You're in the 12th Grade, your last year here in this dreadful place. You're finding yourself walking down the main corridor, talking to your long-time friend, Al.
"I just feel as if I'm not going to be fulfilled when this is over." You say.
"Don't worry, Anon. You're smart, you're probably going to get a well-paying job, your life is set!" He says with the utmost enthusiasm.
"Yeah, well, let's just hope I don't get any smudges on my file. I need that like I need a hole in my head." You mutter sarcastically.
"Funny. Anyway, we need to get moving. I want to see Betty before she leaves for the weekend." Al responds.
"Ok, well, I’ve got to grab some stuff from my locker. I'll see you later." You watch him leave. "Give Betty my regards!"
Out of the corner of your eye, you spot a girl with silver and blue hair trying to get peanut butter crackers from a vending machine.
"You infernal machine; either give Trixie her food, or give Trixie her money back! Otherwise, you will feel her wrath!" She howls.
"That machine doesn't work properly. Kick it a few times, and you'll get your food." You walk up to the machine as she tries to jostle the small packet from the machine. After a short while of watching her pitiful attempt at kicking, you decide to step in.
"Here, like this." You say as your drive your foot into the side of the machine.
"Thank you. Trixie really wanted these." She states as she reaches into the machine.
You put your hand out, offering a handshake.
"What's your name? I'm Anon, 12th grade."
"I AM THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE," She flaunts. "AND YOU ARE LUCKY TO HAVE ME IN THE SAME GRADE AS YOU" After introducing yourselves, you begin to walk away, but a screeching voice stops you in your tracks.
"You dare turn your back on the Great and Powerful Trixie after she's given you the honour of knowing her?!" She screams, slowly closing the gap between the two of you.
She would have intimidated you, if she wasn't so cute.
"Sorry, but you're not intimidating me. I just have difficulties in social situations with girls, please, don't take it personally." You say as you begin to walk away quickly. She begins speeding up, quickly closing any distance.
"Just stand still and talk to Trixie!" She exclaims before grabbing your arm.
"L-let go of me!" You demand.
As you attempt to pull away, she tightens her grip on your arm. The end result of her action is the both of you in a heap on the floor. After being on the ground with her for a few seconds, you hear a booming voice.
"ANON AND TRIXIE, GET OFF THE FLOOR AND COME TO MY OFFICE, NOW!” The voice called.
Though you were still dazed, just the volume of the voice let you know it was Vice Principle Luna. You stand up, and try to regulate your breathing. The way Trixie landed on you resulted in getting the wind knocked out of you. After helping Trixie to her feet, you start following the Vice Principle. You hung your head low in shame as you walked to the office. Almost six years with a perfect record, finally tarnished. On such a menial issue, too! Damn it all!
You feel something brush against your hand as you walk. It was Trixie's hand, and from the way it was trembling, she was getting worried. You take her hand in yours, realizing that she could be extremely upset at the time, and give it a reassuring squeeze. She glances over at you, tears streaming down her face. 'Deep breaths' you mouth at her, with a look of concern. You always try your hardest to be nice to everybody, and it really pays off. She nods and begins to breathe deeply. When you approach the door to the Vice Principal’s office, you let go of Trixie's hand and adjust your backpack.
"Get inside, now." Vice Principle Luna commands.
"Yes, ma'am" You reply quietly as you walk inside.
You take a seat in front of her desk, and take a few deep breaths of your own to try and process the situation. Trixie takes the seat next to you, and moves her hair out of her face.
"Now, the two of you are going to be staying back after school to sort out your differences." Luna says, as she sits behind her desk.
She looks at Trixie, with a disappointed look in her eyes.
"I never expected a new student to behave this way on her first day." She sighs; you can hear the disappointment in her voice.
She doesn't look at you, but more in your general direction.
"Anon, I'm extremely disappointed in you, too. You're a model student, and you have never been in any situation like this.
You gulp and look down at the floor.
"Just remember to go to the detention hall after you finish today. You're both dismissed."
"Yes ma'am." You respond softly, as you stand up, not lifting your gaze from the ground as you leave the room.
----CUT TO THE END OF THE DAY----
You sit patiently in the detention hall, your head propped up on a few books, as you daydream. A light tapping on your shoulder brings you back to reality.
"Anon, it's me." A soft voice whispers in your ear.
It's Trixie, and it seems like she rushed to get here. You lift up your head off the desk, and reach into your backpack. Pulling out a sandwich wrapped in aluminium foil, you smile softly at her, and put your hand on her right cheek.
"Here, have this. I bought it at the cafeteria. I thought you might like it..." You stand up and hand her the sandwich
She smiles back at you, and takes your hand in hers.
"T-thank you, Anon… Trixie didn't pack any lunch today." She whispers excitedly, packing it in her bag.
She then envelopes you in a tight embrace, nestling her head into your shoulder.
"Trixie is really sorry, Anon. Trixie shouldn't have been so pushy, and she shouldn't have yelled at you so much." She sighs, choking on fought back tears before pulling away from the hug.
You take her hand in yours again, and give her a comforting smile.
"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have walked away from you so rudely, and I feel terrible for pulling you to the ground." You respond as you pull her back into the hug.
The two of you stand there for what feels like hours in each other’s arms.
----EPILOGUE----
As you walk home, you begin to think about what the events of today has taught you. It was something you liked to do after school, as you walked home. Today, you learned that people can be different, and while you can connect with some people instantly, it can take a falling out or disagreement to connect with others. You also learned that you need to open up and help others, so you can become a better person.
"Well, I suppose this is what it means to be growing up. I just didn't think that I'd leave school today in a relationship." you mutter to yourself. You then give a small chuckle.
"I never expected things to turn out this way..."
-Fin-
Author's Note
Ok, so the idea of this story is to show the theme of Coming of Age with the tagline "I never expected things to turn out this way..." in a narrative, and I had to write it in class for English. I of course changed some mannerisms and character names to protect myself, but it's mainly just something I wrote for my 11th Grade English exam practice. I hope you enjoyed the story, and there's more to come soon.
