Next morning was D-day. The official start of school. Over breakfast Mum asked how orientation had gone. Mary once more prattled on about how everyone at the school was so nice. I kept quiet. Mum did ask me whether I had signed up for the swim team or not. My reply of ‘Not yet’ invoked her to say that joining a club would help me make friends. My reply was noncommittal. Meanwhile Mary was sneering at me from behind Mum. She was really enjoying my discomfort.
We walked to school separately but took the same route. I kept behind Mary by 50 yards. There were other kids in uniform walking to the school as well. I ignored them. Mary ended up talking to and joining a group of 3 girls and 2 guys. I’m not sure if she knew them already or she had just made friends on the spot. I certainly wasn’t in the mood for making friends and kept my distance.
Once on school grounds I made my way straight to my locker. There I ran into Gracie, the black girl. I guess she was like me, a bit of a loner and at a new school where everyone else was a stranger. We sort of stuck together and made our way to Miss Perkin’s room where our care group would meet every morning. We were the first there other than Miss Perkins, she had us write ourselves name tags to stick on our shirts then sat where she suggested.
Miss Perkins addressed me ‘So Sam, I have had a chance to read your enrolment forms. I see you are doing mainly maths and sciences. Bridget, one of the other girls in this group is doing pretty much the same classes. I’ll get her to be your buddy. You will meet her soon. I also see you are a swimmer and have been to state championships, yet I haven’t seen you name down for tryouts? I happen to be the manager of the swimming team. Have you thought of joining our team?’
Shit! Mom would have bragged about my swimming prowess in the application. I didn’t think my times were very impressive but Mom had possibly exaggerated. I did enjoy swimming and had I being my male self I would have attended the tryouts. However, given my current situation, that was not going to happen. I had to think of an excuse ‘Maybe down the track. I actually have an injury and the doctors has told me not to swim for the next 3 weeks. Maybe once I’m better’ That seemed to satisfy her.
While we were talking other students began to arrive. Firstly there was a group of younger girls. All in skirts and blue tops as Mary had been wearing. I guessed they were about year 9 or 10. Then a bunch of even younger girls arrived. They were already wearing name tags. Miss Perkins showed them where to sit. I guessed they were also new students to the school. I counted 9 girls. I felt distinctly out numbered. So far I was the only male in the room, that is if I counted as a male. I gave a meek smile when Miss Perkins introduced Gracie and myself to the other students.
Other students showed up either singly or in small groups. Bridget proved to be a chubby pimply girl with red hair. She wasn’t going to win any beauty contests. Miss Perkins informed her that she was to be my buddy. Bridget gave a smile which revealed she had braces. Gracie’s buddy was a girl called Sharon. She evidently shared a few classes with Gracie.
I was starting to get alarmed by now. Gracie and myself were the only students in the room wearing trousers. It seemed every other student in Miss Perkin’s care group was female. After a tall latino looking girl entered Miss Perkins closed the door and addressed us.
‘Well it looks like we are all here. I’ve met all of you individually and most of you know each other from last year. So I’ll just introduce the new girls to you. Stand up as I call your name. Firstly we have Rhiannon, Maxine, Prue, Chantel, Bibby and Rosie in Year 8’ One at a time the girls who I guessed were new stood up.
‘Then we have Gracie who is in year 12’ Gracie stood up ‘And last but not least Sam, also in year 12’ I stood up awkwardly and smiled at the group. The faces looking back at me seemed friendly enough. There were no males in the group.
I sat back down as quickly as I could.
Miss Perkins ran through what she had told me the previous day as how we would meet as a group every morning and how we would look out for each other. Lastly she explained that every day she would choose one of us to give a 1 minute talk just to give a bit of information about themselves, explained how it was hoped it would help us to get to know each other. She addressed the tall latino girl. ‘Maria, as you were the last to arrive you will get to present a snippet about yourself tomorrow morning. I’m sure you know the drill’
The girl had a pleasant voice and replied ‘Yes Miss Perkins’
After that we headed off to classes.