New beginnings

It was the first time I had seen leaves so vibrant before. The familiar Autumn breeze swooping them up from the branches and scattering them around the pathway as we walked up. "This is it." I thought as I was about to embark on a big step in my life, an all girls high school! "This is exactly like the manga I read! The beautiful scenery, the cute girls. The 'oh so fateful' chance encounters that could lead to you falling in love!" I was filled with sheer excitement as we neared the school. "Yeah, we'll see. Not everything is as gay as you are. Besides, I'm more interested in the volleyball tryouts! I mean, this school has a national champion tittle! The fact I was able to get in, it's amazing!" The rude remark was said by my best friend, Katlyn. A tall athletic girl with a fire in her eyes. I call her Kat though, because she loves them so much! Cats I mean. When we met in kindergarten, she and I secretly took care of a stray we found behind the school. We've been together ever since. We're both 14 but she's munch taller then me by at least 2 feet and has shoulder length natural blonde hair. She is also a huge volleyball nut due to her moms influence. Apparently she was an Olympic gold medalist in both indoor and sand volleyball. "I'm so happy we actually made it into Sakura Lily High! I mean, I thought for sure you'd fail the entrance exam." Kat teased as she gave a small snicker and nudged my shoulder. "Hey… that's not nice! You know full well you would be more prone to fail then me! All you can do is play volleyball." I teased back and pushed a her shoulder a bit in return. We both laughed and ended up continuing the banter all the way to the front door. As we reached it we stopped and each took a handle. "Together?" I asked holding my other hand out to her. "Always." She said back grabbing hold with hers and we both opened the doors. Taking our first steps inside, a strong warming breeze from the AC blew our hair back. Our eyes adjusted to the lighting of the large main entrance lobby and all we could do was look around in wonder and amazement.

A lady that was wearing a very well kept blazer greeted us. She was tall and had an elegance about her that was similar to my mom. She was also really pretty. "Hello girls! Welcome to Sakura Lily, the place where blossoms bloom into beautiful flowers! I'll give you your tour after the ceremony, ok? So, please follow me this way." She explained to us as she gestured toward the hallway. We followed her along and were both rather quiet as the two of us couldn't help but hold butterflies in our stomachs. The entrance ceremony was exactly what you'd expect. A huge crowd of students listening to the long speeches of the principal and some other teachers. There was even a speech by the highest scorer in the entrance exam. All in all, the day was turning out exactly how I'd dreamt of it. Kat and I headed off with the rest of the girls to the lobby. Teachers were passing out class lists for us as we left, and I was so happy when I saw Kat was in my class. "We're together! This is gonna be so great!!" I said looking back to her with a big smile. She glanced at me with a soft smile of her own and then looked at the paper. "So we are. I guess we really are inseparable, huh? Heh! It almost doesn't feel real yet. Wonder if we'll-" Kat was about to say something when I cut her off. "I wonder what our teachers like. I hope she's nice… Maybe it's the pretty lady from the front! Do you think the girls dorms will be as big as they looked in the pictures?" I continued to bombard the conversation with my rambling and questions. Kat was already use to this however as I always talk fast when excited. I didn't know much about this school until Kat brought it up during a talk about what we would do after graduating, I couldn't help but get super excited. An all girls school is one thing, but being able to go through high school with your best friend is just the greatest!

As we reached the classroom, the Whiteboard said to pick your own seat. So I chose to sit next to Katlyn, obviously. We sat by the window and she decided to sit in the desk behind mine so that way I can hide her if she falls asleep in class, apparently. As I took my seat and put my hand on that desk, I just felt nothing but chills of excitement! "I'm really here! This is all real!" I thought out loud letting my feelings be heard. Another girl, my desk neighbor, giggled softly when she heard mention. I was too excited to be embarrassed though so I just smiled. "I don't think I've ever met someone so excited to sit in a desk before. Hehe, you're pretty funny huh?" She turned toward me in her chair. Katlyn had put her head down but was listening to the conversation between us. She'd never admit it, and probably thinks I've never noticed, but she's very protective of me when I'm with others. She is always being very carful to listen and watch without being obvious. It's the things like that, those little honest things, that really make me happy we are friends. Katlyn has always been like that, at least, as long as I've known her she has. She has two younger brothers that she claims to hate with all her being, but when I see them together, she's always doting on them and caring for them with the comfort of a big sister. Maybe that's when…

