Chapter 7- The Transfer:
Erin:
That Monday was the most busiest day of my life. That was a hard thing to do since I had a lot of busy days with work, but today was the day I would be going to public school for the first time since elementary school. I was allowed to sleep in for once (seven in the morning opposed to the usual five in the morning), but there was a lot more to do this morning to make sure I had everything.
I looked in the mirror three times already before I left to make sure everything was in place. The blue dress seemed to have a Victorian flare to it that flattered my figure if I did say so myself. Lip gloss? Check. Light makeup? Check. Hair? Good. No zits. Clothes? Fit perfectly. As I grabbed my backpack and started to walk towards the school, I went through my mental checklist. Paprika is feed. Notebooks? Check. Pencils? Check. Music player for those boring classes? Check. Headphones? Probably tangled by now, but check… I still can't shake the feeling I am forgetting something.
I let out a nervous sigh as I opened the doors to the school and headed towards the Student Council Room. I had everything. I was ready for this. Nothing was going to go wrong- hopefully. The room was right where Nathaniel told me it would be and like he said, he was in there filing papers.
Mr. Perfect smiled at me and greeted me with a smile,
"Erin! So glad you made it here on time! I got the Student ID ready for you, all you have to do is sign it."
I took the plastic card from his hands and looked down at it. I had taken my picture at the store, but they said it took a few days for them to get it all ready. Due to work, I had to ask Nathaniel if he could get the ID for me when it was done, which he did so happily in return of a free coffee.
"Thanks," I sighed in relief as I clipped the ID onto my sleeve, "I really appreciate it."
He looked a bit flustered and muttered a you're welcome before he handed me the paper in his hand.
"This is your schedule. We have third and fifth hour together- that's Algebra II with Ms. Kenson and Biology with Mr. Frazz. We also have lunch together. Your locker is number 576, the combination is on the paper."
He smiled charmingly and I returned the smile, though by now smiling was more of a habit. I thanked him before I headed out to find my locker. I was practically skipping down the halls- I was so excited. I was actually here. I was actually in a real school. I was going to have a social life. I was hopefully not going to be as stressed out. Ryan and Luke could take care of the café until my late shift… At least I hope so…
I slammed the locker door a bit too loudly, causing a few people to glance my way. I winced slightly and gathered up my things that I would need for third hour- the last hour to lunch (which I was looking forward to because I was already starving). I stood up and started to walk away, but I felt something tug on the bottom of my skirt. I tried to take a step only to be stopped by the tug again. Finally, I turned and looked. My eyes widened in horror. Part of my dress got caught in someone's locker- with it shut and without the combination, I was stuck unless I wanted to cut the dress out- considering I was bad with scissors and aside from fashion, I knew next to nothing about clothing, if I cut it then my dress would be turned into a mess.
I got to the ground and desperately started to tug on it. The bell signaling the beginning of class rung, leaving me in the halls alone.
"Come on, come on," I whispered to myself, tugging on the fabric gently.
"Looks like you got stuck into a situation," a voice laughed.
Oh no. Please don't be a jerk, I thought as I turned to face the owner of the voice. To my relief, it was Alexy. He was a nice guy- he was the one who brought pizza to the café. He was laughing at me, causing me to bit my cheek. It would be best not to say some rude, snarky comment to the possibly the only guy who could help or go get help.
"I didn't know you were going here," he said casually as he knelt down to inspect the fabric.
"I just transferred from online school," I explained, "Umm… I don't suppose you could help me?"
I looked at him hopefully and prayed that he would help. It was obvious from the first day I met him that he was a fashion nut (and into guys since he hit on Luke).
"Sure," he shrugged, "But there will be a price."
"A price," I squeaked, causing him to laugh,
"Your name," he explained, "I still don't know it and I think you'll be annoyed if I keep calling you that coffee chic."
"Erin," I sighed in relief, "My name is Erin…. Now, help?"
"You got it," he gave a salute, "I just need to go grab one of my friend's. I might be able to save the dress, but Rosayla would be able to transform the dress…. Be right back!"
He zoomed off before he could explain what he meant- transform the dress? A few bad scenarios went through my mind. I hoped that Rosayla- whomever she may be- was nice and willing to help. At this point, I barely even cared if they would be able to save this dress. I just needed to get out and get to class. I tugged on the fabric gently, more out of boredom than anything else.
