A New Life

5: New School

"Isla, it's just school. You're gonna be fine. Just stick to me." I looked at Fin. "Okay, so we don't have all the classes together, but I'll get you to your classes, I'll be your personal bodyguard." He winked at that and I just rolled my eyes and looked at my hands in my lap. My first day of school in America. Again I didn't know how to feel, a whole load of emotions was flitting through my head; fear, nerves, anticipation, hope. I made sure to supress the latter as best as I could. I didn't want to get my hopes up to then be disappointed. 

We were driving to school in Fin's car, a black rover that I loved the minute I saw it; it was the same car our grandma used to have. He had turned the radio up and was singing along to his Fall Out Boy CD.

"I love you in the same way, there's a chapel in a hospital

One foot in your bedroom and one foot out the door

Sometimes we take chances, sometimes we take pills.

I could write it better than you ever felt it. 

So hum hallelujah,

Just off the key of reason

I thought I loved you

It was just how you looked in the light.

A teenage vow in a parking lot

"Till tonight do us part"

I sing the blues and swallow them too." 

His singing voice was quite nice actually and I enjoyed just sitting there, staring at my twin watching him sing. It reminded me of the time before the orphanage. All too soon we pulled up in front of a massive building that couldn't be anything but a school. My school now, I guess. Fin pulled up in the parking lot and jumped out of the car, walked around it and opened my door for me.

"Come on, we have to make an entrance as the new hot twins." He winked and pulled me out of the car. I followed hesitantly, slinging my backpack over one shoulder. He grabbed his bag and my hand and we made our way towards the big, red-brick building.

-

People had stared at us as soon as we had stepped away from the car. Friendly smiles and hateful glares were thrown our way in equal amounts. Fin greeted people here and there and everyone seemed to know him, who they didn't know, was me. Self-conscious, I dropped my gaze and stared at the grimy floor. Until, that is, Fin called my name and I was surrounded by a group of massive guys and very pretty girls.

"Um-" I stuttered and took a step back, half-hiding my body behind Fin.

"Guys, this is my twin sister Isla." He grinned and pulled me in front of him.

"Um- hi." I gave an awkward wave which earned me a whole wall of smiling faces.

"This-" Fin pointed at the girl closest to me. "-is Claire." She was very pretty, hair styled in a fashionable bob and dyed an electric blue, her eyes were a dark brown and her skin very pale. It was almost white, she could rival my own pale complexion; she waved at me with an uber-enthusiastic grin which made me notice a piercing decorating her lips. She seemed nice.

"This is Hunter." Fin grinned; Hunter did is name honours. He was massive, at least three inches taller than Fin, with black dreadlocks held back by a bandanna and his arms were like tree trunks, covered in tattoos. If he hugged me, I was sure I would disappear in them. I shrank back a bit but he sent me a warm smile which had his skin illuminated against his chocolate skin.

"This is Harold." That made me giggle.

"Yea, yea. It's very funny." He grumbled but a smile was playing around his lips. He was of similar height and built to Fin and his blonde hair was on the long side, hidden away underneath a black beanie. There was a tattoo on display on his left upper arm, it looked like something akin to a tribal design.

"This is Kat-"

"Short for Kathlyn." The girl smiled and extended her hand. Her fingernails were painted a dark, blood red and her black hair was held away from her face by a pair of dark, round sun-glasses. Her skin was tanned and her right, lower arm was covered in a sleeve tattoo. I noticed that most of Fin's new friends had tattoos and it made me wonder if he had one too. 

"And this is Alex." The last guy looked more passive than the others. He didn't smile, just sent me a nod. I frowned slightly but nodded back. His hair was styled in an under-cut, the hair on top blond, underneath dark-brown. His eyes looked like they were black, not brown and his skin was tanned.

"What's your first subject?" Claire asked with a smile, that seemed to be permanently on her lips.

"Um- English Lit." I checked and she let out an excited squeal.

"Me too! And Hunter, as well. So we'll take you to class." I sent Fin a panicked look and he draped his arm over my shoulders.

"I'll walk with you." He whispered and my shoulders slumped in relief. "I'll see you in class, Alex." He nodded and we made our way down the hall. The eyes of passers-by never left me but I held my head up high, trying not to be intimidated. I had been through worse things than this, but why did it feel like this was so much worse?

-

"We have a new student today everyone." The teacher was a stout little woman by the name of Mrs Owen; she seemed nice, the only thing that surprised me was her voice. It didn't fit in with her appearance, it was too deep. "Tell us your name, darling. Come on, don't be shy- we don't bite." She joked and I sent her a forced smile.

"My name is Isla MacArthur and I'm originally from Scotland." I fell silent again and the students in front of me looked like they were expecting more but I didn't add anything.

"Okay then, please take a seat." Mrs Owen's eyes roamed the classroom. "How about there, next to Damien?" A guy on the right in the second row raised his head as if in protest but then just forced a smile and waved me over. He wasn't ugly per se: his hair was dyed a nice silvery blue, there were piercings in both his ears and I could see a little tattoo on the inside of his wrist, he wasn't overly muscly and his slanted eyes betrayed his Asian heritage. I was curious about him when I sat down.

"One thing: Don't talk.", was all he said before he turned back to listen to Mrs Owen rambling about Shakespeare. I stared at him for a second before turning away just like he did.

Well this was going to be interesting.