It was a bright sunny day at Springfield Elementary, with the lush's green trees swaying around gently. In addition, there was a pleasant gush of cold air flowing around. It sure was a nice day in Springfield.
It was dinner time, when kids were allowed to play for a bit, to relax before their classrooms in the afternoon started. Most of the kids walked outside and decided to play on the swing set and swing around for a bit. They had no care in the world. Or they would engage in games like tag where the last one to get tagged wins.
However, there was one girl that stood apart from the rest of the pack. Her name was Allison Taylor. Allison compared to most of her classmates was nerdy but smart. Her smartness caused her to skip a grade. This was one of the reasons why not many people talked to her because they thought she was too talented for them.
During the break, she enjoyed listening to her saxophone during her time off from class. While most of the kids around played tig or hopscotch, she jammed it out with her saxophone blasting out tunes like it was no one's business.
She enjoyed playing her saxophone by resting her head next to a tall tree. This was so that she could be covered in the shade and rest at ease.
As she played her saxophone, unbeknownst to her someone threw a bath bomb at her face. As the bath bomb hit her face, she dropped her saxophone out of instinct, causing a thud sound.
Allison felt the water fall from her hair. As she looked upward, drips of water flowed down her forehead and drizzled into her eyes.
She rubbed her eyes and wiped her forehead. After cleaning herself she looked up to see who the dastardly kid was who threw the baff bomb at her.
Her eyes widened as she saw who it was. It was none other than Nelson Mutts the biggest troublemaker in her school.
"That's what you get for playing that nerdy stuff, Ha! Ha!" he said while pointing his finger at her.
Nelson's classmates laughed at her shortcomings.
She sighed and stood up from the grass-covered ground and walked away from the others hoping for a quieter and more respectful place.
But as she walked, she rubbed her eyes in the process, trying to get rid of the extra drops of water from her eyes. While she was removing the last drop, she accidentally bumped into someone, causing them to stumble over.
Just as she bumped into the fellow student, she looked up to see who it was. She looked at the girl and noticed that she had short blonde hair, a red beret, white pearl earrings, a white shirt with a green stripy vest, two gold bracelets on her right arm, a red skirt, a green purse on her right arm, white socks, and green heels.
"This is strange. She looks familiar, but I can't put my finger on who it is?" she thought.
Her question was quickly answered as the student turned around to reveal it was Alex Whitney
Allison's eyes and brows rose as she saw her old friend once again. "Alex is that really you?" she asked in utter disbelief.
Alex looked at her old friend and smiled" Of course it is me, Allison. Do you remember me?"
"Yeah, I do remember you, but I'm confused about why you are at Springfield," she said as she looked at her puzzled by her sudden appearance in Springfield.
Alex chuckled and replied" Well Allison, let me fill you in on what happened the last time we saw each other. Basically, I and my family moved to Springfield because of my dad's new job. I have been here for a few months now. My family wanted me to be home-schooled for the first couple of months being here so I could focus on my schoolwork and explore Springfield, but after a couple of months of living here they decided to enroll me in Springfield elementary school."
The confused look Allison had turned into a smile that caused her to smile. Well, that explains it! I'm glad to see you again, Alex. It's been a long time since we met, so how are you doing in Springfield?" She asked excitedly.
Alex looked down at the ground and sighed" Well you see Allison it's been tough, moving from such a large city has been challenging, especially for my mom and dad. My dad brought me and Mom here so I can focus on my schoolwork and make new friends."
Allison listened to Alex's story and nodded" I'm glad that your father moved her so that you can have a better school experience and make new friends. You can count me as your first friend, even though we are already friends" she chuckled and extended her arm out to Alex.
Alex smiled at Allison's friendly attitude and shook her hand." I appreciate your kindness Allison, so since the last time I saw you, are you still jamming it out with your saxophone?" She asked as she noticed the saxophone lying on the grassy ground next to Allison.
Allison's smile faded away as she turned around at the playground where the incident happened. "Yeah, I'm still having fun with my saxophone playing, however, I am different from everyone. They usually don't like me playing my saxophone. Nelson just threw a bath bomb at me and called me a nerd for playing it and his classmates began to laugh at me."
