The Second Bell
By Melange
Copyright© 2014 Melange
All Rights Reserved.

TopShelf's Fall 2014 Back to School Contest

Didn't it start right here? Facing only herself, nothing more and nothing less. Like with many changes, it all began with a simple question: What if...

For once, she hadn't brushed it away as an idle thought. For once, she had listened to that feeling inside. A little like how your legs could get stiff if you sat down too long, a part inside her had grown stiff from being cramped up. She needed to stretch out. Stretch the wings of her imagination and soar.

But that was before, and today was the day. It was time to be brave.

The mirror was an old one. None in the family really knew where it came from. It was one of those old things that must've belonged to a grand-grandparent, or maybe some long-lost aunt. Either way, it was full-length and fit on an ornate iron frame that could be tilted. The hinges were old and worn, and the mirror would rest at an angle askew if it wasn't propped against a wall.

Askew. That was how Alexandra felt, as she looked at her reflection today. She was still so used to seeing her old self. Sometimes she did a double-take when she saw her mirror's likeness. She reached up and touched her hair, experimentally. It had been over a month since she had gone to the stylist with this image in her mind, but it looked so much different now that it had been drawn from the image in her mind and cast into reality.

Real. That was another feeling. Being real. She liked what she saw in the mirror, those blonde curls barely reaching down to her cheeks. So much different than how she had been when she had left middle school. But today would be the first day of high school. A new school, and a fresh start. A chance to make a new first impression. Alexandra touched her hair again, feeling it bounce back into place when she let it go.

The uniform was new, as well. She smoothed the skirt out carefully. Her old school hadn't used any uniforms, but there was a strange feeling of belonging attached to looking the part. The jacket felt snug, but not too tight. She had grown a little over the summer, in more ways than one. Those who had known her before would hardly recognise her now. In one way, she was counting on it. In another way, she was dreading it.

"Alex?" The voice was muffled, coming from downstairs.

She looked at the clock on the wall. It, too, was an old thing. She had picked it up at a flea market together with her mother last year. She remember saying that she liked how the birds painted behind the ticking hands looked so free, like they could fly anywhere in the world. Now, it was one of the first things she saw waking up. Waking up to freedom was a wonderful thing.

Alexandra checked her face one more time in the old mirror, making sure that every pimple was covered. She wanted to look her best today. Satisfied with who she saw looking back at her, she smiled and headed out of her room and down the carpeted stairs. Her stockinged feet barely made a whisper.

Ducking under a tall man's outstretched arms, she slipped into the kitchen and nabbed a waffle from the plate on the table. She twirled around and gave her dad a pixy-like grin.

"Someone's in a good mood today. Aren't you nervous?" He said, folding his arms instead when there were no hugs to be had.

"Thanks for the reminder! Of course I'm nervous." She barely stopped herself from touching her hair again. Leave it alone. It's perfect the way it is. "But that's okay, I guess. I'll just have to get over it."

Her mom turned around from where she was finishing preparing their lunches, licking some gravy off her thumb. It was mostly leftovers from the big dinner they had last evening. Having a roast for lunch at the next school might give her bonus points, if one cared about things like that. Or maybe it'd mark her as a weirdo. Either way, she wasn't going to turn down mom's roast. It was as delicious as the her excitement when she had returned home from the stylist that time. Spicy, tender and warm.

"I look at you, and I hardly recognise you," her mom said with a wistful look on her face. The red hair that framed her face had until recently been one of the few things they had shared. Now, that had changed, but they had found new things they had in common. "You're so different now, Alex. Almost all grown up, but not what I had expected."

"You said you were okay with it, mom. Also, it's 'Alexandra', not Alex," she reminded her mother.

"I'm sorry. Force of habit." Her mom handed out the boxes with a kiss on her husband's cheek, and one on her child's head.

There had been some changes. Alexandra keenly remembered the look on her mom's face when she had come back from the hairstylist. Not to mention the raised voices when her parents had found out that she had pierced her ears, as well. She couldn't blame them, honestly. She had been very different up until recently. Mostly playing sports and games with the boys in her old school. Certainly not wearing skirts like today! Yes, there had been changes.

The sound of the doorbell broke her daydreaming, idly chewing on her waffle. She heard her dad move up the hallway and open the door. Soon after, his voice grew loud enough to be heard even in the kitchen.

"Alex-andra? It's your... friend."

The pause told her who it must be. Her parents tried to avoid the overprotective trope as best as they could, but Alexandra knew that they disapproved of Dawn. They felt she was a bad influence on Alexandra, and possibly to blame for what had happened at the start of the summer holiday. In part, they were right. Had it not been for Dawn, Alexandra would never have found the courage to change herself like she had.

