BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

My alarm clock's annoying blare screeched into my ears.

"Nooooo..." I mumbled. I rolled over, flailing my arms madly until they came in contact with the stupid thing. I rubbed my eyes, glancing at the time written in red digital numbers: 6:45.

I groaned, sinking deeper into my covers. I didn't want to go to school. School was dumb. Especially high school. I didn't want to leave the warmth of my bed.

I wish I could be like those kids in SlugTerra. They didn't have to go to school.

I rolled and swung my legs over the side of my bed. My bare feet hit my carpeted floor, and I heard a commotion beside me.

I groggily glanced behind me and saw the source of the noise; my Border Collie, Willow, was on the side of the bed nearest to the wall. Her paws waved around as she dreamt. I cracked a smile, rubbing her warm belly. She awoke at my touch and flipped over to her paws, peppering my face with licks. I laughed.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," I joked, scratching her ears. Willow leant into my touch and snuggled up with me.

I heaved a sigh as I broke away from her. 

I commando tuck-and-rolled until I fell out of bed and landed in a crouch on my carpet. I got dressed in my prissy blue uniform with the letters 'WLHS' with a leaf pattern surrounding it as the logo. 

I stared at my reflection, smoothing out the uniform and trying make myself look somewhat decent. My first day back at Winter Lock High. I wonder how it's going to go down.

The good news was, all of my friends are going to be there. I smiled as I ticked them all off: Lillian, Grace, Casey, Skye, and Evelyn. I've known them for most of my life, even though we only moved here two years ago. I kind of feel like they've been missing from my childhood years, cuz it really feels like the six of us belong together.

All of us had met at a horse camp one day when we were around seven – back then my family still lived in Australia, but we had spent a month of the Christmas holidays in New York. We had enough money for me to go to a trailriding camp while there, and that's where I met the five, who were all already acquainted. 

We were all saddled up on our assigned horses and had bunked together in the cabins.
I remembered the day as if it were yesterday: Lily on her pinto, Bramble; Gracie on the palomino Snickers; Casey on her red dun Strawberry Sunset; Skye on the slobbering grey horse Goose; and Lyn on her handsome Cremello, Feather. I brightened as I remembered Feather and my horse, a bay roan by the name of Knight, nickering and bonding with one another.

I had apologised profusely, while Lyn laughed it off and told me it was all fine. That day had been the start of a beautiful friendship between all of us.

A rush of footsteps downstairs brought me spiralling back to the painful reality: summer was over, and now I had to deal with school. At least my friends would be there.

I ran a brush through my short, straight ginger hair, trying to flatten it. But alas, my hair puffed up and was deemed untameable; wild. 

I stared into my mirror. Namely, I stared into the brown eyes that looked fearfully back at me. I sighed, attempting one last time to make my hair look presentable.

I grabbed my shoes and shoved them on, doing the laces in a double-knot and glancing at my alarm again; seven. I had an hour before I needed to go.

I opened the door and stampeded downstairs. My dad was already making himself a bowl of Weet-Bix. 

I laughed and he grinned at me. "What? Got something in my beard?" He asked.

I shook my head, returning the smile. "You just can't get the Aussie out of you, can ya?"

He chuckled as I grabbed some bread from the freezer, slotting it into the toaster. "Neither can you, eh?" He gestured to my traditional Australian breakfast. How he knew I was gonna put Vegemite on it, I didn't know. It was true though; both of us were still Aussie at heart, even though we've been living in New York since Josh and I started high school.

I smiled and waited a bit. Showtime! The toast jumped up and I caught it. Ha!

Shot, it was hot!

I quickly dropped the toast onto a plate I had gotten from the cupboard and decorated it with Vegemite.

"It's true, though," dad piped up again. "The Aussie thing. Your poor mother was scared when we first moved here. She misses life back in the Gold Coast."

I sighed. To be honest, I missed my old life, too. I had to leave all my old friends behind and travel to the other side of the world.

