CHAPTER one
the frehsman’s plan
Her pen flew across the page. Her hand
was already hurting, but she couldn’t stop, didn’t dare take a
break until every last thought was on paper...
“ Hey, can you help me with
something?” said a voice.
“ One minute,” Rose held up
her other hand and continued to write. “Almost... Got it!” She
slammed the notebook shut and looked up. It took a moment for her
surroundings to materialize in front of her again. She was seated
at a booth by the window in an otherwise empty cafeteria. Class
would start in five minutes, and there was a girl staring at her.
“What’s up?”
Rose had never seen this girl before.
She was small, with large eyes and long blonde hair. Clearly this
was a freshman—she had that lost, excited look on her
face.
“ What’re you
writing?”
“ Nothing,” Rose said.
“School stuff. What’s up?”
“ Wow, you must be a really
good student. It looked really long. What class is it
for?”
Rose frowned at her. “Okay, it’s not
for school, it’s just a story I’m writing.”
“ You’re a writer? Cool!
What’s it about? Can I read it?”
“ Didn’t you need help with
something?”
“ Oh. Yeah. I’m a freshman
and I need help finding my classes.”
“ Should’ve known,” Rose
muttered, gathering her things. “Sure. I’ll show you
around.”
“ Thanks. What’s your
name?”
“ I’m Rose,” she
said.
“ Nice to meet you. I’m
Dawn. That’s a really pretty dress, by the way.”
“ Oh, thanks,” Rose said.
She was wearing her signature black and gray striped dress. She
wore it so often people almost never commented on it anymore. But
she loved it for its uniqueness, and would keep wearing it even if
people hated it.
“ I want one like
that.”
Then it wouldn’t be
unique , Rose thought, but kept her mouth
shut. She led the girl out of the cafeteria and down a hallway.
“Your math class is down here,” she said. “What’s next?”
“ Global studies, and then
biology, English, and then choir!”
“ Wow, that’s intense,”
Rose muttered, checking her schedule again. They continued down the
hall, toward Dawn’s next classroom. “Are you taking all honors
classes?”
“ Yep! My parents want me
to get scholarships for college. I try to be a good student and
all, but I still wanna have fun…”
She continued talking as Rose led her
to her various classes. When the tour was finished, Dawn wasn’t.
“Walk me back to math?” she asked.
“ Only because my class is
nearby,” Rose said. She was finding it hard to keep listening to
the girl’s constant chatter, which kept up all the way back to her
first classroom.
“ Can I sit with you at
lunch?”
“ Um, sure. But you better
get to math, freshman. Study hard and stuff.” She shooed the girl
inside.
“ Thanks, Rose!” She gave
her a huge smile before skipping to her desk. Rose giggled, and
hurried down the hall to her class.
Classes were ordinary, and a little
boring, but Rose was able to appreciate the familiar routines. At
least she didn't have the same anxiety as she did as a freshman
last year. Dawn was a bit annoying, but Rose decided she could help
her out, at least for a while.
When the bell rang for lunch, Rose
eagerly went to the cafeteria to meet her friends, Lucy and Nick.
They bought food, claimed a table, and began discussing the latest
news, from minor gossip and school-related topics, to the
all-important news of their latest works.
“ So, did you try writing
something new for us?” Lucy asked.
“ Tried,” Rose shrugged.
“But I got nothing.”
“ Come on!”
“ I’m telling you, I can’t
do it! But what have you got?”
Lucy rolled her eyes. “Whatever, Rose.
You’re in my new story, but you won’t get to read it until you give
me something to read!”
“ Am I in it?” Nick
asked.
“ Yeah, later on,” Lucy
said.
“ She’s probably gonna kill
you again,” Rose said.
“ Again? When
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