Glittering light lit the world early in the morning. The dark of night fading away as the world erupted awake. Today was no ordinary day, it was the first day of school. Jackie raced around her bedroom at four thirty am and her Mother was not impressed. She sullenly sat on the edge of her daughters’ bed, watching her do ten push ups because she is “stressing”.

“Just put your clothes on, kid,” her Mother grunted, running a hand through her hair.

“It’s too early to get dressed, it’ll spoil my look,” she ranted, finishing her last push up, going straight into jumping jacks. “Should I have a shower? Or is it too early to have a shower?”

“It’s so early, I don’t know what the words coming out of your mouth mean,” her mother said dismissively. Getting up off her daughters’ bed, her mother began to fuss over some of the things in her daughters’ room. “Go have a shower, you’re sweating.”

Ceasing her stressed pre-school work out, Jackie had a shower.

***

“Do you notice how slow everything goes around here?” Jackie asked her Mother, as she pulled into the school’s parking lot. Students were already bustling around, hugging and avoiding going into school. Fiddling with her schoolbag, she stared out at the school yard.

“I think it’s what we need,” she said softly. Pulling her car onto the corner, the two sat in silence. “Remember you have to go to each of your classes, we studied the map so you should know where everything is.” Staring blankly at her student timetable and map, Jackie took a deep breath before going to open the car door. “Have… I’ll see you after school.”

Nodding, Jackie climbed out the car. All eyes were on her, she did a hair flip for emphasis, as the wind seemed to breeze perfectly into her face. Smiling, Jackie threw her bag over her shoulder and started her walk into school. Pushing down how nervous she felt about knowing only a fourteen-year-old, who she promised to meet, she kept walking. The school was filled with life, unlike the first time Jackie had seen it. The paved pathways were new enough to not be covered in dry mud and graffiti, like Jackie’s old school. the buildings were built close to the ground and with very little windows – which brought back memories. This school was the exact opposite of her last one. It was like the education system had looked at other schools and took out all the things students had somehow crafted problems with. Jackie would not be able to jump out of a school classroom anymore, the ones she did that to were usually on stilts, a time to be alive.

Taking the pathway into the school’s hallway, she was amazed to find all the classrooms in nearly the one building. A weight was lifted off her shoulders as she realised, she wouldn’t have to stand outside her classroom until the teacher showed up. But before she could think about it for a moment longer, her feet halted. A cabinet in the centre of the hallway was covered in “missing children” posters. Finding a pit growing in her stomach, she watched as a staff member put up yet another one of the posters. No one around them spared the cabinet a second look.

A hand roughly landing on her shoulder broke her stare. “You must be Jackie Sullivan,” came the voice of the Principal, who had insisted on showing her around when she had first enrolled into the school. “Now, today we have a whole school assembly, do you want me to introduce you?” Jackie’s eyebrows raised, all she did was shake her head no. “Thought so, no problem, I see how that could be embarrassing,” he chuckled. The principal was a change of pace from the usual for Jackie. This man was probably in his mid thirties and wore a black muscle shirt beneath his jacket. His arms were strong, Jackie waged that he went to the gym a lot. He had a full head of dyed black hair that was styled like how many of the boys around the school wore. Some of the girls walking past giggled at him, which he ignored with a smile.

“Ready for this season coach?” a young boy with the same hair styled as the principal ran up to them. Jackie recognised him from yesterday – he had been at the bakery with the crates, he was the one in the apron.

“You bet kid,” the two did a quick handshake before they both turned back to Jackie. “Ethan, this is our new student. Can I get you to help her out and show her around he school? You two could hit it off,” he gave the pair a wink before he jogged back down the hallway.

“Well, I’m Ethan,” the bakery boy smiled, his perfect row of teeth on display. He too wore a muscle shirt, sweat clung to it, but he did not smell like it.

“My names Jackie, but you can call me Raptor,” she kept a smug grin on her face, watching as the boy’s eyes widened momentarily. His mouth opened and closed, like a fish. Finally, after a too long moment of silence, long enough to make her joke almost feel like it hadn’t worked – he laughed. His eyes were squinted slightly, his dark brown orbs glittering.

“Where have you been all my life?” he sighed, throwing an arm across she shoulder’s. He smelt of body wash and deodorant spray – so he had had a shower, not sweat. Bobbing her head, she listened as he spoke about the schools sporting teams and his position in them, until they arrived at the school hall. “I got to go sit on stage but see you around Raptor.” Jackie was instantly confused by his clothing choice, by the temperature diversity around the school. It was so cold that she could see how hard Ethan’s nipples were, but when she mentioned the cold he brushed her off with a “I don’t feel the cold”.

Waving him off, she took notice of everyone staring at her. Her own eyes worked their way across the sea of students, trying to make out anyone she recognised – Nia or Oliver. Not that she would really go out of her way to sit with Oliver, unless his attitude was just a onetime thing, which she hoped it was. Her eyes zeroed in on the familiar head of curls. Jackie made her way respectively into the direction of her friend. The young girl was standing close to the stage, talking the ear off Oliver who nodded contently. Neither noticed Jackie approaching them. Oliver spotted her, eyes snapping up to meet hers. Nudging Nia with his shoe, he motioned towards Jackie with his chin.

Nia waved excitedly as the principal called for everyone to take a seat. Quickly, Jackie was dragged the ground by the smaller girl, who wore the clothes she had bought when they first met. The turtle neck clung around her throat and flared around her waist, just above her hips. The jeans covered the rest of her body so she wouldn’t be showing any stomach. “Your outfit is amazing,” Jackie whispered.

“You already knew what it looked like,” Nia giggled, taking in Jackie’s attire. “But you look drop dead gorgeous,” she squirmed in her spot, the largest and purest smile on her face. Jackie liked her spirit a lot.

“Why thank you,” Jackie smiled, averting her attention to the stage as the Principal spoke again. Oliver took a seat on Nia’s other side.

“As most of you know, I am the Principal here, Mr Jones,” the crowd erupted in applause for a moment. When it had quietened down, Mr Jones went back to talking. Jackie’s eyes moved over the six chairs on the stage. Students sat in each of them, and one of them was Ethan. He made faces at her when he caught her staring. She smiled back.

“I’d watch out if I were you, his ex would skin you alive for looking at him,” Oliver’s voice bluntly said. “Ethan is a popular,” he pressed again, when he noticed Jackie poke her tongue at Ethan.

“Did you hear how cringey that sounded?” Jackie asked him, turning her head to look at him. “I don’t vibe with that thinking, it is better to see people as individual’s and not by who they hang out with,” she shrugged.

“I’ve lived here my whole life, I’ve grown up with these people, sorry if I don’t change my opinion at your words of wisdom,” Oliver snapped. Jackie couldn’t help but scoff.

“Dude,” she breathed, shaking her head.

Nia chimed in, trying to defuse the situation, “You need to get laid.”

Oliver didn’t reply, instead folded his arms across his chest as his entire face grew red hot. Smiling in satisfaction, the two girls looked towards the stage again and pretended to listen throughout the rest of the parade.