Freshman year...first day!

I remember the first day of high school like it was yesterday. It was nearly impossible to fall asleep the night before. I had spent hours picking out the perfect outfit for my first day. I woke up early to make sure I had plenty of time to shower and do my hair and make-up. I desperately wanted to fit in with the hundreds of new faces I would encounter as I walked into Bearden High School for the first time.

A few hours later, I watched the tan, confident senior girls stroll into the building. They seemed so much older than I was. They hugged each other and smiled as if they hadn’t seen each other in years. As I saw the way they dressed and related to each other, I was overwhelmed with the reminder that I was an awkward kid transferring from a tiny middle school to a huge high school.

In my blue t-shirt and jeans, I began to feel like I was dressed for a Blue Man Group audition instead of Day One of high school. At first, I wanted to run back to my mom’s car and rush home for a change of clothes, but the line of cars at the drop-off wouldn’t have allowed me to make it back in time, even if I had seriously considered such a mad dash.

My only options seemed to be:
A. Hang my head and sneak into the school unnoticed.
B. Do my best to look like I fit in.
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I flipped a coin in my brain, then pulled my shoulders back and pretended to be confident as I walked through those front doors. 

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