Only Just The Beginning
June 17th. We were all hiking through the dank, vast forest. School had let out for the summer, and Wayzz thought it’d be a great idea for our group of friends to take a trip. That trip was one of the most horrifying events of my life. Now when I say horrifying, what comes to your mind? Monsters? Getting lost? Dying in the end? Well, none of those are it. In fact, nothing happened to me at all. Allow me to explain.
It started on a Friday. The Friday school let out.
RIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGG
“Well, that’s the bell. You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here. Out, and have a great rest of the day before the summer break,” The teacher began to usher us all out of the room.
“Yo, Nooroo?” a tall, green-haired upperclassman tapped my shoulder as I was introvertedly shuffling out of the room with the rest of the class.
“Hello, Wayzz.” I offered a faint smile.
“Meet me and the others at the tree during lunch period,” he quickly walked away, leaving me to wonder what it was he wanted.
I slowly walked into my 4th-period class; my last class before lunch. I quietly took my seat at my desk and retrieved my notebook and pen. Moments later, a hyperactive ginger kid ran into the room and forcefully slid into the desk next to me.
He took a long, deep breath, “Hi,Nooroo!ExcitedforsummervacationIjustcan’twait.ThisyearhasbeensosoawfulI’mjustexcitedtogetitoverwith.Howdoyouthinkyoudidonthechemistryhomework?I’mconfidentaboutit,howaboutyou?Thebonusquestionwasfartooeasy,amIright?”
“Slow… down…” I laughed softly. “Yes, I’m excited about summer vacation… The chemistry was okay… and the bonus question,” I paused, too embarrassed to admit I’d had a struggle. “It was fine.”
“YeahIagr-”
“Nooroo Karanen and Trixx Kurtzberg?” The teacher interrupted. Trixx and I both blushed in embarrassment and Trixx stopped talking.
The teacher smiled and began to go over the previous day’s homework, but I didn’t care to pay much attention. What could Wayzz possibly want? Usually, we met by the tree if it was for an urgent reason. The fact that he wanted the whole group there worried me; I’m not exactly social and I usually find myself with no more than two friends at a time. But all 9 of us? Soon enough, the class had ended and it was time for lunch period. I dreadfully walked outside to our tree. I was there before anyone else. I quietly sat against the tree and waited.
“Hi, Nooroo!” greeted a familiar voice. I looked up and before me stood the blonde cheer captain and a close friend of mine, Pollen.
“Hello, Pollen,” I whispered as she sat next to me and smoothed her ridiculously short skirt.
“Just us?”
“The others are probably still in class. Except for Trixx. I don’t know where he went…”
We both sat in silence before a redhead and ravenet joined us. Their arms were linked and they were chatting amongst themselves. Tikki Dupain-Chang and Plagg Agreste were very close. There were rumours floating around that the two were possibly dating. They denied it but by the way they act, I believe them to be lying.
Pretty soon, all 9 of us were here; Tikki, Plagg, Wayzz, Trixx, Pollen, Duusu, Cupcake, Sprinkles, and myself.
“What is it, Wayzz?” Cupcake asked.
Cupcake was one of the new transfer students, as well as his younger brother Sprinkles. Their real names were William and Jhordin, but everyone calls them Cupcake and Sprinkles. No one really knows how it started or why, but the whole school just goes along with it.
“Well, I was thinking… today is a half-day, so after lunch, we get to pick up our yearbooks and get outta here,” Wayzz began.
“Your point?” Duusu asked, arms crossed.
“Do you think you would want to go on a hiking trip for the first week of summer vacation?” Wayzz asked, his tone sounding almost as though he expected us to say no.
“That sounds dope,” Plagg said flashing his signature smirk.
“I’m in if Plagg is,” Tikki quickly said, placing a small kiss onto Plagg’s very reddened cheek.
“I have a cheer competition.” Pollen fussed.
“We can work something out with your coach… isn’t Buttercream a cheerleader? She can take your place, right? She can, can’t she, Cupcake?” Trixx looked from Pollen to Cupcake.
“Brinn is busy,” Cupcake said, referring to his adult sister we all called Buttercream. “But I can see if we can arrange something."
"If we can, I'm in. It sounds fun." Pollen smiled.
"We shall come," Sprinkles grabbed Cupcake's arm.
"I will," Duusu quietly stated.
"And you, Nooroo?" everyone looked at me somewhat expectantly.
"Oh uh...." I looked down nervously. "Sure... I mean, if everyone else is going..."
"Great! I'll see you all this evening! Meet here."
And that's how it all began.
That evening is when things really started to get interesting....