Do you know the particular scene in most movies where the teenager wakes up before realizing he's actually late for his first day then starts to scramble around the room to undertake his daily routine but with Flash speed style? Well, that's what exactly happened to me.

Groaning in annoyance when I felt the bright sunlight hitting against my eyes, I forced them to flutter open and grabbed my phone from under the pillow. My once sleepy, half-lidded eyes widened in shock. 7:48 AM. What a great way to start my first day.

Mustering my strength to sit up straight, I saw Meredith organizing her own bed, already in her casual clothes. I stared at her, bewildered.

"Meredith? Why didn't you wake me up?" I tried to sound as polite as possible. I didn't want to lash out at her early in the morning. Especially when I'm about to be late for the first day.

She remained apathetic even after witnessing my panicked expression.
"You were sleeping soundly when I keep trying to wake you up."

I bet you didn't even try.

I sighed as I waved it off, combing my short messy red hair with my fingers.
"Never mind that. What's your first period? Maybe we can go to class together if we have the same schedule." I suggested as I fumbled through my closet and decided with a military green hoodie, dark jeans and a pair of purple converse sneakers.

"Homeroom. And sorry but I'll be going ahead, I'm not the type to be late for class." She stated bluntly before leaving the room without another word.

"My first period is homeroom too, thank you very much." I said sarcastically to no one in particular, making me look stupid.

That girl is so hard to deal with.

I barely made it in class on the last minute, huffing audibly which made other students look at me weirdly as I enter the classroom. Ignoring their stares, I sat down on an empty seat at the very back by the window. A light tap on my shouder made me flinch in surprise. Glancing over to my right, a girl with blonde hair styled into a boy cut was smiling at me warmly.

"Hey, I'm guessing you're a new girl in our class since I've never seen you before. The name's Penny. What's yours?" She asked politely.

"Oh, um.. I'm Ash. And nice to meet you too, I guess." I introduced awkwardly as my fingers played with the sleeves of my hoodie, my eyes wandering everywhere but at her. Penny chuckled.

"Not much of a talker, huh? Don't worry, you'll do just fine. Considering the fact that you're able to get in this school can only mean you have some kind of potential."

Honestly speaking, I have no idea how I managed to get here. Maybe luck is my potential?

"I see. Well, what's your potential, Penny?" I asked curiously. She grinned brightly at my question.

"I'm glad you asked! Guess what, Ash? Your seatmate's part of the popular jock squad 'cause she's the captain of the girls' soccer team!" She said proudly and jabbed a thumb to her chest. My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Wow, really?" I couldn't hide the shock in my voice. She nodded vigorously.

"Yep! If it wasn't for me, the team wouldn't have won three consecutive championships in the different competitions we participated in!" She boasted as she crossed her arms behind her head in a boyish manner.

Unbelievable. She was the one who led the Rosewood to the consecutive championships?

"How about you, Ash? What are you good at? I'm sure it's something interesting." She said, looking at me expectantly. I gulped.

I wasn't definitely ready for that question.

"Alright everyone, get back to your seats. Classes are about to start." I sighed in relief as a woman around her mid-twenties enters the room, holding up a clipboard on her arm.

"Good morning, my name is Ms. Johnson but I'm sure most of you are familiar with who I am already. Now to all the new students, please stand and introduce yourself in front." She began once the class has settled down. I fought the urge to bang my head against my desk.

Great. Just the last thing I needed.

What's worse is that I was the only new student in class. My legs trembled as I stood up and walked over to the front, the eyes of students following my every movement was nearly eating me out alive in anxiety.

Don't screw up, Ash. Or you'll have to deal with the same cycle again.

Taking a deep breath, I began my introduction.

"I'm Ash Rockwell from Seattle. I'm 16 years old and I have a strong hobby in reading books." I tried not to sound squeaky while tugging nervously onto my hoodie sleeves. Thankfully, no one was listening as everyone was bored out of their minds. Some were doodling on their notebooks while others would just pass notes to each other.

I went back to my seat afterwards, relieved that I hadn't made a fool out of myself. Although, I knew I shouldn't let my guard down as many events are yet to come.

