by C. A. Kunz
Where’s Julie’s polish? She usually looks so perfect! Something’s up, I know it! Julie was Cat’s anchor during their time at Madison Prep. Ever since their first meeting in second grade, the two had been inseparable.
Taylor popped the lock on the door and Julie climbed in beside Cat. Through Taylor’s open window, Claire Winters leaned down to look in. “Taylor, you bad boy, you almost ran over Princess Fredricka. And you know Maude could never survive that tragedy,” she whispered slyly.
Seeing Maude making her way across the street toward them, Claire quickly thanked Taylor for taking Julie to school, and then scurried back to her house, dodging their nosy neighbor.
“Thanks for the ride, Taylor,” Julie said sweetly. There was no response. He’s mad, Cat mouthed to her. The rest of the ride was silent with both girls grinning in the backseat at Taylor’s grim expression reflected in the rearview mirror.
Astoria high was definitely a step down from Cat and Julie’s previous school in terms of elegance and visual flair. That was not to say it wasn’t nice, but the old high school had definitely seen better days. When it was first built in 1933 it had a great sense of grandeur. Standing two stories tall with a red brick foundation, huge sweeping windows, and large wooden arched doors, it used to be one of the highlights of downtown Astoria. Though now it had lost much of its former luster.
The parking lot at the school was in utter chaos. Horns honking, people yelling, and general disorder. Who knew that such a small school could produce such mayhem, Cat thought. Taylor pulled into the first spot he saw, put the car in park, and then turned to look at the two in the back.
“Okay, this is how it is. You guys are on your own. I’m not a babysitter. And when you team up with your other three misfit friends, I’m sure you’ll be just fine. So get out! I see the misfits approaching and I don’t want them touching my ride.”
Cat and Julie scrambled out of the car making their way to the “three” Taylor just mentioned and finally let loose the laughter they’d been holding the whole ride.
Amanda’s brown hair was highlighted with a single pink streak down the left side. She was dressed as what appeared to be a member of a grunge band. Her slim figure was squeezed into a pair of low-rise acid wash jeans and was accompanied by a black t-shirt that said:
Grunge is the new black
“Hey yanks, are you as gobsmacked as me? I had to run to the loo several times this morning due to the nerves, and already I’m a little knackered.” Amanda’s British accent seemed flawless.
“So Amanda, what has inspired this new look?” Cat asked trying not to giggle.
“Why, do you like it?” she inquired, posing for the group so they could get a better view.
“Umm, it’s different, that’s for sure,” Julie muttered with shock written all over her face.
“When I got home last night I watched this documentary about the grunge band movement in England. I really connected with them! I feel that’s where I belong. We should totally start a band.”
Shaking her head, Cat smiled. Amanda was a constant change, never knowing what or who she would relate to next. Everyone went along with it though, because it’s what made Amanda, Amanda.
“So Cat, how hot do I look?” Matt asked, drawing their attention to him as he flexed his nonexistent muscles for a passing group of females. He was an average looking fifteen-year-old boy with a runner’s build. His beautiful green eyes, which most girls missed due to his lack of tact, were definitely his trademark feature. Cat began to answer him, but then she saw his attention shift, and his eyes started following another parade of females passing by. Poor Matt, he’ll never be a Don Juan, she thought.
Elle was trying to look happy, but her smile was a little wobbly. Her long brown hair fell over her face, acting as a shield from the world. Linking arms with her, Cat began talking about how much she liked her outfit, trying to help Elle relax. The others followed them up the stairs into the main building through the huge archway.
Matt stopped suddenly behind the group. “Can you believe this is where we’re going to spend the next four years of our lives? Seems like a waste to me,” he groaned, as he scanned the massive hallway filled with students.
“Four years of this?” Elle’s fearful voice could hardly be heard.
“Yeah Elle…four years of crowded halls, embarrassment, ridicule, and awkward moments,” he said as he turned to face her, grinning mischievously from ear to ear.
“Matt, stop it. You’re scaring her!” Amanda said, trying to console Elle who had turned white as a ghost. Without any hesitation Elle squeaked and ran for the nearest restroom, dodging students as she went.
