It was the first day of fifth grade in a new school. My sisters and I have never ridden the bus before, and we were nervous. I held on to my backpack strap awkwardly while my mom took pictures. We heard a rumbling, and then a huge yellow vehicle stopped at the end of our driveway, resting momentarily to engulf us and take us away. Our mother waved us goodbye and we hopped on. I slowly made my way down the aisle, wondering where I should sit. My sister turned around and looked at me. “Do you want to share a seat?” she asked. I eagerly agreed. I didn’t want to sit next to a stranger, which was everyone on the bus that first day.
At one point on the bus ride, the kids in front of us turned around to talk to us. They’ve never seen us before, so I’m sure they were curious. “So… are you two dating or are you just brother and sister?” he asked me. My almost smile turned into gritting teeth. My sister and I shared a look. I rolled my eyes and sighed, then looked back at him.
“We’re sisters.” I said with menace in my voice. I mean, sure I had short hair and wore pants, but did I really look like a boy? I saw the boy widen his eyes.
“Oh! Oh... Uh… okay... Sorry,” he mumbled and slowly turned around. I shook my head when I saw my sister trying not to smile.
When we got to school, my sister and I separated to our own grades. I stopped at my locker to drop off my backpack, and then hesitantly inched into the classroom. I looked around and saw a few kids, so I went right to my seat. Everything was so new and unfamiliar. I stared at my desk, trying to be invisible. I just wanted to go back to my old school and see my old friends again. I was completely alone. My teacher walked in the room and stopped by the desk. “Hey Kaylin, I’m going to have the other new girl sit next to you, is that okay?” she asked me.
“Sure...” I said. Maybe we could be friends. My teacher gave me a smile and walked away.
The thought of another new girl made me curious, so I watched as more and more kids came into the classroom. Finally I saw a girl walk in, look at the name tag on the desk next to me, look at me, and then sit down. She looked at me again. “Hi,” she said.
“Hi,” I said. We were both so eloquent.
“I can’t open my locker, do you think you could help me?” she asked me. I smiled and nodded. She smiled back and we left the room to go to her locker.
I rode the bus home that day next to my sister again. I grinned to myself as I thought about how the day went. The school wasn’t so big and scary anymore, the teachers were nice to me, and I had even made a new friend. On the very first day! I felt accomplished. Maybe this new school wouldn’t be so bad after all.