Chapter Text
It is a warm, exceptionally hot day in California. The year is 1993. The heat was already unbearable by the time I wake up. The sun almost blinding me through my windows. I squint my eyes as I look around for the time. 6:40 am. Today is my first day at my new school. I had transferred because of the amounts of bullying I was going through at my old high school. But, I wasn't so sure if I'd make a good impression on this new one. My stomach already starts churning, nausea hitting me like waves.
"Mave! Come down, you need to get ready for school!"
My mom shouts from downstairs. I groan and stretch before lifting myself off my bed to go make breakfast. Downstairs, my mother is sitting at the dinner table with a coffee in hand, already had made one for me. I sit across from her, grabbing the mug and taking a big sip, hopeful that it'll get me to wake up a little more. My mom looks at me, an unusually wide smile on her face.
"You exited for your first day, sweetheart?"
"I don't know."
My stomach was killing me. I wasn't even hungry for breakfast. Once I finish my cup I toss it into the sink and walk back up to my room. I glance back at my mom, grateful she's trying to be sober. I quickly get dressed and ready, walking out my room and back down the stairs towards my front door. I take a shaky deep breath.
"Off to school now, cya later!"
I shout over to my mom, and my little brother Matthew who's on the couch watching some kid's show. I walk down my street where my bus stop is, it brings me all the way to Poway High. I step into the school, my stomach still twisting in knots. I grab my schedule sheet in my bag and look around nervously. The atmosphere was warm and humid and smelled like sunscreen. The sweat from my palms slightly dampens the sheet I was holding. I started with Math. I then make way to my locker, since the number was on my sheet as well. I walk around a bit, the school was really big and hard to get around. People around me were talking and laughing and I had to push my way through everyone to look at the locker numbers. Just as I find my locker someone comes zooming down the hallway followed by another...on a skateboard? His shoulder knocks me over and I fall to the ground, my stuff all sprawled out. Fuck, everyone's looking at me now.
"Sorry!"
He calls back. Seriously? That's it? Some people laugh as I try to pick my stuff up. I quickly take everything in my hands and shove it in my locker angrily. This is already not going well. A bit after that, I look for my math class. Room 104. There it is. I walk inside, everyone seemed to have someone to sit with. There was only one seat left beside...fuck. The dumb ass guy on the skateboard who knocked me over earlier! As I have no choice I sit next to him, clearly unhappy.
"Oh, hey. You're the new girl? Sorry about earlier, wasn't watching where I was going.."
He looks at me with a dumb looking sideways grin. His short hair partially hidden under a backwards cap. I also noticed he had a lip ring. He rubs the back of his neck apologetically.
"Yeah okay. Don't worry it's fine"
I keep it short. I don't really care as long as he isn't doing it on purpose, I guess. His brown eyes dart towards me again.
"Soooo...what's your name?"
I turn towards him, about to open my mouth;
"I'm—"
The teacher cuts me off, introducing herself and all that boring crap. I barely listen, in fact my stomach still feels like it's about to come out of my throat. I lay on the desk tiredly, my head resting on my arms. Maybe 30 minutes into this class, the guy next to me starts flicking the desk with his fingers annoyingly. He keeps sighing and shifting too. The table shakes and it's starting to piss me off.
At the end of class I quickly get up, still in a bad mood. The kid beside me was a real wonder to be beside in class. As I pick up my bag and walk towards the door, someone taps my shoulder. I turn around to see the guy I was sitting with. And Jesus is he tall, he towers over me and it feels like I have to look up just to see his face.
"You didn't tell me your name yet."
He gives that dumb smile again. For some reason he really makes me angry. It's either because I'm in a bad mood or because of how annoying he was in class.
"Mavis."
I walk away down the hall, trying to find my next class. But he runs after me.
"Hey wait! Can't you hold a conversation dude? I didn't even tell you my name yet!"
I don't care. I was just trying to get through the day, not have a chatter with someone who was already starting to piss me off, plus I still felt massively nauseated. I decide to just pause and look at him, waiting for him to just tell me his name so I could walk to my next class.
"Okay, finally jeez. I'm Tom."
He stops abruptly after me, slightly out of breath. I give him a nod, I'm starting to sweat for some reason..
"Cool. Can I go to class now?"
But then I start to feel really sick and lightheaded. I couldn't stay here anymore, my mind started spinning. I just walk quickly away, getting sweatier and sweatier by the second. I look around for a bathroom rushing to find one. Fuck...where the hell are the bathrooms around here? Finally I spot one, Tom still running behind me, though I can't hear what he's yelling at me. I walk into the bathroom and run into one of the stalls, immediately throwing up. I collapse onto the floor. Once it's done I just sit there.
"Mavis?"
I hear Toms voice. Why did he come in the girls bathroom? What the fuck? But then reality comes back to me and I hear guys chatting as they enter the bathroom. Great, I ran into the men's room. Then I hear a knock on my stall.
"You okay in there?"
Tom just pushes it open, realizing it wasn't locked.
"Oh shit."
His eyes widen and he kneels down behind me.
"Are you okay?"
But I just throw up again. He reaches his hands for my hair to pull it out of the way for me. I hear Tom whisper something to himself.
"Yuck.."