Keep calm, deep breaths, you can do this. Its just school. Breath in, and out.
Looking up at my new school I found it more and more difficult to agree with my inner monologue. It looked so much bigger in person, looking more like the outside of a hospital than an actual school, and although it was middle of spring the sky above the school was shrouded in black clouds similar to back home.
This looks nothing like the brochure. It's a scam, they clearly tricked me; this is a mental institute, not a school, the voice in my head said helpfully. A small pattering of rain hit the window of the car, a clear sign that today will be bleak and disappointing. I rested my head on the steering wheel and ran my fingers through my hair, trying to clear my mind of the negative thoughts. Its just a school, you shouldn't even be this nervous.
Leaning back in my seat I looked out the window at the few students that had now joined me in the car park. A small group of girls were talking and laughing and I noticed a boy in a dark blue truck opposite me rushing to finish what I assumed was last minute homework. A small smile appeared on my face. They weren't nervous and they looked happy enough, a little stressed maybe, but happy none the less. Come on, you can do this , just get out of the car and go!
With a determined nod I opened the car door and jumped out, a little less than gracefully, and slammed the door shut, drawing the attention of the students around me. Embarrassed I quickly put my head down and rushed to the entrance of the school, making sure not to make eye contact with anyone. The closer I got to the doors the bigger the building looked. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears.
Calm down! it's okay, You're going to be okay!
After what felt like hours but I guess was barely even a minute I got to the doors and opened them. I ran inside and listened to them shut behind me.
There were even more people inside the building. Some were getting things out of the huge blue lockers but most were just loitering around talking to their friends or clicking away on their phones.
I began to hyperventilate. I stood there looking at them all in horror.
You do not fit in with theses people! Their all so tall. You're going to get trampled! Just as the thought entered my head a particularly large group of boys opened the doors behind me and proceeded to barge their way past with the superiority movies portrayed only jocks to have. I scurried to the side, barely managing not get stomped on by the leader, a tall boy with blondie brown hair and a jawline that could cut glass. The doors opened again and another group of equally tall people walked in, making the small corridor even smaller. Time to hide.
Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, I found the closest door with the girls bathroom sign and hurried inside. Leaning against the closed door I gave myself a minute to listen to see if anyone else was in there with me. It was quiet, only the faint sounds of people talking outside the door could be heard. Satisfied with the knowledge I was alone I walked over the the sinks, turned the tap on and splashed a little bit of water on my over heated cheeks. Letting out a shaky sigh I leaned my head against the mirror. The cool glass calmed me a little, making my breaths come out clearer. I listened to my breathing and watched as it made a small circle of moisture appear on the glass, I lift my hand up and drew a little frowning face in the condensation. Glancing back up at my reflection I noticed that my brown eyes looked a little glassy and my pale face was red and blotchy.
Bet this will make a great first impression.
Instead of sulking I decided to do something productive. I pulled my pale blue rucksack off my shoulders and set it carefully in the sink next to me, pulled out my small makeup bag, my emergency hair kit and got to work. Putting on a little cover-up to get rid of my horrible red skin and then a little concealer and powder to set it, my skin looked almost human. The eye makeup was okay so I moved on to the hair. My plain blond hair was a mess. Its dark curls had knotted and caused it to look shorter than its usual shoulder length. I tried Running my hands through it trying to tame it into staying straight, unsuccessfully, so I grabbed my small hairbrush and began combing through the knots, but the more I brushed the frizzier it seemed to get. With an annoyed grunt I threw the brush back in the bag and went in search of a hair-tie, practically shouting hallelujah when I found one hidden away in a little back pocket. Pulling all my hair on top of my head in what I hopped looked like a Chic messy bun rather than a lazy bitch who forgot to do there hair this morning, I took a step back and assessed my work. It didn't look that bad, you could even say I looked pretty, for lack of a better word. But it was missing something. Narrowing my eyes I looked closer.
Hmm, maybe a little lipstick? Going back to my makeup bag I pulled out a tube of red lipstick and and started to apply it as even as possible.
Just as I'd finished a loud bell rang startling me. "Crap!" the lipstick lid went flying out my my hand.
"Damn it" I grumbled quietly and knelt down,raking my eyes over the ground and spotted the offencive item rolling towards the sink next to the door. I got on my knees and crawled after it, reaching my hand out and grabbing it rather violently just before it reached its destination. "Ha! got you, you little shit!" Smiling my first proper smile that day I looked at the lid in my hand, and noticed that there was a shadow standing over me. I jerked my head up quickly, panicked eyes meeting shocked green ones.