Alex's eyes narrowed. "So, is that the reason why your hair is wet and why you walked to the far corner of the playground so no one would bother you?"
Allison nodded" Yeah, I just wanted to play my saxophone in peace and quiet without anyone judging me you know?" she said hoping she would understand how she truly feels
Alex nodded understanding how it feels to be judged by others. "Yeah, honey, I understand what you mean about being judged. I remember when I used to live in LA a lot of people criticized me for my fashion design."
Allison looked at Alex with a surprised expression. "You have faced judgment from others too? But how? You have such good fashion sense."
Alex smiled, appreciating the compliment. "Thanks, Allison for the compliment. But it's true, others have criticized me for how I look. They say that my clothes are too trendy and all that other stuff. But you know, I don't let that kind of stuff get to me because I enjoy the clothes I wear. No one can stop me from wearing the clothes I like."
Allison looked at Alex and smiled admiring her confidence." That's great to hear Alex, and you know what you've inspired me to do something I should have done before I accidentally bumped into you" she said as she picked up her saxophone, and marched back to the tree, where she played her saxophone before the incident.
As Allison approached the tree and was about to play her saxophone again, she heard someone calling her name. She looked over to see that it was Nelson Mutts again.
Allison turned towards Nelson, with a determined look on her face. She was no longer going to allow his words and actions to affect her. She stood tall and confident ready to soak in the upcoming barrage of negative words that will come her way.
Nelson approached her with a smirk on his face. "It seems like you decided to return with your nerdy saxophone. Did you learn your lesson or am I going to throw another bath bomb at you again?" He asked as he stood confidently thinking he had already won.
Allison took a deep breath" Nelson I don't need your approval or anyone else's approval for me to be allowed to perform my passion that brings me so much joy, your opinion doesn't define me."
Nelson's smirk and confidence quickly faded away as he was shocked by Allison's ability to stand up to him, trying to regain his confidence he said" Well so what. No one here wants to hear your nerdy music, so you might as well leave."
Maintaining her composure Allison said" Look Nelson, I get to play what I want and that's final. The only reason why people don't like my music is because you scare them into thinking that my music is bad."
Nelson looked around to regain his composure. "You know what? Play your stupid saxophone and you will see that no one likes your stupid music" he said as he walked away trying to hide his embarrassment.
Allison obliged and returned to the tree; she sat down on the grew and gently rested her head against the tree and began playing her saxophone.
As the notes filled the air, the kids stopped playing their games and paid full attention to Allison's saxophone playing. Each of the students cautiously walked over to Allison to listen to her music.
She played her music with so much passion and drive that even her haters or doubters admitted she was incredibly talented.
As she finished her performance, there was a large number of children gathering around as she performed her act. When the song finished there was an awkward silence at first. But a couple of seconds later an awkward silence instantly turned into loud applause. There were tons of children clapping and cheering Allison on her success. Even Nelson couldn't argue that the song she played was great.
One of Nelson's friends turned to him and said" Boss, should we leave? It seems like we can't stop her.
Nelson's eyebrow raised and he said," You know what, maybe that nerd has some skill after all." He said as he slowly smiled "But that doesn't mean I aim to go easy on other people and yes let's leave I'm hungry."
As the cheering became louder, the two left. But after a while, everyone left one by one as it turned out that Allison was the only one remaining. As she rested her head against the tree, she felt an unexpected hand on her shoulder.
She jolted and looked behind her to only see her friend looking at her with a proud smile" I knew you had in it you Allison, I didn't know you were that good with a saxophone" she said proud of her friend" I'm so impressed of you Allison for standing up against Nelson, you really showed him up didn't you?" she said with a cocky grin
Allison blushed at the compliment feeling a mix of happiness and joy and said," Thanks Alex, I don't know what got over me. I think it was the story you told me about not caring about being judged by others that really helped me with my confidence." She said glad of her friend's assistance.
Aled nodded happy to support her friend. However, as she checked her watch, she realized that they didn't have that much time to relax before their break ended.
She turned back to Allison and said" Hey Allison we have got 10 minutes before break ends. What do you want to do?"
Allison put her hand on her chin and pounded for a moment. "I'm not entirely sure, standing up to Nelson and playing my saxophone a lot during this break has made me tired, want to sit next to me and relax for the rest of the break.
