Turning onto my back, I slowly became aware of my surroundings. Cracking my eyes open, I see the room quite dimly lit as it was early in the morning, and my phone on my nightstand was blaring a song signifying it's time to get up for school.

Sleepily, I got up. Glancing at my window, I could see a touch of orange brushing against the trees as they gently rustled in the breeze. Cracking it open, I stretched, letting the warm, fresh air wake up my senses. After washing my face in hopes it will help wake me up even further, I hurriedly threw on some clothes and gathered my things and rushed down to be greeted with the smell of breakfast.

"G'Morning! Hope you're ready for school. The bus should be here just after 7 I think, unless you prefer me to take ya." Dad slid a plate of pancakes across the island.

Glancing at the clock, I saw I had about 20 minutes to go before the bus got here. And school didn't start until 8:05. "How far exactly is the school?"

"You're not actually thinking of walking, now are you?" He turned to glance back at me with one eyebrow cocked. Fair enough. I always preferred walking to school, even in poor weather. Not that today was rain or anything anyways. Letting out a faint sigh, he continued, "It's about 10 minutes away. By car."

"So twenty minutes then."

"I can take you if you don't want to take the bus. I don't want you to get hit by a car walking, especially on your first day."

I just raised an eyebrow as he turned to pass me a plate. It was filled with scrambled eggs, toast, and fruit. Before I started eating I mixed up a cup of ovaltine and pulled out my lunch I prepared last night.

Although the rest of breakfast was quiet, I didn't mind knowing where I was headed wasn't going to be by any means. By the time I got there, it was 7:30 and quite busy. It took nearly all of the following half hour getting my schedule made and receiving a brief tour and getting to know the basics of the school.

It is now 11 in the morning, the school being dismissed to go to lunch hour. Although we could do most anything we wanted to do so long as we didn't have tutoring, I wasn't sure what to do or what to expect exactly. This to me is quite strange compared to my previous schools.

After standing in the hall just outside my second bell class for a moment I decided to head out into the courtyard, which was also strange in comparison to my previous schools. It is quite literally like a yard that is situated in the center of the school building itself. There were a few shaded areas from either a tree or the building itself while the rest is fully sunny. A few picnic tables scattered along the borders and there were some raised grassy areas in the center with cement steps along their sides. Feeling a little subconscious and not really knowing anybody I sat by the library's wall where there weren't anyone but the occasional passerby,

Shoving my gym uniform from first bell aside, I shuffled through my bag until I had found the handful of papers I've gathered throughout the day. After a few minutes reading through most of it, I skipped over to my AP Studio Art papers. In addition to having to do the summer works, which were only a few, I need to figure out my concentration of work. Jotting down a few ideas, I'm edging on incorporating surrealism into it. But not sure what else exactly I'm gonna do.

"Not significantly different from my previous schools, I guess," I muttered to myself, looking through some of my school papers.

"So it is true you're new. Welcome!" Nearly jumping out of my skin, I looked up to see a guy about my age coming to a stop right next to me, a partially opened backpack over one shoulder and a sub in hand.

Reaching for my schedule on the top of some paper in front of me, he immediately says, "I guess I'll be seeing you in third bell. Do you have any questions in regardance to the school? I can help you out if you need it." after a brief pause he added, "I'm Ben, by the way."

"I, uh...I think I'm good for now, thanks." Trying to get over some of my awkwardness from the sudden appearance of this stranger it took me a moment to speak again. "Want to sit?"

"Sure." While he settled on the grass ledge just across from me I gazed over the courtyard for a moment. It filled up quickly. Everyone seemed to be in clusters, very few seems to be by themselves. In fact the only one who seems to be alone is a girl in a plaid flannel, dark wash jeans, and olive combat style boots, hunched over a painting in progress at the edge of one of the cement steps. She looks familiar, I think she's in my art class.

"I heard she's referred to a god once before. The only person that I personally know of in this school who can do the sort of art she does. Anyone else's attempts at realism and especially realistic portraits don't quite compair in my opinion."

"Does she always sit alone working on art?"

"As far as I know, that is all she does in her free time. Or reading."

As he finished what he was saying, I saw my art teacher come walking out, a bit stressed looking. In hand was my sketchbook which I somehow managed to forget when packing up. First walking over to that girl, they exchanged a few words and then both headed this way. The teacher then said,"Sebastian, wasn't it? I think you forgot this. Also this is Ollie. One of my best students and she is also in AP. Tomorrow she will help you catch up, starting with helping you make a sketchbook for class."

"We have to make sketchbooks? Why not just buy one?"

"As you will learn, probably quickly, is that she's basically a recycle freak hippie." Ollie said. Turning her attention to the teacher, she asked, "What about tomorrow? Aren't we starting a new project?"

"I'm switching your first two bells for tomorrow."

"It must be convenient for you to switch my classes."

"Don't be a smartass. Thats one good thing about you being in three of my classes."

"Two of which you gave me no choice in taking!"

"Go back to fixing your painting." Giving her a smack on the shoulder, she turned back to me. "Now you, if you have any more questions shoot me an email. I'll try to respond when I can."

Before she left I quickly asked, "Is she always like that?"

"She's mostly just pissed that someone in third bell damaged her canvas while the paint was drying." Pointing over to a guy who looked about 15 sitting across the courtyard, She said, "Punched him square in the nose for it. You've been warned."

On closer inspection, I can see two purplish black smudges expanding from the nose under each eye. When he looked up and noticed her fixing her painting, he quickly turned away, a small amount of fear in his eyes.

Almost as soon as I finished stuffing my math textbook into my bookbag, the bell rang dismissing us for the day. Throwing my bag over my shoulder, I made my way through incredibly crowded halls towards the lobby and out the front door. Breaking away from everyone, I looked around before I started to make my way home.

But before I left the sidewalk, I heard my phone ring. "Hello?"

"Hey, are you still there? I had to head out earlier and was going to pick you up on the way home?"

"How far are you?"

"Only a couple minutes."

"K, I'll wait."

Over the next few minutes I stood over in the shade of a couple of trees and watched. Only a few more people walked out of the school after me, some of whom headed for the student parking lot, including what looked like Ben and someone else who climbed into a nearby old gray Jeep Cherokee. By the time I spotted dad's truck in the near distance, what looked like most of the cars had already left.

"So how was your first day?"

"It was alright I guess," I replied, filling him in about a few other things.