"Welcome to Canyon High!" came a chipper voice behind me, I turned to see who it was. It was a tall pretty girl long red hair and a bright smile painted on her face.
The girl walked towards me and shook my hand, "My name is Kori, please what is yours?"
"Uh, call me Gar," I released her hand, "so Kori do you know where, room thirty-six is?" I felt a little awkward asking this question since it was a club for damaged teens, basically a mini loony house.
"Yes friend Gar in fact I am in that group with you!" she scooped me up in a bone crushing hug.
"ach! c-can't breathe! Kori!" She quickly put me down inspecting me for injuries.
"I am very sorry, I hope you will grant me your forgiveness?" she looked at me sincerely sorry.
"yeah its cool." She smiled and grabbed my arm practically dragging me to room 36. On the way I spotted lots of other people all of them about my age, but they all seemed…gloomy.
"here we are Gar!" we entered the room, there were about twenty people in there, "Oh lemme introduce you to my friends!" she pulled me over to a blue table surrounded by metal chairs. "Friends this is Gar! He will be joining us for the rest of the year!" I gave a small wave to the three seated at the table. Kori pushed me into an empty chair and seated herself next to me.
"Hi Gar I'm Vic," a tall guy seated right across from me shook my hand, he was strong, and rather big not in a fat kinda way, in a football team caption sorta way. "That's Dick, and this is terra."
Dick was smaller than Vic but still taller than me spiky black hair and sunglasses. Terra was pretty, not very curvy but she had big stunning blue eyes and long silky blond hair.
"H-hi" I squeaked.
"Hehe hi kid" terra waved offering a welcoming smile I smiled back.
"so Gar tell us about yourself" Vic said taking a big bite of a three meat sandwich.
"Well for starters I'm a vegetarian," I placed a hand on my stomach looking at his sandwich made me sick. "and idk I guess I'm pretty normal besides that."
"hey being a vegetarian is cool, you like your own thing I respect that," Dick spoke up.
I looked around trying to label the small groups of people here. I noticed geeks, goths, and the jock/preps, but then I saw a girl, sitting all alone. I couldn't really see her face because she had a dark hood covering her face and a book in her face. But from what I could see was she had a nice figure probably dark hair and purple eyes, she was pretty attractive from what I could see.
"hey who's that" I pointed to the girl.
"Oh that's Rachel Roth," Vick said, "her dad sent her here and she just sits there all by herself, reading he books hiding behind her hood."
"I have spoken to her once before" Kori spoke up, "she is very quiet doesn't talk much but when she does it is very brief."
"Maybe I could go talk to her" everyone looked at me.
"Hey man you go at your own risk, she might throw you out a window." Vick smiled.
"Is that a challenge?"
"you bet it is!"
"you're on" I stood u and began walking toward Rachel. I looked back, Terra giving me a thumbs up. I gulped and slowed my walking as a stepped up to the table she was sitting at.
"Um, is this seat taken?" I pointed to the seat across from her. She just looked at me and back at her book. I took my seat and placed my hands on the table.
"Hi I'm Gar, I'm new here and you looked lonely so," I just stared at her. She had very pretty eyes. "Um Kori told me you were nice?" she looked up at me and shut her book carefully placing it on the table.
"Is that a question or a statement?" she asked crossing her arms over her chest.
"Um I-it was a statement."
"good"
"so uh why do you sit over her all by yourself?"
"Because it's much easier to read in silence"
I looked around there were kids yelling, throwing paper balls and flirting, how was this silent?
"oh, well maybe you should make some friends instead of reading, that's kinda why we came here right?" I asked a little scared of her answer.
"I came here because I want to spend as little time as possible around my father."
"Oh is he bad?"
She looked at me slightly irritated, "my mother is dead, my dad has never put any interest into me, and he makes me do all the cleaning and cooking while he sits around."
"Oh sorry." I let out a nervous laugh. "well maybe you and me could hang- "
"good morning class!" In walked a tall slender woman, "I am Miss. Jack, the founder of the Friends program. I am here today to make a special announcement, next month we will be taking a two week long camp trip! There will be cabins and showers and bonfires and lots of activities for everyone! But there is a catch…every member that goes there will have to go to a half an hour of counseling every other day." She began to hand out papers.
