Can't be anyone else

S01E05

Episode: What is in a name?

Part 2

"I see we have a new student" - the teacher concluded, and looked genuinely happy to say so.

This should probably have calmed Haley down, the sincerity of her happiness, but it didn't - Haley was instead freaking out.

The uneasy feeling returned, and she wasn't sure how to react to the statement. She wasn't at all prepared for this. All of the other classes the teacher hadn't paid any special attention to her. Non at all!

A few of the students followed the teachers glance: they actually looked surprised to see the unknown face of Haley. It was like they hadn't even noticed the "stranger" in their class room until now.

Haley wanted more than everything else, to just disappear - she couldn't handle their stares. It made her so uncomfortable to be looked at in that way, as if she was a prize cow being evaluated by her looks.

For a split second she hated her "favorite" teacher.

… And then she felt guilty for even feeling that way - what kind of person was this school turning her into?

What am I thinking? OMG I hope she didn't hear it! Wait she couldn't have heard it, cause I thought it, right? Either way I didn't mean it! It was just a random thought, an impulse, I swear! - she thought to herself. The guilt washed over her, and she wanted to shout ´sorry´ so badly.

She bit her lip hard, and looked down the table: Was it her imagination or did even the table glare back at her condescendingly?!

Haley had sworn that she would never hate another human being. And she had learned that just hate as a whole, was a bad thing - it was like a poison which would slowly devour you from the inside.

Maybe it was because she had been hurt herself, that she despised hurting others, and even if she just had done the slightest thing she would immediately feel guilty.

The ivory green eyes lingered on Haley, watching her every move with a kind smile on her face. She was ignorant to the distress she had just caused Haley - and both the teacher and Haley herself was unaware, in that moment, that it was going to get even worse.

~…~

While Haley was kind of hyperventilating, she heard a soft voice which was addressed to her. She looked up to see the teacher talking to her:

"My name is Eva", the teacher said kindly, and nodded her head towards Haley.

The teacher's voice seemed to have caused the students to fall back into their trance, and they had just turned automatically to give their teacher their undivided attention again. This didn't bother Haley at all - she was grateful for it.

"I understand that this is your first day?" Eva stated, more than questioned, yet Haley felt obliged to answer her.

Her throat felt dry and sore, she had a big lump in her throat that she couldn't get rid of. She couldn't get any sound out at all, so instead she gave a weak nod in agreement to the statement.

"Welcome to Tree Hill High, I'm sure everybody will make you feel at home", she said while looking out on the students. It felt like a warning, yet she still had a smile on her face and warmth in her voice.

She let the silence rest for another while, which seemed to increase the intensity in the class. You could hear everybody's light breathing, and if you listened closely, you could probably hear Haley's beating heart as well!
Eva then turned her attention towards Haley once again, and smiled at her so warmly that it could do nothing but calm Haley down a bit. What was with this teacher? It was like an emotional rollercoaster ride, which constantly moved up and down.

Eva, the teacher, smiled and continued talking to her:
"Would you like to introduce yourself Halih(…)" before the teacher had even finished the sentence, she had been abruptly interrupted by someone yelling:

"HALEY!"

The whole class jumped at the loud sudden outburst and the deafening BANG that followed it.

Yes your name is forever a part of you. And maybe it even hunts you – like in Haley's case. She had thought she could escape, but once again her past had caught up to her.

In life and death: It will follow you.

~…~