First Day (01)

Wednesday, August 13th - morning



Jules,



It's the first day of your senior year at Leavenworth High! It's a humid morning as you drive to school and park in the senior lot. The high school is fully functional, finally. All the repairs were completed over the summer and the trailers were moved back to the base. Your first class is Econ and Poly Sci, taught by Jacob D. Howells, who is supposed to be a sharp dresser and a fair teacher.

How are you dressed for the first day?

What time do you arrive at school?

After spending the summer free from all the annoying troubles of school, it's weird that I woke up this morning actually kind of...excited about going? I guess there's something about senior year that makes it feel special. This is it - the last time I'll have a first day of high school.

So I put on a cute dress and pair of strappy sandals and ended up in the parking lot almost a full twenty minutes before the first bell.



I feel like hanging out in my car would look lame, so I head for a bench in the sun to chill for a while and soak up the warmth before heading into a building that I just know is going to be air conditioned into an ice cube.

I take the granola bar when he offers it, taking a bite myself and chewing as I nod. "Weird, isn't it? It feels like it should be bigger than it is somehow." I hand the bar back to him. "Did Dionysus give you anything special to commemorate the start of the year?"

"Actually..." I bend down to my bag and dig around inside until I reveal a small teal Polaroid camera. "My dad gave this to me this morning. He said I should have some real photos to remember my senior year by. Want to take the first one together?" I lean closer to him, preparing to take a Polaroid selfie with him. I glance over at him, smirking a bit and add, "You probably don't want the details on what Knox gave me."

I pull the photo from the camera after it rolls out, holding it upside down to let it dry for a second. I laugh. "I don't know what Life is Strange is, but sounds like my normal life." I feel my cheeks warm when Zeke presses for details on Knox's gift and I laugh again, pleased and almost shy on Zeke's behalf. "Knox's gift was...it was a lot of sex. Really great sex. Like I said, pretty sure you don't want the details."

"Hey B," I greet as Bentley joins us. I find myself checking behind him to see if his minder is far behind, then refocus on him. "A senior year gift from my dad," I answer about the camera. I hold it up. "Wanna take a selfie with me?"

Bentley smells clean, as always. With deodorant or cologne or something that smells like the ocean. Not the real ocean, of course, but the manufactured "ocean scent." It still smells good, even if it doesn't smell real and I inhale it lightly as I lean in to snap the photo, letting the camera pop out the image as I ask Bentley, "How was your summer?"

To be honest, I didn't see him much. Maybe I should feel bad about that, but after all the stuff with his mom and sister partnering with Crius to try to kill me and then actually killing Medora...I guess I needed a little space. And I still plan to get back at Crius, somehow.

I think about my first stab at Protigi and how pixelated and unfinished it was. I'm sure Mom's work is a far, far cry from my pitiful efforts, even if it's a low-tech world.

When Bentley whispers about his partners, plural, on Protigi, I raise an eyebrow. "Oh reeeeally?" I answer quietly. "Wow, Bent. I knew you had it in you." I give him an encouraging smile then ask, "Wait, if your mom and sister brought the house, where have you been staying? Are you on your own? Well...I mean, apart from..." I incline my head back toward where Ryan watches.

I'd be sad for Bentley if I weren't so relieved that he's not with his family anymore. I have zero respect for them and how they've treated Bentley. I don't care if they think they're being protective, it's frelled up.

So, instead of being sad, I try to keep things positive. I lean back a bit, opening up the sightline between the boys on either side of me. "Well, Zeke knows a little something about going it on your own. Any advice, Z?"