Chapter Two-
"Xander?" I called heasitantly as I stepped through the wide double-doors leading into the library. Second period had passed easily, and when I entered third period Math with Mr. Jones I discovered that I once again had a class with April.
"Hey Krys!" Xander called from a circular table further in the cavernous room. Three other people looked up at my entrance, and I felt my skin flush hot. Great, more people staring at me.
"Guys, this is Krystina," the older teen continued as I slowly approached the group. "Krys this is Buffy, Willow, and Mr. Giles."
"Hi everyone," I mumbled shyly. The taller of the two girls, her blond hair up in a thick ponytail, extended her hand to me.
"Nice to meet you," she said with a friendly smile. "I'm Buffy."
"Nice to meet you too," I replied with a return smile.
"How has your first day been so far?" the other girl inquired as I sat beside her. She had a beautiful curtain of auburn hair, and as she spoke she brushed a stray lock back in place.
"It's been okay," I replied with a nonchalant shrug.
"What classes do you have?" Mr. Giles asked as I pulled my lunch from my bag, his voice thick with a Brittish accent.
"I've got Advanced American Lit., American Sign Language, Algebra II, and American Government after lunch," I told him after taking a bite out of my PB & J sandwich. The rest of the lunch hour passed quickly as I got to know everybody. Xander constantly reminded me of a happy-go-lucky puppy dog, and redheaded Willow was one of the sweetest girls I had ever met. Buffy and Giles kept talking about some kind of training program that apparently the blond had been skimping out on as Xander peppered me with questions about backwoods living, but I tuned in to their conversation when I heard them say something about prallel bars.
"Are you a gymnast?" I asked the older girl.
"Not really," she replied heasitantly, sharing a quick, knowing look with the librarian. I didn't miss it. "Are you?"
"Yeah I've been doing gymnastics for years," I answered with a smile, deciding to ignore the overpowering feeling that they were all keeping something from me. I had just met them, so it wasn't my business to pry.
"I bet it's fun," Xander piped up before the short silence could grow akward. "Doing all those flips and jumps and stuff."
"Yeah it's tons of fun," I told him just as the bell rang for us to go to class.
"Hey maybe you should come to the Bronze with us sometime," Willow offered as we gathered our things. "It's the hottest club in Sunnydale!"
"It's the only club in Sunnydale," Buffy retorted, and they all broke into laughter at the joke.
"Sounds like a lot of fun," I said with a genuine smile, tossing the strap of my bookbag over my shoulder. "If I can get some free time I'll tag along."
So I exchanged cell numbers with all three of them before heading off to my final class of the day, waving at them over my shoulder before turning a corner. Maybe this place wasn't as bad as I'd originally thought...
"Be sure to read chapter fourteen and do the section assesment!" my American Government teacher called as the final bell of the day rang and we scrambled madly for the door. After pushing my way through a group of bleach-blond, bubble-gum blowing cheerleaders and nearly tripping over another kid who had dropped his books all over the floor, I headed for the parking lot and pulled my keys out of my bag.
"Hello beautiful," I said lovingly as I came up to my wonderful midnight-black '87 Foxbody Mustang. The sleek surface seemed to glitter in the late afternoon sun as I unlocked the door and settled into the vinyl driver's seat, and the engine purred to life under my fingers. I'd poured every dollar I had into my baby, and she rewarded me by being the best car in existance. I carefully backed out of the parking lot and headed towards the main road with my window rolled down to let in the sultry California air, and I grinned happily as I scared the snot out of some tough-looking jock guy by revving the engine loudly not three feet from him and his prissy foriegn car. Bet he's never even seen under the hood of that tin can, I mused to myself with a chuckle before heading across town to small little cul-du-sac where I now resided.
The cramped three-bedroom house was a hard change to make from the cozy six bedroom farmhouse I used to call home back in Florida. I was used to sprawling land and lush grass with a horse or two grazing contentedly beneath the dappled shade of a wide oak; not looking out my window and straight into the neighbor's living room. It was a little disconcerting.
"I'm home!" I called loudly as I walked through the quaint little front door and hung my keys on their respective hook in the kitchen to my immediate right. Instantly I was greeted by a wriggling, bouncing, yapping ball of blue-merled fur that came hurtling down the stairs at a breakneck pace and nearly sent me sprawling as it collided with my shins.