“Great, Matt, you have officially scared the pee out of her! And after I’d already calmed her down, too. I hope you’re happy with yourself!” Cat scolded.
He shrugged, acting innocent. “Guys, wait here a sec for Elle, okay? Julie and I are going to get our schedules,” Cat said, opening the front office door. “And Matt,” she said looking over her shoulder, “zip your lip and not another word to Elle about anything, okay?”
He laughed, causing Amanda to punch him in the shoulder. “Ow,” they heard him yelp, as the door closed behind them.
Schedules in hand, Cat and Julie groaned in unison. “Home economics? Ugh, I guess this is what I get for having indecisive parents,” Cat muttered as she scanned the piece of paper.
“Hey, well at least you don’t have wood shop like I do,” Julie complained.
“I’m so sorry, Julie. It’s all my fault that you’re stuck with wood shop.”
“It’s okay. You’ll just owe me one. Besides, there could be some fine male specimens in wood shop, so it might not be all bad,” she said with a smile. “Now, let’s go locker hunting.”
Cat smiled back at Julie, thinking about how different she was acting now compared to the past week.
“Hey Julie, is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Why?” she replied, avoiding eye contact with Cat.
“You just seem quieter than usual. Are you happy we’re here?
“Of course, silly. Why wouldn’t I be happy about leaving snobsville behind? Now, like I said, let’s go locker hunting!” Julie declared, changing the subject. Cat forced another smile. She wasn’t convinced that everything was okay, but she decided to drop it for now.
Cat spotted her locker first and after a few frustrating minutes, realized her combination didn’t work. “What have we here? A thief trying to break into my locker?” a cold, arrogant voice roared behind her.
“I’m sorry…I-I thought it was mine,” Cat replied, turning to put a face to the voice. Most people would have been intimidated by the sight before her. A tall boy, with a pale face, jet black hair, piercing green eyes, and dressed in black preppy Goth clothing. He moved forward, pressing his hands on the lockers on either side of her, blocking her exit.
“You’re sorry, are you? Well, you should be,” he growled, and pressed harder on the lockers making them squeak under the pressure, causing Cat to flinch at the harsh sound.
She noticed more people behind him, similarly dressed, all of them glaring at her. Cat’s friends all stood like statues beside her.
“Hey, Isaac! Give the girl a break. It was an honest mistake, let her go.”
Isaac turned to the guy who spoke. “Ryan, you know her?” he asked, lifting one eyebrow dramatically.
“No, but she said she was sorry, so let her go,” Cat looked at Ryan, noticing he wasn’t dressed like his friends and instead was wearing jeans and a letterman’s jacket. His eyes were the bluest she had ever seen.
“Hi, I’m Hannah. I bet you’re a freshman like me,” a petite blonde said quietly, smiling, standing beside her. “Our lockers are in the next hallway. I don’t know why they have duplicate numbers but they do. Isaac, let her go, will you?”
Isaac glanced down into the soft blue eyes of his little sister. He lowered his arms and released Cat. “Hannah, let’s go. And you,” he sai
d pointing to Cat, “stay out of my hallway!”
“Your hallway, is it, Isaac? I thought it belonged to all of us?”
“Ah, Mr. Taylor Colvin, so kind of you to butt in,” he replied, turning around. “She doesn’t seem your type.”
Standing toe-to-toe with Isaac, Taylor growled, “She’s my sister! So this is your one and only warning, stay away from her.”
Isaac smiled devilishly, “I didn’t know you had a normie as a sister,” he whispered, so only Taylor could hear him.
As Taylor continued to glare at Isaac, he motioned to Cat, “Come on. I’ll show you where your lockers are.” With a nod to Ryan, Taylor took Cat’s arm and led her down the hall, looking back to make sure her friends were following.
“Taylor, I’m sorry, we didn’t’ know.”
“I know, Cat. Whoever numbered the lockers was a real idiot. Here, this is the freshman hallway. Now please stay out of trouble. And especially, stay away from Isaac and his group.” With that he strode off toward the gym.
“Man, who were those guys? I was just about to step in, but then your brother beat me to it Cat, so naturally I let him take over.”