"Oh,um hi?" I said uncertainly, trying unsuccessfully to sit up. The girl standing over me had strawberry blond hair and was impeccably dressed in a blue long sleeved low cut top, a cute plaid skirt and thigh high black socks, making my simple white top and black skater skirt combo look like peasant clothing. I tried smiling politely up at her, hoping to improve on the already awful impression i'd made. The girls face changed from shock to disgust and stepped around me. I turned my head to watch as she made her way to my previously occupied sink.
She took notice of the now fading frowning face and grimaced. With an annoyed huff she shimmied her shoulders slightly and looked at her reflection, fluffing her already perfectly fluffed hair and smiled widely.
Without turning back to me she said, "You know women's toilet rooms have more germs in them the mens, so I suggest you get up, or go sit on the floor next door."
I quickly jumped up, almost falling in my brand new heeled boots and walked over to the sink next to my bag to wash my hands. Could this day get any worse? You've already made an idiot of yourself. I lathered my hands in the lemon scented soap and sneaked a peek at the girl next to me. She looks like what most movies would call the 'Queen Bee'. And if her earlier snarky comment said anything, it was that the 'B' probably stood for Bitch.
Putting down the lipgloss she was using she turned to face me head on. Shit, did you say that outloud? Her big eyes narrowed and looked me over, taking in my messy hair and plain, boring outfit. She did not look impressed. Her eyes landed on my shoes and her eyebrow raised slightly, before traveling back up to look at my face. She gave me a blinding smile and flipped her hair to the side. "Hi, i'm Lydia Martin. I love your shoes." My mouth dropped open. I had not been expecting that. A snide comment or an insult followed by her storming away, thats what I would expected. But a complement?
I was completely floored, unable to comprehend the concept.
Her smile fell away and was replaced with a look I assumed was reserved for children, or idiots. What does she want?
I continued to look at her in confusion. "Oh um, thanks?" I said uncertainly, still not sure what she wanted me to say. Rolling her eyes clearly annoyed for reasons not known to me, she bent down and grabbed her fashionable red bag. She turned swiftly around and walked with the confidence of a model on a cat-walk.
When she got to the door she met my eyes over her shoulder. "You're going to be late for class". Then she left.
That...That was weird, right? Shaking my head, I quickly grabbed my bag and left the room.
The corridor was unfortunately not empty. Glancing back down to the entrance I saw a tall man walking towards me with a girl striding elegantly next to him. She was wearing a beige jacket with a cute blue scarf, and black skinny jeans covered her legs which seemed to go on for miles.
Is everyone at this school tall and gorgeous?
"Ah Miss Jones, we've been looking for you". The man beckoned me forward with a wave of his hand. Walking shyly over to them both I tried to explain why I was hiding away in the bathroom, but the man interrupted. "This is Miss Argent, she'll be joining you in the title of new girl". I smiled brightly in her direction, determined to make a good impression on this girl.
"Hi i'm Gra-" "yes, yes there'll be time proper introductions later, let's move ladies" The man interrupted again and began walking ahead. Allison smiled sheepishly at me and followed after him. I quickly followed suit.
"So you were saying san francisco Isn't where you grew up?" he asked. I assumed he was continuing an earlier conversation with Allison.
"No, but we stayed for more than a year, which is unusual in my family. We kind of bounce around a lot due to my dad's work". I listened with interest, happy to know more about my fellow new girl.
"Well, hopefully, Beacon Hills is your last stop for a while".
We stopped at a big brown door with a class number on it. Are first class of the day. I started to panic again making my chest felt tight. Turning my head to look at Alisson I saw that she looked about as thrilled to be here as I was and felt better knowing that I was no longer going through this alone. I put my hand on her arm, hoping to maybe calm us both down and she sent me an appreciative smile.
The man opened the door and ushered us both inside.
Everyone in the class hushed as he spoke. "Class, these are our new students Allison Argent and Mary-Grace Jones. Please do your best to make them feel welcome" And with one last nod in our direction, he left and shut the door behind him. No escape.
Allison made her way to the empty desk behind a boy I faintly recognised from the carpark earlier. I followed closely behind and sat in the seat opposite her. Pulling out my notebook and a pen I set them down on the small desk.
Allison leaned over and whispered "Do you have a spare pen? I forgot mine this morning" I looked through my bag but I couldn't find one, I sent her an apologetic look and shook my head. She looked so dejected that I was about ready to give her mine and hope for the best when the boy in front of her turned around and held out a pen. Allison smiled and accepted his offer.
