by Jane West
Right away, I realized this was not your typical principal’s office. The chairs were dark brown, real leather, and his desk reminded me of something you’d see the president seated behind in the Oval Office. Dark mahogany finished with tooled leather inserts on top and brass fittings all around the edge. I thought it was a bit unconscionable to keep such an elaborate piece of furniture on a principal’s salary.
“Yes, sir.” I settled in the chair on the left. I placed my hands in my lap, folded, hiding my nervous hands. Signs of weakness always snared the rabbit. Something Dad used to say.
“Well, Miss Ray, it has come to my attention you have quite a list of attending schools. I forget the number. How many are there?”
A knot in my jaw popped out. Instantly, I didn’t like this man. I answered. “Five.”
A sneer played across his face. “Can you tell me how you’ve managed to keep your GPA at 3.9?”
I got the impression that he thought I’d cheated. A tingle of ire trickled down my spine. “Sir, I don’t understand the question.” I kept my face unreadable, eyes leveled with his.
His eyes slightly tightened. “I think you’re stalling, Miss Ray.” His tone came off as a tyrant.
I eased out a long sigh, holding my gaze. “Every grade I’ve made, I have earned with hard work.”
“You don’t say?” He leaned back in his chair. His smothering eyes fixed on me with the flavor of mistrust.
I shifted in my seat. I had a sneaky feeling either this principle was cray-cray, or he’d had a past life with me and hated my guts, immensely. Weird. “My mother can address your questions concerning my school attendance.” I blamed Sara for this. I wouldn’t be sitting here under the heated snare of the principle if it hadn’t been for her.
The principal’s face darkened as his wrinkles deepened across his entire face. He was as ugly as Rumpelstiltskin and fraught with a raspy voice, I assumed that he’d been smoking for years. “Your mother is not here,” he countered contentiously, “I’m asking you.”
“Sir, I don’t understand what you want from me.” I held my gaze to his level, wondering what crawled up his ass and died.
“Considering your unstable home life, it raises doubt to how you’ve obtained your scores.” His muddy eyes were predatory as if he was trying to intimidate me.
My eyes narrowed. “Have I warranted cause for this interrogation?” It was evident that he harbored some sort of ill will toward me.
“It depends,” he answered, not entirely quenching my thirst for clarity.
I had to reel in my temper and play nice. I inhaled sharply. “Dr. Van, if you’re implying that I’ve falsified my scores, I’ll be more than happy to take a test.” I tilted my chin with a speck of defiance.
The principal’s eyes hardened as a cold silence traded between us. Then without any warning, he ripped up my transcript and dropped the shredded paper in the trashcan. “Miss Ray, here at Tangi High, you will be required to prove your worth.”
I gawked with disbelief. “That’s my transcript!”
“Yes it was.” His voice spewed with loathing. “Now prove to me you are the superb student you claim to be.” Dr. Van leaned forward, making the chair squeak under his weight. I froze as he glared at me through his thick eyewear.
I swallowed down the rising spleen. “Yes, sir. I’ll do my best.” I tried to hide the disdain in my voice. I took pride in my work, and it chafed my butt when someone questioned the validity of my achievements.
“We shall see.” He paused. “That will be all, Miss Ray.” He dismissed me, leaning back in his chair. There was something strange about this principle. It was almost as if he had a hidden agenda behind his words. I shrugged it off. It wouldn’t be long before Sara would be ready to move to the next town and I’d soon forget my worries with him. In the meantime, I planned to steer clear of the madman.
Shaking off the dust from that demented interval, I glimpsed at the hall clock. Only three minutes to get to class before the tardy bell sounded off, so, I ran.
English was my first class in the morning, although, not my favorite. I wanted to barf. On a happier note, I’d get it out of the way and have the rest of the day to wallow in my despicable life.
West wing, first left, Mrs. Brown had instructed. I hooked several corners and finally stumbled upon the room, 102. I quickly ducked inside and came to a halt. Running late meant I’d get slim pickings. At worst, I half expected an empty seat next to the teacher’s desk. But I didn’t expect this.