“Sure you were going to, Matt,” Amanda said sarcastically.
The school bell rang and the halls began to empty. “Later guys! See you at lunch!” Cat turned and made her way to her first class.
The morning went smoothly, with English, world history, and health class. Cat arrived at the swimming pool with seconds to spare before the bell rang. According to her schedule, her coach’s name was Ms. Hutchins. She scanned the crowd hoping to see a familiar face. Her eyes collided with Hannah’s. Relieved, Cat walked over to her.
“Hey, Hannah. We weren’t properly introduced earlier. I’m Catherine Colvin. Cat for short.”
“I’m so glad you’re not mad at me for what my brother did. I’m sorry that he talked to you that way. He can be such a jerk sometimes.”
Cat laughed. “Yeah, I know how you feel. I have one of those too. You met him, Taylor.” Hannah giggled.
“Class, please take a seat on the bleachers!” Coach Hutchins ordered after blowing her whistle. She looked like a typical swim coach, with an athletic build, short blonde hair, and a whistle around her neck.
“I need everyone to go over the rules that I’m passing out. We’ll begin swimming tomorrow. Everyone here has the ability to make the swim team, so next class I want to see you dressed and ready for some good, clean competition. I’ll have the upperclassmen demonstrate the techniques I’ve taught them. Then you’ll be paired up to practice.”
Hearing whispering in the stands, Coach Hutchins looked up from her clipboard. “Kirsten, do you have something to add?”
Coach Hutchins’ eyes pinned hers, as Kirsten smiled smugly, shaking her head. “No? I didn’t think so. Everyone, pick up your syllabus and read it thoroughly. With no talking,” she ordered, her eyes finding Kirsten’s again.
“If I wasn’t the best swimmer on this team, I’d quit this class. Coach Hutchins is so full of herself,” Kirsten whispered to her friend Jessica with a sneer.
“Now Jess, tomorrow I need to make sure I’m paired with that Catherine girl. After hearing what happened in the hallway today, and learning that To Die For Taylor is her brother, I just have to be!” Kirsten looked at Cat, then back at Jessica. “Yes, I’ll become her best swimming buddy. Then I’ll be that much closer to getting my hands on Taylor. He’ll be mine,” she said confidently.
“But Kirsten, I thought I was your-”
“Quit blubbering Jess, gosh you sound so common,” she muttered, cutting her off.
Cat turned her head, feeling eyes staring at her and saw a tall willowy girl whispering to another, both of them glancing in her direction.
The cafeteria was a madhouse, so many noises and loud voices.
“Cat, over here,” Julie yelled. She was sitting at a table with Matt and Amanda.
“Where’s Elle?” Cat asked, taking a seat. Julie pointed to the back of the lunch line, and Cat gave Elle a little wave. “How’s she holding up?”
“Okay, I guess,” Julie replied unconvincingly.
After making it through the lunch line, Elle scooted across the bench and let out a big sigh. “I don’t know how I’m going to survive high school! I’ve got the most awful math teacher! He’s so mean and seems to know I’m shy and constantly picks on me because of it.”
“Don’t worry, Elle,” Cat replied, looking over Elle’s shoulder at a black and gold piece of paper tacked to a bulletin board. “I see something I know you’ll be perfect at.”
Elle turned and saw a flyer for school mascot tryouts. “Oh no, I can’t do that. I’ll make a fool of myself.” Her eyes were fearful.
“Don’t be silly, you’ll be wearing a panther costume and the crowd will love you,” Julie reassured her.
“I think it’d be lame…what? Amanda, why did you hit me?” Matt asked, scowling at her.
“Matt thinks it’s a good idea too,” Amanda added, looking at Elle and ignoring his glare.
“So that settles it. Tryouts are tomorrow after school and we’ll all come and cheer you on,” Cat announced. Her attention was drawn away as she caught the stares of a table full of people across the lunchroom. Isaac and his followers’ eyes were all focused on her. Cat shivered as Isaac flashed a menacing grin. She felt a flicker of fear. Dropping her eyes to her tray, Cat took a deep breath. She lifted her head to confront them again, but the table was empty.