Alex happily obeyed and sat down next to her old friend. As the break continued, they both sat down enjoying each other's company in happy silence.
Later in the afternoon after break time was over Allison and Alex walked through the hallway. Alex looked around amazed by the number of lockers they had, the hallway was filled with students chatting and opening their locker room doors to grab the supplies they needed for their next lesson.
Alex turned to Allison and said" Wow looks at all these lockers! It's like a metal maze around her. Do you have a locker too?"
Allison smiled and nodded." Yes, I have a locker. It's down the hallway. Let me show you," she said as Allison led Alex through the crowded hallways. She turned around regularly to see if her friend had gotten lost in the crowd, but she didn't.
As they approached the locker Allison fumbled a couple of times by accidentally putting in the wrong combination a couple of times. However, not too long after her second failed attempt she successfully opened her locker.
Alex stared at Allison's locker amazed at the sight. "Wow Allison, your locker is so organized." It looks straight out of a magazine, compared to when I try to organize my belongings it's usually a mess."
Allison chuckled "Yeah, I always keep my stuff tidy. I'm a control freak you know. Plus, it helps me find my belongings quickly and makes it easier for my saxophone to fit in my locker. So, it wouldn't get crushed by the junk in my locker."
Alex nodded and scanned through her friend's locker. She noticed that there were many photos of famous musicians and family members inside her locker. She smiled, liking the theme she had made in her locker.
Alex grinned" I like what you have done with your locker, I like the theme you have chosen, maybe when I get my locker I should make it a fashioned theme locker, so it fits me better, plus I need to make sure that my locker is organized".
Allison nodded, "Absolutely! It's always important to have an organized locker. This just makes it so that it's easier for you to find what you want quicker and easier. Also, when you get your locker, I can't wait to see how you decorate it. I'm so excited to see how beautiful it's going to be." She said excitedly.
Alex appreciated Allison's enthusiasm and said." Yeah, I'm excited too. I can't wait to see what kind of posters and pictures I can put in my locker." She began to ponder what kind of stuff she would place in her locker.
As she was thinking about what she was going to put inside her locker she didn't realize that she had spaced out for a moment. This was until Allison put her arm on her shoulder.
Feeling the sudden touch Alex suddenly jolted back to reality. Her eyes widened as she turned to look at her friend.
"Sorry about that Alison, I spaced out there for a moment". She said, trying to hide her embarrassment.
Allison chuckled" It's all right Alex, it happens to us sometimes. "She said as she pulled a hairbrush out of her locker and began to comb her hair." If you need me to be your private school tour guide, I will happily help you understand the school better.
Alexis' eyes sparkled with gratitude. "Thank you, Allison. It would be a pleasure for you to show me around the school. I appreciate having a friend like you, Allison. Additionally, I like your hair, it's beautiful".
Allison smiled warmly." Thanks, Alex. Friends always help each other in need, like how you helped me stand up to Nelson earlier. I just want to say that you have very gorgeous hair as well.
Alex smiled" Oh thanks Allison, I always make sure my hair looks the best it can," she said as she looked around the hallway to notice that it was empty. She turned to her friend and replied, "Isn't it time to get to class now? We might be late." She said she was worried about being late for her first lesson.
Allison said" Of course, I'm ready," she said as she put her brush back into her locker room and grabbed out the equipment for her upcoming lesson which was math.
They walked through the hallway chatting about their favourite hobbies, which they like to do in their spare time. Finally, they reached the classroom door and realized that the door was closed. They both looked at each other worried knowing that they are late to their lesson.
Alex turned to Allison and said, "This stinks, this isn't going to make a good first impression of me being late to my first lesson.
Allison turned to her friend and gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry Alex, I will explain that I'm showing the new student around the school. Miss Hoover isn't that mean trust me?
With that, Allison opened the door and was greeted with stairs by all of her classmates. Her teacher looked at her and said" Allison you're neither this late to class nor even late to class at all. I hope you give me some reason why you are late" she said in her usual mundane attitude.
Allison began to feel nervous and replied, "Well, I was showing the new kid around the school, so she could get a better understanding of where to go."
Miss Hoover's eyes lit up" Oh right yeah." She said and turned to the rest of the kids in her class" All right everyone we have a new student joining us today."
