(Nathaniel's P.O.V)
it was always my job to care of the new kids – when it was Ken I found myself wanting to kick someone. This time I got Ginevra Perkins, an orphaned girl who had been in trouble in her old school so she had to come here.
Our first meeting had been less than perfect, I'll admit. Usually when I'm nice girls fall to my feet... not that I'm boasting in any way. But that was different for Ginevra. For once, I found myself wanting her to fall to my feet. I had saved from that rebel Castiel, who has a reputation for being somewhat... well, how can I put it? I think he just likes down grading innocent younger girls from the school. He's in our class, though, so I can't really say 'younger.'
I expected another thirteen-year old cheerleader with dyed yellow hair and heavily penciled eyebrows, not to mention the irritating hair-flicking and eyelash-batting, and the thick layer of foundation and sickly sweet perfume. I expected her to talk nonstop, like the other ones did. Except... she was the complete opposite. For once, I was wrong.
When I first saw her, she wore a white blouse and a grey skirt like the other girls. Her shirt was tucked in and her skirt wasn't rolled up (though it wasn't too long either). She had white knee socks instead of tights or ankle socks (I thought that was what they all wore). True, she was small and slight, and so fragile she looked like she might break if you pushed her too hard. But she had long sooty lashes and big brown eyes that gazed at me as if I were something different, something amazing... just like she was. Her hair was certainly not dyed and it wasn't blonde. It wasn't brown or blacks either. It was down past her waist, almost to her knees and the colour of fire. She was a redhead, and she was obviously proud of it, and had obviously never cut her hair. She was beautiful.
A few days later I could hear people calling her names. Most of them were pretty crap, like Ginger nut and Carrot and Goldfish, but then there was Runt and Titch and Mouse and a whole load of other ones I can't be bothered to recall. I wanted to help her but it was obvious she didn't want my help. I had already saved her from Castiel, and when I just touched her on the back as we went into class (I couldn't help it) she flinched. That was another strange thing about Ginny Perkins. She never liked to be touched and she never, ever said a word.
She wouldn't talk to the students, and she wouldn't talk to the teachers either. The only way to make her speak was to call her Ginevra, which was her full name, but it only made her angry. I would have loved to call her Ginevra all the time just so she would talk to me, but then that would just build a bad relationship with her. My chance came a while later, when the teacher asked Ginny to help clear up after Science class. I offered too, and so we put all the chemicals and things away together.
"So... you're Ginny, then?"
She didn't say anything.
"Look, if you don't want to talk, I understand, but don't you think it's a little bit counter-productive?"
She shook her head.
"You won't make any friends that way, Ginny," I told her. I couldn't help boiling up at her sometimes. She agitated me so much, yet I loved her. The thing that agitated me was the fact I couldn't stop thinking about her.
She shrugged.
"Don't you think about your future? I mean, don't you think about the past and then think about how it might affect your future?"
"No," she said.
I stared at her. "What? Did you just... speak?"
"The past is a dangerous place for me, and I'm not going to go back into it. That's what got me here."
"What the – tell me, I want to know."
"You wouldn't understand," she sighed, kicking the last tray of tongs back into the cupboard. "You don't."
"Then help me to."
"Leave me alone," she said, and she ran away. I kicked the tray even harder.
Ginny soon got told that she had to have her hair up, because of the risk of nits. She rolled her eyes but when she came back in the afternoon she had her hair in two long red plaits. I could see Castiel eying her up again so I told him to get lost and that sparked up a fight between us. When I talk to Castiel it always ends in a fight, and he can really punch. I'm not too great at that kind of thing, I'm more academic (well, I am the student body president, what do you expect?) and I suppose Ginny can be good with words when she speaks.
There was this crowd gathering round by now. I hate people staring at me but I could see my sister Amber glaring at me, as if to say, don't lose or you'll embarrass me. I wasn't bothered about Amber though. I was looking at the girl with the long ginger plaits and the tail of her shirt sticking out, obviously without her noticing. Iris was talking to her. I like Iris – she's a nice girl and not annoying, and she doesn't try to flirt with me.
"Why are you fighting him?" she snapped at me, "Fighting is the language of cowards and idiots. I expected better." I watched as she walked off, everyone staring at her because she'd spoken, and she's been rude to me. Me, of all people.
"Student body president?" I heard her say, "Yeah, right."
I'd failed again.

Ginny's P.O.V
That Nathaniel is getting on my nerves, and so is Castiel.
I spoke again today. I'm beginning to wonder if it's OK to speak. Maybe if I do then I might fit in with everyone else. Well, I'll never 'fit in,' but maybe people might start to like me again. That excludes Nathaniel, of course, because he's just annoying.