"Dawn! I'll be right out." Alexandra grabbed her backpack and gave her mom a tight hug, earning a surprised laugh in return. This last month had brought them closer, in many ways.

By the stairs of their porch waited Alexandra's best friend. Not her oldest, but certainly her best. Her dad was leaning on the doorpost, making polite conversation, but his body language making clear that Dawn wasn't coming inside. Not yet, though. It was just another thing they were working on.

"Hey there, blondie!" Dawn called out, leaning to the side to see past the shoulder of the man in the door. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah. Just give me a moment to find my shoes."

It was strange. Alexandra had put out her shoes and clothes last night, to make sure everything was just right, but now her eyes immediately went to her old and worn trainers. They were a lot more comfortable. But they were Alex's shoes, not Alexandra's. She should throw them out, or give them away if anyone wanted them. Instead, she grabbed the polished black flats her mother had suggested when they went shopping last week.

Dawn was a tall girl, almost able to look Alexandra's dad straight in the eyes was it not for how she stood on the bricked path through their lawn, rather than on the porch itself. Unlike Alexandra, she wore her dark brown hair long, tumbling in a mess down her shoulders and beyond. The eyeliner she wore was only one of the reasons why Alexandra's parents felt she was bad for their child. Dawn must also have rolled up the waist of her skirt, because even considering her long legs the hem rode higher than on Alexandra.

"Nice talking with you, Mr Sullivan," Dawn said with a cheeky smile that really didn't help matters any.

"You just be safe now," Alexandra's dad said to his child, giving a meaningful glance at both Dawn and the road. Was he waiting out here just to give her a last chance to accept his offer of driving them?

"I will. Love you, dad." She gave her dad a peck on his cheek, a little like her mom had done.

"Love you too, Alex," he replied with mixed fondness and worry.

"Alexandra!" She called over her shoulder, as she hooked arms with Dawn and headed off.

"One of these days I'll remember," he mumbled to himself, wondering just when his child had turned into a woman.

Both Alexandra and Dawn lived in that strange twilight-zone between where it was convenient to walk to school, and where you could take the bus. Reasonably, it was perfect bicycling distance, but Dawn didn't own one and Alexandra didn't want to. Especially not now when she was wearing a skirt. Asking for a parent to drive them was out of the questions, of course. You didn't want to be the kid who got dropped off on the first day of school. First impressions mattered.

"Dad doesn't mean to be such a bear, you know?" Alexandra said as they walked. She felt like she had to defend him, even if he was wrong. That's family, wasn't it? "He's just, well, they're still adjusting."

"Don't fret it. 'sides, my mom can get even worse." Dawn made a small grimace.

"How did she take it when, uh, she found out?" Alexandra changed the subject, still fretting a little on the inside.

"Let's just say she wasn't all that happy. I'm not sure who she blames more."

"What? That's not fair. It isn't anybody's fault. These things just happen sometimes.

"Yeah. Life's a weird thing. She... she actually moved out, living with my grandparents now. It's been pretty tough. Luckily, dad's been a rock during all of this."

"That's awful. I'm so sorry, Dawn."

"Yeah. Let's talk about happier things. You're pretty brave going to school like that. Even if it's a new school, you can bet a lot of our old classmates might be going there, too."

"The thought might have crossed my mind," Alexandra mumbled, thinking of the nightmare from a few nights back. She regretted seeing that old horror film, Carrie. It gave her subconscious demons too many ideas.

They stopped and waited for traffic to pass before crossing the street. Dawn walked when the light was still red. Alexandra waited just a little before hurrying after. She wondered if this constituted 'bad influence'?

In hindsight, most of the crazy or impulsive things she's done, it was together with Dawn. Sitting behind Alexandra on her bike as they rode down a steep, long hill. Bungee jumping at a county fair after drinking milkshakes. Sneaking into a rock concert by climbing over the fence. Coming dressed in 70ies disco outfits for a 50ies Grease-themed school dance. The Cinnamon challenge. All the fun things.

"However, I'm not the only one who is being brave." Alexandra smiled up at Dawn, who just shrugged her shoulders. Nothing seemed to faze the tall brunette.

"Don't let anyone tell you how to be you, blondie."

Even with Dawn's reassurance, Alexandra couldn't help but worry about how the other girls would accept her. Especially the ones from their old school. Would they tease her? Would they talk behind her back? She worried about Dawn, too. How would she fit into their new school? Would who they had been, and what they had done, follow them there as well?

Several years ago

It had rained yesterday, and the sports field was still wet, muddy even. They all skid around despite having their trainers on. Alex pushed some sweaty, red hair away and looked around.

"Alex! I'm open!" One of the other players on the blue team waved.

Alex kicked the ball hard, sending it flying towards where Ray and Donald were marking some of the red team. Ray managed to headbutt the ball further so it reached the intended player, who drove it all the way to the other end of the field and scored a goal!

