Chloe and Aiden: Life as a New Middle Schooler

Chapter 1: Yes, I’m Weird

Hey, what’s up? My name’s Chloe-Chloe Buckler. And I. Am. Weird. Period. I believe in aliens, ghosts, Bigfoot-all that stuff. Yeah.

The point is, I’m weird. I never really fit in at school because, as I said, I’m strange! I’ve always gotten the comment from someone at school every day that I’m “bizarro,” “wacky,” or “freaky”. It’s not just because of my beliefs; it’s also because of my appearance and personality. I dyed my hair purple and never regretted it. I draw a lot in class, and I’m not very smart. I also wear black, purple, and (sometimes) white clothes a lot, so people view me as “emo” or “goth”. And my jokes and comments aren’t really humorous at all, so no one laughs. Ever. 

My mom has always thought my personality and weirdness were a phase (I’ve been like this since 2nd grade) and that I’d grow out of it. But guess who’s still here with purple hair, an interest in anime, and phenomenal beliefs? Me, Chloe Buckler! That’s who!

“But don’t you ever get lonely?” This is something that SOME people who actually have a heart ask me. But, Nah! I don’t need friends. I’m just fine on my own. Alone without anyone. I’ve always been like that! And look how I turned out! Okay, for some of you, you might be thinking, Not fine, that’s what! But trust me, guys, I’m fine. I’m a crippling introvert and have 10% of social anxiety in me. I pretty much like being alone. 

Oh, right! Forgot to tell you guys where I live. I live in Arizona, where it’s pretty sultry and scorching hot. Yay, don’t you just love hot weather? Yeah, I didn’t think so. I go to a school called Brightside Middle School, but even though the teachers are nice, it’s the students that aren’t. If you don’t fit in, people leave you out of the crowd and ignore you when you try to speak to them. But some also might bully you. At the school, fitting in basically means “being normal and not odd”. That’s the exact opposite of me. Definitely weird and definitely not “normal”.

I’m a sixth grader at this school, and there are 3 girls that always annoy me and bully me a lot. Wanna know the sad thing? They’re literally always around me. No, seriously! The three girls are in almost all of my classes, are on my bus, and their lockers are next to mine. How unlucky and coincidental is that?

And to add to that, my parents are divorced. I live with my mom in Arizona, but my dad left my mom and me when I was 10 years old. I remember the last time my mom and dad argued was on my birthday, and they were talking about me. They argued about my weirdness and how my dad had had enough. He didn’t like how I was and saw I wasn’t going to change. So he left. 

But it’s in the past! It’s fine, and now I live with my mom. Life can’t get any worse, right?

Chapter 2: Why Do We Have to Move?

After school is over, my mom and I hang out in the house and outside during summer break. She also goes to work (she’s an artist) and paints murals at her studio. Then people pay her to buy the murals, and my mom shares some of her profits with the studio. 

One night, my mom makes me my favorite: chips, guacamole, and salsa. I dig in and eat the chips with the guacamole and salsa. Mmm. Delicious!

“Hey, Chloe. Enjoying your chips?” she asks. “Yep! They’re so yummy, Mom!” I reply joyfully. “So, um, I wanted to talk to you about something, and I think you might like to hear it.” Mom continues. “Alright, Mom,” I say. “So, what’s up?”

“Well, I know how people are rude and not nice to you at school, and the weather has been a bit unbearable lately. So…I decided.” Mom does a dramatic pause. “We should move to New York!” My heart sinks. Moving to New York? 

You might think that New York seems like a pretty awesome place to live in. But that’s across the country! Think about it: we’d be going from the southwest to the northeast of the U.S.! Plus, I would kind of miss my teachers. 

“What?? But, Mom, why? I’m doing fine here! I don’t need to move to some dumb city with big, flashy lights and tall buildings that are way too prideful with their structure!” I argue. “Oh, come on, Chloe! It’s a change for us, and it might be exciting. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find a new friend!” Mom says, looking at the bright side.

“Mom! Please, can we not move?” I beg. “Our home taxes are getting harder to pay, sweetie. We’re almost getting to the point where we can’t afford to pay our taxes and basic necessities.” Mom explains. “Plus, you’ve never experienced life in the city. It’ll be a new experience for you.” I open my mouth to argue back, but I start thinking. It would be kind of exciting to go to a new place, especially New York. I’ve never even been there, and I’ve never seen what urban life is like. So I hesitate for a few seconds, and then I tell Mom, “Okay. Let’s move to New York.”

“Great! And I’ve already found an apartment for us!” she says. We start to talk about other things like her job, and then I go to my room to get ready for bed. I’m thinking about the sudden move to New York. Should we really be doing this? My brain’s telling me, “Go to sleep. Sleep is good medicine for when you’re trying to figure things out.” You’re right, brain. So I go to bed after brushing my teeth and changing into my PJ’s. Two months later, before I knew it, we were organizing our stuff in our new apartment in New York. I still can’t believe it’s been two months since my mom told me we were moving. I mean, it’s just so…exciting to move to New York, but at the same time, it makes me feel weird. I don’t really know how to explain it, but if you were in my shoes, you’d understand it better. 

In two days, my first day of school starts. Today is Saturday, so to be prepared, we go shopping for school supplies. I know, I know, we should have gone before. But my mom has been busy lately trying to unpack our moving boxes and with work. It’s just a transition for us. So, yeah! Hehe…

After we finish shopping, we come back home and just relax. I read a little bit of my favorite book and then go to bed after getting into my pajamas. The next day, I got ready to go to the mall with my mom. My clothes are pretty much too small for me now, so I have to go to get some more. After donating my small clothes, we travel to the mall to get more. 

My mom and I visit Forever 21, Macy’s, JCPenny, and Calvin Klein to find cute clothes for school. I decide to try other colors, like blue, orange, brown, and green. But none of them really suit me, so I stick to my usual wardrobe! We also buy Starbucks-I get a Mango-Dragon Fruit Refresher, and my mom purchases a Strawberry Açai. Delicious! After chomping on pizza, we go back home and relax a bit by watching a movie. It’s called Stargirl, and it’s about this girl who moves to another state. She is happy with not fitting in with her peers.

It seems like I don’t care about others’ comments. 

But deep down, I actually do.

Chapter 3: New Year, New School

This chapter will be continued later in the week. Don’t worry; we’ll be back with more. 🙂