Lost and Found

[Chloe’s POV]
The alarm clock buzzed on my bedside table and I rolled over on the bed to hit the ‘Snooze’ button. It was 5AM. I got up, made my bed and took a quick shower. After slipping into my white ‘monkey’ shirt, which I personally thought was the cutest tee in my wardrobe, a pair of grey-wash skinny jeans and a black two-button vest, I busied myself with doodling on a blank piece of paper on my wooden study table. It was 15 more minutes till my mum came in to wake me up. I’d woken up an hour early for school.
It was the first day of school today, and I was going to be a sophomore. A nerdy sophomore, that is. I sighed softly. Ever since I’d entered Albuquerque High School last year as a freshman, I’ve been labelled the ultimate nerd. I wasn’t even nerdy! I didn’t wear those thick black specs (I don’t even wear specs, for goodness’ sake!) and I don’t enjoy spending every waking hour studying!
All I ever did was to pay attention during class, join the Albuquerque Evening High School to get extra credits and plan about going to Harvard Law School! That’s about as nerdy as I get. Too bad my schoolmates don’t see it that way and now everybody shuns me in the hallways. I put my head into my hands and closed my eyes shut. I had to find a way to make sure this year isn’t such a mess.
I hardly had any friends last year, maybe except for the other ‘nerds’ – and those were the ones who wore glasses. This year, maybe I’ll join some extra classes and stuff to make more friends, and convince everybody I’m just as normal and school-hating as they are. But I also need to get enough points to get into Harvard. ARGH.
Knock, knock, knock. That must be my mother coming to wake me up. I opened the door for her and then sat down at the make-up counter next to my bed. “Good morning, honey. Looks like you’re all prepped up and ready for school, huh?” My mother smiled lovingly. I smiled into the mirror so that she could see, and then slicked my hair back into a high ponytail and put on some lip gloss. See? Nerds don’t wear lip gloss!
“Yep, and I really hope this year goes well for me,” I replied. Yes, I told my mother everything about being the nerd in school. This isn’t nerdy, it’s filial. She nodded and kissed the top of my head as I exited the room. She went in to clean my room up a bit (as if it needed any cleaning) and I walked down the stairs. Alison was already up and eating her omelet in front of the television. I raised my eyebrows but kept silent, as I sat down at the dining table with my plate.
Suddenly, someone patted my head and I turned behind me, half the omelet dribbling down my chin. “Oh, morning dad!” I greeted the head-patter with a mouth (and chin) full of omelet. “Thanks for the egg omelet!” My dad’s eyes creased as he smiled, glad that I’d appreciated his attempt at wishing me good luck with my first day at school by making me a good breakfast. He wasn’t really good with words, see.
“No problem, enjoy yourself!” He called out to me and then shut the door. He was out to work – as a dentist in his own local clinic in Glenwood Hills. I returned to my omelet. At 6:30AM, I was all ready and out the door. I hitched my brown knapsack higher onto my shoulders and waved bye to my mum, not wanting to shout. Then, I was out the door and embarking on my long journey to Albuquerque High School.