Soon afterwards, the gym teacher blew his whistle, and the match was at an end. Team Blue exchanged victorious high-fives, with only the requisite minimum of taunting the losing team.

"Alex, you kick like a girl!" Ray laughed, wiping his face with a towel where the mud of the ball had smeared across his forehead. "If I hadn't jumped in there, we would've lost."

"I still kick better than you." Don't stick your tongue out. Don't stick your tongue out. Damnit, tongue!

"Can't really argue with that, can you? You kick with all the zest of a boiled potato, Ray." The lanky boy grabbed Alex's shoulder, and gave a small shake.

"Screw you, Donald," the dark-haired boy shot back, but still too high on them winning to take any real offense. Still, Ray and Donald were never on the best of terms.

Donald just laughed at that. Just like he laughed at so many things life threw at him.

"Thanks, Don," Alex said, looking up with a smile.

"Don't fret it. Just kick better next time, okay?" With that, Donald ducked away out of reach.

"I'll show you kicking!" The chase was on.

The walk must have taken them longer than they expected. When they were still two blocks away, they could hear the bells calling all students to their homerooms. They both quickened their paces and all but jogged through the gates. Dawn managed to stop them in time before they barrelled into one of the teachers standing just inside. He met the eyes of the two winded girls, and checked a clipboard in his hands.

"Tardy on the first day, yes? Not a good precedence to set."

"Hello, Mr McAllister," Alexandra greeted the older man. Just her luck. McAllister had been a teacher at their old school. A strict man, with a fondness for rules. They had heard rumours that he had moved to the high school to avoid the 'little demons' and deal with teenagers, instead. Alexandra vaguely remembered him as a math teacher. Or maybe physics. Something with clearly established rules, anyway.

"And who would you be?" He raised a bushy eyebrow above the clipboard.

"Alex... Alexandra Sullivan."

"I remember a Sullivan from-" He began.

"Yes, that's me, Mr McAllister. I changed... my hair," Alexandra said, awkwardly. Last they had met, Alex had still been such a tomboy, wearing a t-shirt and trousers like most of her friends. No wonder the teacher barely recognised her now.

"So I see. Bleached blonde seems to be a... thing, today. And that must make this one your frequent partner in delinquency." The teacher turned his eyes on Dawn, who just flashed a wide, innocent grin.

"Hi!" She said, clasping her hands behind her back.

"Donald Connelly. That is no way for a proper young man to dress."

"It's Dawn now, not Don, Mr McAllister. And it's a skirt, not a dress."

"Connelly!" The teacher began, his face growing a little red.

Dawn sighed, and slung her own backpack off her shoulder. She held up one hand with a finger in the air, the universal sign to wait, kneeling down and digging around inside with the other. She finally came up with a clear plastic folder holding a document safe from creases.

"What's this, then?" Mr McAllister scowled at the offered paper. With a suspicious glance at Dawn, he pushed his glasses back up the hawklike nose and read what was written. A few times he stopped, and looked up again, as if to confirm what he was seeing in those lines.

While Dawn was just patiently waiting for him to finish, Alexandra fidgeted. The silence was a little oppressive, but she forced herself to keep from humming. It was one the things she did when she felt stressed out, and it often annoyed people. Granddad had used the nickname 'little hummingbird'. She hadn't liked it very much back then, but now she could see how cute it was.

"While... highly unusual, all this seems to be in order, Connelly. I assume you are seeing the principal about this, as well? We will need to update your files, and notify the board. Among many other things. There are protocols about how this is done."

"I know, Mr McAllister. And, yes, I do."

"Can we go now, Mr McAllister?" Alexandra asked, biting her lip.

The teacher rubbed the bridge of his nose while he squeezed his eyes shut.

"No matter what you look like now, you two haven't changed a bit," Mr McAllister grumbled. "Still, the rules are the rules, whether they damn or save."

Dawn leaned in and bumped Alexandra with her hip.

"The dynamic duo wins again," she whispered, a little too loudly.

"Don't push it, Connelly!"

"Do you want me to come along? I don't want you to have to face this alone," Alexandra said to her friend.

"Don't fret it, blondie. I'll be fine. This is one of those fights I'll have to do on my own." Dawn smiled bravely, but they were close enough that Alexandra could see the worry hidden beneath the brave facade.

"You don't have to, you know?"

"Enough of this. Connelly, I want you in the principal’s office right away. Sullivan, don't make me give you another mark for tardiness. Your class has already begun."

"Yes, Mr McAllister," they said in unison.

Alexandra waved a little at Dawn, and hurried away. The second bell had already rung, but it would all be fine, she felt, coming back to school. This was a fresh, new start for both of them.