Verdant II

Two

Sila's POV

New school, a new beginning. I walked up to the large building and I was mildly impressed by how warm and inviting it looked, compared to many of the other schools I had gone to. For a seventeen-year-old, I had lived in twelve different cities and gone to more schools than I could count. 

I found the front office easily and got my schedule. English first, AP Calculus, AP Chemistry, Honours science, and ... PT. This must be a joke, right? I asked the lady who gave me my schedule, but she confirmed that I would have gym class at this school. Great. Just great.

I made my way to my first class, and the teacher introduced me to the class. I was able to take a seat in the back, behind a girl with curly blond hair. I could feel a lot of stares, but I ignored them all, focusing on my notes. The bell rang, and the blond turned around and introduced herself and her friends. They volunteered to show me where my next class was, and seemed impressed when I told them it was AP Calculus. The blonde laughed and made a dumb calculus joke. I just stared at the floor nervously.

The rest of the day went smoothly, I got to meet my teachers and figured out where we were in the semester. It was late February, so there wasn't much this place could teach me that I hadn't already taught myself. In AP chemistry I sat next to a girl who introduced herself as Sarah. She turned to me as soon as the teacher gave us time to work on some lab reports. 

"I heard Grace Abrams likes you," she whispered to me. "Who?" I asked genuinely confused. "Grace Abrams - blond hair, green eyes, tall, beautiful?" Sara responded. I raised my eyebrows at the last adjective she used, but I remembered her from my first class. "Not really, she was just being nice, showing me where my next class was," I explained in a whisper. 

Sara shook her head. "Grace Abrams is like the most popular girl in this school, but she's quiet and private. Unless you're a member of her gang, she doesn't really talk to anyone." She tried to explain. "Her gang? Really?" I asked confused. There were gangs at this school?

The teacher came back and praised the work we'd done. I tried to concentrate on the class, but my mind was going a million miles a second. Would I be safe here? Or was Sara just exaggerating?

Lunch came, and I grabbed a tray and looked around while waiting in line. I couldn't see Grace or any of the people she had introduced me to. I sat down at a table in the back by the windows and opened my book. I was currently reading the Count of Monte Cristo. Nobody sat down next to me or tried to talk to me, which I appreciated. My social battery was pretty spent.

At the end of the day, I saw Grace again. Sara was right, she was beautiful. Grace was standing outside talking to her friends as the wind played with her curls. I shook my head, girls like her never went for guys like me. 

I made my way into town in search of a library. According to Google Maps, there were three, the closest one being 'Luna's library'. I wasn't sure if it was a public or private library but decided to check it out anyway. I made my way there, it only took about ten minutes. A nice lady at the info desk informed me that it was indeed open to the public, and I was welcome to use their study rooms for my homework.

After finishing my homework I made my way around the library shelves looking for a new read. They were surprisingly well-stocked, and there were quite a lot of kids in the library. Most of the study rooms were in use, and I saw a couple of faces I recognized from my first day of school. 

I picked up a copy of 'Around the world in 80 days' and asked the lady at the front desk if I needed a library card or something to take the book with me. She helped me fill out the paperwork, and after that was done I took the book and headed home. It was 7 pm, perfect timing. I unlocked the door and quietly made my way upstairs, dropping off my school bag and hiding the book before I went downstairs again.

Dad was in the living room, the hockey game had just started. He had a beer in one hand and spared me no mind as I snuck into the kitchen and quickly boiled some water for pasta. I silently opened a jar of sauce and warmed it over the stove, then cleaned up the mess from dad's dinner.

I could hear the announcers shout that the opponents scored a goal, and I cursed the Buffalo Sabers. Please no, not tonight. Please loose.

In the end, the Buffalos won 3-1.