I walked into the high school and looked around. It looked like everyone was between classes, but as I continued to look around I realized that no one was really hustling to get to class or anything. So maybe everyone had a little break, or maybe it was lunch time, I looked at my phone, it was too early for it to be lunch time, maybe they had a longer time to get from class to class.
I walked down the hallway trying to find the office, no such luck. Everyone around me was whispering. I figured it was about me. They would be talking and laughing and then once I got closer to someone they would look at me then turn to their friends and start whispering. They knew. They knew about the accident, I could feel it, everyone knew. God, I don’t think I could make it here if everyone knows and there just going to whisper about me.
“Hey, you look a little lost, maybe I could help you. Where are you trying to go?” Some guy walked up to me and started talking. He had short, wavy, brown hair, and these sparkling sea green eyes that you could just get caught in. “Hello is anyone in there?”
“Yes sorry, I’m looking for the office.” I said resting against my crutches.
“Oh, well that is just down the hallway, take a right at the end, then take the first left, and then the next right…you look a little confused maybe I should just show you myself.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem, I’m Jack by the way.” He said as he started to walk down the hallway in the direction I had originally been going.
“Erika.”
“Did you just move her or something?” Everyone we walked by would smile and wave at him, and he would smile and wave back. He seemed like a really nice guy.
“Um…Or something.”
“So, you’re not going to tell me?” He asked acting like he was a little hurt.
“No, sorry I guess you’re going to have to figure that one out on your own.”
“Well here you are mysterious Erika.” Jack said with a smile across his face.
“Thank you.”
“Again no problem, I’ll see you around Erika.”
I walked into the office and over to the receptionist, when she looked up she said, “May I help you?”
“Yes, I need to register here?”
“Ok well do you have an appointment to meet with the one of the school guidance counselors?”
“I think my mom called and made an appointment.”
“Ok well you’re going to have to go to student services no matter what. So just go down the hallway to the left and it is the very next door.”
“Thank you.”
I walked down the hall and to student services and saw the receptionist. “May I help you?”
“I have to register here and the woman at the front office sent me here.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“I think so.”
“What is your name?”
“Erika Johnson.”
The receptionist typed something on the computer and then did some other things and told me to have a seat and that a guidance counselor would be with me soon. I don’t know how long I sat in that chair but it was for a while because I got tiered of sitting there and got out my book and started reading, and a few class bells rang.
“Erica Johnson?” I looked up to see a woman that looked like she was in her late thirties had stepped out of her office with another student. I stood up and made my way over to her. “Are you Erika?”
“Yes.”
“Hello Erika, I’m Mrs. Monroe. Come have a seat in my office.” She said as we made our way into her office. She looked at the folder in her hands for a few minutes before she put it down and looked up at me. “Why are you transferring here?”
“My old school kicked me out because I missed too much school.” I said looking her straight in the eye. Her eyes looked familiar I just couldn’t put my finger on it. They were this sea green.
“Why were you missing so much school?”
“My brother and I were in a car accident.”
“Oh, I see.” She said looking down at, what I presumed to be my file, the folder on her desk and started writing in it.
“I’d prefer if no one really knew about that. I mean if you have to tell my teachers about it then ok, but I just don’t want everyone to know about it.”
“Ok we can do that. Is your parent or guardian here?”
“No, she had to work.”
“Ok well, all you have to do is fill out some papers and get them signed by a parent or guardian and then turn them back in tomorrow and you will be set. Do you have any questions?”
“What about my classes?”
“We can work on that now if you would like, or we can do that tomorrow when you come in if you want to.”
“Is there a way I can keep the same classes I had at my old school?”
“That depends, we might not offer the same classes or the class could be full.”
“Ok, can we work on them now?”
“Of course, let me just get out the paper work and the class course book and we can start.” She said as she moved around her office getting things. “Ok you are a senior correct?”
“Yes,” I went through my bag to get out the letter from my old guidance counselor. “This is a letter from my old school saying what classes I was in.”
Mrs. Monroe took the letter and read it. “Ok so you are in English 12, Calculus G/T, Physics, Psychology, Photography 3 Honors, Italian 3, and then you had a free period?”
“Yes”
“Ok well our school doesn’t give free periods, but what you can do is become a student aid if you would like, or you can pick another class.”
“I’ll just be a student aid.”