I looked back at Rachel, "so you think you might go to the camp thing?" I said handing her a paper.
"Two weeks of reading in a quiet cabin, away from my father? Hmmmmm sure, why not" she turned back to her book.
"sweet" I said looking at my friends behind me. "uh well it was nice to meet you Rae, we should talk to sometime" I stood up and walked back towards my friend's. I took my seat.
"I think she's warming up to me."
"wow man she's never talk to anyone as long as that, you pay her or something?" Vic looked at me suspiciously.
"no dude I just asked the questions and she gave me the answers I guess." I fiddled with my thumbs a little confused like them.
"well she's never talked to anyone like that, the only other person she talked to was Kori but the barely talk." He grabbed his bag and stood up. "I gotta go I'll see you guys later" he walked towards the door I looked down at his leg, it clanked against the hard cement floor. He had a robotic leg.
"Bye Vic" I couldn't help but stare at his leg, people here sure were different.
"I should probably be heading home to," Dick said standing up and grabbing his bag. "Kori you want me to walk you home?" he offered his hand to Kori.
"yes please!" Kori jumped up and walked beside Dick, "Bye new friend Gar, I hope too see you tomorrow!" She waved, and I waved back.
"and I have a job I need to get to, see you around Gar" Terra got up and followed them out the door.
"see you later guys." I leaned back in my seat and put my hands behind my back. Maybe tomorrow we can play basketball. I looked around, there were only a few kids left here…including Rachel. I smiled and walked over to her.
"Hey Rae!" I took my seat.
"Rachel" she said, not taking her eyes off her book.
"Huh?" I raised an eyebrow slightly confused.
She rolled her eyes and put her book down, "Rachel, my name is Rachel, not Rae just Rachel."
"oh sorry," I let out a nervous laugh. "maybe uh I could uh w-walk you home?"
Rachel looked at me a confused expression painted on her face, "why are you so determined to hang out with me?"
"um I don't know, I guess it's cause you look like a chill person and I like chill people" I smiled nervously. What's this girl's problem? I try to be nice and she acts like I'm a criminal.
"Nobody's ever put so much effort into talking to me like you have." Rachel looked down at the table. Maybe Rae wasn't so bad.
"well maybe you will actually hang out with me, like outside of this place?"
"What do you have I mind?"
"can I maybe, walk you home?"
She looked at me and gave a half smile, "I guess you can walk me a little ways." She stood up and put her book in her bag, throwing it over her shoulder. I followed her out the door and down the hall.
"so Rae do you have any hobbies or interests?" I looked at her as she walked, she moved so elegantly, even for a girl in combat boots.
"I read and I like this cool tea place down the street from where I live."
"tea, books, neat. Let me guess you also like politics and sappy romance movies?" I said laughing at my own sarcasm.
"I have no interest in politics and I like horror movies."
"well you sure are hard to figure out."
"you're really easy, you have a nice wealthy family, your gonna go to a nice big fancy university, you like comic books and have never touched a real novel in your life." She stopped and turned to me a small smile on her face. I just stared at the ground.
"actually my parents are dead, I live in a foster home." The smile on her face fall and her eyes grew big. She just stared at me frozen from shock. "and my grades are terrible I'm definitely not making it to college any time soon."
Rachel looked back at the ground and began walking again, "sorry I didn't think-"
"nah dude its cool, you didn't know"
Rachel stopped again a nervous look in her eyes. "um, m-maybe you could uh head back to your house, I can talk myself from here." She stood in front of me
"I can walk you the rest of the way it's no big deal"
"NO n-no that's fine thank you I can take it from here"
"uh OK if that's what you want I guess I will see you tomorrow then?"
"yeah, I guess you will" she let out a nervous laugh as she turned to walk away.
"alright then bye Rae." I turned and walked away from her.
Can't wait to see her tomorrow and my friends of course but Rachel is different. She gives pf a mysterious vibe. I walked back home staring at the sky, the clouds began to darken, the moon peaking in through the colored sky. Wow I can't believe this I'm acting so weird, usually I would think about comic books or skateboards or my next latest prank, but now I'm staring at the stars.