Kate walked into the dining hall the next morning well rested and wide awake. She joined the line waiting for their breakfast, and when she had a tray full of cold cereal, toast and scrambled eggs, she gazed around the large room for a place to sit.
Even though it was the first day of school, everyone had their own groups, it seemed, that she wasn't privy to. Though, from meeting Shannon last night, she should have known that there would be cliques.
The hall was filled with long tables and benches. Clusters of students sat at random intervals at each table. The tables all seemed fairly full, and Kate wondered if there was anywhere to sit. Her eyes finally caught on a nearly empty bench at the table nearest the doors. A blonde girl sat there alone, and Kate headed in her direction.
"Hi. Can I sit here?" Kate set her tray on the table, and slipped onto the bench.
The girl looked up from her tray. "Oh, sure."
Smiling gratefully, Kate thanked her and began eating her breakfast.
"Are you new here?" she asked Kate, spooning up cereal.
Kate nodded. "Yeah. Are you? I love your accent. Australian, right?"
She nodded. "Uh-huh. I just got here this morning. I'm Claire, by the way. Claire Littleton."
"Kate Austin." Kate bit her lip, glancing uncertainly at Claire. "So…"
"You want to know how I got it, or when it's due, right?" Claire looked up at Kate, then gave her a slight smile to let her know she wasn't angry. "It's okay. Most people stare."
"I didn't mean to stare, it's just that-" Kate broke off, unsure. "How old are you?"
"I'll be seventeen in December."
"Wow," Kate breathed. "That's really-"
"Young, I know. But it'll be okay." Claire paused to gulp down orange juice. "And you?" When Kate stared blankly at her, she added, "How old are you?"
"Sixteen. My birthday's October 15th."
They ate in comfortable silence for a few moments. Kate studied Claire as she ate. She was very fair, with wavy blonde hair and blue eyes. Built on the tiny side, the addition of an extra thirty pounds gave her the look of a slightly oblong beach ball. She had a very open face, and when she caught Kate studying her, she smiled shyly.
"What?"
"Nothing," Kate quickly replied. "Um. When are you due?"
Claire smiled a little bit. "Next month."
Kate grinned at her. "Wow. That's great!"
"What's great?"
Kate recognized the Southern drawl right away, but turned around in her seat and feigned surprise. "Oh. Morning, Sawyer."
"Sleep all right, Freckles?" he asked, almost as though he knew something she didn't.
She looked curiously at him. "Yeah, I slept just fine. How about you?"
"Great. Mind if I sit down?" Without waiting for an answer, he plopped down beside Kate, glanced over his shoulder, and then began eating her leftover eggs.
"Hey!" she protested. "What if I wanted those?"
"What ifs won't get you anywhere."
Kate made a face at him. "What does that even mean?" He ignored her and continued shoveling food into his mouth at a surprisingly fast rate.
Claire giggled. "I'm Claire."
Sawyer looked up from Kate's eggs. "Sawyer."
"Are you new as well, then?" she asked.
"Right off the turnip truck." A dark look crossed his face. "Along with some other real turnips," he added sarcastically.
"I love turnip, you know," a British accent responded from behind Sawyer. "They're great."
Sawyer's eyes grew almost comically wide, and the fork he had been holding clattered onto the plate. Kate snorted, then turned around to see who had interrupted them.
"Get lost, hobbit."
Kate gaped at Sawyer. "Sawyer!"
"What?" He looked at her and spread his arms. "The kid's short."
"That's no reason to call a total stranger a hobbit."
Sawyer gave her a little sneer. "Well, it just so happens that Jiminy Cricket isn't a total stranger. He's my roommate."
The idea of tough Sawyer rooming with the boy standing in front of her was insane. She couldn't imagine two more different people. A tiny giggle escaped her lips, and Sawyer glared at her.
"I'm Charlie," he introduced himself. He grinned at Claire, who smiled back hesitantly.
"I'm leaving," Sawyer announced, getting up from his seat. "Come on, Freckles, we'd best be getting off to our homeroom."
As Kate had yet to check the list of homerooms, she had no clue if Sawyer was telling the truth, or if it was just a ruse to get away from his roommate. When she didn't get up from her seat right away, he grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet.
Trying to ignore the tingles shooting up her arm, Kate shook him off and stepped away from the table. "I'll see you later, Claire. If you need anything, I'm in room twenty three."
Claire nodded, and Kate walked away from the table, Sawyer leading the way.
"What was that all about?" Charlie asked, sitting in Kate's vacated seat. He picked up a bit of toast and nibbled on the crust.
"I have no idea," Claire replied, smothering a laugh. "I'm Claire. Claire Littleton."
"Charlie Pace. Sawyer there's my roommate. I don't think he likes me."
Claire faked a look of shock. "Really. What makes you think that?"
Sawyer and Kate were walking down a long hallway, side by side. It was fairly crowded with students chattering noisily.
"What is our homeroom, anyways?" Kate asked, sticking her hands in her pockets.
"Math," he replied, making a face. "I hate math. Figures it's gotta be right in the morning."
"I like math," Kate responded, sighing a little bit.
Silence descended, and they walked in companionable quiet. They were nearly to their classroom when Sawyer broke the hush.
"So, Blondie's huge, huh? I wonder how she got in here."
Kate glared at Sawyer. "Hey. That's rude."
"It's not rude, Freckles. It's true." They turned a corner, nearing their homeroom. "I mean, she is huge. Where'd they get a uniform to fit her?"
While she gaped at him, Sawyer entered the classroom. "You coming or what?" he asked.
Ignoring him, she strode inside and took a seat that was surrounded by people, so he didn't have a chance of sitting near her. She pulled out her books and ignored the people around her.
"Hey, look. An empty desk," Sawyer drawled from beside her.
She looked up from her things and saw him grinning at her and leaning back in the chair right next to hers. A bright fluttery feeling started in her stomach, but she pushed it down. No matter how hot he was, she wasn't starting anything.
She turned her head away and stared determinedly out the window, ignoring the cheerful whistling coming from the seat beside her.