Chapter 3: Blood and Circulation

Misty smiled as she saw Zoe at her locker during lunch hour. Although she hardly knew Zoe, the Cajun couldn't help but feel relieved she had someone to spend her time with. And Zoe seemed nice enough anyhow.

"Hi Zoe, what are ya' doin'?" Misty asked. She was proud of her voice for not trembling with eagerness.

"Hi, Misty, I was just wondering if you would want to sit with us at lunch? I feel bad for snapping at you earlier and-"

"I would love ta'," Misty smiled. Her pulse was erratic as if it were demanding to break free from the convention of her heart. She was filled with a relief that she wouldn't be spending lunch alone, like she normally did.

Zoe beamed, a smile that Misty knew was a rare one for the somber girl. "Great! Come on, I'll introduce you to the others," she announced as she grabbed Misty's wrist and led her to the canteen.

The canteen was bustling, wild like a jungle and the chants and chatters of the people certainly resembled wildlife. The lunch ladies grunted like Warthogs as they carelessly splattered lunch onto trays. The teachers huddled around one table like Lion's circling Pride Rock and the students jeered and jested like chimpanzees and monkeys. A host of animals- and Misty felt lost. She didn't belong in the jungle, she belonged in a swamp, with the peaceful beings. Alone, isolated and content.

But Zoe was insistent in introducing the Cajun to her tribe. They were calmer than some pupils, sure, but they still acted liked hyped up teenagers. Not that they didn't have a right to; that's what they were.

"Hey guys, so I want you to meet Misty Day, she's new here so I said she could chill with us. That okay?" Zoe announced. She was met with varied responses, some were nods others grunts but nonetheless Zoe took it as a welcome invitation for Misty to sit down.

Immediately feeling awkward and unwanted, the blonde picked at her food.

"So, Misty, where'd you come from?" A strange voice asked. Misty looked up to follow the sound of the voice. It led her to a small girl, evidently with Down syndrome, with a friendly smile on her face and a kind gleam in her eyes. "I'm Nan, hi!" Misty immediately took a liking to her.

"Um, real' South Louisiana," she said after a mouthful of food. "My Ma and Pa, we moved away so Pa could work here at his new job in New Orleans,"

Nan smiled at her. "Cool, how are you finding school so far? I like it here, loads of cute boys," she said with a wink. It earned a nervous laugh from Misty.

"Oh, it's much better than ma' old one. But I think that's because this ain't a christian school," misty shrugged as she took another bite of what she was told to be chicken.

"Too right," a large black girl commented from the other side of Nan with a chuckle. Misty hadn't even been aware she was listening. "Girl, if this was a christian school, half the kids here would be long gone,"

"Myself included," Nan said proudly, with her chin in the air and a smirk on her face.

"Oh sure, since when have you been laid?" She said with another laugh. "I'm Queenie," she addressed Misty kindly, and although it was the blonde's first instinct to like her, she had a strange feeling about the girl. She put it to one side, it's not like she could afford to be picky in the way of friends.

"Misty," Misty nodded as she tore the last bit of chicken from the bone.

"So what lessons have you had so far? I wanna see if you're in my classes!" Nan said excitedly. From her reaction, Misty guessed she had trouble making friends too.

"History and Maths," Misty shrugged. "Oh! And Biology," Misty blushes slightly as she remembered a certain classmate but she hoped the others wouldn't pick up the flush in her cheeks.

Fortunately, they didn't. "Oh Biology's the worst!" Queenie rolled her eyes. "Ms Snow's such a bore,"

Nan offered another smile as she shrugged her shoulders. "I like her. So, who's your lab partner then Misty? Is it a boy? Is he cute?!" The girl said excitedly.

Misty lowered her head so the others couldn't see her small smile. "No, it's Cordelia-" Misty frowned when she realised she didn't even know her last name.

Nan looked at her like she knew something Misty didn't and Queenie chortled. "You got paired with that teacher's pet?! Lucky! You'll get straight A's with her as you lab partner. God she must be so boring," Queenie said absentmindedly as she focused her attention back on her food.

Misty's frown deepened, a slight pang of anger flowing through her blood with a beat of her heart. It was gone as quickly as it had arrived though for the Cajun had no real reason to be angry. "She's not! She's nice," Misty said carelessly, although she wanted to describe Cordelia more fluently, Nan's gaze was making her uncomfortable.

"Sure she's 'nice'," Queenie rolled her eyes "but that doesn't mean she can't be boring- I mean, just look at her-" both Nan and Misty turned to where Cordelia was sat, picking at what little she had of a meal, staring emptily at it whilst a dark haired boy wearing a football jersey had a loose arm draped around her an was talking happily, not paying attention to the girl next to him for he was too involved in his own words. Misty's heart heard a starting gun once her eyes looked at the blonde, her blood rushing fast among her veins, arteries and capillaries. Her breath caught in her chest as if her rib cage forbid any entry of oxygen.

Why was this girl having such an effect on her?

"She looks sad," Misty whispered.

"She looks boring," Queenie finalised. "I feel sorry for Hank. Poor guy's dating the pitiful girl,"

"Dating?" Misty stuttered. The blood that had once ran so warm through her veins had now frozen, mid race, inside her.

"A year and a bit I think," Queenie shook her head. "I don't know how he does it. I mean, see?" Misty saw and it made her ache at how lost the girl looked. "She's not even speaking to him, just staring at her plate like she's got the weight of the world on her shoulders,"

"She looks like she's about to cry," Misty noted. Pity made itself a known emotion in her bloodstream now, although Misty quickly filtered that out through her kidneys. She didn't want to feel pity for Cordelia, she wanted to be her friend.

"She always looks like that," Nan said, there was no emotion in her voice, like she was trying to be unbiased in her feelings towards Cordelia.

Suddenly, the topic of their conversation, Cordelia, looked up from her untouched food and glanced over towards their table as if she knew they were talking about her. She frowned as she noticed 3 pairs of eyes on her from across the hall. Queenie and Nan looked down quickly but Misty kept her gaze on the girl and met her eyes, offering a smile. Cordelia seemed to perk up, her eyes brightening with a flash of joy as she smiled back.

And as her blood rose to paint her cheeks a soft red, Misty couldn't help but wonder why her body was so keen on the girl whose last name she had yet to find out.