“Your homework for tonight is to finish this math worksheet, along with the one I gave you yesterday. This is due tomorrow, and remember that I will not accept any late work.” Mrs. Billy said strictly, with her spit flying in every direction and landing on those who were unfortunate enough to be sitting within a three feet radius of her, including me.
“Class dismissed!” she screeched as the bell rang, her voice filled with hatred for her job. I wiped away a miniscule wad of gooey spit that had found its way to my left eye. As I struggled to shove my large binder into my bag, I saw Megan and her stuck-up friends making their way causally toward me.
“So, are you busy today, Lilly? Are you gonna go hang out with your friends?” they asked me, even though they knew the answer quite well. Then they smirked, and with mock surprise and sympathy sneered, “Oh wait, you don’t have any friends.” I could hear them snickering as they sauntered away.
I sighed. Every day, for the past month at least, they asked me this question just to get to me, and every day, I tried to ignore them, even though it was getting harder and harder. But who was I kidding? Everyone knew that I was the “weird” girl with dark brown hair and eyes. They knew that I was the kind of girl who would keep my head down in the hallway and mind my own business, they knew I was the kind of girl that wouldn’t fight back, they knew I was the girl with low self-esteem. If you went to Ridgewood Middle School and looked at any of the 7th graders, you would see them in groups or pairs, with only one or two people standing alone awkwardly, trying to shrink into the shadows and not be noticed. Sadly, I was one of the people standing alone. And no matter how many times I tried to tell myself otherwise, deep inside I knew that I had no friends, and that I was a loner. Everytime I tried to talk to someone, they would give me the “ewwww, why is she talking to me” look, try to finish the conversation as soon as possible, and then walk away quickly. Let’s just say that my life sucked.
I walked out of the classroom and hall, trying to get out of the school before Megan and her clique saw me. Once I suspected that I was safe, I walked quickly to my house, trying not to be noticed by anyone, holding my head down. I couldn’t help thinking that my life was horrible, and I would have given anything to move to a different school at a different neighborhood. I turned the street and stood right outside my house, or should I say apartment?
My family and I have been easily living in this apartment for the past 4 years. The rent was outrageous compared to the crappy service they offered, and I couldn’t wait to get out of this place and move into a nice big house instead. The house, on the outside, wasn’t the prettiest thing you’ve seen. You could tell it was beyond repair. The window was barely attached to the hinges, and both had that ancient paper color. The door was rusty and obviously old, and just looking at the house gave me disappointment.
Groaning, I opened the door, wincing as it creaked noisily. 
“Hey sweetie,” my mom called from the kitchen. The aroma of roasted turkey spiced with exotic seasoning filled the air, making my stomach grumble like it never has before. I craved that turkey, and couldn’t wait until dinner.
I walked down the hallway and into the almost empty living room. I put my bag down near the wall, and instantly felt the weight lift of my shoulders. My mom walked out of the kitchen, drying her hands on her dirty apron as she wiped off sweat from her forehead with her shoulder, and took a deep breath.
“I have some news for you,” she said hesitantly, like if she said it insensitively I would freak out and get angry. I was instantly all ears. It wasn’t every time that my mom said this, and when she did, something huge was going on.
“Your father got a job promotion, and we’re moving to California,” she said, waiting to see my reaction. I don’t know what kind of reaction she expected, but I totally surprised her. The moment those words left her mouth, I felt like I won the lottery. Moving meant that we got to leave this lame excuse for a house, and better yet, it meant that I got to switch schools. I didn’t have to deal with Megan and her idiotic friends ever again. I could have a fresh start at the new school, and for once, I could end up having friends. I couldn’t help smiling and screaming in joy, and I felt as if I’d never been happier.
“We’ll be moving on November 22nd, 4 weeks from now, to Basin City, California and you’ll be going to Oakwood Middle School. You’ll make tons of friends and your father and I bought a house right next to the school so you can walk their everyday. The house is two stories tall and is amazing. I’m sure you’ll love it there! I’ll give you some boxes to start packing all your stuff in, and we’ll be at the new house in no time,” she said happily. She seemed as happy as I was to get out of this place, and she couldn’t stop beaming. After handing me a couple of boxes to start packing in, she informed me that dinner would be ready in an hour or so, so I was free to do my homework up to then.
Screw homework, I thought. I’m going to pack my room as quickly as I possibly can.
I ran into my room and looked around. It was then that I realized that this was going to take a while.
