Coraline Jones sat on the cold wooden bench just outside the office. Her parents were finishing something to do with school. She hadn't seen Wybie yet, which frustrated her. She wanted to see at least one familiar face here.
"Hello!" A cheery voice piped up from next to her. Coraline looked to her left to match the person with the voice. What she saw was a girl around her age, with straight blond hair, rosy cheeks and large dimples. She reminded Coraline of a doll her mother once gave her.
"My name is Erika Small. You must be the new student! It's Caroline right?" She gushed. Her simpering voice and way too happy appearance made Coraline cringe in disgust.
"Uh...hi. I am and it's Coraline." She answered. She was used to people getting her name wrong by now.
"Well, Coraline I am here as a representative of the student council. Here to welcome you," She indicated to Coraline, "to Burton Academy!"
"Well, thanks. But I…"
"Great! Do you have your schedule yet?" She asked not even allowing Coraline to finish her sentence. Annoyed, Coraline tired, very hard, not to insult her. After all, she seemed harmless enough, and it looked like she was trying to make an effort in greeting her. I could have gotten someone worst she thought. Before she could respond, her parents walked out of the office alongside a large old woman in a grey cotton dress and black dress shoes. She looked a bit like Miss. Spink if she were…normal.
"Well that should cover everything. I'll have – oh!" The woman in the grey dress looked over at the two girls. She smiled brightly and waddled over. Coraline tried to suppress a giggle when she saw her move like a penguin.
"Well, Miss. Small, I wasn't expecting you just yet. Not that that's a bad thing ducky. Well, I hope you've met Miss. Jones already." Coraline smiled at the woman's sweet voice.
"I'm sorry if I got here a little too early Mrs. Guinn. But I wanted to be on time to meet Caroline." Erika simpered. Coraline gave her a dark look. Suck up. She thought. When she opened her mouth to correct her again, Ms. Guinn spoke up first.
"It's Coraline ducky. Not Caroline." Erika's smile faded slightly and Coraline shut her mouth and smiled. She got my name right!
"Wow, you're the first person to get my name right the first try." Coraline said. Ms. Guinn smiled sweetly.
"People get names wrong all the time. But I'm sure people get frustrated when people mistake it most of the time. Now," She turned to Erika once again smiling. "Erika is in the same homeroom as you. Since you have a schedule with you you'll know what subjects to take but Erika here will tell you where you're other classes will be." She explained. Coraline wanted to point out that her friend Wybie who also attended the same school had already shown her the place but she felt compelled to do what Ms. Guinn said. She was so nice and she got her name right.
"Yes Ms. Guinn." Erika simpered in her honey voice. Coraline resisted the urge to gag.
"Thank you again Ms. Guinn." Coraline's mother thanked her.
"Coraline I'll meet you at the front after school OK?" Her father confirmed. Coraline shook her head. Waving good-bye, Coraline turned to Erika and reluctantly joined her. As they walked down what Coraline remembered was G-Hall, she turned to Erika to try and make conversation.
"Hey, thanks for volunteering to help me around school but my friend Wybie all ready showed me which hall was which. So you don't have to chauffer me around everywhere…" Coraline stopped when Erika snorted.
"You're friends with Wyborne?" Erika asked. No longer sweet honey voice and smiles, she just seemed bored and a little…mad?
"You do know he's a freak right? I mean not just any ordinary freak. He takes the term to a whole new level." She sneered, giving Coraline a cold stare. Coraline's surprise was quickly replaced with anger.
"And who are you judge my friend?" She demanded.
"That friend of yours dumped a bucket of snails one me and my friends last year with the other psycho's he hangs out with.
"Wish I could have been there to see that." Coraline smirked. Erika seemed to ignore the comment but Coraline noticed with satisfaction how she bristled.
"But I guess you would fit in well with someone like him what with tacky blue hair and an ugly old thrift shop hat." Erika countered. Coraline's eyebrows shot up but her bruised pride wouldn't back down. Instead, she laughed.
"What? Making fun of my hair and my hat is the best insult you can come up with?" She demanded. The two stood there, facing each other in a stand down akin to that of an old western.
"Excuse me. What are you two doing?" A man in a brown suit asked. Coraline assumed he must have been a teacher or one of the vice-principals. Erika seemed to revert back into simpering suck up mode and answered the teacher.
"We were just talking about classes' sir. I'm here to escort Caroline Jones to homeroom." Erika stressed her first name incorrectly. Coraline's urge to kill was steadily rising.
"It's Coraline you little…" But she didn't get a chance to finish when the teacher silenced with a glance.
"OK, both of you off to class. Now." He demanded. Coraline and Erika silently obeyed, walking off to class glaring at each other.
This semester's going to suck.