“Okay, this is the way I run my class. Hey, listen up, you in the back row! Look at the rules on the board! Memorize them. Any infraction and you’ll be out of here! I’ll not repeat myself in this class, so you better get it the first time. I’m not your babysitter. I’m not your friend. Nor do I have to like you. And believe me I don’t. I’m here to teach you algebra and that’s all. There are no excuses in this class. No going to the bathroom. No tardiness, and absolutely no talking unless it’s to answer me. Am I understood?” Mr. Crawley asked, staring down the whole class.
Cat nodded with the rest of the students. Great! She thought. We’re stuck with this teacher, in this miserably dull room, for the whole year.
“Now, open your books and do the first lesson in the next thirty minutes. Then we’ll review.” The class sat like statues. “Well, don’t just sit there, get to work!” Mr. Crawley demanded, sitting behind his desk and folding his arms across his large belly.
Compared to her father, Cat thought Crawley looked more like a slob than a teacher. He was overweight, slightly balding, and heaven only knew who dressed him that morning. Some unknown stain was on the front of his jacket and his tie ran too short. If he was married, she felt sorry for
his wife.
“Elle you’re absolutely right about Mr. Crawley, he’s awful. His personality needs a major overhaul,” Cat exclaimed on the ride home.
“I swear he hates me already. He must’ve called on me a thousand times today. And I hate being called ‘Hey you!’ I’ve got a name, why can’t he learn it?” Elle bemoaned.
“Don’t worry you’re not alone, I think he hates everyone equally. He’s an equal opportunity hater!” Cat replied.
That night Cat sat on the wrought-iron bench outside her bedroom window reflecting on her first day of school. A large white falcon sitting in the Sitka spruce across from Cat ruffled its feathers, startling her. Its glowing eyes seemed to be fixed on her as if she were its prey. Suddenly, it spread its wings and took flight directly at her, but at the last moment it swooped toward the ground. She leapt up from the bench and peered over the railing, watching as it perched on the Victorian gas street lamp in front of her house. What is it looking at? She wondered. The bird let out a loud screeching noise which assaulted her ears. Cat watched as a dark figure bolted from behind the large tree, and ran through the neighbor’s yard. Still screeching, the bird took flight in the direction of the retreating figure.
What the heck was that? Was that bird trying to warn me? Get a gri
p, Cat. First, I have a scary as hell dream, and now there’s a large bird that chases off dark figures. Next, I bet I’ll start seeing werewolves and vampires. Thanks, Robert Craven!
After Cat retreated into her room and closed the bay window, she climbed into bed. She tossed and turned most of the night, only to finally fall asleep and relive the nightmare from the night before. Gasping for air, Cat was ripped out of the dream. She shivered as cool beads of sweat ran down her back when she sat up. She tried to catch her breath. Her lungs burned as if she had run a marathon. Holding her head, she tried to ease the pressure of an oncoming headache, but to no avail.
“That’s it, no more scary movies for me for a while,” she murmured. Cat flopped back down on her bed and watched the clock as the minutes ticked away.
3
Miss Amaya, BFFs, Etc.
Sitting on the bleachers waiting for Coach Hutchins to arrive, Cat reassured Hannah for the third time that her swimsuit fit just fine. It amazed her how Hannah could have such a horrible brother and yet be so innocent.
“Now class, I want every freshman to pair up with an upperclassman while I take roll,” Coach Hutchins announced as she entered the pool area. Everyone hesitated except for Kirsten, who tossed back her long light brown hair as she approached Cat.
“Hey, you’re Tay Colvin’s little sister, right?” Kirsten asked sweetly.
Cat nodded, thinking to herself, Tay? That’s a new one.
“Well, I’m Kirsten Fuller! The queen of Astoria High’s swim team,” she said with a beauty pageant smile.
Why is she singling me out? I’m not the only freshman in here, Cat wondered.
“You know I hold all the records on our team, and I excel in all styles, of course. I’ve been swimming since I was two. We have our own indoor pool at the mansion. You’ll have to stop by one day. It’s Olympic.”
