Alerana dropped her box on the floor of her new bedroom, then leaned back and thrust her fists towards the sky to stretch her tired arms. “That’s it, right?” She called, glancing over toward the hallway where she heard her mom moving things around.

The woman rested a couple canvas bags on top of a stack of boxes as she answered. “Yes, this is the last of it. Though now that the moving van is empty, we have to go and return it to the rental place.”

Rana sighed. The day was only half over and she was tired already. She looked around for somewhere to sit, but her bed had bags of stuff on it, and there were stacks of boxes blocking her desk chair. “You don’t need me for that, right? I could get started on unpacking,” she asked, then mentally added, Or move stuff out of the way and flop on my bed as soon as your back is turned.

Mrs. Ikaros stepped up to the doorway and smiled as if she could tell what her daughter was thinking. “No, we don’t need you to return the truck, but as soon as we get back we’ll have to head over to your new school. I’ve already registered you, but we have to go pick up your uniform.”

Rana nodded absently when she heard her mom mention school, then did a double take when her mom’s last word registered. “Wait, uniform? I have to wear a school uniform? What, am I going to some kind of fancy private school now?”

Her mom just shook her head, looking amused. “No, just the regular public Meadowview High School. All the schools in this city have uniforms, even the public ones.”

Rana groaned. She’d never had to wear a school uniform before. Who ever heard of a public school with a uniform? She’s always associated those with prissy religious schools, all ugly plaid and stuff. She wasn’t looking forward to wearing whatever she’d end up in.

“Oh, come now, don’t be like that,” her mom said kindly. “I’ve seen the uniforms, and they look cute. Besides, if everyone’s wearing the same thing, you won’t have to worry whether your clothes are following the latest trends or not.”

The teen just leveled a flat look at her in response. “Mom, when have I ever cared about fashion? I pick clothes based on what feels comfortable and is easy to move in, not whether everyone else says it’s the thing to buy.”

Her mom just shrugged. “Well, then you won’t have to worry about what to wear in the mornings. Anyway, there’s no getting around it, so you’ll have to get used to the idea. Now I’ll go help your father return the truck. Be ready to go when we get back, OK?”

“Fiiine,” Rana sighed as her mom headed off. She started shifting stuff off the bed to look busy, but as soon as she heard the front door close she flopped face-first on the bed and sighed. She hadn’t been looking forward to moving to a new city, and her first impression of the place was not making her like it any more.

(532 words)