[Day #1]

Everyone believes that high school is meant to be a hellish place where nightmares come true and where only bullies and devious people get what they want: popularity, recognition, even good grades in some cases. It's time to debunk all this bullshit once for all.

School is a place where to learn new things, have a hand at experiences no one would ever think of trying, make friends and share good memories together. Before you call me out for sounding cheesy, trust me, it's true.

I can't say I have a single enemy there. Even people that look unpleasant somehow have something nice to tell me. There's no reason to hold a grudge, after all.

I can't even say I'm struggling to keep up with teachers and classes because they don't need to be petty to anyone and just do their job.

You may think I live in Dreamland, but that's not the case. Not every single school is hell on Earth.

***

"Leigh, can you pass me your notes?" As Katy asks me this favor, I wonder if she'll find them acceptable. I can't give her notes that contain mistakes and incomplete pieces of information. Still, I hand her my sheets after she throws me a worried glance.

"Don't worry, Leigh, I'm sure your notes are perfectly tidy. Now, let's go to the cafeteria. I'm starving." When Katy is hungry, no-one can stop her. Even during a test or someone's relative's funeral, if her stomach grumbles, then it's a big issue. Like, a very big issue.

This is why we quickly rush to the cafeteria, ignoring the weird glances from some students passing by. We take seats at the first empty table we find and stay put to catch our breath. After a minute or two, I ask, "What do you think there is for lunch today?"

There's no need to worry about the quality of food here. The diner ladies here are not only passionate and hard working, but also competent. They always try to serve us different, healthy meals. I've never thrown up after eating anything from the cafeteria, for which my parents are happy since they care a lot about my health.

Katy takes a glimpse at the line that's starting to form by the counter. "It must be something popular. Maybe tacos?" she guesses, leaving me struck in awe at how a delicious smell can turn students into beasts. Like, come on, no-one is going to starve here. "Let's go." She shakes me out of my thoughts, guiding me to the end of the line.

As it's finally our turn, it seems that Katy was right. Today is tacos day. I get why she expected it: she'd eat tacos every single day, no matter what anyone says. We fill our trays and go back to our seats, ready to savour our well-deserved lunch.

"What are you doing later?" she asks with a devious smile. She wants me to bail out on a peaceful Netflix and chill night to crash at someone's and party. I mean, it's not a bad idea, it's just that today I'm not really into partying. We're not supposed to dance the night away all the time, right?

"Actually, nothing," I reply, trying not to let out a yawn.

"Ashlea is throwing a party tomorrow night. I'm sure that we'll have a lot of fun, because we're both invited!" She beams as she mentions the invitation. She and Ashlea have so many courses in common that they basically spend nearly all day together. On the other hand, I only share two courses of her, so I don't see much of her. Still, it's nice when the three of us hang around all together.

"Oh, that's great! I'll ask my parents what they think-"

Katy cuts me off. "Leigh, no parents in the bunch, please! We're seniors, we're grown up. We're not supposed to be babied anymore!" She groans as she says the last sentence. It's not a matter of being babied, but of not betraying adults' trust. My parents raised me to be an honest and grateful young lady, and I want their efforts to make me a good person pay off.

Not that Katy is completely wrong, but I don't fully agree with her. We need guidance, especially because we could make wrong choices all the time and not even realize that.

Before she even realizes, I drop this topic and change subject. "What about your next class? Mine is Photography. I have to hand in my portfolio," I explain, to which Katy lets out a 'ooh' in awe. She doesn't believe that I managed to pull it out in time, so I show it to her.

"Wow, that's incredible! It's definitely A+ material! That is, if no-one else does better," she points out, but I ignore the last part because I'm confident about my work. Not as to sound cocky, but, hey, I'm proud of what I did with those pictures. Portraying a landscape from such a complicated perspective as my house's roof, surrounded by trees, is not everyday's job.

By the time I'm ready to reply, the bell rings, so Katy and I have to part ways. She has to attend another American Literature class, which is aggravating to her, as she told me, because the teacher began picking up some habits she finds annoying.

In the mean time, I'm ready to head to my Photography class, when someone stops me on my tracks. Believing it's Ashlea, I don't turn back. As the other person taps my shoulder, however, I realize that ignoring them isn't exactly a smart idea, so I turn.

"Oh, hi, Lacee, I didn't expect to see you now... I-" Lacee raises a finger to cut me off, noticing that I'm rambling. She's the last person in front of whom I should do a poor figure. Her 4.0 GPA makes everyone else's resume look bad in comparison.

"Leigh, you're weird lately. Is everything okay at home?" I don't understand why she's asking. I don't have any issues back home. My life is pretty much normal. I believe she's looking for someone to project her troubles on. While her grades are brilliant, her social skills are anything but.

I flash her my best smile. "Everything is okay, Lacee. What about you?" I emphasize the last word, which makes her blush. She isn't the type of person to show her feelings that easily.

"Leigh, I have to confess something." She leans close to me, putting a hand between her mouth and my left ear. She has a big secret and will make sure no-one lets it out. Unfortunately for her, I'm terrible at keeping secrets.

"Leigh, I forgot my whole project at home! I still wonder how I could be so stupid! My grades will drop because of this! I-" I cut her off before she hyperventilates. The last thing I want is her passing out due to stress.

Her voice is now a whisper. "Do you think you can cover for me? Otherwise, I'll never have a chance to recover if my GPA drops." She's desperate. Her glance betrays her uneasiness at such a situation. She's so used to turning everything in early and always obeying the rules that, to her, even the smallest slip-up is a great tragedy.

As she freezes, I decide it's time to get her out of hot water with deception. It's a first for me, too. I know it passes off as cheating, but I can't just let Lacee struggle on her own. After all, she isn't a bad person, and I'm sure she'd help me if I were in her shoes.

I slide some of my pictures in her file. They might be just six, but they seem to be enough to form a small portfolio. Hopefully, Mrs. Cross will see through this as an act of kindness, and not as cheating.