"Yeah but if I'm late home AGAIN mum will never let me come back here!"
"But it's only 8pm! You said you had to be home by 9!"
My friend Zara looked at the clock on the wall of her bedroom. I sighed, exasperated.
"Yes, but it takes twenty minutes for me to get home - thirty if I walk slow, which I will be doing. Plus, it's getting dark anyway."
I fiddled with my pencils, waiting for my name to be called on the class roll.
"Shaun Davis?"
"Here!" he said, too loud. It made me jump, earning weird gazes from my classmates.
"Ugh, fine. I hate you," Zara said playfully as we headed for the front door. "You want a lift?"
"Nah, I could use the exercise," I replied, putting a hand on my stomach. Zara scoffed. "You and me both, sister."
"Samantha Jones?"
"Here..." I said.
"Samantha Jones..?" The teacher hadn't heard me.
"I'm here, sorry," I repeated, putting a hand up.
"Please speak up next time," he said, rolling his eyes.
Nothing out of the ordinary, but I guess that's how it usually starts, right? Taking my usual route home, no funny business. Minding myself, wrapping my winter coat tighter around my cold body. I stopped to tie my shoelace on my converse boots. That's the only out-of-the-ordinary thing I did. ME. Who's to say someone else didn't..?
"Right class! We've got a new student in our class. Why don't you come up here and introduce yourself," the teacher announced. I didn't look up from my hands. I heard shuffling from the front of the class. A boy cleared his throat.
"Umm, hi, I'm Jack. Jack Barakat." I lifted my eyes and inch to get an idea of what he looked like. I liked his shirt, and smiled. "Jack To The Future" it said. He was tall, most of his height added by his black, spiked hair. He was also wearing skinny jeans and sneakers. I guess he was kind of cute. I'm also guessing every other girl in the class thought that too. They were giggling amongst themselves and staring at him. They made Jack blush. Poor kid.
Just then, his eyes met mine - the only girl in the class who wasn't making googly eyes at him. I looked away as quickly as I could. I wasn't the only one who noticed him looking at me.
I heard them, which is what pisses me off. I actually HEARD them. I didn't think anything of it. A stray cat? Just someone crossing the street? Probably. Boy, was I wrong.