The New Kid // Chelsea

[Charlotte Delprat]

There is nothing quite as nerve wracking as being the new kid at school. Everything is so strange and different and you don’t even have the comfort of being with a bunch of other children who are also starting out. Everyone would already and have their own little groups, Charlie would disrupt that order. On the other side of the world the decision to come to this school with its notable arts program had been so simple. Now as she sat in the principal’s office waiting for her assigned buddy to arrive Charlie wasn’t feeling so confident.

Kyle had walked here with Charlie this morning to make sure she didn’t get lost (as if she would!) and make sure all the enrolment stuff was in order. He had wanted to stay until her first classes began but the stern lady who ran the reception desk had shooed him off, not before he had discretely slipped her a packet of forbidden sweets and a piece of paper with his number on it in case she needed it. Charlie kind of wished that he had stayed, even if it was dead childish to be seen with a parent (or in this case caregiver) within the school boundaries. Kyle was at least familiar in this sea of strangeness.

Charlie yawned and rubbed her eyes. Back at home it would be about 10pm, just getting on to bedtime. Soon she would be struggling both to stay awake and adjust to a new school with new faces and a new layout. Sure she had a map, but it was about as informative as a dictionary without and definitions. Charlie yawned again, being jetlagged sucked.

To help her focus on not nodding off she took out her sketch pad and pencils and started doodling. The blank piece of paper was gradually filled with pink and purple rabbits, also a few dragonflies and sugar glider. While she was busily drawing away Charlie heard the sounds of loud school shoe clad feet sounding in the hallway, followed by a noisy knocking on the door. In this way Charlie heard the other student who was to be her buddy before she saw them. 

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    The door swung open when the principal opened it, revealing the student beyond it.

    “Mrs. Thomas asked me to come help a new student!” Chirped Charlie’s new buddy, the pig-tailed blonde known as Chelsea. Her uniform was pristine, and her little blue book bag was bloated from all manner of items that traveled with her. Who knew what wonders (or monsters!) lurked within its confines, waiting to emerge into the light at a moment’s notice! If anyone knew Chelsea at all they’d probably assume crayons, colored pencils, or chalk and there would be no surprise if such was true.

    Anyway the principal of the school stepped aside for Chelsea to enter the room and greet the new student ecstatically. She bounded in and was in the girl’s presence in only a couple of steps and she puffed her chest out proudly. This was an incredible honor, to be trusted to aid this new student! Usually it would be a senior, but this surely meant that Chelsea’s behavior and grades meant she’d earned the privilege of this.

    “Hi there, I’m Chelsea!” Maybe the principal already told her about it. Or maybe it was a surprise? The teacher never properly explained the protocol or what being a buddy entailed, so this was going to be an adventure for all of them.

    “Yes, Chelsea,” the principal began, “she’s a new student here and we’d like you to accompany her and show her around.”

    Yes! A sidekick! An accomplice? No no, that would ruin everything too fast. The best course of action would be to help her find her classes and there to get lunch, and maybe offer her a place to side when the time came. Charlie looked like she was about Chelsea’s age so hopefully none of her antics would be a bother. Maybe they had a lot in common!

Charlotte Delprat

Created by Misso

[Charlotte Delprat]

Charlie was not entirely sure what she expected to see when the principal opened the door, but it definitely wasn’t the blond headed bundle of pure energy that stood before her. Most students there age liked to project an image of cool, or uncool if they were against the mainstream. Said image was enhanced with the aid of accessories or hair styles. However this girl standing before her didn’t seem to be trying to project an image at all, she was just, well herself. That alone made her a very intriguing creature.

The other point of interest was how absolutely stuffed her school bag was. It really looked like it might explode at the seams at any moment. Surely there was something other than schoolbooks in there, an armadillo maybe? Or perhaps a spaceship?

“Hi there I’m Chelsea!” The girl announced to the room at large. The principal greeted her and indicated to where Charlie was sitting.

“She’s a new student here and we’d like you to accompany her and show her around”

“Hi, I’m Charlie” She introduced herself. Should she offer her hand to shake? But only stuffy old grownups did that! Still she had to do something… Charlie ended up smiling shyly at the other girl and adding “thanks for offering to show me around” even that sounded pretty stupid. Chelsea may very well have been instructed to look after her by a teacher, and that was very different from offering.

“Okay you may go now” the principal dismissed them “don’t be late to your homeroom” the girls upped and left.

Charlie waited until they were out in the corridor before turning to Chelsea and asking “My homeroom teacher is Mrs Thomas, is she nice?” That was a pretty good starting off question. Maybe later they could talk about the other classes and after school activities. Maybe…maybe that would have similar interests. Maybe they could be friends. But only if Chelsea didn’t feel obliged to because she was new. Charlie hoped that Chelsea wouldn’t feel obliged.

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    The girl's giant grin never once left her face as she bounded into the room like a baby deer stepping into a meadow for the first time. Chelsea hadn't been given an honor like this before, as admittedly simple and minuscule as it was. Simply showing a student around was no particularly large event warranting all the pride Chelsea felt at that moment, but to be trusted, even for something as small as this, was a thing she couldn't help.

    Chelsea held her little hand out to Charlie, offering a polite handshake as most polite, mature children and adults are oft to do.

    “Nice to meet you, Charlie!“ Chelsea greeted back. Her named started with C, just like Chelsea’s! They had so much in common already! Charlie was a weird name, though. She only knew boys named Charlie. Chelsea figured it probably was short for something longer, like Charlene or Charlottie, or maybe Charlilibellewhatever? “It’s no problem at all!”

    Chelsea had volunteered, yes, but so did a bunch of other students. However, Chelsea’s enthusiasm, know-how, and good behavior clearly made her the best candidate for showing around the new student. That, or Chelsea was simply the quickest to put her hand up and the teacher singled her out because she was first. Either way, Chelsea was proud.

    “Mrs. Thomas is super nice!” Chelsea exclaimed as the two left the office. “She doesn’t teach us much since she’s just homeroom, but she’s my favorite. Some of the teachers here are kind of mean. Never get on Mr. Murphy’s bad side or you’ll never get off it. He comes in to teach maths and he’s real mean. He gets angry if people don’t get it.”

    She placed a finger to her lips and hummed. “Who else… Eh, that’s probably all you need to know about up front. Usually everyone else is okay.”

Charlotte Delprat

Created by Misso