"Down Tex, down!" I giggled girlishly as the Austrailian Cattledog squirmed happily at my feet, his tail whipping back and forth so fast that his whole butt wiggled. "I'm happy to see you too."
"Sissy!" my little sister Skylar squealed at the top of the stairs, her pretty blue eyes lighting up as she pranced down towards me and leapt from the last step into my waiting arms.
"Hey pretty girl!" I greeted, pulling back so she could read my lips. "How was your day?"
"It was great!" she replied, her voice taking on that trademark nasal tone of all deaf people. "I met my translator and his name is Mark and I met a lot of new people at school!"
"That's great kiddo," I replied, setting her on her feet. But before we could continue our conversation I heard my father calling from somewhere in the vicinity of the living room.
"Izzat you?" he slurred loudly.
"Yeah Dad, it's me," I replied, signing at Skylar to wait a minute as I made my way into the crowded room. Boxes lay strewn everywhere, in all stages of being unpacked, and my balding, pot-bellied father was sprawled facedown on the couch with a liquor bottle clutched in his meaty hand.
"Wouldja mind shuttin' that little brat up?" he growled without even looking up. "I gotta damn fricken headache!"
"Sorry Dad," I replied. "Didn't mean to bother you."
He grunted in response and I gave him a disgusted look before turning and going back to where Skylar sat rubbing Tex's belly right where I'd left them.
-Did I do something wrong?-she signed wordlessly as I picked her up off the floor and headed into the kitchen to deposit her into one of the high-legged chairs at the island.
-Nah, -I told her.-Dad's just not feeling well.-
Her face fell and with a huffed sigh I set about cheering her up. Just because our father was a poor excuse for a person didn't mean he had to take it out on her. We were only in this situation because our mom had died a year ago and he'd fallen headfirst into the nearest alcohol bottle, not even bothering to do normal things like, I don't know, paying bills and feeding his children and whatnot. So I had become sole provider, but even I couldn't keep up with the monetary demands of providing for a little girl, a drunkard, and a dog with my part-time job at the local stable. So with the meager funds we had left our father decided to uproot us and move across the country where his online sweetheart CaliGurrl_22 was supposed to come take care of us. And she did hook us up with this poor excuse for a home, but I'd seen hide nor hair of her yet, even though Mr. Smooth passed out in the living room was apparently slinking out to go party the night away with her later on.
-So do you have any new friends yet?- I asked Skylar as I set a plate in front of her. She loved cold pizza, and with misery quickly forgotten the little pre-teen dug in.
-I met this really nice girl named Abby,- she told me in between shoveling mouthfuls of pizza dough slathered in marinara sauce and pepperoni down her throat. -And one girl named Suzie let me eat lunch with her.-
-That's awesome kiddo,- I replied before ruffling her hair and heading upstairs to deposit my bookbag in the room we shared. I took a moment to stare out the window at the other little cookie-cutter houses that lined the silent street in the quickly-fading light, and my heart tugged painfully as I longed for the twilight-painted fields and the giant barn where I'd worked shoveling out manure and taking care of the owner's dozen horses. It was hard work, but I was rewarded well with the familiar scent of leather and horseflesh and the constant companionship of the easy-going animals. With a sigh I turned from the window and headed back downstairs.
"Don't furget ta take that mutt out!" Dad called as I passed the living room, his voice still muffled by the couch's upholstery.
"I won't," I told him, rolling my eyes in annoyance. Skylar had just finished her food and rinsed her plate before sticking it in the dishwasher, and she looked up as she saw me step into the room out of the corner of her eye.
-Do you want me to start these?- she inquired, gesturing towards the dirty eating utensils.
-Please,- I replied with a nod. -And then go get started on your homework while I take Tex for a walk. But make sure you stay out of Dad's way okay?-
She nodded in answer and we shared a smile before I left her to it and grabbed Tex's leash from the hall closet. I whistled just loud enough for him to hear and he came instantly at my call, ears pricked and tongue lolling out the side of his mouth in a happy doggy grin. I hooked the leash to his cowhide collar, gave him a pat, and after locking the door behind me and shoving the key in my pocket we headed out into the darkening street.