My bed was neatly tucked at the side of the room, right next to an eerie window, but that was the only neat thing about my room.  Books were strewn across red mahogany book shelves which were mounted on the wall, causing a book or two to occasionally fall on the floor with a terrifying thud. Posters of various things, ranging from adorable puppies to a violent rock band, were hung up on any blank space I could find on the wall. Several posters were overlapping on the wall, causing them to be folded and some corners to be ripped. The floor was just like a dumpster. Wrappers of various junk food, such as Hot Cheetos and Lays, were decorating the floor. On the other side of the room, was a red oak desk. Piled on it, instead of books, were an assortment  of clothes, ranging from jeans to faded skirts to old tops.
Instantly, I knew this was going to a long hour. You know how they say once done is twice done? Take it from me, it is. I completely regretted all those times that I tossed wrappers and clothes on the floor and the bed without thinking twice. I sighed and yanked a black trash bag out of the closet and dropped to all fours, scouring the floor for trash, which wasn’t that hard. After a tiring 45 minutes, my room was clean again. The floor was spotless, all my clothes were hung up in my closet, and the posters were all now neatly pinned to the wall, with no overlapping posters. After another hour, the majority of my room was packed into the boxes that my mom gave me, and I was nearly ready to move to our new house.
The next few weeks went by faster than I realized. Everything was a blur to me, and all I could focus on was the fact that I was moving soon. That thought made my days pass faster than I would have thought possible, and it almost made my life at school bearable. I’d never felt so happy and excited for something, so you could imagine how crazy I went the day we were moving.
“You ready to move?” Dad asked. He was a tall man, around 5’ 11”, with jet black hair and a chiseled face. He, like me, had dark brown eyes and a smile was always on his face. Unlike me, though, he had many friends and was very social.
“Yup,” I replied, dizzy from giddiness. I grabbed my luggage, a small carry-on, and wheeled it out of my room. I sighed, and took a last look at the room that I lived in for as long as I could remember. It was completely bare, with the only color being the lavender walls.
Dad came up to me. “You’re going to miss this place, aren’t you?”
“Yeah,” I said sadly. “Let’s just go already,” I shrugged, and walked out the room without looking back. I made a beeline to the car, shoved my carry-on in the trunk, and sat in the back seat. I couldn’t help but have conflicted feelings. It’s true I hate this place, not only because of the apartment’s horrible appearance, but also because it reminded me each time I got bullied. But this place had also been my home. Where would I be without it?
Enough of this, I thought. I nudged in the earbuds into my ears, and just concentrated on listening to I Know Places by Taylor Swift. Mom and Dad soon climbed into the car, but I barely paid any attention to that. Within an hour, we not only arrived to the airport, but also got through the long, tedious luggage check. We were ready to board our flight with American Airlines. People would start to board the plane in a few minutes, and then they would just be about two hours till we reach California.
“Boarding Flight 1245 right now,” the flight attend, a brunette wearing completely blue and black, called out, arousing tons of people.
“That’s us,” my mom said, we joined the numerous people to get into the plane. After getting our tickets checked and walking down the ramp that led to the plane, we got into the huge aircraft. It was everyday I got to travel by plane, so when I did, I tried to get the most of it. Just being in the plane gave a feeling of adventure and excitement, making me feel as if I was one of few people to travel to a new land. It was a feeling that was beyond words, and I absolutely loved it. (You know how people always say that air travel is too uncomfortable and it sucks? I have no idea where they are coming from; being on an airplane is one of the most amazing things I know.) Inside were what seemed like a thousand blue seats, divided into 3 sections with three seats per row per section. I followed the row of people looking to find their seats until I reached a dark blue window seat. After stowing away my carry on in the overhead bin, which took me forever since the carry on decided to be stubborn today and refused to go in, I pulled out my phone, a book, some earbuds, and sat on the seat.
The seat felt like it was made from memory foam. The second I sat down, my butt sank into the comfy cushion. After I put my seatbelt on, which were more than a bit uncomfortable, I rifled through the neon yellow flyers that were neatly tucked into the pocket in front of me and with the lunch tray attached to the back of the occupied seat in front of me.
“Exciting, isn’t it, to be on a plane for the first time?” Mom asked as she took a seat next to me. All I could do was nod, and drifted back into observing the different aspects of the plane.
“Everyone please be seated. We will be taking off shortly. Before we do, please listen closely so you will know what to do in case of an emergency,” a monotone female voice said. Her voice was completely emotionless, as if she had said this exact line a thousand times before.  
She went on and on about the oxygen mask and the emergency exits and the other things we need in case something happens, but I zoned out. Instead of dreaming of good looking guys like many girls my age would, I dreamed of my life in California.
Inside my head, the sun was shining brightly, blinding everyone temporarily. Fierce winds took loose pieces of binder paper and a mix of crunchy red, orange, yellow, and green leaves hostage, and watched little children run after the homework that was lost to the wind. Down picnic tables were this was all happening, was a cozy little street, which radiated of warmth, love, and friendship. It was called Bliss Avenue, and there were only a handful of houses on this avenue, measuring about only 5 houses. Each was filled with lights and accessories on their front porches, showing that a happy family lived there, except for a vacant house. This house was where we were going to live, a lovely two-story house painted with a unique dark shade of maroon.
