Chapter 3

It was a quick affair to get ready, as the original May had taken a shower before bed the night before. She was able to find the uniform consisting of a plain white blouse, a black knee-length skirt of choice for girls or black slacks, and a school blazer. May, also found cardigans and waistcoats each with the school logo and a school tie. According to the memories, she would mix and match what she felt the most comfortable with, hence the variety in pieces available for choice for a school uniform. The original May was impressed that there was so much choice available for a school uniform, as she remembered in her old school that there was a uniform per gender that was mandatory.

Once she was ready in a skirt suit with a waistcoat and tie, along with above the knee-high black socks and mary janes. She took a deep breath and walked out of the room for breakfast for the first day of school after the summer holidays.

Ophelia Strauss was still there, this time eating breakfast with May's portion dished out for her on the table. There was a look of worry on Ophelia's face as it seemed that May had taken a bit more time than she had thought before it vanished behind a warm motherly smile as she looked over May.

Breakfast was a quick affair as May never had a lot to eat in the mornings as it upset her stomach, Ophelia prattling off a checklist that was a repeat from the night before, checking that May had everything she needed from her black messenger bag to her hat to block the glares from the sun in the afternoon.

As the school was relatively close and as her mother soon began to work at home, May opted to take public transportation to the school as usual. She took off at a short jog to the bus stop to catch the 7:45 am to school, barely making it in time and being floored to discover upon entry the very full bus. She took a breath before squeezing into the bus with other people squashed like sardines to find the cocktail smell of body odour, perfumes and colognes, putrid breath and stale air. It was an incredibly uncomfortable trip to school. May decided then and there as an elbow hit her stomach and a fart diffused into the surroundings, that she would get the earlier bus as she would have if not for her mission debrief.

Once the bus pulled up in front of the stop closest to the school, she had to claw her way to the bus exit to disembark from the bus.

"May! May! That you May? Wait up!" said a voice just behind her, just as she was walking towards her school. She turned back to see who was yelling for her and was bowled over by a blonde missile in an identical school uniform, but with white ankle socks and chunky shoes.

"Hello Chelsea, I see that the summer vacation hasn't cured your clumsiness," May said dryly, as they struggled to untangle limbs and pick up items at the same time.

"Hey! I am not clumsy besides, it was your fault for suddenly stopping in front of me!" Chelsea said as she struggled to stand, only to fall again bringing May down with her once more.

"Ow! Not from where I was standing, well laying... Ow! Don't move! I will get up and help you up after." May said as Chelsea somehow brought them down again.

"It's your fault..." said Chelsea in a much more subdued voice as she stopped moving and May brought them up from the street floor, blushing faintly, as she tried to dust herself and May off guiltily.

"Yes. Yes. It's my fault. Our beautiful Chelsea is not clumsy but the most graceful being to ever give me and herself a concussion accidentally...." said May with a heavy dose of dry humour and fond exasperation.

Chelsea pouted at her for a bit before the rest of the sentence caught her attention before she blushed hotly and tried to cover May's mouth, saying: "When will you forget about that?! It happened in our first year... FIRST YEAR!"

"It's impossible to forget when an adorable little blonde-haired blue-eyed, first-year student somehow simultaneously brains someone with a ball in and herself with the bat used to hit it in sports class. I honestly think that the only reason that the sport stopped being offered is entirely due to that miraculous feat performed in full view of the teachers and students." May said, sniggering as she expertly dodged the blonde's efforts to silence her, unaware of the eyes watching as the two young ladies horsed around.

*********

They made it to school just as the late bell rang, letting out a deep breath in relief before rushing to their classrooms smiles on their flushed faces.

They greeted other friends in the room and talked about their vacations in the wait before classes began with the bell for the first-period class, which was homeroom. This class was where announcements and other news were shared, including their time tables for the year, and only lasted for half an hour till 9 am.

They waited until it was 8:30 am before their form tutor came in with the announcements and timetables.

They were told about the new staff, new rules, and the upcoming student council elections, which her class was eligible for. The positions were renewed yearly with the president post available only from the third year, May's current year. The original May was planning to run for candidacy as a prelude to the student council in Country A university, which she aimed to get into as it would increase her employability and put her in touch with the successful alumni increasing her contacts pool.

As of this year, May had been a member of the student council in from her middle school to high school years and was hoping to finish as the president of the council with high grades