“Ok, let’s see if we can get you into all the classes you want.” She started typing on her computer for a few minutes then she did some other stuff and I just sat there until she was done. “Well, Erika, you are very lucky you got all the classes you wanted, and you can be a student aid 6th period in the media center. How does that sound?”
“Sounds great.”
“Ok well let me just print out your schedule and then you can walk around the school and find you classes if you want or,” The final school bell rang and Mrs. Monroe just stopped talking.
“You have more then one floor, how am I supposed to get upstairs with my crutches?”
“We’ll give you a key to the elevator and that’s how you will get from class to class.”
“Ok.” There was a knock on the door and Mrs. Monroe told the person to come in.
“Hey mom,” I heard someone say from behind me, then I saw Jack walk up next to Mrs. Monroe and give her a kiss on the cheek.
“Hi honey, can you give me a few minutes I just need to go get the key for Erika. I’ll be right back.” Mrs. Monroe got up and walked toward the door but turned around at the last minute. “Oh Jack could you print out her schedule and give it to her and the papers on my desk for transfer.” Mrs. Monroe walked out the door.
Jack sat down at his mom’s desk and typed something on the computer and then I heard the printer start up. “Hey, so how’s it going?”
“Ok”
“What classes did you get?” He was looking at something on the computer.
“You’re looking at it right now.”
“Yep, and we have English, Italian, and Photography together.” He smiled over at me. He spun around in the chair and took my schedule from the printer and put it on top of the stack of papers I had to fill out and handed them to me. “Here you go Erika.”
“Thank you.” I looked down at my schedule to see what it was. I had English first, then Psychology, then Calculus, then Physics, Photography, Italian, and then student aid last.
Mrs. Monroe walked back into the room and over to her desk, “Up,” Jack got up from the computer and sat down in the empty chair next to me, “Ok here is your key, once your off crutches just return the key to the front office. You can go around to all your classes if you like or you can just go, Jack here will show you around if you want. Um what else, oh yes, just stop by tomorrow morning and give the papers to me, and so you know, I will have to tell your teachers just is case you,” She paused and looked at Jack, “never mind I’m sure you under stand.” I nodded my head. “Ok well I think that’s it.”
“Thank you Mrs. Monroe.”
Mrs. Monroe smiled at me, “You are very welcome Erika.”
I put all the papers I got into my bag, grabbed my crutches and made my way out of her office and into the hallway.
“So, what are you going to do now?” I heard a deep voice say from behind me.
I looked over my shoulder and saw that is was Jack. “I’m thinking of seeing where my classes are so I won’t get lost tomorrow.”
“Ok well, I’ll show you around.”
“You really don’t have to I can…” My phone started ringing so I got it out and saw it was my mom. “Hey mom, what’s up?”
“I’m just wondering where you are? I thought you would be home by now its 3 o’clock.”
“Yea sorry mom, it took a little while for them to get to me and I got my classes and I got some other stuff I need you to fill out. It just took some time.”
“Are you going to come home now or what?”
“I was thinking about going to see where all my classes were, but if you want me to come home now I can.”
“No that’s fine, go ahead and go to see where all your classes are. Did you meet anyone yet?”
“Mom not now ok?”
“Honey, I’m sorry I just think it’s time you move on a little. It’s been 2 months Erika.”
“Mom, I can’t believe you just said that. He was your son, and you’re just going to forget about him like that?”
“No of course not, I’m not saying that you should just forget about him, I’m saying that maybe you should move on.”
“I got to go mom. I’m not allowed to use my phone in the building.” I hung up without another word. “That’s why I don’t talk to my mother.” I whispered to myself.
“You ok, Erika?” Jack asked from beside me.
“Yeah I’m great.”
“Ok well, English is on the second floor.” Jack showed me to all my classes and the cafeteria and he told me that everyone had and hour lunch at the same time and if you want you can go off campus to get lunch if you want and that there are 10 minutes between class. School starts at 7 and ends at 2:30.
“Can I ask you a question?” Jack asked as we walked outside.
“I’m not promising I’m going to answer.”
“Ok, how did you break your leg?”
“I knew that was going to be the question.”
“Are you going to answer it though?”
“Sure, I was in a car accident.”
“Sorry.”
“Not as sorry as I am.” I said looking straight ahead as we maid our way towards the main road.
“What does that mean?”
“Nothing.”
“Ok. Well would you like a ride home?”
“No it’s fine I’ll get a cab.”
“Oh but you have to get a cab all the time right now. I’ll give you a ride it’s no problem, really.”
