Things Happen: Chapter 1

Chapter 1

         "Wake up, Emma!" cried mom from downstairs. I stirred in my bed, not wanting to get up. I heard footsteps coming up the stairs and then the same footsteps striding across my bedroom. Bright sunlight suddenly filled the room, causing me to blink in surprise.
         "Wake up, Em. It's your first day of school today; you don't want to be late!" And with that, mom exited the room, shutting the door behind her. I stretched, still half-asleep, and yawned. I sat up in my bed, and looked around my surroundings. My new room, painted a soft, yellow shade, came into focus.
         All of my walls were practically covered with posters of favorite bands, pictures of singers and actors, drawings, and photos. Over the whole week we had been here, I had taken my time to try and make this room seem like my old bedroom in California. I sighed heavily and looked over to my clock which read 6:43. Great. Now I only had at least twenty minutes or so to get ready. And I usually took a long time to get ready. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up straight.
         "First day of school. Wow." I mumbled to myself. I walked into the bathroom that was adjoined to my room and turned on the shower. I got myself undressed and jumped in. Cold, refreshing, water hit my skin, making me jump a little. Never less, I left it cold so that it would help me wake up and be fully alert. After being in there for about ten minutes, I got out and dried myself with a nice and soft towel. I got into my bathrobe and turned to the sink. I brushed my teeth and then once I finished I looked up at the mirror. My sea-green eyes stared back at me as I studied my features. I ran my fingers through my long, damp, golden brown hair and played with a strand. I smiled at myself but then frowned as my dimple came out. Many people said they thought it was cute and that it fit perfectly with my smile, but I hated it. I looked closely at my face and felt glad I didn't have a break-out or anything. Funny, how I was worrying about these things now, on the first day of a new school.
         I sighed as I remembered school. It just never ends. I got out of the bathroom and walked to my drawers, quickly putting on my undergarments. Next I walked to my closet and spent another ten minutes just deciding what to wear. I ran back in forth between my full-length mirror and my closet, tossing clothes this way and that.
         "Hurry up Emma! You'll be late for school!" yelled mom from downstairs. Seeing as to how I was running out of time, I grabbed a pair of my favorite jeans and a green tee that I had gotten last summer. It had the words, "Green is the new black," on the front of it. I put on my black Vans and went back inside the bathroom to blow-dry my hair. Since it was naturally curly, I didn't have to do much to it, except for drying it. I pinned my bangs to the side though with a black bobby pin, and gave myself a final glance before walking out. Not bad. Or at least good enough to not get picked on, I guess. I grabbed my sweater and backpack, and walked out to the hallway, shutting the door softly behind me.
         "Good morning." said dad. I gave him a small smile and grabbed a piece of toast off the plate sitting on the kitchen table.
         "There I'm ready. Go ahead and take me to my misery now." I said to mom. She rolled her eyes at me and waited for me to finish eating the toast. Once I was done, I followed her out to the car and got inside the passenger seat. We drove off to my new school in silence, which happened to be a private school, yet another reason to hate this place. Why couldn't I just go to a normal public school like I had done when we lived in Los Angeles?
         "So are you excited?" asked mom, not taking her eyes of the traffic.
         "Not really." I said, looking out the window. We didn't say anything else until we had arrived at the school about ten minutes later. She pulled up at the front of the school building and I glanced at it. The school looked like any plain, old, boring school so naturally, it didn't catch my attention. What did though was this huge group of kids. They were in a circle as if surrounding or watching someone. I tore my eyes away from them and turned back to mom.
         "Bye mom. I'll go walking home; it's not too far, just two blocks." I said opening the door. I got out and she rolled down the window saying, "Your father and I will probably be at a business meeting by the time you get home, all right?" I nodded impatiently. "Remember to get your schedule." she reminded.
         "I know can you just go now? You're kind of embarrassing me." I said, glancing around. It was true. Some of the girls were staring at me, pointing fingers and whispering. Mom just smiled and said, "Okay then. Bye, take care! Have a good time at school, honey!" I waved good bye and she rolled up the window and drove away. I thought she'd never leave. Sometimes parents can be so oblivious as to how embarrassing they can be. I walked inside the school building, holding my head up high as I passed the snickering girls. I looked around for the main office and once I spotted it, I went inside to ask the secretary for my schedule.
         "Um...Hi. I'm new here and I need to get my schedule." I said to the lady sitting behind the counter.
         "Name?" she asked, not even bothering to look up. I stated my full name.
         "Emily Brown." The secretary searched through some papers and finally extracted it from a pile beside her.
         "Here you go." she said, handing it to me.
         "Thanks." I said, smiling. I took the paper and walked out of the office, reading my classes. I wondered what Chelsea, my best friend, was doing right now. Probably barely getting out of bed, considering the time-zone difference. Instantly I began feeling horrible. Thinking of Chelsea wasn't helping. It was just making me feel a little lonely. Okay maybe a lot of lonely. I missed my best friend and I would give anything just to have her here with me. Meanwhile, as I was lost in my thoughts, I never noticed that someone was running towards my direction.
         "Whoa!" I cried out as I stumbled. I fell across the person who had collided with me, causing both of us to fall. I felt my cheeks burning red with humiliation. What a great way to start the first day of school.