This chapter holds 7 pages, 61 paragraphs, and 4,013 words.
Chapter 2
Wides eyes of surprise looked at the person standing before her. 'He is cute,' she thought, trying to hide the blush that was slowly creeping on her cheeks. In front of her was a male with golden-like hair, fair colored skin, darker than Chelsey's, and golden-brown eyes. To her, he seem to oddly sparkle a little.
The guy stared at her with concern as if asking, 'Are you alright?' He waved his hand in front of her face, trying to gain her attention.
It worked as she regained her focus. "S-sorry," she apologized, feeling guilty for staring.
The guy waved his hands and shook his head like, 'Do not worry about it.'
Chelsey looked around nervously before standing up. "Um," she looked back to the guy. "C-can you help look for a… er… n-new student?" She mentally smacked herself for stuttering in front of this guy. How dumb is she acting. He was probably way older than her. She waited for his response.
The male seemed to think about something before he realized it. He pointed to himself with a smile.
"Yes, you can help, right?" Chelsey asks, oblivious of what the guy actually meant.
He shook his head as if say she had guessed wrong. Chelsey looked confused now. He was doing his best to tell her something, but she did not seem to understand. He thought for a moment then responded slowly. He pointed to her then pointed to himself. He waited for that to sink in. Indeed she need to get that information soaked into her brain. She did not seem to understand sooner than he thought so he huffed with disappointment.
'What is he trying to tell me?' She thought, staring at the annoyed looking person. She thought over the actions he did. She had asked him to help find him. Then it dawned on her. "A-are you… the… er…" she searched for the word. The guy nods his head. "Oh gosh," she felt really guilty now. "I-I am so sorry. I sh-should have known. I-I mean m-my…um… t-teacher wanted me to f-find you," she stuttered.
He smiled at her when he saw how much she was stuttering and looked really nervous. He put up a hand to tell her to stop talking, then gestured that is was alright. When she looked relieved, he showed her a piece of paper.
Chelsey looked over the piece of paper. It was his class schedule. At first, she could not find his name, but realized it was only two letters. "SM?" She questioned, looking at him. He nods a confirmation. 'Never knew you could name your own child that,' she thought to herself. "A-alright," she looks over the paper again. "D-do you want to… um… go to the classes to get your paper signed by the teachers, or.. um… get a tour around the school first?"
SM seemed to think over which he would like to do first. He did not so sure what he wanted to do, so instead he just gestured toward the girl as if asking some sort of unasked question.
It took Chelsey only a few moments this time to figure it out. "My choice?" He gestured as if she might have gotten the question quite accurate, but not exact. "Er… d-did I understand wrong?" He shook his head. She felt dumbfounded. What did he mean when he did that then? "Um… w-we can get the paper signed first then have a look around?" He gestured to tell her that should could lead the way. Chelsey felt anxious at the thought of giving him a tour. She began to walk in the direction she had come from.
The walk was silent all the way to the classroom as there was nothing really to say, or show along the way. The two entered the classroom when the bell had just rung for class dismissal. The kids rushed out of class, filling the halls within seconds. Chelsey and SM had to leap out of the way. When it died down, the two entered with different students taking their seats.
Chelsey walked up to Mr. Cornell. "Er… h-hey, Mr. Cornell," she greets him, looking nervous as she notices most of the students were looking at them. She felt weak in her knees at beingthe center of attention.
The teacher looks up to see Chelsey standing there with SM. "Is this the new student?" He asks, greeting SM with a small nod. SM replies with a small wave.
Chelsey looked really nervous, but replied anyways. "Y-yes. We are o-only here to get his schedule s-signed," her words were mostly quiet, hoping no one heard her but SM and Mr. Cornell.
"What is your plan after getting this signed?" He asked he took the paper from SM, who was handing it to the teacher. It was silent till he finished signing it then gave it back to SM.
She thought about this for a moment as if she was not sure. "W-we are planning to… um… get the schedule signed throughout the day, but give him a tour if his and my teacher allow it."
"Good plan," he nods approvingly. "Well, you must hurry to your next class." With that, the final bell rang. "And do have fun giving him a tour."
"I-I will," she nods, making her way out of the classroom with SM following.
Just as she left, she overheard some of the students chattering about something. She expected them to be talking about her, but they were talking about someone else. She did not hear what exactly they were saying. She left before she could decipher it.