I imagined walking into my new school on the first day. Everything went perfectly in my mini-world. Everyone loved me; no one gave me the hateful look that I got everyday from my old school. By the end of the day, she was surrounded by outgoing friends who understood her.
My day dream soon faded, leaving me with a warm, happy feeling, as if that day had actually happened in real life. Once I was aware of my surroundings again, I realized that we were in the air. It was night, and the lack of light was causing the insides of the airplane to dim, making it look like one huge amazing glow in the dark room. Besides me and one seat away from me, my mom and dad were snoring softly, probably dreaming of our new life in California like I had.
I looked outside of the small airplane window, and the sight took my breath away. The midnight black night sky set a bold background for the ant-like specks of gold that represented the city lights. Everything seemed a thousand times smaller, and for once in my life I truly appreciated how huge this world was.
Though the view was tempting and it was hard to peel my eyes and face off of the window, I managed to and turned my eyes to the small tv directly above my lunch tray. After playing several games and browsing through numerous movies, I decided on watching Legally Blonde. I spent the majority of my time watching the movie and was focused on it, not including the time where the flight attendant came to offer me Coke. (Which I, of course, took.)
“We will be landing shortly,” a exhausted female voice said. “Please buckle your seats and prepare for landing.”
Soon, we were out of the plane and inside the airport again. The airport was crowded with numerous people, even though it was 1:09 A.M. My pulse quickened once again, and excitement and enthusiasm buzzed through my entire body, making me aware of everything around. I was going to be at my new house in less than the next 24 hours, and to then my new school.
“Hey, you hungry?” my dad asked me as I shivered in my thin jacket.
“Of course I am! I NEED food,” I said slowly, stressing every word.
“Then let’s go get something,” my mom yawned, with her stomach grumbling as a lovely background noise. We walked around like lost souls to find the food court and, with the help of a kind middle-aged couple, we found our way to the food court.
You know how in social studies or a book the main character feels like amazing and awed when they found something or a place they’ve searched long and hard and put their sweat, blood, and tears into? And remember you always think that’s always so fake and dramatic and wouldn’t happen in real life? Trust me, it happens. When I found that food court, the most I could do was not run to the various stores and stuff my face with their food. When I found Panda Express, I made a direct beeline to the restaurant, leaving my parents with no choice but to follow me.
After five minutes, which seemed like forever, I had chow mein stuffed into my mouth till I looked like a chipmunk and I could barely swallow. Then there were Mom and Dad, eating in a civilized manner and with forks/chopsticks. How 20th century!
My dad whistled for a cab, and in a short 15 minutes we reached our house. Even in the dark, it looked fabulous. It was two stories tall, with seven windows and a mahogany roof. I house like this must have cost millions, and I was happy to be able to live in a home like this.
Looking at my expression, my dad said, “Let’s go inside, shall we? It gets even better.”
The inside was grand, and made the outside look like an apartment. There was plenty of room inside and I was shocked at it’s amazingness. When my dad showed me my room, it took my breath away. It was huge, and I knew that I would never have to worry about running out of space to keep my things here. My things were all at the side, still stuck in the moving boxes.
“Try to get some sleep, okay?” my mom said as she said closed the door and turned the lights off. I waited until she was gone before turning the lights on and ripping open some of the moving boxes. I started setting things up on shelves and unpacking in the dead of the night, even though I knew it was a stupid idea. I couldn’t help but do so; I was just too excited to wait.
I didn’t remember falling asleep. The sunlight hit me directly in the face, and my eyes squinted from the direct light. I made my way downstairs.
“Look who finally woke up,”Mom said playfully. “Your dad got us some burgers and if you’re hungry you might want to dig in.”
I grabbed a burger and made my way upstairs again, and I knew that I was going to spend my entire day unpacking. Time flew by fast, interrupted by occasional visits from Dad and Mom bringing me food, and before I knew it, my room was entirely unpacked and it was 7:00 P.M.
I went downstairs again, and this time I spend time with Mom and Dad. They talked about the different sections of the house they wanted to start unpacking first, and so on. I decided to just go on the computer and watch Superwoman, which is what I did all the way up to 9:00.
“Remember, you have school in two days,” my mom reminded me, which left me swearing inside my head. The next day went by busily, and the last thing I thought about was that it was going to be my first day of school.
That morning, I woke up with butterflies in my stomach. It was going to be my first day at school! I knew I couldn’t afford to screw up and become a loser here.