As I continued talking to the girl next to me, I asked them some things about why they chose this school. However, her answers were definitely not what I expected to hear. "So, why did you choose to enroll in this school? I mean, do you have friends here too?" I asked her curious to know more about who was sitting next to me. She looked at me with a smile and a soft blush on her cheeks. "Heh, it's a little embarrassing to just admit, but I wanted to wear the uniforms." She told to me. I was confused but looked at them a little more closely. The bold navy blue with the deep but vibrant red! The white tie and ribbons that came with it were all just great! "Oh wow, yeah! I can see the appeal I now! But hang on, to choose a school strictly based on their uniforms is kinda… well…" I didn't wanna be rude, but I couldn't really relate to this reason. Then she revealed her passion for it. "Well, I want to be a designer when I'm older. I love the uniforms! The colors just mix so well, and if you really look at the skirt you can see a small unnoticed pattern in the stitching. I know it's a little strange but… well, I just love them!" This girl seemed so honestly happy and was smiling wide as she talked about it. It made me remember the time I asked Kat why she liked volleyball. I glanced back at Kat and saw her head down on the desk as she was facing the window. I smiled a little and then thanked the girl for sharing her story. "Oh and by the way, my name is Maggie." She said introducing herself to me. I smiled and gave my own introduction. "Hi Maggie! Such a cute name! I'm Sophie, and this back here is my best friend Katlyn!" I said pointing behind me to Katlyn as she was pretending to be asleep to avoid talking to Maggie. I sighed knowing it takes her a while to warm up to others.

After making my new friend, class started and it was really fun. It was more of an introductory to class as a way to get us use to how things are gonna go for the school year. The teacher seemed really nice and she also was really pretty, especially her eyes. As the day went by we were shown around the school. They have a huge cafeteria with a real chef! They also have a massive on campus dormitory and gymnasium, and even some different shops within schools grounds! It was really amazing. As the school day was coming to a close, Kat and I were headed toward the dorms first. She was pretty nervous that we would be separated. I guess she didn't know they had a listing of the dorm arrangements sent to our emails. Then again, she's never really been good at managing things like that. I'm sure that if I didn't usually call her or give her advanced notice I was gonna text her she would never respond. Dorm arrangements were three to each room and like always, Kat and I were together. "We are going to have a third roommate, but I don't recognize the name on the list. I guess that makes sense though. I mean, it says she is a year above us. Her name is Alexis, ok? Please try and get along with her since we will be living together for at least the next 3 years until she graduates and we get a new roommate." I had said to Katlyn as we walked up the steps to reach our dorm. Being roomed with an older student did make me nervous for a lot of reasons. 'What if we don't get along? What if they are really mean? What if they are the controlling type?' All of these thoughts and more ran through my mind as the two of us finally reached the floor our dorm was on. Kaylyn and I made our way to the door. "This is it." I told her as I stopped in front of Room #303. "Dorm #303. The email says that our stuff should already be inside, so let's head in." I explained as I used my key to unlock the door, then opened it to something completely unexpected.

As the door opened inward to reveal the room, the first thing to grab our attention was the sudden sight of a girl seated along the bench in front of the window directly across from the room door. It wouldn't have been that strange, but the fact she had a camera set up and was talking to it in a very suggestive way... "Wait, that's our roommate? What is she even doing? You think she's one of those influencers??" Katlyn asked me in a whisper to which I replied back. "I don't know, but we shouldn't interrupt her you know?" I was feeling a little confused myself. I had always liked to watch people who livestream and make videos but, I had never expected to see one in the wild so to speak. Katlyn and I snuck ourselves inside to the kitchen that was to the left. From behind the counter I gave a small wave to her to let her know we were there. When she saw us however, she freaked out and stopped the camera. Then, as if we had been totally blind when entering, she stood in front of it as if to hide it. "H-hi! I didn't realize you were already here… Uhh, my name is Claire." She said introducing herself to change the subject. Katlyn and I just took a second to collect ourselves. "It's nice to meet you Claire! We're gonna be your new roommates. My name is Sophie, and this is my best friend Katlyn." I gave her a smile hoping she might ease up a little. It's not like we would make fun of her or anything, but she seemed really embarrassed and was pretty quiet after introductions. Katlyn looked around the room and sat on the couch by the wall. "You know, this room is bigger then I expected! I mean they even have a kitchen! It's like an apartment!" Katlyn was rather oblivious to others feelings but because of that she was pretty good at changing the mood of situations. The awkward silence that Claire and I had made seemed to vanish when Katlyn made the statement and both of us just kinda laughed. "Well this dormitory use to be an apartment complex. The owner of it went bankrupt so the school bought it to refurbish and use. It's been helpful because so many girls have been enrolling lately." Claire explained. My first impressions of this girl was that she was shy and not use to strangers, however it seems I was wrong as she seemed to talk with us rather casually. I was still curious about the camera and everything, but I simply decided I shouldn't asked too much on the first day.

Katlyn and I got our things all situated into our own little area of the dorm. As it was set up like an apartment, there were two bedrooms, a living room that was split to also be a kitchen, and a back porch that had a table and two chairs. We are on the third floor of a five story building and our room is basically in the center. Katlyn and I decided to share one bedroom together since we are already close. Claire offered to sleep on the couch but I told her that was crazy and that she can have a room to herself no problem. After all was settled we sat together on the couch and talked about things like house rules, chores, and other things. Apparently I'm the only one who can cook so I'm I charge of all breakfast and dinner meals. Katlyn and Claire would be in charge of the cleaning as a trade off so I didn't really mind it. As far as First Days go, this one was pretty great!