Chapter One

Sophies POV

I knocked on the principles door, and walked in carefully. I was greeted by a friendly voice, before the Principle turned in his chair to face me.

He was a short, middle-aged man, with greying-brown hair and a round smiling face.

"Sit down Miss Taylor," The smiling man said. I sat on the comfortable-ish looking chair in front of the old wooden desk. "Before we start," he paused, "I would like to say how very honoured we are at Eden Halls, to have such a talented young athlete."

"Well... thank you Mr Starling, I'm very happy to be here," I paused again, ( I was wondering how: 1) how Mr Starling had found out about my sporting past, and 2) How he would take my 'interesting' news)

"Mr Starling, I was wondering if we could keep my athletic-ness ... I dunno... a secret?"After finishing my little speech, I wondered how he would take the news.

"But Miss Taylor...You were one of the top figure skaters – under sixteen – in the world. Why you would want to hide such amazing talents from your class mates?"

"I will tell them sir...eventually. With all due respect sir, I am at a new school, in a new country." I stopped, "Sir, I have left my friends and family in England and I just wanted a new start."

"I understand. Are you going to try another sport while you are here with us?"

"I dunno. I was thinking, because of my brother, Ice hockey prehaps, but sir. Please don't say anything, I havent decided yet." I replied to an obviously clueless headmaster. "I mean...my leg isn't completely better but it is no worse than it has ever been."

"If your injury isnt stopping you, why have your parents arranged Physical Therapy sessions with an external clinican?"

I thought back to the practices before Olympic try-outs, and the thow that my coach asked us to try. Rather, he told me to do, the triple axel and after an hour of it, he told me to do 'just one more spin. Make it a quad". Not knowing that it would jepordise my skating career, and my world title. Not knowing that my ancle would not take the landing. That it would twist and cause my leg to break. A knock at the tall wooden door at one end of the small office, stopped the painfull memory from taking shape.

"That should be your guide to our school," he turned to face the door, "Come in!"

Then the door edged open, and a mass of curly brown hair popped round the side. "You wanted to see me Mr Starling?"

"Yes, come in," the rest of an amazing body entered through the door. Mr Hastings turned back to face me, "Sophie Taylor, this is Charlie Conway. He will be your guide to our historic school. I believe your brother is the new assistant coach of Charlie's hockey team. Charlie i'm sure you'll take care of Sophie."

"Miss Taylor, here is your timetable and your map to the school and ..." A buzzer sounded, "That is your first bell, Charlie please show Miss Taylor to her first class."

******

"Class, we have a new student today. Her name is Sophie Taylor. She is from the Queen's country, England."She stated meanwhile I stood at the front of the class like a lemon. "Would you like to take a seat Sophie? Any seat will do." I looked onto the rows of empty, staring faces, would they be friends or enemies? I walked down to the last empty desk, in the middle of the classroom.

People were whispering, I could hear them, I had been in the classroom for less than two minutes and already they were talking about me, is that good?

I don't know but, I was very, very, happy when the bell went. That is...until I got lost.

I thought I was doing fine until the buzzer went for the next class and every one disappeared into classrooms.

I studied the timetable,

So...today is Friday, and I have just had social science, so that means I have...erm, English now.

I blindly tapped the closest guy on the shoulder, "Excuse me? I am completely lost, can you tell me..." then I looked up. It was Charlie, my guide, "Erm...hi...Charlie! Can you tell me what and, or, where English is?"

"First of all, we have got to stop bumping into each other like this. Second, you are five minutes late. Third, it is down the hall, and fourth, I have that class next so I'll walk you down there."

"Thank you so much. I asked a dozen people and apparently I'm in exile. No-one will show me the way. Or even talk to me." I sighed.

"Look ... I know its not so easy being at a new school, leaving all your friends for a new school and a school full of weirdos with freakish accents and a bunch of words that mean nothing to you." Charlie said carefully, and surprisingly, knowledgeably.

"No offence ... but how would you know?"I asked, shifting my weight from one knee to the other.

"Well, there's no time for a story now. We're gonna be late. Mr K is a harsh professor."

"So," I paused, I pointed down the hallway, "It's up here?"

"Yeah, oh and by the way, here ..."He wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it to me. "Is my number, call me if you get lost, or whatever."

******

I knocked on the door of a classroom; there was a grey door with a window in it. I could see that the teacher had already started. The teacher turned to the door as I opened it.

"Excuse me," I inquired, half in, and half out of the door. "Is this C10? Are you Mr Kingsford?"

"It is. I am. And ... you're late. I'm guessing you are our new girl. Please take a seat."

******

You have no idea how much I was dreading lunch.

I was dreading lunch because even in England, there are cliques, and I was sure as heck that there were more in America.

I walked into the canteen and I wondered where I was supposed to go.

So, I'm standing in the lunch queue, I had just paid for a tuna sandwich and a can of Diet Coke. I had no idea where I was supposed to sit. There were so many tables:

Emos

Art Freaks

Goths

Band-ees

Jocks (Hockey, Football, Basketball, Baseball)

Varsity Jocks (all of above)

Sluts

Man-sluts

Teachers Pets

Loners

Rude-boys

Rude-girls

Black hotties

Random Nerds

Random People

AV Club Geeks

Maths Geeks

Drama Club

Glee Club

Cheerleaders

I was trying to figure out whether to call my (very hot) guide/mentor person and ask him what to do/to sit at a table by myself, or to sit on the lawn with my iPod.

I decided on the last option, so I left through the entrance, leaving my tray on a table and put my lunch into my bag.

I found a spot on the lawn under a tree, opened the can of Coke, took a sip and.... watched as a pair of sneakered feet appeared on the grass next to me.