A.N - Ugh. End of my week off. I have a Science and Geography test on my first day back alone. I hate school.
Chapter 8
School on Monday was plagued with gossip about The New Guy as well as friends comparing schedules which we had received over the Summer.
Seeing as I already knew 'The New Guy' - considering he was my boyfriend, and all - I spent the time before school catching up with my best friends, CeeCee and Adam. I hadn't really had chance to talk to them through the summer - just an odd phone call here and there. I had Paul to blame for that.
It was as Adam was telling me about his trip to Martha's Vineyard, that Kelly Prescott - class president, popular, pretty, the practically perfect girl which I couldn't stand - walked over to us.
"Hi Suze," She greeted, purposefully ignoring Adam and CeeCee.
"Uh, hey." I said not so enthusiastically.
Well, it was early on a Monday morning - not to mention that it was the first day back at school after summer vacation - forgive me if I didn't feel very happy.
"Have a good summer?" Her eyes was shining as she engaged me in the obviously forced conversation.
"Yeah," I told her. "But you didn't come over here for that, so, what do you want?"
I asked her in the nicest way possible, no trace of unkindness at all. It was a lot nicer than the things I could hear CeeCee and Adam saying about her quietly behind me.
"You're right," She dropped the smile but her eyes kept on shining, showing her excitement for what she was next going to say. "I'm sorry Suze but I've found someone else who I want to be Class Vice-President."
I had to hold in my laughter that she thought I cared. I was forced into it back in January, when I moved here, anyway because I'd talked faster than everyone else. Oh, and saved this guy's life.
"Is that it?" I asked her.
"Well, yes." Her brow wrinkled into a frown. She'd probably thought I'd be more upset about it.
"Okay," I shrugged. "Fine."
"Don't you want to know who I'm replacing you with?" She insisted.
Um, not really.
"Sure," was what I said out loud, however. "Tell me."
"Paul Slater," Kelly said smugly. "The New Guy. We met over the weekend and instantly hit it off. He's, like, super smart."
My eyebrows travelled way up when she said my boyfriend's name. True, the boyfriend I didn't want any more after finding out about Jesse, but he's my boyfriend all the same.
"Oh," I said through my tightened throat. I really, really wasn't expecting her to say Paul. "Okay."
She smirked at me before flipping her hair and walking away.
"What a witch," came Adam's voice in my ear.
I smiled and turned around exclaiming, "Adam!"
He shrugged, unbothered.
"It's true," he insisted.
"I wonder what the big deal is about this Paul guy anyway," CeeCee said. "He can't be that special."
We moved into our lines at Sister Ernestine's order to. Before school, the entire student population of grades K through 12 were made to line up by grade, then by gender, whilst we listened to morning announcements. The Kindergarteners always took longer to settle down so us older grades had a bit longer to talk to each other.
"So, what do you think?" CeeCee insisted after Adam had left us to line up with the other boys in our year.
"About what?"
"Suze!" CeeCee exclaimed. "Were you not listening at all? What do you think makes the new guy so special?"
"Oh," I remembered what we were talking about now. "That."
CeeCee just rolled her eyes.
"Yes, that." She said. "So? What do you think?"
"I don't know."
The crowd of students moved slightly and I got my first look at Paul today. He looked amazingly hot in his outfit, gushing from the attention others lavished on him. As if he felt my gaze his eyes raised to meet mine and he smiled at me, winking as he did so. I responded with a wave and a smile of my own.
"Suze," CeeCee's shocked voice broke into my bubble. "Do you know The New Guy?"
I sighed before admitting defeat and telling her all about my Summer. Except for the ghost part. No one knew that I was a mediator. Except Jack Slater.
"Oh my god," CeeCee exclaimed excited. "I cannot believe you kept something like this from me!"
"It's not a big deal." I insisted. "We just went on a few dates. That's all."
She raised an eyebrow, unbelieveing.
"A few dates at The Grill -" She began.
"That was with his family." I interrupted.
"Which is the most expensive restaurant in town." She carried on, ignoring me. "Then a few days spent hanging out at his, according to you, huge house on Scenic Drive."
"Okay, CeeCee stop."
"I wonder what Kelly meant, then." CeeCee paused as she thought it over. "You know, when she said that the two of them had 'hit it off' over the weekend."
Oops. I must have missed Kelly say that. It did make me wonder though. Paul had said he was sorting out his transfer papers but, as I'd thought, that didn't take a whole weekend. What else could have Paul done in that time?
I shrugged in response to CeeCee.
"It's possible," I told her. "I wasn't with him at all over the weekend. He was busy. They might have just ran into each other in a supermarket or something, you know how Kelly exaggerates things."
"I suppose."
Sister Ernestine ordered for us to quieten down, effectively stopping mine and CeeCee's conversation - which I was thankful for - before introducing Father Dominic, principle of the school and a fellow mediator. He read out the morning announcements and had us recite the Pledge of Allegiance before he finally sent us off to lessons.
Father Dominic also knew of my mediator status.
I was headed to homeroom when I felt two strong arms wrap around my waist and a pair of lips travel up my neck. I held back a shiver.
"Hey," I heard Paul murmur.
"Hi," I pulled out of his grasp and turned around to face him.
He pouted at me in response before walking away.
"Not in school," I chided falling into step beside him.
"Suze, there's no way I could get through a school day without kissing you," He took my hand as he said this, entwining our fingers together.
I rolled my eyes.
"Fine," I gave in. "Then not on the way to lessons that I'm already late for anyway."
"Deal." He laughed kissing my cheek.
We walked to homeroom together, seeing as we were in the same class, with him clutching my hand all the way. In the back of my mind, I heard CeeCee's voice pondering on how Paul and Kelly knew each other. I had to admit that the whole thing was suspiscious. It was starting to bug me.
"Paul?" I asked stopping a bit away from the classroom door. He stopped too and looked at me questioningly. "Do you know Kelly Prescott?"
"Kelly?" His eyes widened as his voice choked on the word. "Oh, yeah. I met her this morning. Get this, she asked me to be Vice President of the class. Isn't that funny?"
I smiled tightly, choosing to believe him for now and putting the whole thing down to Kelly's imaginations. I may not love Paul, but he's still my boyfriend and no one likes to be cheated on. That's not to say that I wouldn't get to the bottom of this though. I would, just not right now.
"Yeah," I replied. "Hilarious."
Pulling my hand gently, he indicated that we should actually walk into the class. I let him lead me as my thoughts travelled elsewhere.
My gaze wandered with my thoughts and I swear I saw a person glowing out of the corner of my eye. I focused my attention on that place and saw Jesse leaning against a pillar, eyes cold and focused on Paul as he clenched his teeth angrily. I couldn't help the gasp that came out of my mouth.
Paul looked back at me with a funny look on his face.
"You alright?" He asked.
"Yeah," this time my voice cracked. "Fine."
I could tell he wanted to say something else but we had already reached the classroom door.
"I got lost," I heard Paul explain to the teacher the reason for our lateness as I tried to catch another look of Jesse. "Suze offered to help me find my way when she found out I was in the same class."
I couldn't see Jesse. At all. Where had he gone?
The teacher only nodded and indicated for us to take our seats, which I did with a lump in my throat. Jesse had looked ready to kill someone. And if the direction of his glare was anything to go by, that someone was going to be Paul.