“I’m fine. Thanks for the offer though.” I said as I got into a cab that pulled to a stop at the curb.
I walked down the hallway trying to find the office, no such luck. Everyone around me was whispering. I figured it was about me. They would be talking and laughing and then once I got closer to someone they would look at me then turn to their friends and start whispering. They knew. They knew about the accident, I could feel it, everyone knew. God, I don’t think I could make it here if everyone knows and there just going to whisper about me.
“Hey, you look a little lost, maybe I could help you. Where are you trying to go?” Some guy walked up to me and started talking. He had short, wavy, brown hair, and these sparkling sea green eyes that you could just get caught in. “Hello is anyone in there?”
“Yes sorry, I’m looking for the office.” I said resting against my crutches.
“Oh, well that is just down the hallway, take a right at the end, then take the first left, and then the next right…you look a little confused maybe I should just show you myself.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem, I’m Jack by the way.” He said as he started to walk down the hallway in the direction I had originally been going.
“Erika.”
“Did you just move her or something?” Everyone we walked by would smile and wave at him, and he would smile and wave back. He seemed like a really nice guy.
“Um…Or something.”
“So, you’re not going to tell me?” He asked acting like he was a little hurt.
“No, sorry I guess you’re going to have to figure that one out on your own.”
“Well here you are mysterious Erika.” Jack said with a smile across his face.
“Thank you.”
“Again no problem, I’ll see you around Erika.”
I walked into the office and over to the receptionist, when she looked up she said, “May I help you?”
“Yes, I need to register here?”
“Ok well do you have an appointment to meet with the one of the school guidance counselors?”
“I think my mom called and made an appointment.”
“Ok well you’re going to have to go to student services no matter what. So just go down the hallway to the left and it is the very next door.”
“Thank you.”
I walked down the hall and to student services and saw the receptionist. “May I help you?”
“I have to register here and the woman at the front office sent me here.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“I think so.”
“What is your name?”
“Erika Johnson.”
The receptionist typed something on the computer and then did some other things and told me to have a seat and that a guidance counselor would be with me soon. I don’t know how long I sat in that chair but it was for a while because I got tiered of sitting there and got out my book and started reading, and a few class bells rang.
“Erica Johnson?” I looked up to see a woman that looked like she was in her late thirties had stepped out of her office with another student. I stood up and made my way over to her. “Are you Erika?”
“Yes.”
“Hello Erika, I’m Mrs. Monroe. Come have a seat in my office.” She said as we made our way into her office. She looked at the folder in her hands for a few minutes before she put it down and looked up at me. “Why are you transferring here?”
“My old school kicked me out because I missed too much school.” I said looking her straight in the eye. Her eyes looked familiar I just couldn’t put my finger on it. They were this sea green.
“Why were you missing so much school?”
“My brother and I were in a car accident.”
“Oh, I see.” She said looking down at, what I presumed to be my file, the folder on her desk and started writing in it.
“I’d prefer if no one really knew about that. I mean if you have to tell my teachers about it then ok, but I just don’t want everyone to know about it.”
“Ok we can do that. Is your parent or guardian here?”
“No, she had to work.”
“Ok well, all you have to do is fill out some papers and get them signed by a parent or guardian and then turn them back in tomorrow and you will be set. Do you have any questions?”
“What about my classes?”
“We can work on that now if you would like, or we can do that tomorrow when you come in if you want to.”
“Is there a way I can keep the same classes I had at my old school?”
“That depends, we might not offer the same classes or the class could be full.”
“Ok, can we work on them now?”
“Of course, let me just get out the paper work and the class course book and we can start.” She said as she moved around her office getting things. “Ok you are a senior correct?”
“Yes,” I went through my bag to get out the letter from my old guidance counselor. “This is a letter from my old school saying what classes I was in.”
Mrs. Monroe took the letter and read it. “Ok so you are in English 12, Calculus G/T, Physics, Psychology, Photography 3 Honors, Italian 3, and then you had a free period?”
“Yes”
“Ok well our school doesn’t give free periods, but what you can do is become a student aid if you would like, or you can pick another class.”
“I’ll just be a student aid.”
“Ok, let’s see if we can get you into all the classes you want.” She started typing on her computer for a few minutes then she did some other stuff and I just sat there until she was done. “Well, Erika, you are very lucky you got all the classes you wanted, and you can be a student aid 6th period in the media center. How does that sound?”