“It’s going to be okay! Everyone will love you and you won’t look like an idiot,” Mom assured me, as if she shared my nervousness. The morning went by faster than ever, and before I knew it, I was driving up to the huge campus of Oakwood Middle School.
Kids carried binders and backups, talking loudly and hanging out with thousands of their friend. Everyone was talking to at least one person, and everyone here looked like Megan and her devil friends. How was I ever going to get friends in a place like this?
I kept my head down and made my way toward my class, social studies in Room 34. I sighed, and headed into my classroom.
The teacher, Mr. Wright, made his way over to me. “You must be Jane,” he grinned. He showed me my seat and explained what we were studying in that class.
“Feel free to ask me anything,” he said. “Right now we are doing a group project with your table group about West Africa. You’re partners are Jane, Mike, and Robert. They’ll fill you in on what they have done and what they haven’t.”
The bell rang soon enough, and I made my way to my seat.
“Hey guys,” Mr. Wright greeted the class. “Today we have a new student. Her name is Lilly and our job is to make her feel welcome and at home at Oakwood.”
I could feel everyone’s eyes turn to me, and I gave a sheepish smile to everyone.
“You guys have all period to work on your project,” he declared, and made his way to his desk.
“Hey Lilly, I’m Jane,” Jane said. She and the others in this class seemed all friendly, and maybe I could make tons of friends here.
In turn, each person in my table introduced himself/herself. They seemed nice enough, and we got to work. Mike explained what we had done so far.
“So all we have left is to work on the poster. Robert and I basically finished the whole presentation, so if you have and Jane worked on the poster about how the West African’s daily left went, it would divide the work evenly. Unfortunately, this was our last day to work in class and it’s due in two days, so it would be great if you could go to Jane’s house and work on it. Would that be okay?” he asked.
“Sure, yeah. Of course,” I replied, seeing this as an opportunity to make a new friend. “How about today at 4:00 to 5:30?”
“No problem,” Jane responded as the bell rang and we all got up to head to our next class.
Second, third, fourth, and sixth period went just like the first. Everyone was really nice and friendly and they didn’t seem to care that I was new to school. The still talked and worked with me as if I’d been at this school the whole year. It was brunch and lunch that I didn’t exactly like. Since I knew nobody, I had no idea who to eat lunch with. I spent most of my time wandering around and exploring the campus or reading a book alone under the shade of a tree.
It’ll get better. I’ll find someone to eat lunch with soon enough. I thought as I reached my house after school ended. Before I could even take a snack, Mom had to drop into Jane’s house.
“Hey,” Jane greeted me. “Come on in.”
We got down to business quick, and in the next hour we completed the poster. We moved to her hall, a big room with two huge TV’s and an extravagant sofa and loveseat. We spread out the poster and used the pillows as paperweights.
“Okay. I’ll color the pictures that Robert drew and you can outline the text,” Jane told me, laying out a 48-set prismacolor colored pencil set, several metallic sharpies, another 100 color pencil set, and more. All I could do was gape as she handed me bronze, silver, and gold metallic makers to use to outline and trace the text. I realized how amazing it would look against the huge black poster paper and I mentally compliment her ability to contrast colors.
We spent the next hour or so munching on Smokin’ Hot Cheetos and Original Lays as pop music blared through the living room, occasionally lip-syncing and dancing to various songs, while we worked on the poster. I had to admit, this was really fun and interesting. With the way we did our work, we finished the poster in no time while enjoying ourselves. We we finally finished, we rolled the poster and stored it somewhere safely, and went to wash the Sharpie off our hands.
“So… What do you want to do now?” Jane asked me as she dried her hands on a washcloth.
“There’s another 30 minutes until my mom comes to pick me up, so we can hang out until then,” I offered. Not only did Jane did agree, she actually seemed really eager to do so.
She showed me around her room, which had a queen bed, an amazing desk, and tons of books. We decided to just sit on the bed and talk. We talked about our past, and she asked me what caused me to move and how my life was in Colorado was. I told her about how eager I was to move here, and I felt like we had become pretty good friends.
There was a knock on the door and I was hoping it wasn’t, though I knew it was, my mom.
“Well, it looks like you have to go. I had fun today. We should hangout more often,” she told me, and I couldn’t help but grinning.
Time flew quickly, and it was my second in school. It was lunch, and I was wandering around to find a place to sit. I saw Jane and her friends sitting in a circle, talking happily. Jane saw me looking at her, and said, “Lilly, you wanna eat lunch with this?”
I grinned and my way toward them.
“Guys this is Lilly,” Jane introduced me to her friends, and I felt like a part of them when we laughed and talked. I felt like I finally friends, and I knew I was going to love being at this school. My life was, for once, going to be amazing and how I wanted it to be.