"It looked smaller in the pictures," Liv mused.

"They always do, don't they?" I murmured, staring at the high school. 

It wasn't just one building but, instead, had multiple buildings all with large signs above the doors labelled English, Social Studies, Mathematics etc. There was an entire separate building for the detention room. 

Liv squeaked, "How am I going to do this? I mean, at first, I thought it would be such a great idea to get away from London and the bullying and just focus on making friends and feeling confident... but how do I make friends again?"

I sent my little sister a smile, "Just be yourself. Someone will like you for you. I'm sure of it."

Liv nodded and took a deep breath, "Right. I can do this. I'm a... strong, independent woman who can fit into a new school."

I grinned, "That's the spirit!"

"Who am I kidding?" she mumbled, "I'm not even a woman."

I sighed loudly, "Come on, Liv, let's get our paperwork filled out."

My little sister was rooted to the spot, though. I giggled the slightest, "It isn't like it is in movies. It's pretty easy to make friends, Liv, if you be yourself."

"Maybe for you," she scoffed, "Because you're perfect. Me? No one is gonna wanna deal with my baggage; long-lost father, many ex-step-fathers, anorexic, shall I continue?"

"You're fine, Liv," I huffed, "You don't have to mention that if you don't want to."

Liv's eyebrows furrowed together as she stared at her feet.

"Liv," I tried to keep my voice steady, "We have to go to the office before the first bell."

She just crossed her arms, shifting her weight from foot to foot. 

"Liv," I repeated, getting dangerously annoyed now.

No signal to say that she'd even heard me. 

"Olivia Smith, I swear by our blue eyes, if you do not move-"

"That's a funny thing to swear by," a boy's voice said behind me, "Your blue eyes?"

I glanced over my shoulder to see a blonde-haired boy around my height but around Liv's age. His accent was still new to me and different. I was entranced by the... Australian-ness of it for a moment. 

The boy smirked, "Now, I see why. You have very beautiful eyes... what's your name?"

I grinned as I realised he was talking to Liv. 

Liv smiled politely at the boy, "My name is Olivia. And thanks for the compliment."

The boy extended a hand to her, "Aaron Asher. Nice accent, too."

My younger sister blushed. 

I quickly said, "Um, dude, could you help my sister to the office when she's ready? I need to go."

Aaron just nodded offhandedly at me before putting his full attention back on a semi-startled Liv. 

I smiled as I walked away. Hopefully, she'll make more friends than just the one. 

Walking into the brick building labelled OFFICE, I was hit with the smell of old-lady perfume. I looked to the receptionist's desk and, of course, there was an old lady. 

I approached the desk and nodded at the lady, "Hi. Today's my first day here."

"Oh, is it?" the lady replied with a beam, "You must be new to town then too! Oh, did you move into the Jacksons' old place?"

So, it's true what they say about small towns. Everyone really does know each other.

I shrugged, "I have no idea who lived in my new house before me."

"Are you from the UK?" the woman's eyes widened, "Your accent is so exotic. Which British accent is that? Cockney, Brummie, Geordie?"

"The Oxford English accent," I said, "Um, my name is Violet Smith. May I have my paperwork?"

"Ooh, Violet Smith," she cooed, "That's such a gorgeous name. Kind of reminds me of violet crumble, though... There's this cute sweets shop around the corner that has the best violet crumble in the town."

"Right," I nodded once, "I'll be sure to go there. The paperwork?"

The woman chuckled quietly, "Oh, I get distracted so often. Sorry. Right."

She picked up a few pieces of paper and placed them before me, "This is your timetable, the school map, school rules - for instance, your hair must be pinned back from your face," she gestured to my long hair that was out, "and here's your transfer information. Can you sign at the bottom of that page, please?"

I nodded and took a pen from the coffee mug on the table before me. I signed my name at the bottom of the transfer slip and put the pen back whilst the lady filed it. 

She waved merrily, "Have a good day, Violet Crumble!"

I let out a small giggle and nodded my head, collecting the other papers. 

Violet Crumble? Geez, this woman is loopsy. 

I walked out into the sun. For the two days that I've been here, I've rarely stepped outside; I've been unpacking and enrolling online. Yet, still, it's a shock each time I step out to see the bright sun in the middle of March. 

I looked across the grass to see Liv was talking animatedly with that Aaron kid and a few other boys and girls. I smiled subconsciously. I hope she'll fit in well. God knows she needs some security in her life. 

"New girl!" a voice called and it took me a moment to realise it was me the person was speaking to. I turned my head to see a blonde-haired girl standing with a brown-haired boy.

The girl popped her gum she was blowing and then called, "Come here."

Not wanting to make an enemy on my first day, I walked over anyway. Besides, I could use a friend or two. However, these two looked like your typical, stereotypical 'it' couple from a book or movie. 

But I knew better than to judge a book by it's cover. 

"Hello?" I said timidly when I reached them. 

The girl looked me up and down in scrutiny and just when I thought she would make some snide comment she asked, "Can you introduce yourself or what?"

I blushed, "Sorry. My name's Violet. I've just moved here from London."

