Once again, I was back in my new bed. My eyelids creeped open, expecting brightness but being met with darkness. My head felt like a hammer was beating against it and I grimaced, snuggling deeper into my covers.

Turning on my side, the glowing numbers of a clock stood out to me. My eyes didn't widen at the bold number nine staring me in the face. It was still early, but shouldn't there have been light already?

Then, my sluggish brain realized someone had closed my blinds. I also realized it was Monday, and I was incredibly late for my first day of school in this new town.

As if someone else's thoughts were in tune with my own, a fist began to beat against my door.

"Ada! Ada, wake up! Mom's going to freaking kill me!"

Groaning, I pulled the covers up to my chin. "I'm up, Vienna! Do we have to go to school today?"

At this, my door was shoved open. Light from the hallway streamed into my nearly pitch black room. I nearly screamed from the pain in my head, closing my eyes and shielding them with the blankets. Hang overs were not my friend. They didn't use to be this bad, but the lack of alcohol since I was caught really affected the intensity.

"Of course! Are you dumb? This is your first day! Plus, my parents told me to make sure you got to school okay!"

"Did Carson leave us?" I questioned. Surely, we didn't all sleep in.

"Of course he did. Believe it or not, the nerd has perfect attendance. Now, up!"

I couldn't believe someone could be so selfish.

"Lydia too?"

"The baby isn't going. Up!"

"I have a hangover. Just tell your parents I'm not feeling well."

Suddenly, I felt her grab my arm and, thanks to tugging and gravity, I tumbled to the ground. I let out a little shriek, the covers tangling around my limbs.

"Ada!"

"Why does Lydia get to stay home and I don't?"

"Adalaide !"

"Okay, okay! Give me thirty!"

"Thirty?"

"Thirty or I'm not going and you can face the wrath of your parents!"

With a groan, I watched her feet become farther and farther away from me.  Then, after a fierce internal battle, I hauled myself off the ground and trudged towards the bathroom.

This was my first day, so I had to make a good first impression. I made sure my winged liner was fierce and my face looked flawless. Not a hair could be out a place, nor could my outfit be anything but perfectly coordinated.

Thirty minutes came and went. It was at forty did I finally exit my room. Once I made it down the stairs, my head was still throbbing and the bright sunlight streaming through the windows did little to help.

An apple was thrown in my direction and I barely caught it before it hit me square in the nose.

"What the heck?"

Vienna sighed, her bag slung over her shoulder as she headed towards the door. "I hope you like apples because we don't have time to sit down and eat. Now move it!"

I rolled my eyes. "Can I at least have some-"

As if she yet again read my mind, two pills were thrust my way.

"Thanks!" I smiled, throwing the Tylenol down my throats and following Vienna out the door. The sunlight was more intense now and I had to keep my gaze focused on my feet.

After I had swallowed the pills, I bit a chunk out of my apple. The sweet juices filled my mouth as I chewed, climbing into the passenger seat of Vienna's convertible.

The first thing she did after she started the vehicle was pull down the roof.

"Don't you have a hangover?" I snapped.

She shrugged. "Not that bad of one."

I hissed like a vampire as the sun once again beat down on me. "Vienna!"

"Oh, right. I forgot."

Thankfully, she put the hood back up, reversing out of the driveway. Once we passed the gate, she turned onto the road and squished the pedal like a bug.

Vienna rolled down the window and we felt a strong breeze as she cruise down the street way faster than the speed limit would allow. She also cranked up the radio, belting out lyrics at the top of her lungs.

I noticed that her long hair was down and free; the wind toying with it. My own was also down, and I kept trying to keep it from flying out of place. The last thing I needed was a bad hair day.

Finally, Vienna pulled into the parking lot of a decent sized high school. Bold, green letters read "Richbrooke Highschool." The building itself seemed pretty well cared for with pristine flowerbeds and outdoor areas for students to converse or do homework. It was definitely nicer than my old school.

"Well, welcome to hell," Vienna exclaimed, exiting the car and slamming the door.

I followed her lead and walked with her to the school's entrance, throwing away my apple core at the nearest trash can. As I entered the school, I was met with a long, wide hallway full of posters and dull blue lockers.

Vienna wordlessly lead me down the hallway until we reached a closed office. She threw open the door rather than knocking, meeting the annoyed face of a young woman.

"Vienna, how many times have I told you-"

She stopped short at the sight of me. "Oh, you must be Adalaide! It's so nice to meet you, I'm Ms. Clark."

"Hi!" I feigned excitement, shaking her hand.

I took a moment to examine her. She wore thin glasses that complimented her face, had her blonde locks thrown into a messy bun, and ocean eyes that seemed to hold a story that should have been far beyond her years.

I looked back and realized Vienna was gone. I frowned. She seemed so nice the first day, but maybe she, like the rest of her siblings, had found something to dislike about me.

