While I was looking for my new English classroom, Cinnamon, who was also walking straight down this hallway with her pink-colored purse, became so distracted by another glimpse of my butt that she decided to follow me discretely without being seen. Something I wasn’t aware of at that point.

Then she finally approached me; apparently she figured that I was struggling to find my English classroom.

“Hey um….,” Cinnamon said to me.

I stopped and turned around and glanced at her.

"Um…who are you looking for?" Cinnamon asked me.

"Ms. Sterling," I said.

“Ms. Sterling?” Cinnamon asked with a slight shock that she’s gonna spend time with me, aka her new best friend.

“Yeah,” I nodded. “Are you on the same class as me?”

“Well…yeah,” she said.

“Okay do you know where she is?” I asked.

“Yeah,” she said with a slight smile on her face.

“Okay can you help me navigate to there?” I asked.

“Of course, follow me,” she said before she walked towards her left.

I followed her as I have been told.

Cinnamon raised her eyebrows with amazement, shocking that she's on the same class as me. So she wasted no time to talk to me while guiding me to Ms. Sterling's classroom.

As the adult left, I glanced back at Cinnamon….and I can’t help but looking at her abs…and legs and arms and hips and chest because of, again, how super muscular she is and how big, strong and tall she is.

Cinnamon then looked awkward. “Um hello?” she asked me. “Are you okay?”

Realizing she was talking to me again, I quickly blinked and glanced at her face. “Yeah…I am okay,” she said.

“Alright,” she said as she nodded.

"Let me show you the way...uh sir," Cinnamon said as I start following her. "Can we talk while we walk?"

"Mmm okay," I said. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"I uhh I don't know," she smiled at me briefly before glancing back at where she is going. "Umm...about you?"

“About me?” I asked.

“Yeah,” she said with a nod.

I thought about it for a moment. Then I opened my mouth. “Okay,” I said.

She then sighed calmly. “Alright,” she said.

Seconds later, we’re walking and talking. Slowly.

“So Calhoun, what you did this weekend?” Cinnamon asked me.

“What did I did this weekend?” I asked.

“Yeah,” she said.

“Um….,” I’m trying my best to explain what my weekend was.

“Go ahead, take your time,” she said.

I’m still trying. Then I got it. “Well this weekend, I gone to the dead evil creature museum,” I said.

“The dead what?” She asked as if she didn’t hear me clearly enough.

“The dead evil creature museum,” I said. “I got to observe all those dead-ass evil creatures that have been killed by the evil creature hunters mostly at night and brought mostly at day by all the park rangers. I had got to learn all those types of evil creatures like monsters, demons, vampires and stuff like that.”

“Oh, okay,” she said as she nodded. “Have you been fascinated by those evil creatures?”

“Yeah,” I said. “I started looking at one when I discovered an article from The Washington Post that a northwest neighborhood was on edge after an evil creature kill not one, not two, not three, but FOUR residents.”

“And that was back several years ago, right?” She asked.

“Yep,” I said.

“Yeah, I remember that when I was a little-ass kid,” she said.

“And I start glazing on the story, wanting to know more about the evil creature, wanting to know more about the victims, wanting to know about this neighborhood as the story progressives on and on,” I said. “So I stick to the story for days until some evil creature hunter - I think it’s an old man named Kenny.”

“Yeah I remember that as well,” she said. “He’s an old guy who knows how to be careful looking for that evil creature…and defeated the crap of it.”

“Yeah he’s the one that led to the neighborhood no longer under high alert,” I said. “And so I read about him and it was inspiring. But then I study about this evil creature and wondered if there’s any other evil creatures that happened in the city of Washington. So I start researching through news articles—“

“In the library?” She asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “There’s old articles in The Washington Post, The Washington Times, The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Examiner and more that I could find. And I found out there are evil creatures around in DC.”

“Yeah I found that out as well when I was growing up,” she said. “That’s one of the reasons why I’m an evil creature hunter. And being an evil creature hunter is fun.” Then she quicky realized the downside of it. “Except at times when I got my butt kicked. Maybe once or twice in a row. Maybe a couple of times. But other than that, it’s fun. I believe these articles were your inspiration as well.”

“Yeah, I started exploring those evil things, learning what types of it and whatnot,” I said. “And that’s when I become fascinated with them. And still to this day.”

“Were you the only one being fascinated with this?” She asked.

“No,” I said as I shook her head. “I saw a friend a year ago and saw him flipping through pages on an evil creature book.”

“Oh,” she said. “Well are you’re gonna be a researcher one day?”

I thought about it for a moment. But before I would answer her question, our conversation got interrupted by Ms. Kelly.

"Excuse me get to class," Ms. Kelly told us as she walked past us. "You guys don't have time to fool around."

I then realized that we're standing closer to Ms. Sterling's classroom where the door was opened, wide opened.

"Hey it's that Ms. Sterling?" I asked Cinnamon. "I think I saw her name on the desk."

Cinnamon cast a quick glance behind her. Through her point of view, she focused on the teacher's name, absorbing the details without the need to physically approach. She then glanced back at me.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“Yeah,” she said to me while nodded. “She is.”