"I told you," the girl rolled her eyes at the boy, "I said she looked like a European."

How do I look like a European? Australians and English look the same.

"Whatever, Kristy," the boy sighed.

Kristy smirked at her accomplishment and turned back to me, "I'm Kristy Sanders. I've been stuck in this town since I was born. This is my boyfriend, Mark Thompson."

"I can introduce myself," Mark let out a loud sigh.

"Not without that stupid tone in your voice," Kristy scowled.

"What stupid tone?"

"That stupid tone," she sighed dramatically, though I didn't think there was a 'tone' in Mark's voice.

Kristy looked me up and down again and then asked, "So are you going to show me your timetable or what?"

"Uh, sure," I said, off-guard.

Kristy took the paper from my hands and looked through it. Her gaze got narrower and narrower, "What on earth? You don't even have gym class with the Year Twelves?"

"That would be because I'm a jun- in Year Eleven," I corrected myself. 

"Oh," she scrunched her nose up, "So no classes with us then. Still... sit with us at recess and lunch, okay?"

I nodded obediently, "But what's recess?"

Mark smirked, "You don't know what recess is?"

"I'm from London, dude, use my lingo."

"Morning tea break," Kristy answered, "Recess is fifteen minutes between period two and three. Lunch is forty minutes between period five and six."

There are more than six periods? 

"How many periods in a school day?"

"Seven," she rolled her eyes, "But the third period is tutor and only goes for a half hour."

"What's tutor?"

"It's like homeroom."

"In the middle of the day? But that makes no sense."

Mark answered glumly, "Nothing at this school does."

I heard a faint chime go off and Kristy scrunched her nose up again, "Time for actual class now. See you here at recess, 'kay?"

"Sure," I shrugged. They both walked off towards the maths building. 

Why not? Kristy might be a little... preppy but she doesn't seem too bad. Mark's just quiet.

I glanced down at my timetable. I had... Film Studies in E4. Where's E4? 

I looked around, depsite the signs, already hopelessly lost. 

"By the way!" Kristy called, attracting everyone's attention, from ten metres away, "The E stands for English!"

Of course. How was I so stupid?

I smiled at her, "Thanks!"

I turned on my heels and headed to the English building. I pushed through the doors and found myself in a long hallway filled with other students. There were six doors, all numbered, and I walked to number four. Thank goodness I could work out that the 4 in E4 stood for 4. Otherwise, I'd probably need a psychiatrist...

I went to walk into the room but the door was locked. I narrowed my eyes. How was I supposed to get into the classroom to get ready for the teacher if it was locked? Wasn't I supposed to make a good impression? 

"Excuse me?" a voice asked as I began jiggling it.

I looked up into someone's green eyes, "Is the door always locked?"

"Yeah," the boy said slowly, "The teacher hasn't got here yet. You new?"

"You mean, we have to wait for the teacher?" I said in shock. 

"Yeah," he let out a small chuckle, "Obviously, you're new, then. You have an... Oxford English accent, right?"

"Right," I said, a little stunned.

The boy held out a hand with a grin, "I'm Jeremy Asher, the school's resident geni-"

"Know-it-all," a girl behind him coughed.

I shook his hand anyway, "Nice to meet you, Jeremy. My name's Violet Smith."

"Cute name," Jeremy complimented, "Oh! And this is my stereotypically shy best friend."

Jeremy reached an arm behind him and tugged on someone's shirt, pulling them forward to stand beside him. 

A blushing boy looked frozen in front of me. 

I joked, "I can see the shy thing."

The boy, impossibly, blushed deeper. 

He had soft brown hair and cute brown eyes, yet was scrawny and, impossibly, quiet. 

Jeremy smirked, "I know right. He speaks so much that it gets annoying but as soon as there's someone other than me in the room he goes mute."

His best friend sent him a glare, "Jez!"

I grinned, "So you do speak."

The boy winced, "Sorry. I, uh... don't really... speak to... people."

"People in general?" I raised my eyebrows, "Does that mean Jeremy is an alien?"

Jeremy frowned, "I just love how this has gone to depict me in a negative light."

"So what's your name, shy boy?" I asked him.

He muttered it but it as so jumbled I couldn't hear him. 

"Excuse me?" I asked, biting my bottom lip for concentration.

I soon realised his gaze was fixated on my lip so I stopped. Jeremy instead answered, "What my verbally and socially inept friend is trying to say is that his name is Ezra James, he's almost seventeen and he finds you insanely attractive."

I blushed whilst Ezra frowned, "Jez, is it your goal in life to embarrass me or what?"

"Hm," Jeremy pretended to think, "The first one."

"Well," I smiled, "I'm going to take everything as a compliment."

Jeremy smirked, "What if I told you that you are very impatient when it comes to opening doors?"

I narrowed my eyes, "I'm sorry that we did things differently in London?"

I heard the door rattle behind me and turned to see a frail old man opening it, "Good morning, class."

Is every faculty member in the school old?

***

Song: Back in Black - AC/DC.

There's the first rewritten chapter :) The next chapter should be up tomorrow ;P 

xx Sharky.