Is it just me, or does summer go by too fast? August was nearly over, and Mom wanted to take me shopping for supplies and clothes. I usually shop at vintage stores, because I like the gypsy style. I also dress in punky clothes, but I live in jeans and a t-shirt.

We went to look for a clothing store, and found a vintage shop near the Supermarket Plaza. I immediately knew I'd love it. We found five pairs of bellbottoms(The regular denim ones, not the ones that look like split skirts), some really nice boots and a beautiful peasent-style dress with a lace-up bodice. In another store, we found a few more blouses, and two more dresses: a lacy black one that looked Medieval, and a slinky red dress with a low bustline that made me feel like a vamp.

After we went to a few more stores, we came back home. Brittani and her friends seemed to haunt one corner every day, because I always saw them point at me and laugh as I walked my dog. I made it a habit to bring my c.d. player with me so I could tune them out. I didn't need this, not right now.

August came and went, and I found myself getting extremely nervous. Mom and I had taken a tour of the town I lived in, so I could find the school. It was called Cherry Creek, and it was a nice looking building. From the outside.

September 4th. The first day at Cherry Creek. I woke up really early so I could get a shower and dry my hair. I would be walking to school, since it made no sense to be driven. We lived close to the school. I'd walked there and back before, so I could get used to it.

The sky was still a little dark, but I could tell it would be a clear day. A breeze ruffled my hair as I walked briskly toward the school. Three more blocks to go...

Finally, I saw the schoolgrounds. The grass was neatly trimmed and students were starting to file into the school. The American flag waved cheerfully from the flagpole. My legs ached a little as I walked inside and to the office.

The secretary was sitting behind the desk, her fingers flying over a computer keyboard. She looked up at me.

"May I help you?"

I fidgeted rather nervously. "Hi, I'm Audrey Taylor, I was told to come here for my schedule."

The secretary looked down at me through her glasses. "Didn't we mail you one?"

I rolled my eyes slightly. "No, see, we just moved here a couple of weeks ago. My mom was here a week ago to register me." I looked at the name on the woman's desk. Mrs. DeBobes.

Mrs. DeBobes looked at me suspiciously. "One moment, please." She typed something on the computer. She looked at the screen, then looked at me. "Well, I guess you do have to get a schedule," She said. "One more moment, then you can leave."

Mrs. DeBobes gave me a schedule and said, "Off you go then."

My locker was all the way upstairs near the Science wing. My first class was Math. I felt a bit nervous; people were staring at me and a few whispered. I had found my locker, now I had to find the Math room. My schedule looked like this:

I knew when I entered the classroom that I would not like it. Don't ask me why, it was just a feeling. Mr. Dansky was waiting for me, and as soon as I entered the room he took me to the board to introduce me. I looked and saw all eyes in that classroom on me. Don't you hate that?! Even worse, one pair of those eyes belonged to Brittani Murphy. I silently prayed she wouldn't be in all of my classes.

Mr. Dansky put his hand on my shoulder and I was thinking, 'GET OFF OR TERRIBLE, AWFUL THINGS WILL HAPPEN!!!' I felt uncomfortable enough without this guy touching me. He told the class where I was from and I was sure my face was red, but I stood stock straight and tried to ignore them. Finally, the teacher let me go and I went to an empty desk in the back, near the window. From this year on out, for one period a day, this would be MY seat.

Next class was Biology. I heard that Mr. Johanssen was strict about punctuality, so I practically ran all the way downstairs to get to the class. I was early, but I was really out of breath.

Mr. Johanssen was immediately my least favorite teacher. He had short black hair with shots of gray in it, slicked back in what looked like a failed attempt to varnish a coconut. His face was young-looking, but he wore thick-framed glasses that made him look a lot older. He was wearing black dress pants and shoes, and a black dress shirt. He basically looked like Severus Snape from "Harry Potter", with glasses.

Sure enough, Brittani was in Biology with me. I hoped to God we'd never be paired up to do a project. Mr. Johanssen didn't make me go up to the board so he could introduce me, he just snapped at me to take the seat at the back and keep quiet. I wanted to scream, but I followed his orders. I'm like my dad: We don't take orders from ANYONE, especially if they're yelled at us.

Biology sucks. I'm sure you all knew that, but if you don't I'll tell you right now: it's the worst subject in the world. We wrote notes until I thought my hand would fall off, and then Mr. Johanssen gave us homework. I cursed him silently until he was out of earshot, but I got louder as I started towards English.

I finally stopped as I lined up with the class and breathed easy when I didn't see Brittani or her clones there. The teacher opened the door and I did a double take. She was... young. She couldn't have been more than 25 years old. My bad mood finally vanished. The teacher waited until we were seated, then introduced herself. "Hello, class, I'm Ms. Moore. I see we have a new student in class, so, Miss Audrey Taylor, could you please stand up?"

I stood. All eyes were on me again, but I felt more comfortable this time. Ms. Moore smiled at me and I swear to the highest Heaven she winked at me as well. After I sat down, Ms. Moore stood up and wrote something on the board. It was a very short set of rules:

Rules of English:

1) Be prepared for class

2) Respect each other

3) If you have a question raise your hand

4) Ask questions; it doesn't hurt to be curious

5) HAVE FUN!

Ms. Moore turned around. "Any questions?"

No one raised their hands. Ms. Moore turned to me. "So, Audrey, where did you move from?" she asked.

I felt comfortable talking to her. "We moved from Brooklyn, NY," I said, as if it wasn't a big deal.

Ms. Moore's eyes widened. She seemed interested. "You must've loved it there," she said.

I shrugged. "The one thing I'll miss most is visiting Times Square and Central Park. We used to visit them every Christmas, but otherwise, I'm adjusting."

Ms. Moore laughed a little. "Have you ever been anywhere else?"

"Well, we used to move around a lot, my dad's job keeps us on the move. The last place we were in was London, England."

The class looked interested. One of the kids, a girl with brown hair in braids, asked, "Did you enjoy it there?"

"It was nice, but it rained quite a bit. We toured the Tower of London and Hampton Court, which was interesting because those places are haunted, and we saw Buckingham Palace."

Ms. Moore looked impressed. Most of the students looked jealous, but some were interested. I never really talk about the places my family has visited, because I hate to sound like I'm bragging, and you'll always get the people who say, "Oh, she thinks she's so perfect." The one thing I am NOT is perfect, and my parents aren't filthy rich. The Taylors will never be the best out of anyone, and I'm comfortable with that.

Ms. Moore asked me, "How was the trip to Buckingham Palace?"

I giggled a little. Dad and I were very hyper on that trip. "My dad and I went, since Mom wanted to stay in the hotel, and we were feeling silly. We were making fun of the guards in front of the palace." I stood up and imitated the stance of a palace guard and the class laughed, as well as Ms. Moore.

The bell rang a few minutes later. The girl with the braids ran up to me. "What class do you have next?" she asked, and I said, "Science."

"Cool, I have that class as well. My name's Kaylie, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Kaylie." We walked together to Science, talking the whole way. I finally had a reason to stay in Denver.