"So, how're you finding great ol' New York, Gypsy?"

"Kinda sucks," I admitted, making my dad laugh. I took a bite of my breakfast, flicking the kettle on.

"Well, to be honest, the only reason I like it here is because of my friends."

Willow came up and nuzzled my legs. I scratched her behind the ears, and she moved aside to chomp up her dog kibble. 

I smiled, scratching her neck fur unconsciously. I hoped today would be a good day.

Willow stopped chewing and turned her large different-coloured eyes to mine, as if to tell me, you have no idea what's coming.

And she was right.

I really didn't.

<⚙︎>

I ran up to the imposing entrance of Winter Lock High, clutching the straps of my backpack. My emerald green bag felt heavy on my shoulder blades, and my uniform itched ever so slightly. But I didn't care. I was going to see my friends again.

As I passed the familiar front entrance and traversed through the inside halls, I felt a smile creep across my mouth. It was good to be back after three months. I smiled at students passing by. Some I recognised, but most I didn't, and it looks like they didn't either. Well, that's what I get for only hanging out with the same friend group for two years. 

I made my way outside the main hall, heading for the giant grass oval that served as the hangout for the majority of the students. I noticed the ground was covered in a layer of dew from the rain the night before. By the colour of the sky, you would never've guessed that it had been pelting down last night.
Man, damp days suck.

"GYPSAAAY!"
I heard a familiar voice cry out enthusiastically, and I turned around, laughing when my suspicions were confirmed. "Hey, Skye!" 

She ran up and hugged me, flicking her long blonde hair from over her shoulder. Plenty of fellow students had looked over at her call, but when they saw it was just the self-deemed "local crackhead", they resumed what they were doing. Some of said students giggled at Skye's antics, and some rolled their eyes (to which Skye stuck her tongue out at). 

Skye started blabbering nonsensically as we went to the meeting spot we had agreed on over the holidays.

"So my dog goes insane, right? And you know what I did? I HID ON THE TICK-TACKIN' ROOF. It was kinda funny because nobody found me 'till dinner."

By the time we had reached the assembly point in the middle of the oval, we were both a laughing mess. The tree, aka the meeting spot/assembly point, was the tallest in the school. Its weathered trunk was a mix of grey and brown. It looked as if it could scrape a fissure into the brilliant blue sky.

"Whatcha laughing about?"
"Let us join!" 

Two more familiar voices reached us as Casey and Lily arrived with their arms wrapped around each other like sisters. Casey's light brown hair was up in a ponytail and Lily's slightly darker hair was hanging like a curtain around her shoulders.

"Hey, girls!" The four of us did a group hug.

"Can we get in on that?" Our last two friends walked over to the tree.

"Gracie!" Skye squealed, waving at her soul-sis.

I did a full turn and saw platinum-blonde haired Grace with her hand submerged in a bag of chips, coming over with Evelyn in tow.

Gracie ran over and hugged Skye. 

"Hey!" I greeted both of them.

"Hey Gyps!" Lyn grinned at me, and I couldn't help but grin back. "Me and Gracie-Macie were just talking about snakes. They're so underrated, honestly. Well, she called them snakes. I called them... SNEKS!"

Skye's eyes lit up. "AND EACH SNEK IS CALLED SNAKEY."

Lyn laughed, nodding. "YES."

"AND THEY LIVE IN A CAVE THAT WE CHUCK JONNY JONNY INTO," I added, referencing a joke we all had about Lily's ex.

We laughed up till the bell went.

"Whaddya guys have for today?" I asked, pulling out my phone to check the schedule the school had emailed to us.

"Science, then English, little lunch, Maths, lunch, and History." Case stated, twirling her finger around her hair out of boredom. 

"Same for me," I said.

"Me too," Lily and Skye said.

"Yeah," Grace nodded, balling up her bag of chips and tossing it into a can a few feet away. Sunk it in.

"Lyn?" I asked. The girl in question hadn't said anything, but she was staring at her phone.