Once outside, she looked toward SM. "So, who is next?" She asked. SM handed her his schedule. She looked it over, and realized that all the teachers were hers. That was strange. She looked at SM then the paper with confusion. She had never heard a student having the exact same classes as another student. 'Strange,' she thought. "A-alright," she stuttered out, still feeling odd about this. "Um… the next class is physical education, o-or P.E. for short; a-and the teacher is Coach Quell. H-he is your PE teacher."
The two began to walk toward the gym where the physical education class is usually held. When they reached it, Chelsey stopped in front of the boys locker room. "Saddly, I can go no further. In this class, boys and girls are separated." She looked nervous. "Th-there should be an office right when you enter through these doors. That is where there… er… t-teachers would be."
SM did not seem to like the idea of him going alone, but he complied with a nod. He went to the doors, slowly entering them. Before he stepped through fully, he looked over to her. His expression was unreadable. She watched as the door closed, and SM was out of her sight.
Sighing shakily, she was half glad half anxious. She was glad she did not have to give more tours for a moment; but anxious because she was not sure how he would do with these teachers. From her experience, Coach Quell was quite a tough teacher. "Hope he is lenient with SM," she turned, ready to leave. That was until she heard the door to the locker room open.
Chelsey turned to see Coach Quell standing there. "Mrs. Lightstar?" He beckoned her inside. "Do not worry, the boys are all out." She nodded nervously at Coach Quell's intimidating look. He had dark to black hair with fair skin. His eyes were a deep brown; but what intimidated her was his height and how muscular he was compared to the rest of the male P.E. teachers.
Coach Quell went back in, followed by Chelsey. As they got inside, she noticed SM looking kind of nervous. Was he nervous? She could not really tell. Human expressions were not her thing. Coach Quell enters his office with with the two, holding SM's schedule. "So… SM, is it?" He seemed authoritative, looking at him. SM gave a small nod. Coach Quell looks back to the papers then signed them. "Alright, starting tomorrow you will join the class. Today, you can observe."
Chelsey felt really nervous. "U-um… W-why did you bring me h-here?" She was doing her best not to shake, but made no eye contact.
"Apparently, SM was telling me how you was going to give him a tour during this class period," Coach Quell said, handing SM his schedule back.
She nods her confirmation. "I-I did, s-sir," she wanted to just run in hide. Why could she not stop stuttering?
Coach Quell stood up, ready to leave, but turned to the two. "I would suggest you keep that promise, Mrs. Lightstar. Give him a tour, then get to third period. I will tell Coach Noreen about your situation," he left the room to the gymnasium.
Chelsey gave a quivering sigh of relief, but tensed when she remembered that SM was standing right next to her. "I-I thought… wait… h-how did he know w-what you said?" She looks at him with a questioning look.
SM smiles and points to the paper on Coach Quell's desk. There was writing on it. Neatly written too.
"O-oh… er… n-nice hand writing," she compliment, feeling a blush creep on her cheeks. Trying to shake it off, she turned for the door. "Um… sh-shall we begin the… er… tour?" She looks back to see SM nodding. Leading him out of the doors, she looks around to think of where to go first. Might as well show him the basics.
During the whole period, she had showed him where the bathrooms, cafeteria, and front office were located. She even took the liberty of showing him the classrooms they were going to take part in for each period, and when lunch was. And soon, that brought the end to the tour. The bell rung, telling the two to head to their next class. This will be SMs first official class he will be staying in. Then, they had lunch right after.
The two went up to the second floor. It was not that bad to climb them them, but she remembered someone saying how evil stairs actually were. She had experienced that too that morning. Remembering that caused the bruise to act up. Why is acted up all of a sudden was a mystery. All she knows was that almost visibly showed how she felt in front of SM, which she did not want. The last thing she wanted was for him to turn his back on her because she was in pain. 'Be strong,' she mentally thought, walking normally despite the sharp pain. Her body screamed at her to stop and take a break, but she ignored it.
The two enter the computer room silently at first. She sets her stuff at a chair she liked sitting at, which was at the door. Every student got to choose their own computers as long as they behaved. When Chelsey finished placing her things on her chair, she made her way up to the teacher with SM. "M-morning, Mr. Marcher," she greets.
The teacher looks up her her. "What do you need, Miss. Lightstar?" He asks, sounding quite cold. Before Chelsey could reply, Mr. Marcher saw SM. "Ah. Mr. SM. Glad you could make it," he looks to Chelsey. "Alright, take your seat."