“Sounds great.”
“Ok well let me just print out your schedule and then you can walk around the school and find you classes if you want or,” The final school bell rang and Mrs. Monroe just stopped talking.
“You have more then one floor, how am I supposed to get upstairs with my crutches?”
“We’ll give you a key to the elevator and that’s how you will get from class to class.”
“Ok.” There was a knock on the door and Mrs. Monroe told the person to come in.
“Hey mom,” I heard someone say from behind me, then I saw Jack walk up next to Mrs. Monroe and give her a kiss on the cheek.
“Hi honey, can you give me a few minutes I just need to go get the key for Erika. I’ll be right back.” Mrs. Monroe got up and walked toward the door but turned around at the last minute. “Oh Jack could you print out her schedule and give it to her and the papers on my desk for transfer.” Mrs. Monroe walked out the door.
Jack sat down at his mom’s desk and typed something on the computer and then I heard the printer start up. “Hey, so how’s it going?”
“Ok”
“What classes did you get?” He was looking at something on the computer.
“You’re looking at it right now.”
“Yep, and we have English, Italian, and Photography together.” He smiled over at me. He spun around in the chair and took my schedule from the printer and put it on top of the stack of papers I had to fill out and handed them to me. “Here you go Erika.”
“Thank you.” I looked down at my schedule to see what it was. I had English first, then Psychology, then Calculus, then Physics, Photography, Italian, and then student aid last.
Mrs. Monroe walked back into the room and over to her desk, “Up,” Jack got up from the computer and sat down in the empty chair next to me, “Ok here is your key, once your off crutches just return the key to the front office. You can go around to all your classes if you like or you can just go, Jack here will show you around if you want. Um what else, oh yes, just stop by tomorrow morning and give the papers to me, and so you know, I will have to tell your teachers just is case you,” She paused and looked at Jack, “never mind I’m sure you under stand.” I nodded my head. “Ok well I think that’s it.”
“Thank you Mrs. Monroe.”
Mrs. Monroe smiled at me, “You are very welcome Erika.”
I put all the papers I got into my bag, grabbed my crutches and made my way out of her office and into the hallway.
“So, what are you going to do now?” I heard a deep voice say from behind me.
I looked over my shoulder and saw that is was Jack. “I’m thinking of seeing where my classes are so I won’t get lost tomorrow.”
“Ok well, I’ll show you around.”
“You really don’t have to I can…” My phone started ringing so I got it out and saw it was my mom. “Hey mom, what’s up?”
“I’m just wondering where you are? I thought you would be home by now its 3 o’clock.”
“Yea sorry mom, it took a little while for them to get to me and I got my classes and I got some other stuff I need you to fill out. It just took some time.”
“Are you going to come home now or what?”
“I was thinking about going to see where all my classes were, but if you want me to come home now I can.”
“No that’s fine, go ahead and go to see where all your classes are. Did you meet anyone yet?”
“Mom not now ok?”
“Honey, I’m sorry I just think it’s time you move on a little. It’s been 2 months Erika.”
“Mom, I can’t believe you just said that. He was your son, and you’re just going to forget about him like that?”
“No of course not, I’m not saying that you should just forget about him, I’m saying that maybe you should move on.”
“I got to go mom. I’m not allowed to use my phone in the building.” I hung up without another word. “That’s why I don’t talk to my mother.” I whispered to myself.
“You ok, Erika?” Jack asked from beside me.
“Yeah I’m great.”
“Ok well, English is on the second floor.” Jack showed me to all my classes and the cafeteria and he told me that everyone had and hour lunch at the same time and if you want you can go off campus to get lunch if you want and that there are 10 minutes between class. School starts at 7 and ends at 2:30.
“Can I ask you a question?” Jack asked as we walked outside.
“I’m not promising I’m going to answer.”
“Ok, how did you break your leg?”
“I knew that was going to be the question.”
“Are you going to answer it though?”
“Sure, I was in a car accident.”
“Sorry.”
“Not as sorry as I am.” I said looking straight ahead as we maid our way towards the main road.
“What does that mean?”
“Nothing.”
“Ok. Well would you like a ride home?”
“No it’s fine I’ll get a cab.”
“Oh but you have to get a cab all the time right now. I’ll give you a ride it’s no problem, really.”
“I’m fine. Thanks for the offer though.” I said as I got into a cab that pulled to a stop at the curb.