Chapter 1: A New Start.

"What would my head be like, if not for my shoulders or without your smile...may we stay lost on our way home.  C'mon, c'mon with everything falling down around me, I'd like to believe in all the possibilities..." - Panic! At the Disco & Fun.


2 years earlier...


Wallis: "Mum, I want to go to a regular high school, I'm missing out on all the high school experiences...the stereotypical ones!"
Mum: "Haha, oh Wallis...you have no idea what you're saying!"


No, I didn't...




September 6th, 2011.


I woke up that morning expecting a feeling of nerve-wracking, well...nervousness.  The anxiousness that my 13 year-old self felt at the release of the Twilight movie, absolutely absurd and socially unacceptable with hindsight, but at the time: very goddamn real and exciting.  However, fate was against me and let me go about my morning routine feeling as if it was simply another summer day, until of course it came to the moment where I actually had to get into my car...

I started panicking.  Not Panic! At the Disco-ing, full on panicking.  Here was Wallis, about to set foot into a mysterious unknown place, with nothing to arm herself with, but a bunch of practised lines (yes, the night before I had been practising various introduction lines, as well as different conversation starters...Yahoo! Answers came in handy, I'm a loser. Effyou.).  Nevertheless, I got into the car, and began my perilous journey to my new high school.  But not before I had a good debate with my mother and sister about what time my school started at, (notice it's MY school), in the end I was right, 8:10AM.


(Picture of argument with mother and sister in car)


We got to the school eventually.  The drive there seemed too short, and for some reason I could only hear a pounding, as if someone was banging on the inside of my skull...oh wait, that was my erratic heartbeat, threatening to end my existence at any moment (I'm not a drama queen, shush).  When we drove into the school parking lot, I saw a sea, no (I looked up "vaster than the sea" and it came up with http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5837344/1/Vaster_than_the_Sea_Wider_than_the_Sky) it's still a sea of teenagers.  ALL TYPES OF TEENAGERS. My heart began to sing...a rather strangled melody, on one hand: PEOPLE TO TALK TO, ADVENTURES, on the other: HOLY SHIT. OTHER HUMANS o.O WHAZDAT. 

The over-sized, Aeripostale/Abercrombie wearing jock-men-boychildren who go around shouting, declaring that their not a nobody.  They are all far too patriotic about their school.  They also never seem to never have their phones on them, near their crotch. It's so bloody weird.

This octopus represents all the Grade 9's.  They're just babies to me, so I haven't given them any definite features (trolol).  But there are millions of them all over the school, and they're loud and not clothed enough and care far too much about their enormousness non-existent egos. And apparently, I blend in with them too well. Bastards.

Here we have the bodacious, not-clothed-enough-but-it's-like-winter-outside hordes of girls.  Who all have feathers in their hair.  On some of them it looks wicked, but on some it looks like they've been rolling around in a chicken coop, I'm sorry, that's so mean. GO GET 'EM GIRLS! And put on more clothes.  Also: they have an extra appendage: their phones.

Here we have a bad example of one of the smoker kids, that lurk outside of the school in the parking lot, and generally these are the kids I see making out in the hallways with their girlfriends...awkward...bro.

Then you've got your kinda Average Janes', who wear appropriate clothing, but are still...mainstream?

There many other groups of teenagers, but to be honest, I can't scan any more picture without going insane.


My mum sent me to face my fate with, "Have a good day, love! See you at 2:30!" But I wasn't really paying attention as I pushed open the school door and wandered into the main hall where hordes of students greeting each other were, and went looking for the sheet posted on the walls with my name on it, telling me where to go.  Oh how there were so many sheets...and how many kids...ah...actually I knew where I had to go, and so checking the sheet was just a precaution, so I found the first stairwell I could and climbed up them to the second floor in search of Room 232.




I found it, but it turned out that my class was actually two more rooms down, in Room 234.  While on my journey to my classroom, I stumbled across three couples sucking each other's faces off in little nooks and crannies of the hallways of the school.  The first one I saw, took me off guard and when I saw them my facial expression was one of complete horror, and I shouted, "JESUSCHRISTYOUCRAZYBASTARDS!" ...they looked rather hurt, as well as if they wanted to beat my little asian face to a pulp.  Black eye to my first class? A few missing teeth? I would've really set a fashion trend, eh? 

