Helvetica High School

Chapter 1 : Firsts

“I CALL FIRST!”

“YOU GOT FIRST LAST TIME! IT’S MY TURN!”

“I’M OLDER!”

“BY ONE YEAR!”

“STILL OLDER!”

“THAT-”

“We’re here!” Mom yelled, cutting off the argument. Sam and I pressed our faces against the windows at once, staring up at the huge grey house in front of us. There was a long driveway that led to two garage doors and a pathway to the front door.

“FIRST COME, FIRST PICK!” Sam screamed as he shoved the car door open and crawled over me. I yelped and tried to push his curly blonde hair out of her face while trying to get out. “Sam! Your fat butt is covering the exit!” I whined, “MOVE IT!”

“Jasmine! How dare you? It is not fat!” Sam exclaimed dramatically, finally freeing himself and landing on the floor headfirst. I cackled as I stepped over him and sprinted to the front door. I looked at my father, a tall man in his 40’s with a small pudgy belly. I motioned for the keys and he threw it as hard as he could. I leaned forward to catch it and saw a blur out of the corner of my eye.

Sam.

He jumped high in the air, like a goat, hand reaching out and the keys landed neatly in his fingers. He grinned mockingly at me, blue eyes twinkling mischievously as he twirled the keys in his fingers. “I got it first,” he sang.

I scowled and crossed my arms. “Doesn’t matter. It’s first come first pick and I got here first.”

“Can you guys stop fighting and actually open the door?” Annabelle, my twin, asked. Her blonde hair still looked perfect as usual, despite being in the car for four hours. Her blue eyes looked tired and sleepy from the long trip. I was almost the opposite of Annabelle with wavy dark brown hair and a stockier build. Our only shared feature was our blue eyes.

I shared a look with Sam, both of us communicating with our eyes. Even though Annablle and I were twins, I'd always been closer to Sam.

“Who are you?” Sam suddenly blurted in a valley girl voice. He looked at me and flicked a hand towards Annabelle. “Do we know this girl, Tiffany?”

“Uh, I don’t think so. We’d never, like, talk to blonds.” I replied in an equally sassy voice. I cocked my hip to the side and flipped my ponytail. “What do you want?”

Annebelle gave us a deadpan stare, “Just open the door you idiots.”

Sam scowled. “You’re no fun.”

“Ugh!” Annabelle yelled, looking ready to pull her hair out. “Just open the door-”

“Hey! What are you doing there?” A deep voice yelled.

Their heads whipped around to see a teenage boy staring at them accusingly, a sports duffle bag was in his left hand and a water bottle in the other. His tan skin was covered in sweat and the front of his grey shirt was wet. He had dark brown hair that barely reached his eyebrows and was plastered to his forehead. His honey brown eyes met my hazel ones before they shifted over to the side. To Annabelle.

I glanced at Annabelle too and saw her staring back at him, her eyes wide. She quickly brushed little strands of her hair down as subtly as possible and gave him a bright smile. “Hi, sorry. We just moved in. My name’s anim- Annabelle.”

A small amused smirk appeared on his lips as he introduced himself. “Donovan. Nice to meet you."

“Nice to meet you too. I’m guessing you’re my neighbor?” Asked Annabelle slowly.

“Yeah. I live right there.” He jerked his head in the direction of a house fifteen feet to the right of ours. “My mom did mention that we'd be having new neighbors and prepared dinner for yall. Will you come?”

“I-”

“My name is Sam. And I want to eat too.” Sam piped up suddenly.

I punched his arm. “Dude, they were having a moment! You just took away our chance to claim the best rooms!”

“Oh, don’t worry. Annabelle’s going for the right side.” Sam said knowingly. “I can feel it in my bones.”

Rolling my eyes, I snached the keys from him. “You don’t know that. She’ll probably skip a step and camp right outside his house.”

“What do you mean? She’d probably sneak in. Annabelle doesn’t-”

“That’s enough!” Annabelle yelled, clamping a hand over Sam’s mouth. Her cheeks were red in embarrassment and she gave Donovan an apologetic smile. “Sorry for that. They haven’t matured yet.”

Donovan smiled back, flashing perfect white teeth that could blind someone. “It’s fine. I’m gonna head in and get ready. See you soon.” He waved and headed into his house, leaving us three standing there awkwardly.

Annabelle released Sam with a sigh and stared at Donovan’s house with a dreamy look on her face. She was us staring at her weirdly and furrowed her eyebrows. “What?”

I pointed at my cheek. “You got some drool right there.”

“WHAT? SERIOUSLY?”

I stumbled into the house laughing like a dying donkey. Sam followed after me, a small smirk on his face. “First come, first pick.”

