Accused (Hunted book 2)

Chapter 5

School started again at the end of August. Everyone seemed really annoyed that the break was over, but I didn't mind too much. I wanted to see if Mr Hanner was going to tell us that he was engaged and I also wanted to find out whether everyone still hated me.

As I walked down the hallway I noticed something strange. No one was looking at me, no one was whispering about me, no one even cared that I was there. Maybe that doesn't sound so great, but I thought it was amazing. I passed Sasha and Mandy at their lockers and they waved at me, as in they acknowledged my existence positively. Well, Sasha waved. Mandy just gave me a look, but it wasn't a hateful look, it was more like 'you're here and I don't have any strong positive or negative feelings about it'.

I stuck my bag in my locker and went to homeroom. It was even stranger. I had been in a homeroom with a bunch of people I barely knew last year, and ordinarily I would have had that same homeroom class again. After what happened to Nick (most people thought that he was mauled by a wild animal), people started moving out of Myers Harbour. That, combined with the biggest fishing company in Myers Harbour closing, meant that enough students had left for the homerooms to be rearranged. I was thrilled.

I sat down at a desk and before I could even open my laptop to check my class schedule, someone had sat down next to me.

"How were your holidays?" Riley grinned at me.

"You're in my homeroom?" I held my breath, wanting for confirmation before I got too excited.

Riley nodded. "Yep."

I hugged her. "Yay!"

"So?" asked Riley.

"My holidays were good." I gesture to my hair, which is held up in a claw clip. "Mum took me to the outlet mall for hair accessories. How were yours?"

Riley lifted a hand and twisted it from side to side. "It was fine, I guess. I mean, Mandy's party was fun."

"You guess?"

"I just wish we didn't have to go back to school already. It's so boring. Plus, my brain still thinks I'm on vacation."

I laughed. "Makes sense. Do you want me to tip water on you or something?"

"What? No! I'm on vacation, not asleep!"

Sasha sat down on Riley's other side and Mandy sat down with her. I gaped at them. "You guys are in this class, too?!"

Sasha nodded. She pointed to Riley and a few of the other people sitting around the half-empty room. "We were all in the same homeroom last year, so I guess they merged our two classes."

"Who else was in your class?" I asked.

Mandy thought for a minute. "Um, Heather, Hayden, Ryan, Garrett and a bunch of other people." She shrugged.

I nodded. "Cool." I guessed Bree, Lachlan, Chase, Margot and Lara were in another homeroom. Oh well.

Ms Allen, the homeroom teacher, walked in and put down her things on the teacher's desk at the front of the room. "Good morning, everyone. I hope you all had a good holidays."

There were some nods and groans.

Ms Allen smiled. "Well, anyway, I'm going to be your homeroom teacher this year, and hopefully next year, so try to get along with everyone in here, okay?" Ms Allen started walking around the room talking to particular students or table groups.

Ms Allen was a science teacher. She taught chemistry and freshman general science.

Sasha grinned. "I'm so glad we have Ms A again. She's the best."