She hung her head, but complied, turning to take her seat. She looks over to see SM and Mr. Marcher communicating a bit. She looks back to her chair, freely showing her limp from walking on it for so long. When she got to her chair, another student deliberately had placed her backpack in the trashcan before taking her seat. She paused for a moment, heartbroken; but went to the trashcans to grab her bag out of the trash. All she could think about was wanting to leave the classroom, but she did not. She looked around the room to find that there was a single seat in the far back. How was she going to run to lunch if she was back there. On top of that, it was the worst running computer in the class.
She took the seat in the back. Examining the desk, there were curse words and the most inappropriate things on it. She set her bag down beside the chair. She turned on the computer, letting it boot up. She did not dare look around. While waiting for the computer, she looks over her bag, finding disgusting stuff she had no clue what it was on her bag. She nearly gagged when she felt someone gently poke her. Jumping with fright, she covered her head. "Do not hurt me!" She cried out. She heard snickering in the background, but no one attacked. Peeking out between her arm, she saw a concerned SM. Looking around, she saw the students watching the two. Some with mocking looks and snickering. Chelsey blushed with embarrassment.
"Miss. Lightstar, do you have a problem?" Mr. Marcher asked, looking annoyed at her outburst. The children around all chuckled.
Looking at the teacher, and trying to ignore the stares. "N-n-no, s-sir," she stuttered out, feeling anxiety building up in her chest.
"Then I suggest you get back to work, or you will be sent to the office for disrupting the class," his voice was very stern. This teacher was worse than the intimidating Coach Quell. She nodded her reply, solemnly showing she understood. The teacher went back work.
SM was giving her an expression she sees plenty of time. 'Seriously?' was his unspoken response.
"S-sorry," she replied to him, almost too silent for him to hear. SM looks over to the seat I had wanted to sit in. Chelsey knew what that meant. When he turned to look at her, she shook her head. "I-it is fine," she half lied. SM oddly detected it it, by giving her an upset look. "S-seriously," she tried to reassure him. 'Does he actually care?' This dumbfound her as she had never had a student actually care. "Th-the class has f-free seating.S-so… I was too slow." She looked away so to not show how much hurt she felt from having to move to the back of the room. "Y-you should look f-for a seat," she gestures to the classroom.
For a moment, she watched as he tried to look for a seat anywhere near her. To no evail, he looked upset. Turning away to check on her computer, she found it was still booting up, "Great," she mumbles her breath. She took a slow deep breath to try to keep herself calm. She looks over her shoulder again to see SM was trying to find a seat for himself. Lucky for him, he found one right next to the student who had just taken her seat. She watched as SM looks back at her, looking upset about the idea of sitting next to the student. Chelsey gestures with her head to take the seat till the end of the class.
He took the seat reluctantly. The student next to him began chatting. Chelsey watched as they communicated. Then, the student looks at her, and so did SM. He shook his head, making the student look suspicious. If she was right, the student was probably trying to convince SM that she was a loser and he should be hanging out with the cool kids. That would be no surprise if SM took the offer. She had former students do that to her. She would show them around school, and they all seemed nice. That wad until one of the students always ruins her chance if friendship.
(Linebreak)
By the end of the class, every raced for lunch, but she stayed back for a bit. What was the point on rushing if she could not make it to the front of the class before anyone else? She was taking her time to pack when she felt another gentle tap. She looks over. To her surprise, SM stood there. "W-why did you not j-join the others?" She asks.
He points to where he had sat next to the student. She nods her response. He shook his head, smiling. This confused her.
The two left the classroom together. For once, she felt something warm build in her heart. 'He actually cares,' she thought. 'Does that make us acquaintances, or… friends?' The idea of having a friend caused her to smile uncontrollably.
Not too long later, the two had reached the lunchroom. It was full as always. The two were in the back of the line. By now, she would have already had her lunch and eating it, but she had to wait. She was just glad that SM was with her. She felt oddly safe when he was around. Like no one could hurt her. Observing the line, she watched how slow it was going. This bored her, but she watched as SM looked around the cafeteria with curiosity. There was plenty to see, and he seemed very interested in almost everything that was to see. Watching him oddly made her smile, which seemed to be an uncommon thing for her.
Eventually, the two got their lunch and was heading to one of the tables. Chelsey did not sat at one. She only continued toward the exit of the cafeteria. She noticed this confused SM, but she did not expect him to follow. This was normal for her. Always getting her lunch and leaving the cafeteria to where she usually eats. When she looked back again, she watched as SM was following her. Her eyes widened, but then some students got in the way of him. She stopped and watched.