Room 234. I walked in. The first thing I saw was a ginger kid, bless his soul, he blinded me with his gingerness, and it was wonderful.  This was because I couldn't focus on the other faces that were suddenly scrutinising my scrunched up face (I had to shield my eyes from the glare, not an anecdote, pure truth).  There was a distinct lapse of silence as I entered the room, but it soon ended and I trolled up to meet my first teacher: Mrs. Koekebakker. I kid you not, that is her name, pronounced: KOO-KUHH-BAHH-KERR.  Now, I don't mean to be offensive (I'm serious, I don't...I'm not being silly), but come ON. KOEKEBAKKER? Out of all the names I could have been faced with, I got Koekebakker.  How am I meant to be composed when I have to introduce myself to her, I had to stifle back the laughter.  I am in love with her name, but furthermore, she is very reminiscent of my old Biology teacher.  


A little thought, do teachers of the same subject across the globe, get in contact with one another and coordinate outfits? Because I swear, ALL science teachers wear the same thing (except for my old Physics teacher, because she really wasn't a "teacher" she was more of a "ruler of the chilren", if that makes sense), ALL history teachers where the same thing, ALL english teachers where the same things....etc.  Just...it blows my mind.

Anyhow, I introduced myself to her, and she was very welcoming and obviously a kindred spirit, bless her cute little face. (I'm not creepin', just statin' the facts, hater.)  She gave me a once over look, and I stood there awkwardly clutching my lunchbox, two binders, and backpack trying to find a position that made me seem taller...but I don't think I fooled her.  Anyhow, I took my seat afterwards and shoved all my stuff in the little basket underneath my desk. My desk is situated in front of a kid called Graham. Graham seems the brooding type, and I don't say this to be melodramatic.  He is about 3x larger than me (in height, he's not fat...that sounds so blunt, damn my innability to write), and is just a surly character.  He didn't seem to like my arrival, and did not talk to me, and just seemed to glare at me.  So, to Graham, I apologize for existence.  (He still doesn't seem to like me, even now...two weeks after I've been there...maybe I should say "Hi"...but then again, I'd rather not have him shoot me down...oh the fear!).

Anyhow, more kids filtered in, and one of them, a girl, introduced herself to me. Ève (pronounced: ehh-vvveeee).  She is a sweetheart, ^^ Anyways, she introduced herself and I introduced myself, "Hi, I'm Wallis."  I realized that my voice sounded stupid. I'm not being petty, it legitimately sounded as if I hadn't used it for about 4 months, so now the kids there were probably under the assumption that people from "the island" sound like wild beasts or something, I'm SORRY, BDA! <3  Everyone was staring at me, not even being subtle about it either, just full on staring and talking to their friends.  I felt violated to be honest, these kids were stripping me with their EYES. I WASN'T WEARING MY PRETTY BRA THAT DAY EITHER, SO BLAAAHHHH.


Then the bell rang.  The Canadian anthem began playing over the P.A. system.  Now I'm going to jump to present day for a moment.  The school I'm at actually has about 200 different versions of the Canadian anthem, and I. think. it's. marvelous.  Not to mention highly entertaining.  I don't know how everyone can even keep a straight face and not piss themselves laughing when the scatting jazz one starts playing...I certainly have had tears leaking out of the corners of my eyes, and my face turn red from the pressure of not laughing on more than one occasion.  I'm probably going to Canadian hell for this...O.o BACK TO THE STORY.
The P.A. system also has announcements and one of them starts with, "DID SOMEONE SAY FREE FOOD? WELL NOW THAT WE'VE GOT YOUR ATTENTION, THERE'S GOING TO BE FREE OATMEAL IN THE CA...." at that point I lose focus, because I'm trying to figure out who said there was free food to begin with.  THEY LIE I TELL YOU. THEY LIE.


After announcements, Mrs. Koek- okay, we're calling her Mrs. K.  Mrs. K gave the typical "Welcome Back" spiel, and gave out handouts and also told us to come up to her desk, give her our locker combination (poky people...) and our locker number.  At this point, I began freaking out because I hadn't found a locker (obvious from the fact that I was the only kid toting around my school belongings with me).  To put your heart at ease though, I will tell you right now, that I found a locker at lunch: 2551, in the Grade 9 Hall/Ex-prep Hallway (more about these named hallways later though, cupcake ;D).  Then she gave us a Biology game to play, where we had to go around the class and ask different people one of the questions listed on the sheet, and we had to have a different person for each answer.  


Talking to people? People my own age? ABOUT BIOLOGY? Oh bloody hell.  So I put on my big girl pant(ies) (because I'm sure I was about to piss myself with how nervous I was...I'm so ladylike, shut up.) and began this perilous task, but not before I read the biology questions.  I realized two things:


1) I didn't know what half the questions were (what the hell is a ribosome? Or a hufflepuff for that matter?)
2) Everyone else would know, and I would be marked as a dumb kid. A dumb asian kid.  Dishonouring my family name, tarnishing it with my lack of knowledge.


