Please R and R this will be a part of a longer series.
…
In a small Sudan a father is driving his two kids and his girlfriend's daughter to school. His kids came to live with them after CPS came to check on what was going on with his daughter after she burned down a building. His daughter Dorothy, also lost her best friend a few weeks before she burned down the building.
"Dotty," his son says, attached to his sister. "I want to go to school with you."
"Li, you are only 9; you still need to go to Primary School." She kisses her little brother's forehead.
"Don't worry Liam; Dorothy will be ok, she will be with my friends and I," the slightly older red-haired teenager gently tells the young boy.
"Ok Dorothy and Melanie we are here."
"It's Ace, Dad."
"Sorry kid." They get out, Ace pulling her black patch filled bomber jacket tighter over her shoulders.
"Come on Dorothy."
"It's Ace, Donut."
"Okay, okay I get it. You don't like your name." She lays her arm over Ace. "We need to get your schedule from the office."
"I know that Mel." They make their way as another teenager, this one has short sandy hair. He makes eye contact with Ace and the two share a shy smile.
"Come on Ace," Mel pulls her. They go to the office and talk to the secretaries.
"Mrs. Song, this is Dorothy McShane."
"I can talk for myself, Melanie." Ace says.
"Hello Sweetie, I can tell you are going to be great here." Says the curly hair receptionists.
"If you say so, no one ever thinks of me and they never will."
"That isn't true, if Ms. Bush here is showing you around that will change." Ace gets her schedule.
"See you later Mrs. Song tell Mr. Song I said hi."
"You don't have him today Sweetie?"
"Nope."
"Be glad today he is doing his favorite."
"Fish Fingers and Custard?"
"Yep."
"What is that," asks the young teenager.
"Something people either love or hate. Now you two get on," says River.
"See you first have Mythology with McCoy. Follow me."
"I have to anyway." She follows her upstairs and through the hallways until they find room 207.
"We are here," Mel goes into the room first, as the teacher looks up. He is wearing a question mark sweater.
"MELANIE," he bellows. "Come to visit me?"
"No," she looks at Ace, giving her a look.
"I'm Ace, a new student."
"Nice to meet you." He shakes her hand, Ace starts to feel comfortable for the first time since she moved. "Why don't you sit rrrrigght there." Ace moves to where he gestured at.
"I will see you later Ace, I have to head to my class."
"Thank you Mel."
"No need to thank me," Mel heads out as more students stumble in. She sits up straight making eye contact with the odd student.
"Mind if I take this seat," says a voice next to her.
She turns to find the boy she saw earlier. "Sure, I don't bite… People."
After a small laugh he sits down, "I'm Graham by the way."
"People call me Ace."
"Well it's nice to meet you Ace. I haven't seen you around; are you new?"
"I am, just moved from England."
"What a coincidence I moved here from there last year."
"Really what part," she is glad that there is someone like her.
"Sheffield, you?"
"Perivale."
"Isn't that a very small council estate?"
"It is."
"Mhmm," a voice clears causing both to look up. "May I start?"
"Yes Professor." Ace and Graham face away from each other as McCoy starts his lesson. Ace wonders why she gave him a nickname.
After the bell rings, "do you need help finding your next class?"
"Thank you, but no. Mel, the person you saw me with is getting out of her classes early to show me around."
"Ace," she hears Mel's voice.
"That's my cue, it was nice to meet you Graham."
"Maybe I will see you around?"
"Maybe," the two share a smile as Ace meets up with Mel.
"Already made a new friend, I see." She teases Ace.
"No, we were just talking before class started and found out he moved here from Sheffield last year."
"He hasn't told anyone the reason he moved here; in fact I think you have found out more information than almost everyone." Mel bumps her shoulder against Ace's.
"Whatever, can you just show me my next class."
"Mr. Chesterton," Mel tries to get the science teachers attention.
"Melanie, how are you?"
"I am good, I have your new student." She points to Ace whose eyes are on a fellow classmate.
"Nice to meet you Ms?"
"McShane, sorry, you are Mr. Chesterton, right?"
"I am, why don't you go and sit next to Mr. O'Brien, no one is sitting next to him."
"You must have a similar schedule," Mel points out.
"Before you sit down, what is your first name for attendance?"
"Dorothy, but I go by Ace."
"Thank you." Ace goes to her seat and is greeted by a warm smile from Graham.
"Same class again," he tried to joke.
