With my break off work today, I have a lot of time for writing, so here's chapter 2! Enjoy!
The loud beeping from my alarm woke me abruptly. I groaned and rolled to shut it off. I lay back down and stared at the ceiling. Nerves began making their way into my stomach. I didn't know what to expect from this new place, and that thought scared me. I took a quick shower, then sat in front of my vanity's mirror. My dark brown hair fell around my shoulders. When it dried, it would turn into waves that fell down to my hips. I sighed, and assessed myself. I had an olive complexion, one I got from my father. My eyes were a chocolate color, lined with heavy lashes. My lips were plump. I knew I was pretty, but my self-consciousness kicked in.
I decided to go with a more natural look. I lined my eyes with eyeliner, put on some mascara, and some light pink lip gloss. I stood in front of my closet contemplating what I should wear. I pulled on a pair of dark wash jeans and an olive green sweater. It was oversized, and hung off my shoulders. I grabbed some black ankle booties and set off downstairs.
"Good morning sweetie." Sonya held out a cup of coffee and I gladly accepted." How did you sleep?"
I shrugged. "Not bad." The truth is, I barely slept at all. I couldn't stop worrying about the day ahead of me.
"Good." She grinned. She gestured to the table full of pastries, eggs, bacon, and juices. "I'm not sure what you like for breakfast so I made you whatever I could find."
I smiled. "That's very nice of you. Thank you." I picked up a blueberry scone. "I think I'll take this to go." Usually I could out eat any grown man around, but the butterflies that filled my stomach left no room for breakfast.
Sonya looked at me with concern. "Sure." She replied. "Come on. I have a meeting at eight o'clock so we need to get going." I followed her out of the house and got in her Escalade. Victor's truck was gone, he must have already left. He was an EMT, so he was rarely home.
The drive to school was silent. When we arrived, students littered the grounds. I tried to avoid their gazes, but I felt their eyes burning into my back. It wasn't all the time Belmont got new students. The interior of the school was extremely dated. The brown lockers were old, and beginning to rust. The linoleum floor smelled of lemon. I followed Sonya down the hallway and into the offices.
"Hello, Sonya." An elderly woman behind the front desks smiled. Her eyes crinkled at the corners, and laugh lines appeared next to her mouth. Her grey hair was tied into a bun on her head. She turned her gaze to me. "You must be Rose." She reached a hand across the table. "I'm Alberta."
"I am." I shook her hand.
"It's lovely to meet you, dear." She said.
"Likewise." I smiled.
"Principal Kirova is expecting you. Go on back." She gestured to the door behind her.
I took the lead and headed back. After a knock on the door, a woman opened it. She was in her late thirties, if I had to guess. Her black hair was in a tight braid down her back. Her dark eyes met mine, and I felt a sense of intimidation. Her lips were colored with bright red lipstick that made her teeth shine as soon as she opened her mouth.
"Welcome." She pointed to two leather chairs in front of her desk. "You can both take a seat."
"Actually, I have to get going." Sonya looked at her watch. "Will you be okay to go over classes without me, Rose?" she looked hopeful.
"Yeah, no problem." I said.
"Okay, great." Relief flooded her face. She kissed my forehead and rushed out.
"Alright," Kirova said, shuffling through a folder with name on it. "You seem to have quite the GPA. We'll continue you in AP classes and as for electives, I have you in gym and cooking. Will this be a problem?"
I shook my head. "No, that's fine."
"Great." She pulled out a copy of my schedule and handed it to me. "I'm sorry about the circumstances that brought you here." My throat caught and I looked down. "We have grief counselors available if you need. Now, there's no information about a father in your file. Is he also deceased?"
"I have no idea." I looked up. She was staring at me with an expression that I wasn't sure was concern or distaste. "I never knew him."
"How tragic." I was almost certain the look was distaste now. "Well, here is a map of the school and forms for your teachers to sign. Please bring them back at the end of the day. Alberta will show you out." She pointed to the door without looking up.
"Good luck, dear." Alberta grinned. "Bring those forms back to me before you go home." She pointed to the papers I was gripping.
"Okay. Thank you." I took a deep breath and headed out into the hallway.
The hallways were now packed with students. All at once, heads turned and settled their eyes on me. I glanced down at my schedule and kept moving. I had AP History first. I pulled out my map and followed the way to the classroom. As soon as I rounded the corner, I ran right into something hard. Everything I was holding in my arms scattered around my feet. I bent to grab them. When I looked up, I met two green eyes.