"Thanks." The boy nodded and turned away to face the board, but not before I could see the huge shit-eating grin that spread across his cheeks. I looked over at allison and raised an eyebrow suggestively. She seemed a little embarrassed but grinned anyway and focused on the note pad and pen in front of her. Happy to have witnessed the unknown flirting. I turned to look at the teacher. "We'll begin with kafka's metamorphosis, on page 133".
The school day flew by with little cause for complaint, except fot the fact my English teacher insisted on using my full name every time he called on me, no matter how many times I begged him to just call me Grace. I was standing in the corridor rummaging through my bags multiple pockets looking for the piece of paper with my locker code when I noticed Allison a few rows down putting books in her locker. I was sad that I didn't have more lessons with Allison, so I wouldn't get to see her much. I was hoping we could become friends and bond over hatred of the same teachers. Being around each other all the time would be a sure-fire way to develop a friendship. Or we could become sick of the sight of each other after the first week and become mortal enemies. Then at least i'd know her well enough to hate her. But alas, fate was against us.
Finally finding the crumpled paper in the bottom of my much too large bag I opened the locker and shoved my books inside.
I should just go up to Allison and and say hey, maybe ask her how her first day went. I mean, we're both new, so she probably doesn't have anyone to hang out with either. Shutting the locker I turned back to were she was standing.
Damn it, you should have moved faster!
Two people were now talking with Allison. And not just any two people. Lydia Martin and the annoyingly tall leader of the jocks I came across earlier. I guessed they were a couple and by the way he had his hands all over her, my guess was right.
The queen bitch and the head jock, a match made in heaven. Or a hollywood movie.
Resigned with the fact that it probably wouldnt be a good idea to go over there, unless I wanted Lydia to tell Allison I was some kind of freak who hangs around it public bathrooms. I turned and rest against my locker. I looked around at the few people who were still hanging around and saw the guy who was sitting in front of allison in our first lesson. He was watching the group talking with interest, completely ignoring the boy and girl who seemed to be arguing next to him. The look he was giving her could only be described as pining, and I felt kinda bad for him, because if Allison decided to go with Lydia's crowd, I'd doubt he'd have a snowball's chance in hell with her.
Turning back to the group I noticed they were no longer standing by Allisons locker. After a panicked scan of the corridor, I saw that they were walking in my directions. I quickly opened my locker again. Failing at first because I did the combination wrong. But finally managed it and hid behind the door, trying to make myself invisible. I heard the click of there shoes getting closer causing me to almost ram my whole head inside and pray to every deity I knew, God, Buddha, Allah, Johnny depp, that they would just ignore me. But I guess none of them heard my prayers. Either that or they were all taking great pleasure in my discomfort.
"Hi! Mary-Grace? It's Allison" She tapped my shoulder gently while I covered the look of dread on my face with what I hoped was a believable smile and got out of my locker.
"Hey, um I go by Grace" Allison looked happy to see I was willing to talk.
"Oh sorry, Grace, thats a pretty name" I smiled in thanks as she continued "Me and lydia are going to watch the lacrosse team practice. You could come with us, if you want" She rushed through the sentence and looked at me expectantly as I glanced over at Lydia. She didn't look exactly pleased with the idea. I saw her grip on Allions arm tighten, almost possessively. If you agree, do you think she'll grip your neck that hard.
"Thanks for the offer, but I should probably be going home, we still have a lot of unpacking to do".
Lydia perked up at my lie, loosening her grip on Allison and pulling an almost believable disappointed face. "To bad. Oh well, maybe next time. Bye then. Come on Allison". She waved me away and she tried to drag Allison up the hall but she firmly held her ground.
"Come on, it'll be fun, and there'll be loads of cute boys, right Lydia?" Her eyes were basically pleading with me. I guess she didn't want to go anymore than I did. Most girls would jump at the chance to go around with the most popular girl in school, but Allison didn't seem to be looking for popularity. She seemed like the type of girl who just wanted to blend in. A feeling I was very familiar with.
I Slumped my shoulders in defeat. "Okay, sure. I'd love to come".
Lydia's pretty features contorted into and annoyed look as Allisons face lit up. She linked her arm through mine and Lydia led us both out to the lacrosse field.
