So! How about that new art, buddy?"
Damian's head shot up and he turned back to remark, "Y-Yeah, but can it wait until we get to the cafeteria?"
"Sure!" She pulled off and gave his back a light shove that nearly had him tumble over.
"Ack!" He shouted.
While they palled around, Leo turned to Zelene and saw her looking forlorn, "That was a surprise for me too."
Zelene glanced aside and remarked, "Y-Yeah…"
Leo gave a momentary tilt of uncertainty before commenting, "You REALLY didn't know she was coming back?"
"You know I haven't spoken to her since she went to the East Coast for college four years ago." Zelene said, her tone rattled by a hint of bitterness.
"Hmmm, well, if it's any consolation, she doesn't appear to have changed much." Leo remarked softly.
Zelene bit her lower lip and looked at her body, focusing on the strange look her big sister gave her while mumbling to herself, "But I have..."
"Awww hurry up you guys!" Serra shouted, lightly jogging her way down the hall backwards, "First…it'll be lunch time! Second…Damian's art! And then finally…!"
With the track and field occupying more than half of her unrented out brainspace, she cracked her knuckles and proclaimed, "It'll be high time for me to shine!"
Chapter 1: School Reunion
Next Time: Tackling School! One Step at a Time!