“You’re on. Three, two, one… GO!” i yelled, sprinting up the steps.

Not this time, Sam.

__________

A few hours later, all our stuff had been unpacked and rooms chosen and checked. I had picked a nice room with a wooden floor and dark grey blue walls. Our furniture was supposed to come in a week, so we were going to be sleeping on the floor for now.

I wiped sweat off my forehead as I placed a fat box down. It weighed, like 250 pounds, and was nearly broken. Mom stared down at the box and blinked twice. “Dear, that goes in the kitchen.”

I groaned and picked the box up again. My legs burned as I stood up but I forced myself to move. Just a few more boxes and I can rest and eat all those snacks I packed…

“Jasmine!” Dad yelled. He stumbled into the house with two boxes in his arms. “There’s a few more boxes in the truck. After that, it’s all plastic bags and food."

I nodded and dragged my body to the truck we had driven. It was already almost 5, so we had been unloading and setting up for 3 hours. I jumped into the truck and saw four big boxes, 12 small ones, and the food. I snatched a granola bar and plopped it into my mouth before picking up one of the big boxes. I carefully exited the truck, making sure not to drop the box.

“Hey.”

“WHA-” I spun around and nearly slammed the box into a boy a head taller than me.

“Woah.” He said, putting a hand out to steady the box. “You good?”

Realizing it was Donovan, I relaxed and nodded. “Yep.” I repositioned my arms and cocked an eyebrow at him. “Can I help you?”

He stared at me for a moment and shrugged, putting his hands in his jogger pockets. “My mom just wanted to confirm that you guys are coming over for dinner.”

I nodded. “I’ll ask. Be back soon.”

“Do you need any help?” he asked, giving the box in my arms a doubtful stare.

I rolled my eyes. “I’m fine. But if you want, you can grab another box.” I tipped my head in the direction of the inside of the truck.

He hoisted himself in and grabbed a box before following me to my new house. I kicked open the door and stepped in. “Mom! Our neighbor wants to eat with us! Yes or no?!”

My mom walked in, a bottle of paper towel wipes in one hand and a spray bottle in the other. “What hon- oh, hi there.”

Donovan gave her a polite smile, his hands occupied with the box. I dropped the box on the floor and pushed it to the wall. He copied my movements and gave my mother another bright smile. “My mom would like to know if you want to come over in an two hours and eat with us.”

“Oh, well, if it’s not a bother to you, then we’ll gladly join.”

“Oh, it’s fine. She’s been preparing for your arrival for several days.”

“Aw, how sweet! Your mother sounds like a lovely woman.” My mom cooed.

“She is. And I think she’ll like you too.” Donovan said.

“Aww! You’re such a swee-”

“Imma go…” I said, pointing my thumb at the door. “There’s still a lot of boxes, so… yeah.”

“I’ll help you.” Donovan volunteered. He waved bye to my mother and followed me back to the truck.

“If you’re waiting for Annabelle, she’s inside, putting everything into order.” I told him.

“Oh yeah. That reminds me. What’s your name?” he asked as we approached the truck.

“Annabell without the e.” I blurted randomly.

"Annabell?"

"Yea, our parents aren't the most creative people on this planet."

He stared at me in disbelief and I snorted. “Sorry, couldn’t resist. My name’s Jasmine.” I said as I handed him a box before retrieving my own. He only nodded silently and the rest of the time we just dragged boxes back and forth, from the truck to the house.

I swear I'm funny. It's just no one gets my humour.

By the time we were done, I was sweating and Donovan was panting. I crashed to the floor with the last box and kicked it to the wall. Donovan, who still had some strength left in his body, dropped his box on top of mine before crashing down besides me. I elbowed him. “Tired already? You did 10 boxes.”

“Yeah? Well I just had football practice for five hours.” he grunted. He sat up and rubbed his back in pain. “What’s in those boxes? They’re so heavy.”

I shrugged and slid down further, to the point i was almost laying down on the floor completely. “I don’t know, my mom’s fifty pound pans?”

“Jas, where do you want me to- oh, D-d-donovan.” Annabelle stuttered as she came into the room. I would’ve smirked at her if I didn’t notice my signed NIKE MERLIN ball in her hands. At once, my eyes narrowed and a small hiss escaped my mouth.

They both stared at me in worry and surprise. “Jas? Look, I can explain. I was going to ask you where I should-”

“GET YOUR HANDS AWAY FROM MY BALL!” I screamed, lunging at her. She let out a surprised squeal and threw it at my face. I caught it and checked it for any marks on the surface. There was nothing except for the black signature.

She glared at me. “Stop overreacting.”