I'll skip to the key part: I did it.  I got people to write down answers, and I answered other peoples'.  Not all my answers were right...but I still did it.  I didn't give Graham any answers...(y'know, he's probably a really nice guy, and I'm just being stupid. Probably.)


Then Mrs. K was like, "RIGHT. FOR OUR BIOLOGY CLASS TODAY, TOMORROW AND THE NEXT DAY, WE'RE GOING TO WATCH THE BUCKET LIST AND MAKE OUR OWN! YAY!" ... is this seriously IB? What the hell?


Then I had Drama Class. I like my teacher. She's like a blonde version of my old Drama teacher, but a bit more...bubbly? Huh.  I'm not going to go into great deal about Dr...I mean: DRAYMA (that's how they pronounce it, sickos...and bagels...bahgehls....eff.)


Then came lunch.  Now firstly, I'd like to voice a complaint (I'm good at that.) 


lunch  (lnch)

n.

1. A meal eaten at midday.

2. The food provided for a midday meal.

intr.v. lunched, lunch·ing, lunch·es

To eat a midday meal.

Idiom:

out to lunch Slang

Not in touch with the real world; crazy.




Lunch is a meal eaten in the middle of the day.  MIDDAY.  At my school, lunch starts at 10:45AM.  WHAT. THE. HELL. IS. THIS. AND: it ends at 11:30AM. IT ENDS EVEN BEFORE MIDDAY IS THERE. WHAT. THE. HELL. IS. THIS?!!???  I think Canada has a skewed sense of time...or hunger...


I leached onto Eve and her crew of friends, and they let me sit with them for lunch and then took my on 5 minute tour of the school, and showed me different places (I will also include other places that I was shown at a later date, just for your benefit.  Feel lucky and loved.)  


(Picture of different hallways)


They gave me tips on different cliques, and so forth.  All very useful in the long run I suppose, when I'm a social butterfly...right now, I'm more of a social speck of dust.

Then came English.  And Mr. Jackson.


(I will do a drawing of him sometime, remind me)


He is the most passionate English teacher I have ever met, frankly, the most passionate teacher I've ever met.  He's just such a bro.  He's so thin and wiry, and you could probably beat him down with a *pap-pap*, but I swear get on his bad side, and he could ribbon you into shreds with his words.  He's just a bro, man! SO KNOWLEDGEABLE. AHHH. I WANT TO BE LIKE HIM WHEN I'M OLDER.  I may just devote a blog post to one of his classes one day (yeah, I kinda idolize him I suppose..hmm).  English was the only class that day that we hadn't spent going over the course outlines, we just simply did an assignment he set us, and it was GREAT.  I sound like some studious freakazoid. WE ALL KNOW THIS TO BE TRUE. ;)


Then History.  My last lesson of the day, with the most sarcastic, straight-forward, hilarious, boss woman teacher: Mrs. Mathews.  She is very sarcastic and witty like I stated in the previous sentence, and it works.  History this year shall be wonderful I think.  We started off with just information sheets in History (and in all the other classes).  There is also a Grade 12 that just appeared in our History class, and has been there ever since...he's meant to be in German class...but...he's just ALWAYS in our History classes.  He's a hippie-ish character, that wears billowy woven shirts, scarves, bow-ties, and sandals.  His name...Huckleberry. <3 He pretty much blew my mind away, and ever since I've kinda just been fascinated by his flamboyant, happy self ^^ He also knows AVPM/S...so...well...<3


The school bell rang at 2:30PM and suddenly I felt like I was floating, almost like I had been holding my breath.  I practically ran out of class and ran into my awaiting car (No, I'm not taking the bus, screw you!).  


My mum asked, "How was your first day?" with a huge smile of encouragement.  


All I could say in reply was, "I'm living in a high school movie."

*Update: A few days later, I had a massive breakdown because I had been reminded of home so much that day and wasn't coping very well.  However, now I'm beginning to feel a bit differently.  It's like I've gotten the chance to live a new life, if you will, cliché as it may seem.  It's been two weeks of school, and tomorrow morning shall mark the start of the third week, and somehow: I'm still alive.  So try as hard as you like, Canada stereotyped world of Wallis, phase this? I THINK NOT.






Brendon Urie's engagement announcement, has just kinda sealed off the previous chapter of my life.  So, bring out a flask of butterbeer, cheers to poise and rationality! (Morgan, I'm sorry this took so long <3)