First Day

**Alex**

As I walked along the old, cracked pavements my mind started to cloud over; thoughts from the past night filled my head, it was like a rain cloud had positioned itself right above me, showering me with thoughts and everyone was oblivious, life went on.

I dragged my feet towards the bus stop, college, after last night I should have really taken the day off, but I couldn’t afford what would happen if people noticed my absence, I had made that mistake before… The twenty six was my bus and like usual it was going to be late, this happened every day and I was sick of it, it would leave me turning up to class panting, just so I could get in on time, which was bad enough but I was the weird kid, the one that didn’t quite fit in, the one that would turn up with messy hair and the clothes they had been wearing for five days in a row and the one who never fit into their categories. People would tell me that I was a girl who didn’t like gender roles, they were so wrong (I mean I don’t like gender roles but that doesn’t make me a girl, that makes me a decent human being).

Eventually my bus arrived, and by now it had started raining. My hair, which was previously black, was turning a subtle red. I could feel everyone’s harsh, inquisitive stares pierce the back of my neck, which always happened when my hair changed colour because no one quite got it. I could hear people muttering, asking questions and pointing, which didn’t help. My breathing was starting to quicken; it felt like someone had started a raging fire in the depths of my empty stomach. My hair, now a pillar box red, attracted too much attention to me. I would usually wear my hat, a simple black beanie, but it had mud all over it and I wasn’t about to give people another thing to laugh at.

I climbed onto the bus, flashed my bus pass with the most ugly of photos and picked a row of empty seats right at the back, my mind now on the day ahead. I rifled through my rucksack, trying to find my timetable, but it was harder than it looked, stuffed full with all the things I needed. Clothes were now strewn over the bus floor and my hair was now turning a pale green. It was like everyone was closing in on me; my vision was going blurry and I couldn’t think straight but I had found my timetable, which was now resting on the seat next to me with my wallet and phone, so I picked up my clothes and stuffed them back into the bag  (which was filled to the brim). All I could hope for was no homework today.

**Charlie**

Shit, my first day of college and I was already late. Sticking a piece of toast in my mouth, I grabbed my bag, returning shortly after to grab my keys and lanyard. Giving a disgusted look at the picture on my card I called good bye cheerfully for the second time, forgetting that the house was empty, then I slammed the door and legged it.

My rucksack and messy plait bounced as I ran along the street. I could tell people were giving me funny looks, after all there was a piece of toast hanging from my mouth! I drew suddenly to a halt and put my things into my bag, then proceeded to munch on my toast, which was half-burnt. Birds were chirping, and generally it seemed like a pretty good day, although starting a new collage was a scary concept. Art was my subject and I was good at it (I think), well, I was confident. I had been doing art for years, to my parents' disapproval. They wanted a daughter who would get a stable job. Sucks to be them, they didn’t get either, or at least most of the time they didn’t!

I wiggled my nose. Something had hit it. I realised it was rain, and as soon as it dawned on me it started tipping it down. I started running again, just my luck! I would turn up on my first day of school late and soaking wet, EW! I rounded the corner, birds were singing as if to serenade my arrival. I could see the school gates. I was so close, so near to warmth. Then I was on the ground, and all I saw was a flash of red, then a face appeared. They looked worried. Their hair was slowly turning a pale green. I was puzzled and would have asked why if my head wasn’t throbbing like someone had just hit it with a frying pan. They thrust a hand in my face, pulled me up and ran off. In that moment I was almost expecting to wake up with my alarm going off, for it had all happened so fast.

**Alex**

Why does this always happen to me? I thought as I walked through the front door of the school, I wound my way through the hallways past the groups of gossiping girls and fighting boys to my tutor. Nothing ever happened in tutor and by nothing I mean every one lounged on desks talking and throwing pieces of paper at me whilst I attempted to do the homework set the day before, I usually failed, by the time I walked through the door my hair was a pastel blue, everyone was staring at me, the teacher kindly asked me to take my seat but my feet were glued to the ground.

A paper airplane bounced off my head and the class cheered, after what felt like years I shuffle to the back, my hair had gone back to an ugly pale green. In our school we took one main subject (mine was dance, when it came to it I picked it because of my martial arts and agility but I have no technique), then we have tutor and the hell hole that it is, finally we have three small subjects, maths, English and ‘prep for working life’, which in all honesty are boring as hell and I have no idea why they force us to do them.

I was interrupted attempting to do my algebra homework by the knock on the door, a head with messy long brown hair wound its way round the door, it was them, the person I knocked over at the front of the school, the teacher ushered them in and introduced Charlie, the new kid, she rambled on a bit then asked Charlie if they had anything to say, my ears pricked up no one ever said yes to that question. To my surprise they said they were gender fluid, they had guts, when I came out as agender the things thrown at me doubled and still everyone miss gendered me, my mind flashed back to all the times I had been pushed into the mud and had slurs shouted at me, last night was still worse than all of that.