I made a face at her and climbed up the steps to my room. “I’m going, Donovan’s been waiting to talk to you all night.”

I should get an award for being the best wingwoman in the world. I placed my ball on a blanket in my room and grabbed my other ball. I was bored and we still had about one and a half hours until dinner with our neighbors. I burst into Sam’s room, aimed my ball, and hit him in the chest.

“DUDE!” sam yelled, cradling his skinny body. He scowled. “That hurt.”

I shrugged, “We have this huge backyard. Wanna play?”

“Aren’t we supposed to help mom unpack?”

I rolled my eyes. “Dad and I did the boxes. You can help mom unpack, but I’m going out. Bye.” i left him to unpack his clothes and kicked the ball down the stairs.

“OW!” Donovan suddenly yelled.

Oops.

I slid down the steps and retrieved my ball before looking at him. He was holding his stomach in pain and glared at me.

“Sorry!” I called as I nutmegged Annabelle.

“JASMINEE!” Annabelle whined. I snickered to myself and continued to do random tricks to the backyard. Suddenly, the ball was stolen from me and i looked to the side to find Sam smirking as he zoomed passed me.

“HEY!” I yelled. “THAT'S NOT FAIR!”

He just kicked the ball to the porch in response. I chased after him and raced to stop him from scoring against the fence wall. Luckily, my brother was a clumsy kid and he tripped over his own foot halfway there. I stole the ball from him and ran a few steps before scoring into the space in front of the porch.

“GOAAAL!” I screamed, running around the perimeter with my arms out. I burst out laughing at Sam, who was just as dramatic. He was on the floor fake crying and pounding the ground.

“You cheated!” he accused. “I demand a penalty kick!”

I made a face at him. “Not my fault you suck.” I retrieved the ball and placed the ball on the ground. Ignoring his whines, I eyed the ball carefully and took a few steps forward before kicking it. Hard.

“-and it’s not fair! You were in the- EY!” he screamed, ducking just in time. The ball shot straight through where his head would’ve been, grazing the tips of his hair.

Unfortunately, it didn’t stop there. It continued to fly high and across the whole backyard, before disappearing over the fence. I winced and made a face. “Oops.”

“Oops for the ball going so very far, or oops for the ball nearly hitting my head?” sam asked, scowling at me. “And could you please stop doing that? One day, my head could actually come off.”

I shrugged and started making my way towards the fence. “You duck every time, so I'll stop when you actually get hit. Oh, and tell mom I’ll be back after getting my ball. Bye.”

“Meany.” He huffed as I walked past him. I just sniggered and started into a light jog. It was getting dark and I was scared that some dude would find my ball and take it. I climbed the wooden fence and hopped off, landing on the floor lightly. Looking up, my eyes grew wide in delight. There was a forest in our backyard. I had seen the trees, and assumed they were just put there in a line. But nope, there was a whole, big, fat, forest.

I carefully entered the forest and grabbed a thick stick as a precaution. I glanced around and walked deeper in. my ball had flown straight and high, so it was bound to have hit branches. It could be anywhere.

Great way to start your new life here. Spending the first day looking for a ball in some forest- white!

I made my way to something white hidden by a bush. I swatted at it with my stick and frowned when I realized it was just some dirty t-shirt. However, another thing caught my eye. And that was the human silhouette standing only 7 feet away from me.

I let out a surprised yelp and flung my stick at his face before bursting off into a sprint.

“Ow- HEY!” the guy roared. I ignored him and continued to run away, jumping and ducking under random branches. I hoisted myself over the fence and landed on my feet, before my body decided that it was sleepy and face planted on the floor.

“Ow…” I groaned. I rolled over onto my back and stared at the sky. First day here and my neighbor was a boy, I’ve met a homeless dude, my back hurt, and my clothes were caked with dirt.

Awesome way to start a new life.

__________

After taking a quick shower and changing into a white graphic tee and jeans, we headed over to Donovan’s house. It was a short walk, but in that 30 second walk, my sister managed to style me up a little.

“Let me do your hair!” Annabelle whisper hissed.

I shrunk away from her and gave her a glare. “What’s wrong with it? Ponytails are trending, aren’t they?”

She rolled her eyes. “You wear them everyday. It’s time for a little change. Plus, it doesn't go with your outfit. Oh, and tuck your shirt in.”

“What? No!”

She gave me a look and I made a face at her.

Three seconds later, my shirt was tucked in and my hair was up in a semi messy bun. Small wavy strands of hair kept on falling on my face. I blew it away in annoyance.

I glanced over at Annabelle. She was wearing a pink jean skirt with a white long sleeved off shoulder shirt tucked into her skirt and her honey blonde hair cascaded down her back in curls.