My heart plummeted to my feet, but I made sure my smile inched wider.

"Here you go, dear!" Ms. Clark exclaimed, snapping me back to reality. She was holding a bunch of papers that she thrust in my direction.

Carefully, I took them in my grasp. "Thank you!"

"No problem!" She smiled. She pointed to the yellow sticky note on top of the rest. "This is your locker number and combo. The rest ranges from your schedule to syllabuses to activities you can try! Welcome to Richbrooke and have a great day!"

Her smile seemed a little fake, but maybe it was just me.

"Alright! Thank you!"

With that, I walked out of her small, neatly organized office. Looking down at the sticky note, I realized I had no idea where locker 567 was located. Cursing under my breath, I began to look at the numbers on the lockers before me. 101, 102, 103. Curses.

I couldn't believe Vienna had just left me to fend for myself! I had no idea where my classes or locker were located at! I didn't even know anyone else in the school, save Carson, but he wouldn't help me. Neither would anyone I met at the party the night before if I ran into them.

As I ambled down the hallway, I was stuck in my thoughts. So, I ran right into someone else. Luckily,
I was able to keep all of my papers in my grasp, and the other person wasn't carrying anything but a hall pass.

"I'm so sorry!" I blurted, hoping whoever I bumped into wasn't a jerk who was going to chew me out.

To my surprise, I looked up to meet a familiar pair of brown eyes. I also recognized her mane of violet hair.  However, I doubted she remember me. She was drunk off her rocker last time we talked.

She opened her mouth then closed it as her eyes went wide. "Oh my gosh, you're the girl from last night!"

No, no. She wasn't supposed to remember me! "Um," I faked confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about, sorry."

She shook her head, hair whacking her in the face from its ponytail. "You're Adi! I remember you! I wasn't that drunk."

I didn't know what sorcery was occurring, but she was that drunk.

"Today's your first day! That's so cool!" She chirped. Then, she peeked at my sticky note. "Oh, your locker is near mine! Let me show you the way!"

Before I could protest, Tala grabbed my arm and dragged my down the hallway. Or, rather, numerous hallways.

After what felt like eternity, we reached locker 567. Ignoring the bubbly teen, I glanced at my schedule and gathered what I thought I needed. The rest I shoved in my locker.

"Come on! We have the same class."

Oh no.

A sigh escaped my lips as I allowed Tala to drag me down a few more hallways. We finally reached a classroom to which she threw open the door. I tightly clutched the strap of my bag as my heart beat wildly in my chest. This was it; my first impression.

Tala hung the hall pass on a hook by the door and turned to the teacher. She was pretty young, probably around the age of Ms. Clark. She had no glasses and extremely long black hair.

"Hey, welcome to English!" She cheered. "You must be the new student! Everyone, please welcome-"

"Ada," I finished for her, turning to the class and smiling. I couldn't describe how nervous I was feeling.

Was this teacher not going to question the fact that Tala left to go to the bathroom and came back with a person?

"I'm Mrs. Katie," the teacher smiled and held out her hand. I shook it, trying to keep the smile on my face no matter how much my muscles were beginning to ache.

Mrs. Katie grabbed a worksheet off her desk and handed it to me. "This is what we're working on! If you have any questions feel free to ask me."

I nodded.

Tala then dragged me with her to the back of the class. No, I don't want to sit with her, I thought. I wanted to get in with the populars, not her!

Tala glanced at a pretty girl next to an empty seat. "Hey, do you mind if Ada sits next to me today?" The girl looked annoyed. She nonetheless left her seat to find another. Weird.

I wordlessly took the seat next to Tala. 

"That was Cara," she told me. "She's my best friend."

Then sit next to her, not me.

She pointed at the guy beside her. He had light brown hair and sky blue eyes. "That's Asher."

Asher preceded to roll his eyes.

Then, she pointed to the guy beside me. "That's J."

"Just J?"

The boy nodded, smoothing back his raven hair. "It's just J." He seemed to be judging me with his dark eyes and I didn't like it.

Tala kept introducing me to people and I eventually stopped listening. Finally, I was able to work on my assignment. Although, I made sure I didn't look like a nerd. I tried to converse with people. I tried to act friendly. I tried to act like the opposite of the Adalaide I once was.

And I slowly began to enjoy it.

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Yay, another chapter! I was inspired to write today by Ms_Horrendous 's Motivated Readers of The Day. And shoutout to her because she's an inspiration and a great writer. :)

Thank you guys so much for all the support this book has been getting! I never imagined it would get this far!

QOTD: Do you think Tala is popular or unpopular? Nerd or not?

If you didn't know, I made an Insta for my books.

I actually didn't plan to write this much, but I just kept going lol. It's late but oh well. Oh, and we had some nice rain. But I love rain so yay! :)

Vote, comment!

-Sarah