I’d forgotten that there were worst things than being the teacher’s pet. My gaze landed on greeter girl, Sally. She was sitting in the far back row, waving her hands in the air like she was slipping away in quicksand. If only. I cringed, nose crinkling. I raked my eyes over the other side of the room and huffed.
The only desk available sat behind Sally.
Kill me!
Regretting it already, I dragged my feet to doom. Could my day get any worse? I forced a painful smile. “Hey.” I mumbled as I flopped down in my seat behind Sally. I glimpsed at the desk behind me. A black coat hung over the back of the chair, a good indication someone had snagged the desk already. I had no other recourse other than to sit next to greeter girl. Just swell!
Sally’s high-pitched glee pierced the air. “I’m so glad we have first class together.” She twisted in her seat, facing me and rattling about this and that. I mostly nodded, tuning her out. I think she was babbling about the football team. It made me think about Logan and my heart dropped. My first crush and I never got to kiss him. I pulled my book out and shoved my bag under the desk. Sally continued to ramble on about much to do with nothing. She was like background noise, only louder.
I think Sally had changed to her fifteenth topic when he swaggered in like he owned the place. Even Sally had quiet. It seemed that every pair of eyes in the room drew to him.
Sally leaned over and whispered in my ear while not taking her eyes off the eye candy. I kept my eyes lowered, behind my lashes. “He’s the new menu!” Sally revealed. “His name is Aidan Bane. I hear he’s rich too! Of course, every girl in school hopes to land him! Rumors, yo’ know. Around here gossip spreads faster than wildfire.” She giggled.
“Good to know.” My lips tightened. I preferred to stay on the downside like the wilted flower on the wall. This was a no-brainer. It was only a matter of time before Sara, and I’d be shoving off to our next lifeless town. I reckoned in a very fucked-up way, there was a silver lining to this story after all.
I had to admit, the new boy was a looker. Not someone you’d often see in these parts. Polished and well groomed. The city seemed more fitting to his type. The dude carried himself with that rock star quality that commanded others to sit up and take notice. Apart from his towering height, he stood out with his raven curls. But his eyes were such a stark blue, they could’ve frozen the Sahara desert. I quickly summed him up as a snob. Definitely not my type.
A girl had caught his eye and his full attention. He flashed a lopsided smile. His teeth even and white, contrasted nicely with his tawny skin.
Strangely, my neck bristled. The girl bothered me.
Of course, why wouldn’t he take an interest in her? I quietly sighed. Look at her, blonde, pretty and pushing a miniskirt. A cheerleader, no doubt. Cheerleaders got away with breaking dress code.
By the twinkle in his blues and the flirty smile the girl bore, I’d bet by the end of the day, she’d end up a notch on his belt and her name long forgotten. I knew his type. He had every girls’ head turned but not one would he remember after the deed. I had his number all right, revered by every girl in school and hated by every boy. I reckoned that was life in the fast lane of a celeb.
Jesus! I started doodling on my book cover, ducking my eyes to my book. Tall, dark and arrogant was etching his way down my aisle. Then I remembered, the black hoodie hanging on the back of the seat behind me. I slid down in my chair holding my eyes on the cover, steadily drawing. Don’t look up, don’t look
up. I coaxed myself.
In the next tick, a soft breeze grazed my left shoulder followed by a quick thud and a male’s soft groan as the desk protested under his weight with a sharp squeak. A woodsy scent drifted over my shoulder distracting me irritably. I bared down on the ink and focused on my drawing with great effort, denying his presence.
Just when I thought I had it under control, I felt a soft tap on my back. I ignored the thump, hoping he’d go away. The determined boy persisted. He furthered his efforts by giving a good yank on my ponytail. I squawked, swiftly grabbing my hair.
I spun around in my seat full of piss and vinegar. My mouth wide open to wail at the dude, but I froze, becoming caught in a blue-eyed snare like a fly in a web. I utterly looked like an idiot. My cheeks simmered to a boil.
He flashed a dimpled smile, nodding over my shoulder. “Umm, interesting artwork.” His voice sounded smooth as melted chocolate and his plump lips I wondered if they tasted just as good.
“Huh?” Was the only word that found my tongue. I glimpsed back at my sketch. And instantly, I drew in a gasp of horror. Where was that rock when you needed it? I wanted to hide. How did I draw a stupid cupid, bow and arrow? Mortified much!
