Before I know it, we’re at Skyline High School. Jared swiftly parks in his designated senior parking spot. Once the car’s parked, he turns to look at me, beaming a supportive smile. “If you need me, just text me. I’ll see you around school. If not, then meet me here after school.” He pats my shoulder, which slightly calms my nerves. “You got it, trust.”
I deliver a nervous smile, not sure if it’s being seen as genuine because I’m nervous as fuck. “Thanks, bro.” I hold out my fist for a fist bump, which Jared returns with a chuckle.
We get out of the car and we part ways.Terrifying. He sees his group of friends in the near distance, leaving me to walk up the steps to head over to the front entrance where I’m greeted by Alli.
“Hola, chica.” Alli eyes me from top to bottom, looking proud of her work. “You clean up nice.” She claps her hands. “It’s nice to see you wear things other than leggings and a t-shirt.”
“You’re not funny.” I give her a sarcastic laugh and wave my middle finger. “Jared almost went to war with me this morning.”
She shrugs, pretty sure she doesn’t care about what my step brother thinks. “Fuck him.”
We make our way to the front entrance of the school, side by side. “You technically did, which is still repulsive.”
Again, she shrugs. “It was last summer, I’m over it.”
Long story short, something came over them. Mutual friends and a group camping trip was all they needed. One thing led to another, and you could guess the rest from there.
Spoiler alert, they hooked up and acted like it never happened.
Alli opens the front door and allows me to enter first. “Welcome to Skyline High.” She gestures her arm out and I take a deep breath.
As I stepped through the high school’s glass front doors, it felt like crossing a threshold into a new universe. The unfamiliar halls echoed with excited chatter, nervous freshmen, sophomores who don’t really care, juniors chatting with their friends, and seniors relaxing in the center spot of the atrium.
Alli steps in front of me, temporarily pausing the running thoughts going through my head. She claps and puts her hand out as if she wants me to give her something. “Give me your schedule, so I can help you. I have to meet my guidance counselor, so I won’t be able to show you around.”
I look at her with wide eyes and reluctantly dig through my bag for my schedule. I hand it off to her with a sigh. “You’re not going to show me around? What if I get lost?”
“One, you’re eighteen, not eight,” Alli retorts without looking up from my schedule, her eyes tracing the rows of classes. “Two… this will be easy,” she shrugs it off as she shifts her gaze to me. She perches a hand on her hip, and starts gesturing down the halls, indicating the location of each wing.
I nod, committing everything into memory so I don’t get lost like a puppy on my first day. “That makes sense, I think?”
“We’re in the atrium now, it’s basically the connecting lobby from the front entrance. The campus is big, but it’s not a maze. After today, it’ll be a breeze for you.”
I glance at my schedule:
First block–AP Literature–B wing
Second block–AP Environmental Science–D wing
Third block–AP Trigonometry–A wing
Fourth block–Senior study hall–E wing
I hum in response. “I think everything makes sense. So where should I meet you for lunch?”
A warm smile spreads across her face. She’s so happy I’m here, I can tell she’s about to pass out from how much smiling she’s doing. “Meet me here in the atrium. You brought lunch?”
I nod, “Aunt Lina made us our favorite.”
Alli gasps and clasps her hands together. “Kua meenoodles?!”
“She made enough for you and me. She thought we deserved a good first-day lunch.”
Before we can continue the conversation, the bell rings. Signaling we need to part ways until lunch. Unfortunately, Alliand I don’t have any classes at all together, which makes me sigh and nod to myself.
Alli pats my shoulder and begins to back away with a reassuring smile. “Tú puedes. Trust.”
I salute her with two fingers and make my way to my first class of the day.