“It’s like a troll standing next to a fairy.” Sam added.

“Sam! That’s mean!” Annabelle scowled at him.

"Yea Sam! Don't you dare hurt my poor twin's feelings!" I said protectively as I wrapped my arms around Annabelle.

Sam only cackled in response.

Annabelle rolled her eyes and pushed me away. “You guys are so childish."

"Oh my, it's almost like we ARE children." Sam gasped, staring at me in shock.

“Oh my gosh, shut up." Annabelle groaned.

Sam burst out laughing again as we entered Donovan’s driveway. We made it to the front door and before we could knock, it was opened by a short plump woman with twinkling eyes and red cheeks. She gave as a bright smile and at once I knew where Donovan's perfect smile came from. “Welcome! My name is Martha. Come in, come in. I’ve prepared a big dinner. I had no idea what foods you guys liked so I made everything.”

I pressed my lips together to suppress an excited smile. My parents looked rather surprised by the sudden speech and just gave the nice woman a smile. We entered the house and admired the homey feeling it gave. The house was identical to ours, except certain colors on the wall gave it a different feeling.

“Nice to meet you, Martha.” My mom said with her own bright smile. “My name is Cassandra and this is my husband Michael, and our children Annabelle, Jasmine, and Sam.”

We each gave some form of greeting when our names were mentioned. Martha looked ecstatic when she saw us. She grabbed Annabelle’s hand and peered up at her face closely. “Donovan did say you were pretty, but you look like a supermodel! Such nice eyes and lips. Oh, and your smile is just amazing. Have you ever modeled before, dear?”

“Um, nothing big. Just a few school photos.” Annabelle said, blushing so hard she looked like a cherry.

Martha clicked her tongue. “Well, I’m sure sooner or later, a modelling company will pick you up.” She gave Annabelle another dazzling smile before shaking Sam’s hand. “And you. My, both you and your sister have such beautiful faces! Symmetrical, high cheekbones, beautiful eyes.” She faced our parents. “He’s going to be a real lady killer when he grows up.”

And finally, she faced me. "Goodness, dear. What a beautiful face you have. Your parents have some strong genes I see."

I only smiled tightly in return. Compliments made me uncomfortable. Don't get me wrong, I loved them. But how are you supposed to react after that?

As she led us to the dining room, Annabelle shook my arm. "Isn't she such a sweet lady? She complimented all of us so quickly and sincerely."

"Perfect to be your mother-in-law."

“No-”

“Whose mother-in-law?” Donovan asked, suddenly appearing besides me. I scowled at him before my face broke into a smile.

“You said Annabelle was pretty to your mom.” I stated.

He blinked twice at me before chuckling and glancing at Annabelle. “What was I supposed to say? She said describe our neighbors, so I did.”

Annabelle blushed even more and smacked his arm. “Stop it.”

Donovan merely smirked as he took a seat besides Annabelle.

The dinner proceeded and the grown ups talked about the usual boring stuff while Sam and I giggled quietly together as Donovan made his horribly done pick up line advances towards Annabelle. At least she looked like she was having fun.

__________

"Bye you guys!! Come again soon! You were all such a joy to be around!" Mrs. Martha yelled as she dismissed us from her door.

"Good night." Donovan said as Annabelle passed in front of him. "Bye everyone. Thank you for coming."

Annabelle blushed and gave him a small wave. "Farewell."

Sam and I stared at one another in shock and immediately rushed her to the house to avoid further embarassment.

"Shut up. Don't you dare say anything." Annabelle groaned tiredly.

"Wouldn't dare." I said as I threw my shoes off into the corner. I trudged up the stairs, my siblings following after me. We had ended up staying till 11 PM, and after a long day of physical work, I was ready to pass out on the bed.

Annabelle sighed tiredly. "That was one heck of a dinner."

"Hecking long." Sam agreed.

"Full of hecking giggles too." I added.

"Heck, the room was kinda red."

"Thanks to someone's hecking face."

"What are you guys even going on about?" Annabelle groaned tiredly as we finally reached the top of the stairs. "I swear, you two are like the weirdest gremlins-"

"AND with that, I bid you all good night." Sam yelled, disappearing into his room.

"Farewell!" I yelled in return.

"OMG YOU GUYS! STOP!"

Finally, after a long day full of activities and work, it was time to sleep. The best part of the day. I did my nightly routine and snuggled into the bed. So far, everything had been going pretty smoothly. It had been a fun day filled sweaty work, good food, and a comforting place. I think I'm going to like it here.

__________

Starting another story when I haven't even completed the last one.

Say hello to one of my favorite characters! I'll drop the character designs in the next few chapters.

Thank you for reading!