The First Day Of School, A Note In Your Locker And A Lunch Box.

• Holly Bowles, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2012

It was her first day of school and Caitlin did not know anyone at her school and was anxious to make new friends. She had transferred from her old school due to bulling reasons. It was unknown why she was bullied as she used to be a popular child with beautiful golden locks that draped down he back and glowing green eyes. As she entered the school grounds she got a few stares from teens standing in the hall way. She was immediately greeted by the principal’s assistant who showed her to her locker.

“Here is your locker Miss Black, there are subject books inside and here is you class schedule”.

She concluded handing Caitlin her class timetable.
Caitlin was unable to mutter a word as the women was gone as soon as she handed over the time table. On the timetable was a combination to the locker. Which read 6, 12, 25. Caitlin began to wind her lock with clicks as it opened.
She opens the locker and with a creak it swung slowly open. Her books were already stacked on the top shelf. There was a note stuck to the inside of the door of the locker. Caitlin just assumed it was a welcome note, but as she unfolded it, it read.

“I’m still here! Did you really think you could escape from me? Meet me in the cafeteria after school… do not bring company!”

She was confused, who could this be? What had she done wrong? The only one she thought it could possibly be was Jenifer her only friend from her old school who was the only one who knew what school she was moving to. The only problem was that Jenifer died last week in a car accident. Caitlin continued to move through school meeting some nice people and some mean ones as well. She finished first period maths and second period English and the whole time through class the only thing she could think about was whether she would go and meet this unknown note writer after school. As lunch passed she was convinced that she should go and just seen who this stranger was and what they wanted with her. Her last class was finished and the school grounds were a war zone packed with kids wanting to head home from a hard day of work and learning. As she walked to her locker getting pushed buy children running to buses, and by the time she got to her locker there was nearly no one left in the hallway. Caitlin gathered her books she needed for homework and checked her phone before walking towards the cafeteria. To her surprise there was no one at the cafeteria and nothing was left except a few neatly stacked chairs and a lunch box siting on the top of the table in the middle. This lunch box looked familiar, it was Jennifer’s but what was it doing here?

As she scooted across the polished floors she got closer to the lunch box and carfully lifted the lid to find a ripped not and a rusty key with a tag on it reading ‘open this locker no. 46.’ Caitlin took the old lunch box and headed towards the locker no. 46 as she reached for the lock and carefully wound the key around inside the lock with a click it open. She took a deep breath and sighed with a creak it swung open. Revealing streamers and colourful posters. She read a note that sat in the middle of the locker and it said “HAPPY 16th BIRTHDAY CAITLIN” As she whispered the note to herself she heard a bag and all of her past friends and her family jumped out surprising her and making her jump. Through all the hustle and bustle of her first day of school she forgot it was her own birthday.