“Hmm, thanks,” I mumbled over my shoulder. Quickly, I flipped my book over and fixed my eyes on the board. Faint laughter drifted over my shoulder.
I’d forgotten about Sally until I caught her strange glint. Her dark eyes were sharp as glass. Surprise dropped on my head like a brick from the sky as I shared a quick glimpse with her. What on earth was she mulling around in her head? I suspected it wasn’t nice. I cut my eyes at her with a look of warning.
I’d never been so glad to see a teacher than when Ms. Jenkins entered class. I was certain she was saving me from Sally’s relentless probing. I counted my Lucky Charms with that one.
Lunch rolled around, and I headed for the cafeteria. I just followed the long trail of students.
Once I passed the double doors, the smell of food smacked me in the face and resuscitated my stomach back to life. I didn’t eat dinner last. I suppose my body was running low on fuel.
I got in line, grabbing a tray and flatware wrapped in a white paper napkin. Right away, my eyes went for the tamales.
I reached the end of the line, handing over my coins to the cashier when I felt a finger tap me on the back. I gave a start, snapping my head up. My eyes met Sally’s face.
I hadn’t decided if I wanted to bother making friends with her or anyone for that matter. I’d promised myself that I would steer clear of the friend zone. I didn’t have it in me this time around. This recent move really messed me up. “Hey,” I answered back, wryly.
Sally smiled, ignoring my solemn face. “Come sit at my table. I’ll introduce you to everyone.”
I opened my mouth to decline, but Sally had snatched my arm and started dragging me across the cafeteria.
I had to give her points for effort. Maybe I was behaving too much like a close-minded bitch.
We came to a stop at a table of three. That meant that Sally was the fourth. I reckoned I was the fifth wheel. Oh, what fun!
Sally began the introductions, “Hey, y’all this is my new friend in English that I was telling you about. Everyone, meet Stevie Ray. I nodded straining a smile. Sally started going around the table. First, she pointed to a brown haired boy, a little on the skinny side, but still cute. “Meet Sam Reynolds,” she moved on across from him, “this is Jen Li,” the girl smiled and waved her hand. Sally pointed to the last person sitting next to the boy, Sam, a bleached blonde with deadly fingernails and a snarl glued to her face, “and my dearest and best friend forever, Gina Peters.” Sally bubbled with pride.
Everyone smiled but the blonde. She rolled her eyes, already giving attitude. “Whatever!” she snarled. Then the boy, Sam interjected. “Gina, will it hurt you to be nice? How often do we get someone new to this tired town?”
“Apparently, one too many.” She retorted, eyeballing me from my head to my toe.
I hesitated, debating whether I should sit somewhere else. I figured somewhere in the same vicinity of the moon.
Jen jumped in, “Just ignore Gina. She’s in a good mood today. It’s when she’s chewing bullets is when you should watch out.” She smiled largely.
I laughed.
Sally spoke up, defending her friend. “Come on! Gina’s teasing.”
Sam got out of his seat and pulled the chair that separated him from the blonde. “Come sit next to me. I don’t bite,” he smiled. “I’m much purdier than anyone else here.” With his Southern accent and dazzling smile, I gathered Sam was the peacemaker of the bunch. He earned a few brownie points with me. The twinkle in his eyes reminded me of Logan. I sighed with regret
I smiled up at the tall, lanky boy and accepted his offer. I settled in the seat he held out. Everyone seemed friendly enough, excluding the sourpuss blonde. Maybe she’d soften since the others were open to me.
Jen was the first to start with the questions. “Where did you come from?” she smiled warmly.
“West Texas, Sweetwater.”
Jen laughed. “Is the water sweet?”
Everyone snickered.
I smiled back. “Not really.”
Sally perked up, asking. “How do you like our little town?” Sally’s child-like voice leaped from everyone else’s.
“So far, so good.” I lied.
Sam leaned back taking in a full view of me and chortled. “You lyin’, gul!” he teased. “Nobody likes this place.”
I laughed. I seldom got called out. My eyes caught his deep browns as I replied. “What can I say? You caught me in a lie.” I shrugged, smiling.