“Okay,” I said as I sighed passionately.

"Let's go ahead shall we," she said to me before she completely turned around and walked through the opened door.

I followed her.

As a result, we entered the classroom.

"Good morning," Cinnamon said to Ms. Sterling.

"Good morning," Ms. Sterling said it back to her.

"Um...hey uh...," I tried talking to Cinnamon again.

She stopped and turned slightly around towards me.

"Yeah," she said with a calm look on her face.

"I don't want to embarrass you but there's something on the back of your pants."

"Oh," she shook her head. "Just don't worry about it." She turned back upfront and approached towards a desk.

I was slightly thunderstruck at what she said. "Don't worry about it?" I replied.

"Yeah," she look back at me again briefly.

"You want me to not worry about the big messy thing that is on the back of your pants?" I felt considerable apprehension regarding her choice to wear it publicly, and my earnest desire is to prevent any unfavorable impressions. "Have you ever bring an extra pants to school in just in case? Do you attempt to go to the nurse for a pants replacement? I mean they have a bunch of clean pants for you to wear."

"You can sit beside me if you want," she said as she sat down on the second-to-last desk that closer to our new English teacher on my right and a couple of desks to my left. However, she then glanced at me with a somewhat horrified expression. "Are you going to sit beside me?" she asked, hoping and praying that I would join her because, you know, we're friends.

“Yeah, of course,” I said before I walked towards an empty seat beside her and put my bookbag down to the ground and sat down on my seat.

“Oh crap I forgot I'm gonna need my lip-gloss.” She then start digging through her golden-colored purse before glancing at me.

“It’s your lip-gloss in there?” I asked her.

"Yeah I think so," she said to me before she digs again. "I haven’t lip gloss my lip this morning."

"Want me to help you find it?" I asked.

She glanced back at me again. "No no no that's okay I could find it myself and besides only purse owners have the right to look through their own purses and not everyone," once more, she uttered it in her clear and comprehensible manner, devoid of any sassy demeanor. She resumed her digging, only to gradually come to a halt. "Ah I found it!" Next, she retrieved her lip gloss with a sparkling shade of red that maintained its shimmer even under the cap. With a deft motion, she uncapped it and began applying the gloss to her lips.

Simultaneously, Cymberly entered the classroom and heading towards another empty seat beside Cinnamon.

“Hey Cinnamon, hey Calhoun,” Cymberly said.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hello girlfriend again,” Cinnamon said.

“So I have a question,” Cymberly said as she sat down on the empty seat.

“Yeah,” Cinnamon said.

“What happens if you miss the bus tomorrow morning?” Cymberly asked.

“What happens if I miss the bus tomorrow morning?” Cinnamon asked.

“Yeah,” Cymberly said.

Cinnamon thought for a moment. But before she could answer….

The bell rings…the second time, meaning that the next classroom session has begun.

Following our hushed exchange, the entire class, including us, redirected our focus to Ms. Sterling. She stood poised behind the overhead board, her hands elegantly folded in front of her.

"Good morning everyone," Ms. Sterling greeted.

"Good morning," all of us said. However, just a few managed to complete the sentence with "Ms. Sterling," as they had easily discerned her name upon entering the room through her prominently displayed nameplate. The majority of us, on the other hand, remained oblivious... until, perhaps, this very moment.

Ms. Sterling displayed evident displeasure at the fact that only a handful of us had been aware of her name during our initial greeting. "Sounds like the rest of you didn't bother to look at the top front of my desk," she said as glanced around the room. "Most if you didn't even bother to say good morning to me," she slightly flipped her hands in the air before crossing her hands again. "Now it's that rude or not?"

Instead of providing an immediate response to the question, all of us exchanged gradual looks, and many began to murmur amongst themselves.

Ms. Sterling's frustration was palpable as none of us responded promptly to her question. "I'm asking you guys again is it rude or not?" She posed the question once more, her expression now marked by a sense of bewilderment.

"Yeah," Cinnamon added, briefly casting her gaze downward at her desk before lifting her gaze to meet Ms. Sterling's eyes, a subtle smirk adorning her face. "It's rude."

"Get your smirk off your face young lady it's not even funny," Ms. Sterling told her.

"Sorry," Cinnamon said while still smirking. "We may not probably know who your real name is."

We all reacted with shock and "ooh!"

Ms. Sterling's frustration was swift to emerge. "Listen, let's not begin this, alright!" Her voice raised as she pointed a finger, her gaze sweeping across us before returning. "And I won't tolerate any nonsense today!" Her reprimand was directed towards the entire group. "It's the inaugural day of high school, and none of you want to ruin it... am I right?"

"No!" We shook our heads...and with a little smile and laughter; at least THAT didn't concern her.

"Alright," remarked Ms. Sterling. "Let's now delve into the matter at hand."

Following her introduction, during which she provided her name and an overview of the English class's structure, she proceeded to assign our first task. Interestingly, this initial assignment wasn't strictly educational in nature.

"Alright y'all with me," Ms. Sterling said with a slight grin still on her face.

"Yeah," most of us said together.

