Tomorrow's Money

"Lilian! Hurry downstairs! The driver is ready to take you to school!" My mother shouted in her terribly shrill, and very practiced, voice.

"I'm coming!" I called back. I was more than excited for my first day of my senior year. Normally I dreaded school because I wasn't the biggest social butterfly like I was always taught to be. I had always gone to a private school until this year. I had somehow convinced my mother to let me go to a public school for my first semester. I wanted to go the whole year but she insisted that one semester was enough. I happily agreed, not even thinking I'd get that much!

I rushed downstairs in black leggings and a matching black sweater, my blond hair curled and neatly hung over my shoulders. I smiled at my mother as I rushed out the front door. "See ya!" I called.
It felt strange, going to school wearing my normal clothes. Private school required uniforms. Not wearing a pleated skirt never felt so good!

As we approached the school, I was pleasantly surprised. I had half expected the place to look run down and dirty like my pretentious parents had always told me. It actually looked like a nice place. I was hoping no one knew me here so maybe they'd actually like me for who I was, but quickly realized that wasn't going to happen. I suppose it wasn't every day that a Prince transferred to public school.

As I walked in, people grew silent, only whispering to one another, likely about me. I felt out of place and suddenly wanted to run back to private school. I took a deep breath and kept my head held high. I could do this. I had to.

I had gotten my schedule the week before in the mail and head off to my first class where I met my inevitable best friend. Marley. She was sitting in the back of the room, next to one of the only empty seats available. I sat down, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. I glanced over at the pale skinned, red haired girl. I was slightly jealous of her, getting to dress and look the way she wanted. She had a lip ring and bright red hair, like Ariel. I thought she was so pretty, as a girl, I felt the need to tell her. "Sorry if this is weird," I stared as she looked over at me. "I just think you're really pretty. That hair color is gorgeous." I smiled.

"Thanks." She said, returning the smile. "You're Lilian Prince, right?" she asked, leaning in toward me.

"Yeah, how did you know?" I asked, almost stupidly.

"Please." She scoffed, "Everyone knows you. You're pretty much New Jersey royalty."
I shrugged my shoulders, not really agreeing with her, yet knowing there was truth in what she said. "So I guess everyone is wondering why the hell I'm in public school, right?"

"Yeah, actually. Don't you go to a private school? Where all the other rich kids go?" She seemed a little irritated, I guess the kids who weren't as fortunate as I was were a little bitter, understandably. We were the rich snobby kids that got everything we wanted without ever working for it. They had good reason to be bitter.

"I switched here for a semester. I just wanted to know what public school was like. I don't fit in here." I laughed a bit at my obvious statement. Of course I didn't. I was new.

"You'll be just fine." She smiled. "I'll help you out, okay?" She offered.

"I would love that." I sighed in relief, happy I was able to make a friend.

"My name is Marley, by the way." She shook my hand and the bell rang for class to start.
All through class, while the teacher was talking about what is expected of her students, Marley and I passed notes, which was her explaining the basics here. She'd said that the boy sitting in front of her was her boyfriend, Mikey and that he was a really nice guy, but he'd have to warm up to me as he was pretty shy. And another boy across the room was TJ, and to stay far away. Apparently he was a huge jerk and he liked to sleep around. She also made sure to mention that very few girls in this school were to be trusted, which I could relate to. Girls weren't very easily trusted in my school either. She mentioned that we had the same lunch shift and that we'd be sitting with Mikey and a friend of theirs, Frank. She said he was sweet and really cute, but very off limits, as he was always getting breaking up with and getting back together with her best friend Emma, though she and Emma weren't really friends anymore because she had tried to sleep with Mikey recently. But Frank was still off limits. Girl Code, as she said.

My head was reeling with all of this, but I was able to keep up with her. We had the same kind of social drama at private school too. Nothing too new.

I was able to get through lunch, my classes, and the rest of my day without too much drama. I had a lot of people stare and whisper about me, but I did my best to ignore it.

I came home to find my parents had gone out to a dinner party, which meant I had this big, lonely house all to myself. I got in my pajamas and started writing. I decided that keeping a journal for this whole experience would be a good idea. Maybe some day I'd look back on this and smile, happy that I'd taken this opportunity to be normal for once.

I'd fallen asleep on my journal sometime during the night, though my remaining thoughts were on who the student teacher would be in my art class. We were told that some college student would be in, studying, taking notes, and maybe even teaching a little during the semester. I wondered if I'd know them, I did know a lot of people. My mind wondered onto to other things, forgetting the student teacher. Little did I know, this would be the last night I'd go to sleep without endlessly thinking about him..