Young Writers Society

Hi everybody! This is basically about my first day in a real school. See, I was homeschooled Pre-K through 7th. 8th grade was my first taste of "real school".

And real homework. *grumblegrumble*

This was written over a period of several days during the end of the year. I actually had no intention of anyone reading this- YWSers or otherwise- but I recently read over it and decided I liked it enough to post.

So, read and critique!

I remember when we took our family trip to Cedar Point. The trip when Ethan got sick in the car and I almost had a nervous breakdown. When we got to the park, we decided to ride the largest roller coaster there-- the Millennium Force.

My mom and I stood in line for an hour amongst all the sweaty parkgoers, waiting impatiently for the line to move another foot or two forward. The closer we drew to the gate, excitement grew inside me. Once we were close enough to see the difference between the faces of the people boarding and those of the people getting off, I was stricken with fear. I began to fidget nervously in the queue, laughing in an effort to hide the fact that I desperately wanted to run from the behemoth machine that would surely result in my premature death. It was a strange mix of euphoria and nausea.

This was that feeling.

Driving past a few serene, suburban houses, the long building came into view. There was a convoy of cars driving past the sign flashing "welcome" and over the speed bumps into the parking lot.

"There it is," came a voice from the front of the car. Mom turned around in the passenger seat. I grinned widely in return. The frantic energy made my feet bounce on the floorboard. I felt myself holding my breath. My stomach was a pinball machine.

We stopped in front of the pebble-encrusted patio in front of the glass doors of the school. Jitters curled up the corners of my mouth.

"This is it," said Dad from the driver's seat. Mom twisted and leaned back to eye me.

"Alright," she said. "You ready?"

"Yup," I replied, the word coming out as a hiccup.

I picked up my backpack from the floorboards and opened the car door.

"I love you," I told both parents. They returned the sentiments. I blew a kiss to Ethan in his carseat. Waving quickly, I shut the car door and walked towards the entrance.

I wonder now if everyone could sense the shaking I was experiencing inwardly.

Inside the doors was a roar of noise. Masses of plaid idled of shuffled in the cramped lobby. Pushed up next to a trophy-case was a white table stacked with papers, and a lady seemingly trapped behind them.

"Hi," I said, preparing to explain that I was new.

"What's your name, sweetie?"

I told her.

The woman's fingers ran like spiders over the stack as she pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to me. I must have looked quite baffled, because the woman called, "Maddy, come here!"

A girl with big, white sunglasses perched on her head walked over and beamed.

"Uh-huh?"

"Can you help Haley here find her locker?"

"Sure. Follow me. Oh, what's your locker number?"

"Four fifty-one," I said, raising my voice to compensate for the din. I shoved past bodies haphazardly, tracking the bouncing white sunglasses.

We turned a corner onto a hallway filled with significantly smaller bodies, until we were standing in front of a row of maroon lockers.

"This is your locker," Maddy replied, smiling.

As inconsiderate as it was, I didn't think to say "thank you". However, as she turned to walk away, I glanced down at my schedule and called out, "Wait! Where's room 100?"

She grinned, pointing to a doorway two feet to my right.

"Oh, thanks," I said, blushing, but she was gone already.