The lacrosse practice was pretty uneventful. I was happy that I got to talk to Allison more though, and watch as she not so subtly stared at the boy from class, we asked Lydia who he was but she didn't seem to know, or care. The biggest surprise of the day was that I actually got an invitation to Lydia's party. Although I'm pretty sure she only invited me because I overheard her trying to persuade Allison to go, who kept insisting that she had dinner with her family that she couldn't get out of. Which was an obvious lie. I wish I could have come up with something to get out of going, but when Lydia set her scary sights on me, my mind went completely blank. I'd just have to make up some sort of an excuse. I mean, she probably wouldnt even notice if I didn't show up.
Before I got in my car to go home Allison gave me her number and told me to text her so we could hang out. Lydia was busy sucking her boyfriends face off. Lydia had explained that his name was Jackson and that he was to lacrosse team captain, which was apparently a big deal here at Beacon hills. I also came to the conclusion that he was a giant dick, if the way he talked to his teammates was anything to go by.
I waved at to the group as I drove past the in my car. Allison waved back enthusiastically, so did Lydia, but she somehow made it look condescending. I stifled the urge to flip her off, guessing that it wouldn't be a good idea to get on her bad side.
I waved at to the group as I drove past the in my car. Allison waved back enthusiastically, so did Lydia, but she somehow made it look condescending. I stifled the urge to flip her off, guessing that it wouldn't be a good idea to get on her bad side.
The good thing about staying behind after school was that the roads were almost completely clear of traffic so it only took me around 20 minutes to get home. Pulling in the driveway of my new home, I felt totally relaxed for the first time all day. I let out all my tension and inhaled the smell of freshly cut grass, the sun had come out and everything was peaceful once again. At least it was for about five seconds.
My dad opened the garage and stormed out, all tangled up in wired and carrying a large hard-drive in his arms.
"Grace! come help me move all this stuff into the study!" He shouted. I laughed as I saw him struggle to detangle himself. Jumping out of the car I jogged over to him, grabbed the wires from around his head and picked up the few smaller hard drives off the box by the door.
"Thanks love. These things are a bloody nightmare to carry. They should make them with handles or something." He smiled over the hard-drive at me.
My dad, David, was training to become a manager in a big internet company. He's the reason we had to move all the way from Surrey, which is in England, to Beacon Hills California, so he can be closer to work. I'm not bitter about the move though. Its a big opportunity for both of us.
We carried the computer parts up stairs into my dad's study. He hadn't decorated it yet so it still had the boring brown and beige walls from the previous owner. The room was a complete mess at the moment. There were leads and wired and large computers scattered all over the place, making it difficult to walk around.
Eventually I found an empty space in the back of the room to put the hard-drives down and turned back to look at my dad. His face was red and he was huffing and puffing like a mad in twice his age. His light brown hair was sticking to his forehead and he was resting is hands on his hips when he turned to me. "So, how was your first day? Make any friends?"
I reached up to take the hair-tie out of my hair, struggling to get it past the knots and sighed. "It was okay. Its really different from back home. And everyone was really tall, I felt like a mouse in a field of giraffes." My dad laughed as he walked over to me. He put his arm around my shoulder and walked us both back out of the room.
"Blame your mam for the hight love, you got it from her" That was true. My dad was a giant, reaching way past 6ft where as my mam, Elizabeth-Ann, was even smaller than me. She was back home in England with her husband Allan and my half brother Charlie. My parents had an amicable divorce when I was 10, which means they still get along and even get together sometimes for a coffee and a chat. Well, they did before we moved here. Deciding to move with dad was a really difficult decision because is meant leaving my mam behind. But being in California gave me more opportunities. Back home there weren't many places that taught advanced math and internet security and if I ever wanted to join the NSA. I was going to need to go were I could learn more about it.
Smiling up at my dad, I ducked under his arm and made my way to the kitchen. Opening the fridge I pulled out 3 slices of left over pizza from yesterday's dinner. Putting them on a plate and into the microwave I shouted out to my dad.
"I wasn't the only new girl at Beacon." My dad popped his head around the door as the microwave pinged.
"Oh, thats good. Is she nice?" Nodding, I took a bite of my now warm pizza.
"Yeah, she's lovely. I met this other girl to, called lydia" I pulled a face as my dad grabbed his own slice.
"Don't talk with your mouth full. So what about this lydia? Is she a nice girl as well?" Rolling my eyes I pointed to my face to emphasise my point.
"Oh yeah, real sweet girl, I think were going to be best friends" I said sarcastically. My dad sat down on one of the chairs my the counter and turned it to face me directly .
"That bad huh?" he asked.
"Think Regina from mean girls." My dad visibly shuddered, he hated that film.
