TAMING MY SECRET BULLIES

TAMING MY SECRET BULLIES Episode 1 — New School, Same Me The first thing I noticed about West Bridge Academy was how huge it was. The second thing I noticed was how everyone seemed to know everyone. Students were everywhere. Laughing. Running to class. Standing in little groups. Some were taking pictures. Others were sitting on the steps outside the main building, talking like they had known each other forever. I stood beside my suitcase, staring at all of them. “Great,” I muttered. “Exactly what I needed.” My mother looked at me from beside the car. “Avery.” I sighed. “I'm fine.” “You haven't even looked at me.” “I know what you're going to say.” “Then say it for me.” I rolled my eyes. “You're going to tell me to be confident, make friends, give people a chance and stop assuming everyone is going to hate me.” She smiled. “See? You already know.” “I've heard it approximately four hundred times.” She laughed and pulled me into a hug. I hugged her back, even though I didn't want to let her see how nervous I actually was. “Call me when you get to your room.” “I will.” “And Avery?” I pulled away. “Yeah?” “Don't let what happened before decide what happens here.” My smile disappeared for half a second. There it was. The thing neither of us wanted to talk about. My old school. My old friends. The rumors. The reason we moved. I nodded. “I won't.” She kissed my forehead before getting back into the car. I watched the car disappear through the school gates. And just like that, I was alone. I grabbed my suitcase. “Okay, Avery.” I looked at the giant West Bridge Academy sign. “Fresh start.” I took one step forward. Then someone crashed straight into me. My suitcase fell over. “Oh my God!” A girl nearly dropped her phone. “I'm so sorry!” I quickly picked up my suitcase. “It's fine.” She looked me over. “You're new, aren't you?” “Is it that obvious?” “A little.” She smiled. “I'm Mia.” “Avery.” “Come on. I'll show you where the dorms are.” I followed her. For the first time since arriving, I relaxed. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. By lunchtime, I had already learned three things about Westbridge. One: the food was surprisingly good. Two: everyone had an opinion about everyone. And three: there was one girl nobody seemed willing to mess with. Her name was Scarlett Hayes. I noticed her before Mia even pointed her out. She was sitting at the center table with three other girls. Everyone around them seemed to know who they were. Scarlett was laughing at something one of the girls said. Then she looked up. Our eyes met. For a second, neither of us looked away. Then Mia leaned closer. “That's Scarlett.” “I figured.” “Don't stare.” “Why?” “Because she'll notice.” I looked back at my food. “Okay?” Mia lowered her voice. “She basically runs this place.” I laughed. “Seriously?” “I'm serious.” Before I could answer, someone walked past our table. “New girl.” I looked up. Scarlett. She stopped beside me. Mia immediately went quiet. Scarlett looked at me. “You're Avery, right?” “Yeah.” “How was your first morning?” I wasn't sure what she was getting at. “Fine.” She smiled. “Good.” Then she walked away. I looked at Mia. “What was that?” “I don't know.” “Are you sure?” “Very.” I shrugged. Maybe I was overthinking it. Maybe Scarlett was just being friendly. I was about to take another bite when my phone buzzed. Unknown number. Welcome to Westbridge, Avery. I stared at the screen. My smile disappeared. Another message came in. You should have stayed away. I looked around the cafeteria. Hundreds of students. Nobody was looking at me. At least, nobody I could see. “Avery?” I quickly locked my phone. “Yeah?” “You okay?” “Yeah.” I forced a smile. “Just spam.” Mia nodded and went back to eating. I looked at my phone again. The messages were still there. I didn't know who sent them. I didn't know why they had my number. And I definitely didn't know what they meant. But one thing was already clear. My fresh start wasn't going to be as fresh as I thought. Across the cafeteria, Scarlett was watching me. And when our eyes met again . . . She wasn't smiling anymore. TO BE CONTINUED . . .