"Alright, at this moment, I'd like each of you to take a sheet of notebook paper and begin crafting a piece about yourselves," Ms. Sterling elaborated. "The length doesn't matter—whether it's concise or comprehensive, I'm interested in learning who you are, your present self, and your self-description. That's the task at hand. So, grab a fresh sheet of notebook paper and commence penning your self-description." With these instructions, she then proceeded to move to her right, heading towards her desk. "Feel free to converse as you wish, BUT KEEP IT DOWN!" Her voice became more stern before she returned to her desk. "Because if I happen to catch any excessive noise, I will enforce complete silence for the remainder of the school year. Do you want that outcome?"

"No!" We shouted.

"Alright then!" Ms. Sterling said.

As I cast my gaze around the entire classroom, I glanced at the three remaining empty seats: With just three empty seats remaining and Ms. Sterling yet to complete attendance, the introduction activity we engaged in could very well serve as a way for her to mark our presence... at least for the initial session of English class.

Then Cheyanne and Cayleen entered the classroom. Cheyanne’s expression briefly shifted into a near smile as she saw me, accompanied by a wave in my direction.

In response, I waved at her back.

However, her smile swiftly diminished and went thunderstruck upon noticing me seated between Cinnamon and Cymberly. For a fleeting moment, I was puzzled by her sudden change in demeanor. Yet, when I turned my gaze back to Cinnamon, I got stumbled by Cinnamon’s shock and observed her raised eyebrows as she looked at Cheyanne, a suspicion arose that there might be an underlying tension between the two girls, possibly indicating a disagreement or dislike.

"Cinnamon!" Cheyanne shouts.

"Cheyanne!" Cinnamon shouts.

Ms. Sterling's eyes rolled in response to the disruption among the students, prompting her to step in and restore order.

"Oh my god, what's the heck is going here?" Ms. Sterling inquired, rising from her seat.

However, the query went unheard by the two girls, their attention riveted on each other.

Cheyanne approached Cinnamon, her voice edged with curiosity, "Cinnamon, what are you doing here?"

Cinnamon retorted, sounding as though she wasn't meant to be there, "What am I doing here? What are you doing here?"

"Because this is my new school, and I'm enrolled here," both girls simultaneously responded as their words are overlapping with each other. "You should leave the fuck out immediately!"

"Excuse me," Ms. Sterling interjected, extending her right hand in their direction. "No, no, no," she continued, shaking her hand gently. "Young lady with the medium-length curly hair," she addressed Cheyanne. "Please find any available empty seat to sit in."

This time, both girls did hear her, though they still avoided turning their gazes toward the teacher.

"Can I stand for a few more seconds?" Cheyanne inquired of Ms. Sterling.

"No, please sit over there," Ms. Sterling pointed to the vacant desks on her left.

"I just want to ask my so-called classmate a question," Cheyanne mentioned, referring to Cinnamon.

"Go ahead, you have thirty seconds," Ms. Sterling stated, her arms crossed. "Before I call security and escort you to detention."

"That's perfectly fine... it won't be my ass that is gonna be heading towards detention. It'll be Cinnamon's," Cheyanne retorted.

"Bullshit. Don't sweat it, Cheyanne," Cinnamon responded. "It’s your ass that is gonna be heading towards detention."

"Oh my FREAKING GOD, twenty seconds left," Ms. Sterling announced, beginning a countdown.

"Alright, here's the question," Cheyanne began. "Why are you spending time with Calhoun, the guy seated beside you?"

Cinnamon's eyebrows once again shot up, this time upon realizing that Cheyanne was familiar with my name. "You know Calhoun?" Cinnamon inquired.

"Cheyanne, just take it easy," Cayleen reassured. "Stay calm."

"Thanks, Cayleen," Cheyanne acknowledged, then shifted her gaze back to Cinnamon. "Now, kindly step away from Calhoun," she instructed her.

"I won't step away from him," Cinnamon firmly asserted.

"Alright, you two," Ms. Sterling interjected, gesturing to the chairs once more. "Please find your seats."

Cheyanne and Cayleen exchanged sighs before complying

"Calhoun, please exercise caution when Cinnamon is nearby," Cheyanne cautioned. "She's liable to snap at you if you get too close."

"Excuse me, ma'am, but I won't," Cinnamon retorted.

"That's enough bickering, both of you, take your seats," Ms. Sterling instructed.

"Alright," Cheyanne and Cayleen replied in unison, pivoting around and making their way to two unoccupied seats. They settled down next to each other at their respective desks.

Nearly ten minutes later, Ms. Sterling rose from her desk.

"Alright, time's up!" Ms. Sterling said. "Set your pens or pencils aside!"

We all complied as she moved back behind the overhead board.

"Okay, it's time for each of you to introduce yourselves to your classmates. Don't hold back or resist. Your peers aren't your adversaries. We're not here to create enemies. I want you all to build connections, not divisions," Ms. Sterling explained with a smile. "Let's begin. Who's ready to go first? How about we start with the ladies?"

Throughout the class period there are five girls that have been introduced to us. No, Cinnamon, Cymberly, Cheyanne nor Cayleen have presented but they will the next day.