A/N: Does anyone have any specifics about Gina's brothers? Or even a general idea? Younger, older? Geeky, rebel? Or is the whole thing left open like Jesse's sisters?
Chapter 4:
Sunday wasn't so bad. Dad and Annie came by to help me unpack my things that had just arrived, a good amount of those being books. I can't help it, I just read a lot. Anyway, we got most of the living room finished but hadn't even begun on the studio area (which I was turning into a study, naturally) or my bedroom. We only stopped for lunch for which Carrie, Jenny, and Megan delivered and ate with us. It was Chinese takeout from down the street and not too bad either. We all sat on the floor of the half finished dining area, talking about goodness knows what. It's not that we were being awkward or anything, it was just that it seemed more important for us to be just sitting around and talking together. Carrie even turned off her phone and offered to help for the rest of the afternoon.
When I went to sleep that night, I went to bed in much the same way as the last except this time I did change (in the bathroom) into a pair of boxers and a T-shirt to sleep in. I sprawled on the bed until I was comfortable and went to sleep. But when I woke up, something was definitely different.
For one thing, I was under the covers, tucked in quite comfortably. It was nice in those few minutes between dreaming and actual full-on awake, until I remembered the only other person who could be in the apartment. And it was not Annie with the spare card key.
After sitting up and running my hand through my unkempt hair in confusion, I noticed another thing. My bedroom was… well, a bedroom. All the furniture had been unpacked and set up. While it was very stylishly set up and a very nice gesture, I couldn't quite make sense of it. Yes, I did have an inkling of who had done it but the question was why. Did she realize she couldn't get rid of me and decided to make the best of it? After all, a girl like her probably didn't want a messy place, as I had noticed my coat had been hung up in the closet. I glanced around again and saw the digital clock. 7:30 AM. Crap.
I jumped into the shower and quickly got ready. Even though I was running late, I tried to pick out something nice for my first day. I rummaged through my closet and found a pair of black jeans and a red collar shirt. Once, CeeCee had told me that red suited me, a romantic look given my tanned skin and dark hair. Adam said I looked like the guy on the cover of a trashy novel. I brushed aside Adam's comment and went with the red anyway. Besides, I didn't have much time to think about it. Sure enough at exactly eight o'clock, when I had just finished brushing my teeth, there was a knock at the door.
I grabbed my empty book bag (I was assured by Carrie it would be filled with homework by bitter old teachers) and opened the door. There were Carrie and Jenny, both also brandishing backpacks. Carrie was decked out in black silk tee and stylishly ripped jeans. Jenny went for a plainer look in normal jeans and solid blue shirt. I grinned nervously and began to close the door, but Carrie had already seen.
"Whoa, did the Fab Five visit or something?" She was staring at my now fully furnished apartment, complete with books set in the shelves of the study. "You already have everything up!"
I quickly made up an excuse, "Yeah, I just wanted to have it finished before school started since… Homework would probably get in the way." Lame answer, I know. But I wasn't about to say that a 150 year old ghost had spruced it up for me.
She raised an eyebrow, "Sure… More likely that you wanted to impress any ladies you're going to have come around." Carrie turned and headed for the elevator.
Before I could argue, I shut my mouth and let her think she wanted. It was easier that way. I sighed and looked down at Jenny who just stared curiously back. I gave her a reassuring smile and asked, "Shall we go?" We both made our way to Carrie who was holding the elevator for us.
The school, which was a combination junior high and high school (like Mission Academy), actually wasn't that far from the first stop on the subway. We could've walked if we wanted, but the early morning crowd bustling about might've been too much for my first day actually out. Next to a park, we reached a tall building with a large plaque embedded near the front door. Birchwood Academy, remembering the past and giving our children a future. I muttered, "They aren't serious, are they?"
Carrie heard me, "Oh, that. Not really. This place is considered high class stuff, but it's still just a high school. The seniors usually end up wreaking havoc on the junior classes by the end of the year, like an annual civil war."
We walked inside and I parted ways with Jenny and Carrie. I was supposed to meet a guidance counselor and have her escort me for a tour and whatnot. Typical stuff. The bell had already rung for first period as I waited in the lobby. The secretary glanced at me once in a while, but I didn't know why. Maybe my hair was still tousled from this morning's rush. Finally one of the doors to the offices opened and I was met with a middle aged, bespectacled woman who looked almost startled to see me. She quickly covered it up with a kindly smile. "You're Hector de Silva?"
"Jesse, ma'am," I corrected her automatically.
She nodded, "All right, Jesse, I'm Mrs. Pinkleton. Right this way, please." Mrs. Pinkleton led the way down the hall past many identical grey-green doors with a single long wired glass window. Inside were various classes, all with mostly the same bored expressions. The others were talking amongst themselves, probably about their winter break. The whole time, Mrs. Pinkleton was talking, "Birchwood Academy is a great school of learning for young people going out into the world. We are equipped with an indoor swimming pool, a tennis/basketball/track area on the roof, and an open grass eatery located in the center of the campus."
I was surprised to see that we had in fact come to the end of the hallway and as we pushed open the heavy door, I couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised. Surrounded on three sides by building and one by chain link fence was a garden area fitted with benches for eating lunch. The very center was a fountain with what I suppose was supposed to be modern art sculpture in the middle. Kinda like a cube with a hole in it and balanced on a pyramid. Besides the sculpture, I was reminded of Mission Academy and felt warm at the memory. Mrs. Pinkleton went on to explain which class levels were on which floors and that the park next door that faced the garden was actually where most school related outdoor activities were held. I zoned out for a bit as we walked through the garden and back into the grayish building. She was talking about the clubs which I had no real interest in joining. I already had an outside job that took up most of my time…
Finally, we came to locker 734 (located near the garden, to my pleasure) and she handed me my combination and schedule. She said, "Aren't you the lucky one? Your first class is right through there too." Mrs. Pinkleton pointed to a door only feet away from where we were standing. She walked up to the door and knocked sharply. A man stood there when it opened, a bit tired in appearance but nice-looking all the same.
He asked, "Ah is this him, Eloise?"
Mrs. Pinkleton nodded and said, "Yes, this is Hector de Silva, who goes by Jesse." She turned back to me, "Have a good first day, dear."
The teacher said, "I'm Mr. Haulin, I'll be your US History teacher." He shook my hand genially and led me into the classroom.
I was met with twenty pairs of interested eyes. They all looked awestruck at the sight of me, which only made me fidget. I wondered what they were staring at, hadn't they ever seen a guy before? Well, maybe the red shirt had been too much after all. Every kid there was wearing either black or grey, or some combination of the two. Bright colors didn't seem to be the in-thing at the moment.
That was when I noticed him.
Sitting casually in the second row was a guy, just like any other in the class: blonde hair, blue eyes, casually dressed in jeans and a sweater. He blinked up at me just as the rest of the class did. But the thing that really stood out about him was that he was dead.