Hundreds of students returned to Douglas Byrd Middle School in Fayetteville Tuesday, even though arsonist destroyed the school's cafeteria and gym this summer.

"I almost cried because it was my favorite school I've ever been to," said student Desiree Catlett.

Three teens started the fire at the school located at 1616 Ireland Drive on July 1, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office. The teens were arrested and charged with burning a school house, which is a felony.

The fire left the school scrambling to figure out how to feed more than 600 students. But they got a little help.

Ireland Drive Middle School, which is next door, offered its cafeteria.

"My students get their lunch and they eat in the classrooms. And we're giving Douglas Byrd Middle School the cafeteria," said Shanessa Fenner, principal of Ireland Drive Middle School.

Douglas Byrd High School, which is also next door, is allowing the middle school students to use its gym.

"Our major emphasis was to make sure that even though this is a disruption, for them not to have their gym... they lost everything that they had... for us to do all that we could do to make sure that those kids still have the same opportunities as they normally would have," said Troy Lindsey, the athletic director at Douglas Byrd High School.

School officials say students will get to do everything they did last year. But they will be on a tight schedule.

"We just have to work out the kinks for the first couple of days, but we're fine," said Vanessa Alford, principal at Douglas Byrd Middle.

But she doesn't know when the school's gym and cafeteria will be rebuilt.