It was the morning of the first day of school. My room was finally un-packed and my school supplies were in a stack on my desk. I lay in my bed unable to move. I did not want to get up. I remembered the school in California. I was always teased by the other kids. The popular students would joke, play mean tricks and make hurtful comments. My mom kept me from rolling back over to go back to sleep for she yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

“Michelle, you have thirty minutes before we have to leave. I’ll bring your breakfast in the car so you can eat while I am registering Joy at her school.” As I thought about my day, I was a little excited to see my school library. I really wanted to check out the twelfth book in the Lemony Snicket series. Like always, I prayed that God would help me with my day and to make the right choices to please Him. Then, I put my feet on the floor and started my day. Since I had chosen what I was going to wear last night I did not have to figure out what to wear.

Mom and Joy were waiting in the car, when I finally made it downstairs. I quickly took my medicine and grabbed my water bottle. I jumped into the car and we headed to Joy’s school. I ate the sausage egg burrito that Mom had prepared for breakfast. When she climbed back into the car, she handed me $5.00 to purchase a school lunch and we started toward the middle school.

I looked at the school map and the schedule I was given as my mother filled out the school paperwork. Then, the receptionist told us how to get to the nurse’s office.
When we got there the nurse asked me what the medicine was for. I told her that it was for my adrenal insufficiency. She said that I could not keep them with me like I did in California. I would have to have a form filled out so that I could take them in her office on a daily basis. Mom was already prepared for she had brought a form printed with all the information the nurses needed to know about my condition. She filled out the medical permission form so I could take what I needed at school. All of a sudden, I heard the most annoying sound in the world. It was the bell. It sounded like there was a phone in every room and every single one had gone off.

At first, I was not sure what class to go to. I did not see a homeroom on my schedule. So I asked the nurse if I went to the first class on my schedule which was science. She said to go to my homeroom teacher which was my fifth period class. Since our conversation was going to make me late for my first class, she gave me a pass and I went to reading.

When I got there, I saw the tallest teacher I had ever seen. Mister Jones was at least 6’ 5”. I did not get much time to get to know him for the bell rang and I had to go to my first period class. However, my first impression was that he was really funny and that he could brighten my day no matter what may happen. I looked forward to fifth period class with him.

Science with Mrs. Cowart was going to be hard for in the past I have not done well. She seemed to be very understanding and easy to get along with so I might excel in her class. Then English was after that and my teacher was Mrs. Thomas. She was a petite lady that spoke quietly. I sat in the front row so I could hear her. Next was Gym which is the subject I hate the most. Because of my condition, I overheat quickly and sweat like a pig. I have never been very athletic and I am quite slow due to my size. I liked Mrs. Brown for she said she grades our participation not how well we perform. Maybe this year I will like gym. After that class, I met Coach Kinnison who was my Texas history teacher. This class is a waste of my time. I didn’t want to come to Texas and I definitely do not want to learn about its history.

I finally made it to my fifth period. It was great to be in a class where I could enjoy myself. When I arrived at the class, Mr. Jones told me to go to the cafeteria for it was lunch time. I looked at my map and headed to the cafeteria. After lunch, I went to the nurse’s office and took my medicine. She asked how my day was going and how was lunch. I told her it was fine but that I was still hungry. She explained that taking a steroid makes most people hungry. She also said that steroids influence body metabolism, which is the process by which the body changes food into energy. I quickly headed for reading so I would not be late. I hit the door just as the bell rang. Mr. Jones told us to choose a book off his shelf and begin to read. He did not have to tell me twice. I was in heaven!

As I thought about my day and what Debbie was doing, I realized that I had an advantage in my new Texas school that I would not have had in California. Because I was in seventh grade, I was given the opportunity to choose two subjects that I wanted in my schedule. I chose Spanish and Choir. My Spanish teacher was named Mrs. Holloway. She had an accent for she had moved from Venezuela recently. Choir was my last class of the day. Mrs. Fannin seemed very nice and I felt like I might have another class where I could enjoy myself. Math was in between Spanish and Choir. I had always done well in math but I was about to learn pre-algebra. Mrs. Pace said to keep up with the homework and pay attention in class because algebra could become difficult if a student falls behind. After she finished speaking, she got a big "uhhhh” from the entire class.

That afternoon my mom came and picked me up. On the way home, she asked how my first day had been. I told her it was okay, but that I still liked California better. She said to give Texas a little more time. When I reached home, all I wanted to do was go to my room and read the book I had chosen in Mr. Jones’ reading class. That night after I had eaten dinner, I took a shower, prepared my clothes for tomorrow and finished reading the book I borrowed. Before I fell asleep, I decided to go to the library in the morning before homeroom to see if the book I wanted was available.