The table burst into laughter all but Gina. It seemed stewing was her perfume of the day.
Then she started. “I heard your daddy was killed in a hit and run accident?” her eyes were pointy like a witch’s wart.
How did this chick know? Then it hit me like a bat to the head The Internet. “Yes. That’s right.” I responded with no emotion in my tone nor did I elaborate.
The table became pin-dropping quiet. This girl must be really reaching to get at me.
“Did they find the killer?” she straight up asked, not a pinch of empathy in her voice.
This wasn’t light conversation or someone’s curiosity. This bitch was going for blood. Holding in my anger down and reining back my voice to a calm tone, I curtly answered, “No.”
She flashed her pointy white teeth as if we were in a full-on brawl, rolling on the ground, pulling each other’s hair out. “Roadkill?” she snarled. “Wow, that must be rough? Like splat, right in the middle of the highway?”
I became unhinged. Everything else sort of went out of focus at that point. I lunged to my feet, fists loaded, flying over Sam and diving for the blonde’s throat. Sam leaped in front of her, blocking me from ripping out that fake-ass, bleach-blonde hair. “Watch it!” I stretched my arm over Sam reaching to get at Gina. “No one talks about my dad like that and lives.”
“If you don’t like it, leave!” she bellowed over Sam’s shoulder.
I looked up, and the whole cafeteria had swooped in around us. Amidst the crowd, I heard some of the jocks chanting, “Fight, fight, girl on girl.”
Everything went down quickly. Without warning, I was thrown over someone’s shoulder, feet dangling.
I heard an older man’s voice shout. “Get her out of her’ now!” the deep voice sounded like my history teacher, Coach Matt.
In my next breath, I blacked out.
When my eyes fluttered open, I was sitting propped against something hard. I lifted my gaze above and saw the bruised clouds beyond the limbs and leaves. My brow perked, confused. “Where am I?” I mumbled to the silent air, pushing through the cobwebs in my mind. Rubbing my eyes, I spoke out again. “What happened?” my hand grazed something underneath me. I looked down and noticed that I was sitting on a dark coat. I soon realized that I was leaning against the large oak outside the cafeteria! How did
I get here? I looked around, noting that the rain had ceased, yet the cold still lingered. A shiver rolled through me.
Knocking me back to the present moment, a male cleared his throat. Startled, I yelped and bolted to my feet too fast. I lost my footing and stumbled. Unaware, I fell into someone’s arms.
“Steady does it.” A velvety voice pierced the chilly air.
My head snapped up as I swiveled in the stranger’s arms. I had to see his face. When our eyes locked, my heart stopped. The new boy! Why was he here? I twisted from his embrace.
Without a word, he scanned me with agitated eyes, dark and ominous like the sea before a storm. “How do you feel?” he drawled in a lazy tone.
A headache had reared its ugly head, and the throbbing was blinding. “I’m light-headed.” I snapped, rubbing my temple.
“It’ll wear off in a while.” He sounded like a doctor, remote and clinical.
My brows furrowed as I hugged my waist. “Are you some kind of expert?” I snipped. I never had a lot of patience when I felt sick.
“Here, take my jacket.” He ignored my question, holding out the same black jacket that I’d been sitting on.
Our eyes hitched for a heartbeat. I dropped my gaze and took his hoodie. “Thanks!” I whispered irefully.
“You’re welcome.”
I fumbled with the large coat, trying to find the arm. Strangely, I felt muffled.
His blues roved over me as he drew a faint smile. “Here let me help.” He snatched the hoodie from my fumbling hands and laid it over my shoulders. All at once, a heady mix of spice and churned earth, a woodsy scent, swallowed me.
Still, I didn’t understand why we were under a tree, outside. “W-w-w-what happened?” I caught his gaze.
The boy shoved his hands in his pockets as he casually answered. “It was a little misunderstanding. No worries, Love!” His firm mouth curled as if on the edge of a smile. For a minute, I let myself just sink into his chiseled features.
Not uttering another word, he inclined his dark head, leaning against the tree, arms now resting across his chest. His blues slowly drifted over me as if we’d known each other intimately. I sensed a connection between us. Yet how could that be? I’d never laid eyes on him before today.