* * * * *

Right after homeroom, biology was my next period which I was glad of. Out of all the science branches, biology was personally my favorite subject. I was strangely fond of learning about the different human body systems and how all the specific parts function properly. Despite knowing the heavy content of the subject, it made me want to know more about a certain topic and get even more fascinated about it.

Inside the bio lab, several rectangular black tables were arranged in three columns, with two black stools under each table. Various equipments were displayed on top of the long brown cabinet table at the rear of the room.

"Before you enter, let me announce your lab partners for this school year." Our biology teacher, Ms. Smith said as students lined up by the entrance of the lab. As she began calling out names, my mind began floating elsewhere as Ms. Smith's voice began sounding like a distant radio.

"Ash Rockwell and Meredith Gabehart." My mouth went agaped in shock.

Oh, wow. What a huge coincidence.

Meredith on the other hand looked stoic as ever as she enters the lab while I follow after her silently, cursing mentally to myself about why her of all people had to be my lab partner.

As we both sat down on our stools, I gave her a nervous smile.

"So, I'm guessing we'll be lab partners and not just roommates, huh?" I said, letting out an awkward chuckle in attempt to loosen the tense atmosphere. Meredith only nodded without sparing me a glance, completely disinterested. I frowned at her lack of enthusiasm.

Man, I could've sworn this girl acts like a robot.

Ms. Smith began her lecture as soon as she was done announcing the seating arrangement.

"We'll begin our biology class with the very first topic in the first unit which is the nervous system. What first comes into your mind when you hear of the term, nervous system?" She asked as she turned on the projector and her power point presentation flashed on the screen. A girl in front of me raised her hand.

"It mainly focuses on the functions of the brain and the spinal cord." She recited.

"Correct. Anything else?" Another student raised their hand.

"It's like our communication system as the nerve cells carry messages to and from the brain and spinal cord to other parts of the body."

"Yes, that's right. Hearing your classmates' answers can only mean that you already have an idea as to how the nervous system works. But let's get to the further details, shall we?"

My mind was thoroughly at ease as I jotted down notes on my notebook, catching on the topic quickly during the lecture.

During my homeschool years, mom had given me a few helpful study habits that would keep me focused during class discussions. Taking out my post-it sticky notes, highlighters, and some colored pens, I doodled the structure of a neuron and labeled its specific parts. Below my doodled diagram, I listed down the parts of a neuron and its functions using a colored pen to highlight the important terms. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Meredith looking a bit intrigued at my note-taking skills as she would steal glances at my notebook from time to time.

Lunch came by a few hours later so I decided to find the perfect spot to eat. Being the lone introvert I am, I chose the campus area where it's less crowded and noisy and took a seat on a bench. I sighed softly. I've already had a bunch of classes and yet I stil wasn't able to make some friends. Penny did spoke to me during homeroom period but I doubt she even considers me her friend since knowing her as a popular jock, she has her own circle of friends.

Speaking of Penny, if I had told her that I didn't have a some kind of potential, she might've changed her mind about starting a conversation with me. I gripped my spoon tightly, my knuckles turning white.

Am I gonna have to deal with a world full of judgement once again?

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my swelling anxiety. I looked up at the sky and immediately, my shoulders loosened up and my tense expression contorted into a relaxed one as a gentle breeze brushed past me.

Before I got to this school, I made a vow to myself. That I would not let the same cycle repeat all over again, no matter what.

And I'll do whatever it takes to not experience that hellish nightmare once more.

I felt the heavy burden being lifted off of my chest as I could perceive courage and determination surging into me.

As long as I remain strong-willed, I could fight back against my social anxiety.

After finishing my lunch, I took the time to survey Rosewood's large campus area, completely mesmerized. Having ample time before my next class, I decided to have a look around. As I walked through the staircases, my eyes widened in shock as a huge building came into view. Taking a closer look, my excitement heightened upon realizing it was the school's library. The black roof was styled into a butterfly-shape and consists of large black-framed glass windows, manifesting the large shelves of books from inside. On the building's facade was a black-red patterned tile wall on the lower right in an upside down L-shape which is an indication of the main entrance.

I probably looked like a blowfish with my eyes nearly bulging out in shock and my mouth agaped. Book shelves were aligned in all corners and tables and computer desks were displayed at the middle of the room for leisure reading and research. There are two staircases from each corner for the second floor, a balcony area seen above.