"I guess so," they don't see Mel watching them for a second before heading to her class.
As Mel gets to her class she sees her two best friends Tegan and Nyssa hanging onto each other. "So how is Ace doing," asks Nyssa.
"She seems to be doing fine, already has made a new friend."
"I told you she would be fine," adds Tegan with a slight Australian accent still in her voice.
"I know, I just didn't know what to make of her; when she moved here during the summer time she kept to herself except when she or Liam were having nightmares."
"Was it that bad for them?"
"I don't know, their Dad or my Mom won't tell me anything."
"You said something about Harry asking you something." Nyssa asks.
"I did, but that was before Ace and Liam came to live with us. He told me he still wants to but right now they are his main focus."
"Really bad stuff must've happened then." Nyssa, who loves everyone, is worried about the two people who were uprooted from everything they knew and brought to a different country.
"All I know is that Ace lost her best friend in a tragic way. That is all they will tell me, so I can keep an eye on her."
"Man, she has been through a lot hasn't she."
"She has." The three face forward as their teacher starts the lesson. A few hours later Ace picks up her tray, "Ace this way." She looks at Mel and sighs as she walks to the table. "How were your first few classes?"
"Boring."
"Even that friend you made," Nyssa asks.
"How did you know about that," asks Ace, eyes narrowing down on the curly haired teenager.
"Mel told us."
"Why?."
"I knew you would be ok here."
"So," Nyssa asks. "Mel didn't tell us their name."
"Graham." She doesn't realize she blushes and the other three share a look.
"He transferred here last year didn't he Tegan," Nyssa asks her girlfriend of two years.
"He did; always has extra food to make sure others eat."
"He does what?" Mel looks at Ace as she tries to hold back the shock at someone like that.
"Ace," she turns to find Graham standing there. "I see you bought lunch."
"I did, I hear you always make sure everyone has something to eat."
"I do," for the first time since they met he doesn't meet her eyes.
"Graham?"
"Yes, sorry."
"What is there to be sorry for, you have a good heart. Manisha was like that."
"Whose Manisha?" Mel, who knows only a little bit, is shocked that Ace volunteered any information about Manisha.
"She was my best friend."
"Was?"
"I don't want to talk about it," not liking the change in her demeanor he drops the subject.
"Is this spot taken?"
"No," he sits down next to her. Mel watches on.
"Graham right," Tegan says.
"Yeah, you're Tegan and you're Nyssa right?"
"And who am I?"
"Mel, you are showing Ace around."
"Anything else?"
"You are part of tech, so is Nyssa."
"You'd think I had picked up on it, my girlfriend, best friend and little brother all love techy things, but not me."
"That's why I love you," Nyssa says.
"I love you too, my little nerd." Tegan wraps her arms around Nyssa and gives her a kiss. Mel looks over at Ace who doesn't react at all and sits back in her chair as the bell rings.
It is the last class of the day; Ace is in the locker room getting on the gym uniform thinking about her day so far and hoping Liam's day is going smoothly. In the back of her mind she hopes her mum doesn't get on a plane anytime soon. She follows the other girls into the gym and sees a face she knows. "Graham."
"Ace, fancy meeting you here."
"We really do have the same schedule."
"Is it making it harder on you?"
"Gordon Bennett no, in fact you being one of the first faces I saw when I got here and us having at least half of the same classes made it easier on me."
"Good, I think we will be running or walking the track today, want to do it with me?"
"Sure." The class moves out and she sees two girls off in the corner laughing at them and pointing at them. "Who are those two girls?"
"I don't know, something in me told me to never get to know them."
"But something in you told you to talk to me."
"I must have a good gut feeling then right?"
"Maybe." As they get on the track Ace starts at a slow jog and Graham follows her.
"So Ace, how do you like living here so far?"
"It's different, not a small town, and my Dad, well he's different from my Mum."
"Please tell me a good different?"
"Very good, I like it with him less yelling and his girlfriend is nice. You know her daughter."
"Mel?"
"Yes, that is why she is showing me around."
"I think she genuinely cares about you."
"I know, we have met before. I think my Dad was about to take the next step before everything happened."
"Everything?"
"Another story for another time."
"Got it, so do you want some notes or something in case we have tests in a few weeks."
"Sure."
"Cool, I'll; shoot I just remembered I don't have anything to give you my number."
"I guess that part will have to wait." She smiles at him and he smiles back knowing something is changing in him since he saw her that morning.