• Summers Ago

    Chapter 1:Just the Beginning


    Freshman year of high school had just begun and students, including me, were trying to anticipate the events of the day. I couldn't help but be nervous and excited at the same time. My friends and I couldn't wait to see each other again. Summer vacation had been long and boring, since I spent it isolated on a campsite with nothing but my family and my little sister's best friend. How I missed them so. Nerves, though, kept me on guard. My older sister Samantha, who was a senior this year, had filled me in on the upperclassman's hate towards the incoming freshman. They played this sick sport where they'd kick innocent freshman in the halls or stuff them in lockers. Getting stuffed in a locker wasn't much of a threat to me because my hips would get lodged in the door before I was completely stuffed in. I'm not the skinniest girl in the world. Getting kicked was another problem. Upperclassmen would sneak up behind me and kick my butt so hard, that I flew fifty feet into the air. At least it felt like fifty feet.

    Taking my first step in the new freshman hallway, I looked around cautiously. I didn't want to get kicked again. I was already sure that there was a bruise the shape of a foot developing on my right butt cheek. It wasn't fair.

    "Morgan!" a voice called out. Someone was calling my name. It was time to take invasive action, preparing my butt for another surprise attack from behind. Turning around frantically, I realized that my friend Kelsey had been standing there. She sure scared the crap out of me.

    "I'm so glad that it's you!" I smiled, wrapping my arms around my best friend. Kelsey and I had been friends since first grade. We got on each other's nerves from time to time but nothing to serious. Like that time in fourth grade when I accidently screamed the name of her crush across the playground. Or that time when we were in seventh grade and I told her mother that she didn't eat her sandwiches during lunch but threw them away. I'm pretty sure she was grounded for a week or two. We were always there for each other, though. No matter what the damage, we always came up on top.

    Kelsey took my hand and started to drag me down the hallway, "Come on Morgan, everyone's waiting for us in the lunchroom." That's right. Today was Monday. On Monday mornings, our school had an hour late start because teachers gathered to talk boring things such as teaching and stuff.

    It was obvious that Kelsey knew where she was heading. With two older brothers within the school walls, she found it easy to navigate through the hallways. It's a good thing too. If I was leading, we would have ended up trapped in a janitors closet. Directions were not my strongest points.

    When Kelsey had mentioned that everyone was waiting in the lunchroom, she literally meant everyone! Freshman gathered at different tables, talking with friends and hanging out. Each table stood for a different clique. The far end table was filled with Gothic kids, ones who hated the world and the light. I flashed a laser light at a goth kid once. It was strange because she hissed at me and ran away. Jocks gathered at another table, showing off the guns. It was kinda hard to look away after Matt started flexing. I was positive that I was dead for a moment, kicking it in heaven with his muscles. I would give anything to feel those bad boys.

    The table closest to the front was filled with the outcasts, those who didn't belong in other cliques. It is where my friends and I hangout. I was so happy to see everyone again. Alex, Mike, Kelsey, and even Kelly. There was a new boy sitting at our table too. I had seen him back in middle school, crouched in a corner and consumed within an enjoyable book. I had never actually met him. Just as I was about to greet everyone, Alex comes running and nearly tackles me to the ground. Boy was she strong. I didn't expect the least, coming from a cop in training. She was glad to see me just as much as I was glad to see her.

    Kelly slowly made her way over to the dog pile that Alex had started and stood there smiling. I didn't really know her as much as Alex did but she seems like a sweet girl. She has a strange obsession with zebra stripes and I'm not entirely sure why but if she was happy, so was I. Kelly knew her way around men and the fashion world. She had good and bad experiences with both. She always found a way to make a fool of herself, though. Kelly was blond and gullible after all.

    Should I continue?