SO MUCH FOR NORMAL
1034 Words
My alarm went off at 6:00 a.m., and I immediately regretted setting it.
I opened one eye, looked at the time, and pulled my blanket over my head.
“Mia.”
I ignored Valerie.
“Mia, we're going to be late.”
“I’m awake.”
She looked at me from across the room. “You're literally under your blanket.”
“I said I'm awake.”
She laughed and pulled the blanket away.
I finally sat up and looked at the time again. We had twenty minutes.
“Wait—twenty minutes?”
“Exactly.”
I jumped out of bed.
So much for having a calm first day.
By the time we left the hostel, I was still trying to fix my hair while Valerie complained about being hungry. Paige already had her timetable memorized, and Abby was quietly walking beside us.
“You guys are too calm,” I said.
Paige looked at me. “You're the one who almost slept through your first class.”
“I didn't almost sleep through it.”
Valerie laughed. “You definitely did.”
I rolled my eyes.
When we got to the main building, we checked our timetables and realized we were all going in different directions.
Paige's classroom was down the hall, Abby's was on the second floor, and mine was somewhere I had never even heard of.
“Great,” I muttered.
Valerie smiled. “You'll survive.”
“Very comforting.”
They laughed before going their separate ways.
I stood there for a moment, looking at my timetable.
Then I took a deep breath and started walking.
I could do this.
It was just school.
---
My first class actually went better than I expected.
The teacher was strict, but the lesson was interesting enough to keep me focused. By the time the class ended, I was beginning to feel less nervous about being here.
Maybe Westbridge wouldn't be so bad after all.
I walked out of the classroom while checking my timetable and accidentally bumped into someone.
My books almost fell.
“Sorry.”
I looked up.
Noah.
Of course.
He looked at me and smiled.
“Room 96.”
I sighed. “Please don't call me that.”
“Why? It's your room.”
“You know what I mean.”
He laughed.
“So you've learned your room number now?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
I picked up my book and gave him a look.
“You're still annoying.”
“And you're still getting lost.”
“I wasn't lost.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“You walked into my room.”
“By accident.”
“Still happened.”
I shook my head. “I'm going to class.”
He glanced behind me.
“You just came from class.”
I stopped.
He smiled.
I stared at him for a second before saying, “Okay, then I'm going somewhere else.”
He laughed as I walked away.
I could already tell he was going to be a problem.
---
At lunch, I found Valerie, Paige, and Abby sitting together.
The moment I sat down, Valerie looked at me.
“Why are you smiling?”
“I wasn't smiling.”
“You were.”
Paige looked between us. “What happened?”
“Nothing happened.”
Valerie's eyes narrowed.
“You saw Noah.”
I stared at her. “How did you know?”
“Because you're suddenly defensive.”
I sighed. “I just bumped into him.”
“Of course you did.”
Paige laughed. “Leave her alone.”
Valerie shrugged and started eating.
Abby smiled quietly, but she didn't say anything.
I looked at her.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
She looked back down at her food.
She seemed a little distracted, but I didn't think much of it.
We continued talking about our classes, complaining about the teachers, and trying to figure out which clubs we might join.
For the first time since arriving, everything felt normal.
I liked that.
---
After lunch, we had another class before heading back toward the hostel.
We were almost there when Abby suddenly stopped.
I turned around.
“What's wrong?”
She was looking at a noticeboard on the wall.
There were old pictures and announcements pinned across it.
“Abby?”
She blinked and looked at me.
“Sorry. I just thought I recognized something.”
I looked at the board.
“What?”
She shook her head.
“Nothing.”
Valerie called from ahead.
“Are you guys coming?”
“Yeah,” Abby replied.
She took one last look at the board before following us.
I looked at it again.
There wasn't anything unusual.
Just old pictures and school announcements.
I shrugged and continued walking.
---
That evening, Valerie came into the room holding a sheet of paper.
“They've released the club list.”
Paige immediately looked up.
“Already?”
“Yep.”
She handed it to me, and I looked through the list.
Drama. Science. Debate. Music. Sports.
Then I saw it.
Literary Society.
I smiled.
“You're joining?” Paige asked.
“I think so.”
“You think?”
“I'll decide tomorrow.”
Valerie pointed at the list. “I'm joining drama.”
I laughed. “Obviously.”
Abby took the paper from me.
She scanned through it quietly.
Then she stopped.
It was only for a second, but I noticed.
“What?”
She looked up.
“Nothing.”
She handed the paper back.
I frowned slightly.
Something about her reaction felt strange.
It reminded me of the way she'd looked at the noticeboard earlier.
I wanted to ask her what was wrong, but I stopped myself.
We had only known each other for a day.
Maybe I was just overthinking it.
I put the paper aside and lay back on my bed.
This was only my first proper day at Westbridge.
Maybe things were finally starting to settle down.
I smiled.
All I wanted was a normal semester.
Classes.
Friends.
Maybe a club.
And, if possible, no more embarrassing room-number mistakes.
That didn't sound like too much to ask.
Right?
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