She looked up, and I was confused at her expression.

"Hundred year star, I don't have any of those today," she groaned.

"What?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"Girls, get to class!" A nearby teacher scolded us. He continued walking to wherever his class was, and I looked around to see all the students either gone or on their way to their subjects.

Lily gazed sympathetically at our friend. 

"Sorry," I offered to Lyn. 

She sighed, looking at us. "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll have at least some classes together. And we can hang out at lunch and recess too."

As we reluctantly turned to leave, I don't think any of us missed the look of sadness that passed on our friend's face.

<⚙︎>

"I can't believe we don't have any classes with her," I whispered to Lily during English. Mrs Saran, the teacher, was doing who knows what on her computer while we were meant to be writing narratives.

"I know," she whispered back, rolling her wrists to get the stiffness out. "It sucks. I hope Lynnie's doing alright."

"Alright" wasn't good enough for me. I wanted her to be better than alright. 

Then again, Lily probably thought that too. Why do I keep accidentally making everything about me?

Beside me, Casey shook her hands vigorously, earning a few stares from the kids on the other tables.

Gracie tore a corner off her page and passed it to me. I read the note she had written.

True or false: Gypsy has a crush on Evelyn Arrow. 

I heard the teacher's voice drone on in the background but it didn't compute. I was focused on the note.

My face screwed up in confusion at that, and I started scribbling my answer: How did you dream that up? XD And no, by the wa

I didn't get the chance to finish that word, the ink from my pen trailing off like a broken promise.

"Gypsica? Since you've obviously been taking notes, why don't you tell us the answer?" Mrs Saran asked.

I paused, feeling all eyes (save those of my friends) on me.

Uh oh.

"Uh... sorry miss, I don't know," I confessed rather awkwardly.

"You don't know the answer? Or you didn't hear the question?" She glowered.

Staring. Staring. Staring. 

I opened my mouth, but my words caught in my throat. I can't believe I had screwed up on the first day. I heard my heart beating dully in my ears, my entire body temperature rising with embarrassment.

"Since you think passing notes is more important than English, you wouldn't mind if I read it out to the class?" She challenged, taking the note from my hands.

That couldn't be good. I'm sure the teacher that already hated me didn't need to know any further jokes/lies.

I felt my face warm up, suddenly very aware of everyone staring at me. "Uh, I was hoping you wouldn't read it? I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

Mrs Saran glared at me, then scrutinised the note, and for a couple horrifying seconds I felt like throwing up. My palms were sweating. Possibilities hung in the air, trembling on a knife's edge.

"See that it doesn't, Gypsica. Stay behind after class."

She strutted back to her table, note clutched in her hand. I sank into my seat, fiddling with my paper and trying to act as though nothing had happened. Momentary relief washed over me.

The lesson continued on, with Gracie glaring guiltily at her book. She didn't try talking or passing another note. 

Damnit. 

Sure, maybe she shouldn't have been passing notes in class, but she was trying to cheer me up. Besides, it was only the second lesson back. It's not like we know the drill or what the teacher expects of us. We're still in the swing of the holidays. Still active. Haven't calmed down yet.

Of course, instead of seeing the flawless logic, Mrs Saran got us in trouble. Typical teachers.

Grace busied herself with her work.

I looked down, wishing I could tell her that it wasn't her fault.

But I couldn't, so I didn't.

The bell rang, and everyone packed up their things. Chairs scraped and pencils skittered across tables, some rolling off onto the floor with loud clacks.

I slowly put my pencil case in my bag and waited.

Fuming Case, horrified Lily, sympathetic Skye, and forlorn Gracie all packed up and walked out the door. But I knew they were all waiting outside.

Students were still packing up. Chattering and laughing, carefree. The opposite to the cold hooves of dread that struck my heart in deathblows over and over again.

And then Mrs. Saran said, in a voice that felt like she was talking through a million megaphones at once:

"Now, what's this business with Evelyn Arrow?"