Browsing through different book shelves, the teen fiction category caught my interest as it was filled with many of my favorite books such as Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and Divergent. I stepped back a bit to get a better view of all the book titles before I felt a sudden bump against my back, earning a timid yelp behind me. Alarmed, I jerked my head and turned to see a guy with slick black hair and gray eyes. He wore a black beanie, a dark leather jacket with a green shirt underneath, blue skinny jeans and some sneakers. He was carrying a bunch of thick textbooks in his arms. Out of curiosity, I peeked a quick glance.

Trigonometry... Algebra... Geometry...

What the heck?! Is this guy a math prodigy or something?

He stared at me in surprise, biting on his lip anxiously. He shuffled on his feet awkwardly, making sure to create distance between us. I blinked at his odd gestures questionably before shaking it off, deciding to be the one to break the ice.

"Oh, sorry about that. I didn't mean to bump into you on purpose." I apologized. He nodded slowly, avoiding eye contact.

"Y-Yeah, I know. I'm sorry too, I wasn't looking where I was going.." He answered timidly, glancing at a nearby table everytime with a desperate expression. Understanding what his body language meant, I smiled.

"It's no big deal. Well, I'm sure you had your own errands. I'll get going now." I said politely before turning my heel to the opposite direction, barely hearing a tiny, "Yeah." from him.

"Fuck this shit." I muttered under my breath as I stared down blankly at my notebook. It's been ten minutes since the seatwork began and I haven't even written anything at all.

Guess what subject this is?

Trigonometry.

I've hated Ms. O'Harra right from the very start. Her way of teaching makes no sense at all. Whenever she'd write down an equation, she'll make the solving process really long and complicated when it's unnecessary to do so. I groaned internally as I tapped my ballpen against the notebook furiously, making other students glance at me with an annoyed expression. I muttered a quick apology before focusing back to the goddamn equation. Not like I plan to answer it anyway.

I stared at Ms. O'Harra blankly while she was doodling some graphs, my chin leaning against the top of my palm as I struggle not to close my eyes.

"To find the inverse of an equation such as sinx = 1/2, solve for the following statement: "x is equal to the angle whose sine is 1/2. Do you understand?"

Do I look like I understand when you're not making any sense at all?

I sighed exasperatedly before glancing to my right, catching a glimpse of Meredith at the other side of the room, scribbling on her notebook with a stoic expression as usual.

What a smart-ass.

I perked up as the bell rang for dismissal and I had to stop myself from slumping on the chair and sliding down on the floor.

It has been a long day.

I stopped typing on my laptop when my phone rang on my desk. Curiously, I picked it up and answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey, sis. It's me, Soren. Just wanted to tell you that I just got home a few hours ago from my flight. Mom said that I can head to school tomorrow and move in to my dorm room."

"Really? That's good to hear! Text me when you get to Rosewood, okay?"

"Sure thing. I'll see you tomorrow, sis."

"Yeah, see you." I hung up the phone and placed it back on the desk.

"You have a brother?" Meredith's voice nearly made me jump out of my skin as I glanced over my shoulder. She was in her blue PJ's and had a toothbrush in her mouth.

"How did you know?" She looked at me as if I just asked her a stupid question.

"Your call was set in loudspeaker." She pointed out.

"Oh." I muttered, looking dumbfounded. Meredith frowned.

"I'll be getting some sleep now." She said bluntly as she lays down on her cerulean bed, tucking herself under the covers. I sighed. I could tell that she's still avoiding to have a conversation with me. Taking a deep breath, I mustered the courage to converse with her one last time.

"Good night, Meredith." I said softly. A moment of silence passed by and I grew anxious, thinking she'd probably ignored me. I was about to turn back to my laptop before I heard a muffled voice.

"Night." And I could've sworn I could hear faint sniffling noises behind me.

ʕ•ﻌ•ʔʕ•ﻌ•ʔʕ•ﻌ•ʔʕ•ﻌ•ʔʕ•ﻌ•ʔʕ•ﻌ•ʔʕ•ﻌ•ʔ

A/N: Yay, another chapter published! Anyways, if you're curious as to who the guy in a black beanie is, that's a secret! If you keep reading then you'll find out soon enough. Look forward to my next chapter! Ciao!

Word count: 2714