"Wow." The boy gasped. He had a dark complexion, and had dark brown hair that curled around his ears. We stood at the same time. He was tall, but not so much that he towered over me.
"What?" I asked, taking the papers he grabbed out of his hands.
"I just wasn't expecting to see someone so beautiful. I mean, we have some beautiful women at this school, but goddamn you are exceptional. I'm Adrian." He flashed a set of white teeth at me. "And you are?"
"Leaving." I smirked.
"Don't worry, we'll meet again." He called after me. I rolled my eyes. Two minutes into my first day and I already meet who I assume is the school player.
Once I reached the classroom, the door was blocked by a group of girls talking.
"Excuse me?" I tried to get their attention. When they didn't reply, I tried again. "Hey, can you move please?" After they still didn't answer, I tapped on one of the girls' shoulder. "Hi, if you don't move, I'll move you myself." I smiled sweetly when she looked at me with a shocked expression. "Thanks, doll. Cute shoes." I added and walked through their circle.
I ignored their whispers. I scanned the room looking for the teacher. He was a man not much taller than me. He was bent over a stack of papers, writing something at his desk. "Hi, I'm Rose Hathaway. Can you sign this for me, please?"
When he looked up, he frowned. "Hathaway? As in Sonya and Janine Hathaway?" My eyes widened, not expecting his comment.
"You know my family?" I asked.
He ripped the form out of my hand and scribbled a signature. "Of course I do." He scoffed. "Let's hope you're different." He handed it back. "Find a seat." He stood and walked to the front of the room. I stood there, shocked. What the hell was his problem?
I found an empty seat in the back next to a boy with jet black hair. He held his head up with one hand, a bored expression on his face. He absentmindedly scribbled on his notebook. When I tried to lean over to see what he was drawing, he slammed his notebook shut. His ice-blue eyes stared at me, his mouth turning down.
"Didn't you ever hear it's not nice to stare?" I snapped.
"Didn't you ever hear you're a bitch?" He clapped back.
"Oh, once or twice." I said, flipping through my history book. "You wouldn't be the first." I winked, and he smirked.
"Well, good. I wouldn't ever want to make a lady cry."
I snorted. "You'd have to do a lot more than that to make me cry."
"I'm Christian." He held a hand out.
I grabbed it, and instantly pulled back. His hand was burning hot. "Jesus, your skin is hot. Stick your hand in any fire lately?"
He laughed. "I'm just hot blooded I guess."
"Okay, sparky." I smiled. "I'm Rose."
"Would you care to shut up, or are you more interested in making friends? Not that Mr. Ozera would be a good choice." The teacher snapped.
"Ah, Stan." Christian cooed. "You sure know how to make me blush." He batted his eyes at Stan, and the room erupted in laughter.
"I hate my job." Stan muttered as he turned back to the lesson he was preparing.
"Don't worry about him." Christian whispered to me. "He's had a stick up his ass since the day he born."
After what was the most boring lecture of ow yomy life, I nearly sprinted out the door when the bell rang.
"Rose!" Christian called behind me. I turned to see him running after me. "Come find me in the dining room at lunch and you can sit with my friends and me."
"That would be great." I smiled. "Thanks."
The next few classes were uneventful, though the teachers were much nicer than Stan was. After dropping my books off at my locker, I headed to find the dining room. It was located on the first floor next to the gym. The whole left side of the room was lined with windows. The natural light coming through left a warm feel. I got in line behind the students and set off to find Christian. There were circular tables all around the room with students talking loudly. I scanned them looking for Christian's black hair. Finally, I saw him across the room.
"Hey, Rose," he smiled when I approached.
"Hi" I said, and sat down next to him.
Across the table was a pretty girl with long blonde hair. "Hi, I'm Sydney." she was beautiful, and had a gentle voice. Next to her was a small, pixie like girl with short blonde ringlets. "And this is Mia."
"It's nice to meet you both." I said.
"Likewise." Mia smiled. "We're going to the pier tonight for a bonfire if you'd like to come?" She offered.
"That would be great. Thanks." I felt relieved. It was nice that I already made some friends. Maybe this place wouldn't suck so much after all.
Leave me a review and let me know how you feel so far! I sense a hot Russian coming.. :)
I hope you're having a wonderful day!