I walked around him and sat sat in the other chair. I leaned my elbows onto the counter and played with the last slice on my plate. "She did invite me to her party on friday though"
My dad reached over and took the pizza off my plate, shoving it in his mouth. "That was kind of her. Do you think your going to go?" I got up and walked over to the sink to rinse off the plate.
"I don't think so. You know i'm not really a party girl. And any extra time spent with Lydia would make me want to poke needles into my eyes." I dried the plate and put in into the cupboard.
"well is Allison going? It'll be a good excuse to hang out together." My dad said.
"No, she has plans with her family, so i'd be all alone."
My dad considered this. "Hmm, maybe not a good idea to go then. You wouldn't want to be around a bunch of drunk boys with no one there to help you fend them off".
"Exactly. To much hassle. I don't have anything to wear anyway"
Just as I finished washing up the last of the left over plates my dads phone started to ring. He left the room to answer it so I could only hear muffled voices.
I decided I couldn't be bothered to dry the plates so I put them on the draining board and walked out into the hall.
"Okay, yeah. Be there in 10 minutes. Bye" Dad turned around to face me, his usually happy face cast down in stress. "Sorry love. I have to go into the office to help set things up. Can you sort dinner out for yourself tonight?"
I walked over and gave him a short hug, looked up at him and smiled. "Yeah sure. I'll be fine. Just don't be home to late, okay"
He gave me another squeeze before walking over and grabbing his car keys from the bowl my the door. "I won't. See you later. There's money on the coffee table if you want to order a takeaway." Then he left.
Lonely, you are so lonely, you have no body, all on your own. I cringed and shook my head, making my way upstairs to my room.
My clutter in my room was very similar to my dad's study. There was a computer in the corner by the bed that wasn't set up yet, so there were wires all over the place. My bed hadn't been made and there were clothes all pilled the ottoman. My wardrobe wasn't put together either so that was all piled up by the window. The only thing that was done was the walls. I painted them a light pale green colour the day we moved in because I couldn't bare to look at the awful gray colour that the walls had. I also bought a thick fluffy rug to match the paint.
Right, If you're going to be alone for a few hours you might as well get this room actually looking like someone actually wanted sleep in it. Happy that I had something to do, i got to work.
Cleaning up my room took longer than I thought it would. By the time everything was where is was supposed to be, it was getting dark outside. I walked over and stood by the door. Admiring my work. Its looks really good. Give yourself a pat on the back.
Smiling at my work I felt my stomach rumble and I realised that I still hadn't eaten dinner. The thought of cooking something did now appeal to me so I grabbed my phone and went downstairs in search of a takeaway menu.
The only menu I could find was for an Indian take away. Dialing the number off the menu I placed my order. I decided to order extra so I could put some away for dad. He loves indian food.
While I was waiting for the food to come I grabbed my bag off the banister and got out the homework I was given. I laid my books out on the coffee table and set a pillow on the floor as a makeshift seat. I didn't take me long to get through the math, considering that's my best subject, but I struggled a little on the history. How is one person supposed to remember all these dates? It's impossible.
Hearing the bell ring I threw my pen to the side and shot up. I grabbed the money and ran quickly to answer the door. The takeaway guy was not a pleasant fellow. He had greasy hair and a beard that hang low, almost reaching his chest, and if that wasn't bad enough, he also spat when he spoke. Hope he's not the one cooking the food.
"So that'll be $22.50" he said in a bored tone. Forcing a smile on my face I handed him the money and told him to keep the change.
"Thanks, have a nice night". He nodded, lifting his hand in a wave and walked back to a car that could only be described as a 'stoner mobile'. I shut the door and went into the kitchen to dish out the food.
After food I put a couple of the containers away and left a note on the fridge for dad. I tapped my stomach, feeling full and content. I washed my plate and left it on the draining board for my dad to dry, a punishment for being late. again. The only issue with his new job is that it keeps him out almost all night. Its like no one else in this town knows how to use computer.
I walked upstairs, getting ready for my nightly routine of a shower, moisturizing and hair smoothing. I needed the routine because if I forgot to do it even once, my hair would never do what it was supposed to do. I smoothed my argan oil through my damp hair. Making it feel smooth and silky. After gently combing it, I climbed into bed.
As I lay in the dark, I went through the day's events. I started my new school and got through the day without to much hassle. I've kind of made a friend in Allison and made a possible enemy in Lydia. But that's still two people I now know. I even got invited to my first ever party with the 'popular crowd'.
Damn, what a busy day.