We walked through the side entrance, filing in line with a mass of students. Posters decorated the brick walls, advertising afternoon meetings for the French and Spanish clubs. Weaving through the sea of bodies, we headed to the assembly.  

A crowd of nervous freshmen hovered at the entrance to the gymnasium, and we squeezed through to find two open seats.  The room was buzzing with conversation. Everyone was running around, saying hellos and giving out hugs to all the people they hadn’t seen during the summer. Kristen stood as we approached the bleachers, waving her arms at us. Caroline and I returned her wave, scanning for two empty seats, but every empty slot around her was filled.

“Find us after the assembly!” I shouted to her.

“Okay! I will!” she called out.

We made our way up to the only empty space, which was at the top of the bleachers, and sat with our backs against the gym wall.

As Principal Louden walked to the center of the gym, Caroline and I pulled out our schedules to see which classes we had together. Our first class was English IV, followed by Economics. World History was third period, and Physics was our last class of the day.

“We have every class together.” I nudged her shoulder.

“I can’t believe it! Which guidance aide did you sweet talk into doing that?” she asked me looking both pleased and incredulous.

“Who me?” I asked, as innocently as possible.

“Yes, now spill.”

“If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” I replied with a smile.

“I love it when you’re diabolical!”

“Good morning, students!” Principal Louden bellowed from behind a small podium in the center of the basketball court. “How are all of you this morning?” His hand cupped around his ear, gesturing his eagerness to hear our replies. His shining cheeks mirrored the majority of his head, which was almost entirely bald. “I'm so excited for the start of another school year here at Tulson High! I know we have the best students in the world, and all of you have the potential to do something great with your lives,” Principal Louden continued. “But you have to learn in order to earn that potential. You have to search for success within yourselves!”

“It's like watching a wreck; it's so terrible and yet I can't look away,” Caroline said.

“I guess we can count out getting nominated for ‘most school spirit’ in the senior superlatives,” I replied. When Principal Louden entered the tenth minute of his speech, I couldn’t take any more. “Can I talk to you about something?”

“What’s up?” Caroline asked, leaning in so we could whisper.

“I just wanted to say thanks for sticking with me after all the craziness last year. I know all my drama caused you to kinda stop hanging with our old group and I feel bad about it.”

“You don’t have to apologize for that! We’re besties, it’s what we do for each other.”

“Regardless, I wanted to say thanks and make you a promise that this year will be different. We’re gonna have an awesome senior year!”

“Really?” she asked. I nodded in answer to her question. “A year filled with hot boys and maybe an appearance or two at one of my cousin’s college parties?”

“Whatever you want, I’m down!”

She squealed with delight, wrapping her arms around my neck. “This is gonna be the best year ever, Evey!”

“Only if we can get the hell out of this assembly.”