All the students in the class widened their eyes intrigued by the new student.
Miss Hoover smiled and replied, "Well, she is not a newbie here. She used to go here but moved to LA for a bit. However, because her family wanted her to have a better future, they decided to move her.
The students in the class got even more excited to see the returning student join them. Allison directed Alex into the classroom.
Alex proceeded to walk into the classroom feeling a sense of nervousness and she looked around to see her old acquaintances again. The class erupted in quiet whispers as the students quietly discussed their thoughts.
Miss Hoover cleared her throat and said" Now, now everyone you kids can discuss your thoughts when class is over" Miss Hoover turned to Alex and Allison" Allison will show Alex to her seat, and we will continue with the lesson."
Allison nodded and showed Alex to her seat. They walked over to their seats and took their seats in the middle of the row. Allison sat in the second row next to Lisa. Alex sat in the chair to the right of her next to Ralph.
Ralph turned to Alex and asked, "Do you want to be my friend?" he asked while holding pencils up his nose.
Alex awkwardly smiled and said," Sure, I wouldn't mind being your friend".
"Yay! I love making friends." He said and went back to messing with the pencils up his nose.
Lisa stared on from a distance confused by Alex's sudden return to Springfield and wondered what the reason was for why she returned.
As the class continued, Lisa tried to focus all of her attention on her math questions, but her mind kept drifting back to Alex. She couldn't understand why she moved back here. "She has all the money and fortune," Lisa thought in her mind." Maybe I should wait until she reveals the information herself. I don't want to come off as too nosey" she quietly muttered to herself.
Allison The lesson continued, and Lisa focused on her work and finish her math equations on time before the bell rang. Looking around, she realized she was the second person to finish, only beaten by Allison in terms of speed.
After the bell rang, students cheered loudly and began packing up, and one by one they walked out of the room. As Alex was about to leave, Miss Hoover approached her.
"Welcome back Alex," she said with a smile. "I hope you enjoy your time at Springfield Elementary."
Alex smiled nodding and said" Thanks Miss Hoover, with how today's been I'm sure you'll love it here. Today's been an excellent first day and I can't wait to see how tomorrow is going to be."
Allison who was sitting next to Alex turned to her and said" I'm so glad that you're glad Alex, we have so much to catch up on".
Alex smiled, appreciating the warm reception she had today. But out of the corner of her eyes, she couldn't help but see Lisa's cautious look at her.
Alex looked at Allison and said" Hey Allison meet me outside, I'm going to talk to Lisa for a minute"
Allison happily nodded as she followed Miss Hoover out of the door, leaving the classroom with Alex and Lisa.
Now with the classroom being mostly empty Alex approached Lisa and said" Hey Lisa, it's been a long time since we talked to each other, hasn't it?"
Lisa shocked by Alex's bold approach said" Oh yeah it hasn't Alex" she said trying to regain her confidence" So, what brings you back to Springfield?"
Alex shrugged" My family wanted to move back here so I could have a better childhood and improve my school grades. It's nice to have a change of scenery, you know?
Lisa nodded, still not sure if her reason was true or not "I don't get it, you had everything in LA, with the money you have you could have easily gotten private school lessons at home." She asked generally confused about why she came to Springfield.
Alex sighed, frustrated by Lisa's nosiness. "Look, Lisa, I will tell you all about why I moved to Springfield when I'm ready. I don't want to come off as mean but can you please stop being nosey about my personal life?"
Lisa frowned, upset that she did the thing she promised herself not to do which was not to be nosey" Alright I will not be nosey about your personal life." She said as she began to grab her equipment it's getting late now and I want to get home so I don't miss my dinner, hope we can talk to each other again Alex some other.
Alex reluctantly nodded" Yeah, some other Lisa."
With that, Alex walked out of the classroom to meet Allison and they began their home journey. As Lisa walked out of the classroom, she looked to her right to see them both giggling about something she didn't know about.
She began to walk through the hallway and eventually exited the school entrance door. As she looked around her surroundings, she noticed that the street was empty.
"I don't know why you're back Alex, but I'm going to find out the true reason why," she said to herself and began walking through the empty street so she could get back home In time before her family get worried about her whereabouts