There was a crispness to the morning air that could only mean the start of another school year. Blue's final high school year at that. The local public school was a strange sense of normalcy for her in the way she could count on the mundane monotony of it all while outside her world was just growing more impossible.
Her mom had disappeared to what they all had assumed was the where Glendower was. Which was as vague as it was worrying. They still didn't know where Neeve was either. There was also Kavinsky's death, which was explained away by local police as a firework accident. Everything that was witnessed at the 4th of July party was written off as a bad trip from whatever drug Kavinsky was dealing out that night. No one; however, was quite able to explain why there were massive claw marks on the cars.
Normal was just what she needed right now, which was why she was slightly surprised to see a large congregation of students gathered around a car in the parking lot of the school.
"Is MacArthur going through a mid-life crisis? '
"I don't know man, who the hell could afford this car on a teacher's salary? "
"Maybe it's a new student ..."
"This isn't Aglionby dumbass. "
Blue heard bits and pieces of the speculation surrounding the car as she coasted up to the building. From what she could see when she craned her neck it was black, vintage and shiny. She parked her bike on the rack and hurried to her first class.
"Everyone we have a new student joining us this year all the way from the Garden State. I hope you all show Ms. Rodriguez Henrietta 's famous hospitality. "
She paused as she allowed everyone to turn around and gawk at the new comer in the back corner.
"Is there anything you'd like to share about yourself Samantha? "
"It's Sam, and I prefer Rodriguez. You call me anything else I won't dignify a response. "
The teacher, though slightly flustered, recovered quickly as she segwayed into her lesson plan.
" This semester we'll be learning about European History and it's never too early to have AP exams in mind..."
Blue was already losing focus and it was only first period, her gaze shifted to the right of her as she took in the new student. It wasn't completely unheard of for someone to transfer in senior year, but it was unusual. She was both James Dean and at once. Her plain white t-shirt and jeans coupled with her timberlands and aviators clashed with her Hispanic features. It was as if she was trying as hard as she could to downplay her sex appeal. Or maybe she didn't care either way, Blue thought recalling her rather abrasive introduction.
Blue must have been staring because she had caught Sam's attention halfway across the room. She slid the aviators on top of her head and leaned over and smiled in Blue's direction. It was an infectious one of the Gansey variety and Blue rather awkwardly smiled back and tried to regain her attention to an obscure European monarch.
The last bell rang and Bell was already dreading the extra shift she had agreed to pick up at Nino's. She also remembered that the boys were supposed to stop by sometime during her first shift, so she didn't hear an unfamiliar voice calling her name through the chaos of the end of the day.
"Blue...Blue!...BLUUUUEEE!"
Blue was shook from her afternoon plans by the new student pushing her way through the crowd of student to get to her side.
"That is your name right? I was getting worried since you weren't responding" Sam laughed as she slid her aviators back down onto her nose. Her caramel hair fell into her face without the support of the glasses.
"I noticed we have a lot of classes together."
Blue also noticed. Every. Single. Class. Coincidence, she told herself, because it wasn't.
An arm easily swung around her shoulder and Sam got too close, Blue flinched.
" I was hoping you could show me around town sometime, I just moved her less than a week ago." she breathed into Blue's ear. Suddenly she felt more relaxed, and her no touching rule no longer applied.
"Oh, I'm actually supposed to be at work in fifteen minutes. Otherwise I'd be happy to show you all of Henrietta's varied offerings. And by varied I mean Main Street."
Sam let out an easy laugh that made her feel like they were old friends.
" That is a shame then. Tell you what, is that your bike?" Pointing to the rack Blue was directing them towards.
"Throw it in my trunk and I'll drive you to work, that way you can tell me about all this famous hospitality I've been hearing about."
Blue stopped in front of the car. So this was what was causing such a disturbance.
" Just come round back and toss it in. Something wrong?" She said when she realized that Blue was just staring at her car.
" Isn't she the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?" There was a warmth in her voice that Gansey used when he talked about Pig. Blue had assumed this was just a guy thing, which apparently it was not.
" It's one of those classic cars right?"
Sam's fist banged her chest.
"Blue you're killing me, how do you not know what this car is? I'll let it slide this time. 1967 Chevy Impala. It runs as good as it looks, and it looks like sex on wheels." She winked at her as they pulled out of the school parking lot. Blue wasn't so sure about that, it reminded her a lot of the Pig in terms of how loud it was, but it was sleek and had a understating power to it, where the Pig was loud and proud and borderline obnoxious.
Adam had work, and Noah was MIA at the moment, so it was just Gansey and Ronan who made the trip up to Nino's to confer with Blue about what their game plan was going to be next.
Gansey let the Pig rumble to silence and left the keys in the ignition. Ronan knew what was coming, and he wasn't going to have any of it.
" I think we should talk about Kavinsky." In a tone that was loaded with meaning.
" We'll we aren't. Not now, not ever. He's dead so what's the difference?" His hand was making a move for the door handle.
" You guys were closer then you let on, it has to be a little difficult he's not around anymore, if only for the fact that there's no one to join in on your illegal night activities."
"Oh I'm not so sure about that." Ronan smirked as Gansey followed his gaze to the black Impala that just pulled into Nino's.
Gansey frowned. "That's weird, Algionby tends to favor flashy imports rather than classics."
"Must be a new guy, trying to show..." Ronan stopped. He was at a loss for words, which was rare.
"What the fuck is a chick doing driving a car like that! What the hell is Blue doing with her too, I thought you said she doesn't really hang out with anyone from school?"
"I thought so too..." Gansey trailed off as he watched the girl in the skinny jeans head to the door with Blue.
"You're unbelievable man, I'll give you a few minutes to jerk off before we head in." Ronan was already pulling himself out of the car as he continued to laugh at Gansey's expense.
His face felt hot once he was snapped out of his daydream.
"Don't be a dick dude."
" Can't say I blame you though man, she's got more curves then your Camaro. She's a little too ghetto fabulous though, for my taste."
"If you get your balls handed to you tonight Lynch, I'm not bailing you out."