"Where are you going, SM?" Asked one of the students. They were the leader of the so called 'cool' group. "Do not tell us you are going with that loser." They point to Chelsey. SM had no clue what to do, but when they called her a loser, he did not look pleased. "Hang out with the cool kids instead." He shook his head as if declining their offer. This surprised her. Why would he not go with them? "So you are saying you want to go with that loser," they point their finger at me, "instead of hanging out with the cool kids where you could get famous." He confirmed his response with a nod, then pushes passed them, and up to Chelsey. "You will regret you choice," the student said before walking away.
She looks at SM with wide eyes in complete shock. No one has ever done such a thing, denying to hang out with the cool kids. Anyone would want that, even her. She then gestures with her head for him to follow. He obliged, following loyally. 'Who is he?' her mind wondered. 'Is he an FBI, or Secret Service? Why is he hanging out with a loser like me?' All her questions were not asked. She only kept it in her mind.
The started ascending the stairs. She looks over to see he was still following. It felt odd to her. This was very new. "P-please do not tell a-anyone about where we are h-heading," it was half begging, and half informing. She did not seem to get a reply from him. She assumed with how stood up to those students, he would. The two stood at a door at the highest floor. It had said EXIT above it, glowing in red. She opens the door to reveal stairs going up in darkness. There was only one light that lit it up, but it was flickering. The two enter through the door, ascending more stairs. They could hear each other's footsteps on the metal steps. Then, they came to another door. This floor had no classrooms, just a metal door. She looks over her shoulder to see SM looking really confused now.
She proceeds to open the door. Sunlight shun into their eyes, blinding the two for a moment. The two steps into the light, closing the door behind them. SM blinked with confusion, then looks to Chelsey. She had lead them to the roof top of the school building. Normally, students were not allowed up there, bit she found a way to sneak up there, even in plain sight. "Do not worry," she reassured him. "We may not be a-allowed up here, b-but no one else c-comes up here. N-not really anyways." She goes and takes a seat near the edge of the building. Thanks the the stone raise, she was not going to fall over. "I-it is not really th-the best place to eat," she paused for a moment, "b-but it is the only place I c-can." SM took a seat next to her. He seemed uncertain, but did not seem to complain. The two ate in peace.
As the two got finished with their meal, they waited for the next bell to ring. In the meantime, she was looking over the stone railing that edged the building. She watched how high she was, which caused her to give a faint smile. This another reason she loved going there. She loved the view. It was the closest she could get to the clouds that were still high above. SM joined her to see what caused her to smile. He did not seem to see it. "I love being in high places, if only I could get up there," she points to the clouds above, drifting across the bright blue sky. SM looked to the sky. He looked to be in thought for a moment then looks back to her, giving his usual warm smile that made her feel warm inside too.
"SM," she speaks up, looking really nervous. "A-are we… er…" she felt like she did not want to finished the sentence. She was was afraid of his reply. "A-are we friends?" She finally spits it out. Without hesitation, he nods, approving her question. 'Friends,' she thought to herself, her heart swelled. 'I got a friend.' She could not help but give him a big smile. "I-I never had a f-friend before," she looks nervous again. "I-I hope I d-do not mess it up."
She proceeds to explain everything that had happened so far. Her obnoxious brothers, the bullies, and so on. SM listened intently, not liking how she was explaining her situation. She looked away, feeling anxious about his reaction to what she explained. All he did was lay a hand on hers, which caused her to look back at him to see him giving a reassuring smile. This caused her to smile back at him, looking relieved.
Just as they were getting acquainted with one another, the door handle to the door they had come from, wobbled. The two look sharply in the direction. It seemed like the person was having trouble with the handle. "Sh…" she says, putting a finger to her lips. She gestures him to follow her, and he does. The two went into hiding beside the the door, but out of swinging range. The two crouched, waiting silently. The anticipation was getting to Chelsey the most. 'D-did one of the students find us?' She thought. "A-are they coming to get us now?" She felt anxiety raise even more in her chest. Then, the door opens and the two tensed up, listening to who it could be. She imagined all the bad things that could happen right. Students beating her up senselessly. Whatever it was, they waited with anticipation.
( Posted: January 14, 2017 at 6:15 PM Pacific Time)