**Charlie**

My heart was thundering like a thousand rhinos let loose, I took a slow breath before opening the door and popping my head round it. The whole class stared at me, the teacher ushered me in hurriedly and asked whether I was the new kid, she then turned to the class with the biggest smile and told them who I was, she then asked me if there was anything I wanted to say. All I could think was this is my opportunity, my opportunity to tell them who I am, it was like the world had suddenly switched into slow motion, everything was muffled and blurred, it was like the words were glued to the back of my throat, after and eternity I forced them out, the class just stared at me, so I turned back to the teacher as she pointed to a seat near the back.

As I walked towards the back I noticed the only person sitting there, the person from before school, my head started to throb again, they were beautiful, they had deep brown eyes and short, scruffy, bright blue hair, I could have sworn their hair was pale green before, their face had a look plastered all over it as if to ask whether I was really approaching them, a mix of worry and excitable nerve. Then for the second time today my world went flying, I had tripped over a table leg, on my fifth step, I was officially clumsy and embarrassing.

From the floor I looked up to see everyone’s judgemental and disapproving stares, I turned to look at seat in the back, got up, bowed my head and continued my, now, walk of shame.

**Alex**

I let out a little yelp as they hit the floor, that was the second time today and I was starting to think it was my fault, they got up pretty quickly, if it was me I would have just sat there wishing for the ground to swallow me up. They pulled out the seat next to me and proceeded to shuffle around sorting out their stuff, all I could think about is how much I probably stank.

I realised I was staring at them, I wondered if they had noticed but instead of giving me a weird disgusted look, they smiled. I could swear at that moment the room lit up, their bright blue eyes were like a beacon, my eyes traced the line of their hair, it was like I was glued to their face, I could not bring myself to look away.

Finally I turned back to my homework, I could see my fringe turning pink, all I could think was please don’t notice.

This algebra was hard, I wasn’t good at maths anyway but I had a rather large distraction sitting next to me, I cursed under my breath as my pencil snapped and then apologetically looked at Charlie, they just smiled. It was kind of disconcerting, I mean do they like me, or are they just being nice or is it just a big joke that everyone else is in on? I gave up, what was the point in this shit, I had more pressing things to worry about, I would just take the detention and deal with it.

**Charlie**

Their hair was a bright pink, as their pencil snapped, they had the sweetest expression it was of utter annoyance at the world, all I could do was smile as they let out a small sigh. They were wearing a short sleeve spotted shirt and black jeans, they looked awesome and actually had a style compared to my baggy t-shirt and skirt. I pulled my gaze away from their face to my wrist, they probably thought I was very weird by now, I started twisting my rainbow bracelet, so much had just happened and it was hard for my brain to comprehend it all.

A piercing bell rang through the school, so it was time for my first proper lesson, I shuffled around to find my time table, then I remembered today was art, my main and favourite subject, my mind wandered to how the class would be organised and who would be in it, only to be snapped back to the present by scraping chairs. I looked to my right, the person who had knocked me over, had changing hair and most of all was cute as hell had left. So I picked up my thing and hurried out the room.

From my previous adventures of being lost I had figured out where the art rooms were so I headed straight there, it was a left, then a right or maybe a right then a left? Ugh, ok in all honesty I had no idea where I was going, again. We had five minutes to get between classes so I knew I wasn’t late, yet. I just had to keep walking, till I found the room, I could have sworn I was walking around for years, everything looked the same, but when I reached the class room everyone was only just settling down.

**Alex**

As soon as the bell rang I legged it, tutor was already hell without the rush of people all trying to fit into the door at once, as I left I smiled at Charlie across the room but they were distracted, walking through the hallway I realised we hadn’t exchanged a single word, I wondered if they knew where they were going or if I had left them to defend for themselves in what felt like a pack of ravenous wolves.

I rounded the corner and my mind changed to dance, I went to an arts school so the facilities where decent, I mean they are no royal ballet facilities, but then again we don’t really specialise in ballet. My class mainly full of girls, where on the most part nice, I walked into the hall to see somehow I was late, the dance teacher approached me, she was a lovely teacher, kind hearted but also no nonsense, she asked if had got her letter, I shook my head, her response was oh, she then continued to update me on how we were now to miss tutor in order to warm up, good news! For once, that means avoiding the stares and the paper.

I wound my way through the groups of people, the popular girls, who didn’t really want to be there but thought dance sounded cool, the street dancing boys, with their trousers round their ankles acting cool, the prima ballerinas, with their snooty ways of doing things and the people who actually were serious about dance, for them it wasn’t about being cool or popular it was about learning, I liked them the best.

**Charlie**

As soon as I walked into the class room an A3 hardback art book was thrust into my hands and some pencils, I almost stumbled, that thing was heavy! ‘Welcome to the art class’ the teacher said almost sarcastically. I frowned and took a seat,

(to be continued…)