First day of Highschool
Isabelle’s POV
High school starts at 7:30 a.m. Which is a lie. It actually starts at 5:45 if your mother is determined to make you feel like you’ve already failed in life before you’ve left the house.
I sat at the breakfast table, staring at a plate of scrambled eggs that looked like they had gone through a small explosion. Mom hovered over me, arms crossed, one eyebrow permanently arched.
“Isabelle,” she said. “Do you plan to wear that hoodie again today?”
I looked down at myself. Green hoodie. Gray sweatpants. Sneakers I hadn’t washed since last week. “And?” I asked, carefully chewing my scrambled-gone-brown eggs.
She sighed like the weight of the entire Carter lineage rested on her shoulders. “And that’s your first mistake,” she said. “This is high school. You cannot present yourself like…like…like a disaster.”
I tilted my head. “So… do you want me to wear something less…me?”
Mom didn’t answer. She just grabbed the spatula and pretended to stir the eggs while glaring at me. It was her way of punishing me with silent judgment.
Meanwhile, Carter and Cadel were acting like breakfast was a competitive sport. Carter meticulously cut a slice of toast while muttering something about protein ratios. Cadel shoved a pancake in his mouth, syrup dripping onto the table like a crime scene.
Claire would’ve found this hilarious. I just wanted to survive until the bus ride.
Picking an outfit became an ordeal. I held up one shirt, then another, then a hoodie over the hoodie, and muttered, “Nope. Nope. Nope.” Cadel snorted. “You’re going to wear that rat nest again, aren’t you?”
“Shut up,” I muttered. “I’m not gonna start my day stressed, okay?”
Mom pinched her lips. “Stress is part of your DNA. It’s why you’re always two steps behind.” Thanks, Mom. Really comforting.
By the time I left my room, I was wearing:
A hoodie that may or may not have coffee stains.
Jeans or leggings I don't know what it is called , but were pants.
Not so white sneakers
I grabbed my bag, took a deep breath, and walked downstairs. Breakfast was still happening. Carter and Cadel were already halfway done with their pancakes. Mom was staring at me like I had just set fire to the house.
“You will not make friends dressed like that,” she said, pointing at me. “You’ll be excluded. Everyone will notice. Everyone will judge.”
I swallowed my scrambled eggs with a grimace. “Thanks for the pep talk, Mom,” I muttered.
She gave me the faintest smile. “I’m saving you from the disaster you are.”
I rolled my eyes and bolted for the door.
The bus ride to school felt like entering a gladiator arena, minus the cheering crowds and swords. Students clustered in groups, laughing, throwing backpacks, claiming territories like lunch tables were kingdoms. I kept my head down, muttering, Just survive. Just survive.
Claire found me halfway to our lockers, practically launching herself onto me. “Morning, Isabelle! Don’t look like you’re about to vomit your anxiety all over the hall!”
“Thanks for noticing,” I said. “I was going for the tragic freshman aesthetic.”
She laughed. “Well, it suits you. Let’s get you a seat in class before the seniors start their territorial warfare.”
I followed her, trying not to trip over a group of overly enthusiastic juniors. Every step made me feel like I was one wrong move away from being the invisible freshman in a sea of…everyone else.
Then I saw him.
Jake.
He wasn’t trying to stare at anyone. He was just standing by the bike racks, hoodie half-zipped, headphones dangling, leaning casually like the world was his and he didn’t need permission to exist in it. Tall. Older than everyone else. Senior energy. Calm. The kind of calm that makes other people panic.
He didn’t look at me. He didn’t even nod. He didn’t need to.
I stared for half a second, then looked away, praying I didn’t just accidentally give him the chance to notice the freshman with the rat nest hoodie.
Claire elbowed me. “Relax. He’s harmless… mostly.”
“Mostly?” I whispered.
She winked. “He’s Jake. Don’t worry about it.”
And just like that, I realized something: High school was already overwhelming, terrifying, hilarious, and chaotic… And I hadn’t even gotten to class yet.