Finally, Alexy came running back to me. Following him was a girl with long white hair. Like Alexy and I, it was clear she knew fashion if her clothing was anything to go by. She got down on the ground as soon as she got to me and inspected the fabric,
"I'm Rosayla," she introduced with a laugh, "You must have some really bad luck for this to happen your first day here."
She reached into the clutch purse she was carrying and pulled out a small sewing kit. She grabbed the scissors and started to cut- giving me strict instructions to stay still. I looked at Alexy,
"Class already started. How did you manage to get her?"
"This is her free period," Alexy explained, "And thankfully, she always hangs out in the same place every time so it was pretty easy to find her."
"And what about you?"
"I'm skipping my math class," Alexy laughed.
"Armin too," I asked curiously.
I knew his twin. Armin was a gamer, a bit internet obsessed, but he was alright. Alexy continued to laugh,
"He's stuck in class probably cursing my name right now."
"There," Rosayla announced.
I stood up, now free from the locker- which still had a bit of the remains of my dress in its clutches. The dress was cut, but it was a bit uneven and crooked. I frowned slightly, knowing that I would have to go to a tailor to fix it up. Rosayla, however, just grabbed my wrist and started to drag me to the restroom,
"Come on! I'll go fix it up in here! See ya later, Alexy!"
I could still hear his laughter as the restroom door closed behind us.
By lunch, I was already almost regretting my decision to transfer to Sweet Amoris High School. It wasn't that it wasn't cool because it was. Everyone, for the most part, was nice enough- Castiel and that Amber girl with her posse being the worst of the school. I just felt a bit disappointed because I had yet to see Lysander. I had my first hour with Nathaniel, Violette, and Iris. It was pretty nice since I got to sit by Nathaniel, who helped me with notes and catching up on what I missed. Iris was also in my second and third hour and I was lucky enough to sit by her for both of those hours. She was just as nice as Nathaniel, but she didn't seem as uptight as him- she was loose, free, friendly and genuine.
So the people weren't the problem- well aside from Castiel (he was in my third hour and he made it very clear he was pissed). The problem was I didn't realize just how much work public schools made you do and how long it took. I was used to be stretched out thin- hours at the café, maybe an hour of social time, and then school work that took only three hours. Public school was six hours and most of the classes were a bit boring, didn't teach that well, but gave about an hour of homework. I just hoped I could keep up.
I looked around the cafeteria. Castiel wasn't there so I breathed a sigh of relief. However, it didn't seem Nathaniel was there either. Iris and Violette were sitting at a full table- so that was out. Where am I going to sit? I spotted Lysander in the corner of the cafeteria, an abandoned half-full lunch tray beside him as he wrote in his notebook. He looked up briefly and waved me over. Relaxing, I made my way over to him with a smile.
As soon as I reached the table, he looked me up and down,
"You look very nice today," he complimented, causing me to fight down a blush.
I briefly looked down at my outfit as I tugged at the end of the dress, thinking about what happened earlier. Rosayla did a good job with the dress. She made it a bit shorter so it would be even- the fabric ended just above mid-thigh as opposed to the knee length it was this morning. It looked brand-new, however, like it was supposed to be that length. She was a genius.
"Thanks," I muttered before sitting down.
He was still smiling at me and I bit my lip a bit nervously.
"So," I said, eager to change the subject, "I thought you would be eating lunch with Castiel."
"I would be," Lysander nodded, "Except that we had a rather large disagreement earlier."
"I'm sorry," I said honestly, "I hope you guys make up soon."
"Thank you… If I may, where is your lunch?"
"My lunch," I repeated, blinking a bit in confusion before I winced, "Crap. I knew I was forgetting something."
"Did you not bring money for lunch," Lysander questioned.
I rested my head on the table with a frown. I knew I was forgetting something, I whined.
"Here," Lysander said suddenly as he pushed his tray towards me.
I looked at him a bit surprised, but he just smiled and motioned for me to eat.
"I have already finished and as you can see, there's still plenty on the tray. I don't have any more money with me, otherwise I would just loan you the money…"
"It's okay," I said quickly, "Thank you."
He smiled at me and I slowly started to eat the food- there wasn't a lot, but there was enough to fill me up thankfully. As soon as I finished, I smiled at Lysander and watched him as he wrote away on the notebook.
"Another song or is it a poem?"
"Song," he answered a bit shortly.
I nodded. Lysander wasn't one to explain it fully and I wasn't one to pry too much. Still, I was glad I had him as my best friend.
