Love Me (very slow updates)

Ch 8 |•| Hate's a strong word

"Why don't you introduce yourself to the class?" The teacher asked the timid girl kindly. Clara looked up at the students who all stared at her expectantly before taking in a gulp of air.

"Erm my names Clara," she muttered out softly as the eyes of her peers bored into her.
She kept her head down scared to look up into the judgmental eyes of the people she'd be spending the rest of her school years with.

"Well Clara why don't you go sit next to Carolina?" she said pointing at a girl with dark orange hair who sat right near the back left hand corner. Clara nodded before making her way towards the seat slowly. She pulled it out before settling down next to the girl who gave her a kind smile.

"Hi I'm Carolina." she said as Clara returned her smile. "Do you want to sit with me at break?" She asked almost immediately after making Clara's eyes widen in shock. "You don't have to," Carolina said putting her hands up. "I just thought maybe since you don't have any friends yet I could be your friend?"

"Oh uhm," Clara paused. She had never had a friend before. As Carolina nibbled on her bottom lip in anticipation it occurred to Clara that carolina would probably think she didn't want to be friends if she continued to be silent. "Yes," she said giving her a smile as the girl's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "I would love to be your friend,"

"Great!" Carolina said clapping her hands together. "We can sit with my friends. There's a few of them and sometimes they can be a bit mean but they mean well," she said making Clara's eyebrows scrunch up in confusion.

"If they're mean why are you friends with them?" She asked softly making Carolina look at her with an indescribable emotion.

"They're not that bad." She said but it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself. Clara only nodded not wanting to push the matter any further. "They really aren't," Carolina continued making Clara raise an eyebrow at her.
no
"Okay." She said before turning to face the teacher again. Carolina bit her lip to stop her words before turning to face the teacher again. She nudged her book towards Clara so the girl could read along with the rest of the class.

Clara stared at the book but couldn't seem to read a single word on the page. The words began their familiar dance as they bang to float about the page. Clara bit her lip keeping her
frustrated scream to herself. She looked at Carolina who's eyes glided across the page effortlessly as she read through with the rest of the class.

Why couldn't she be like everyone else? Why did she have to be so unbelievably stupid. She looked back down at the page but this time she didn't bothter to focus on the words.

"Alright would anyone like to read the next paragraph?" The teacher announced immediately making the class raise their hands up high. Everyone wanted to read except Clara who kept her head down hoping to god the teacher would leave her alone. But much to Clara's dismay the teacher had a habit of picking on students.

Her eyes scanned the classroom of hands raised high in the air before her gaze settled on Clara who kept her eyes cast down. A small smile formed on her face as she leant back on her desk. "Clara," she called making the bewildered girl's head shoot up fast enough to give a person whiplash.

"Why don't you read it for us?" Clara's eyes widened to the size of saucers as she pointed at herself.

"M-me?" The teacher nodded softly as Clara looked at Carolina. Carolina only pointed at the paragraph before pushing the book closer to Clara.

"Umm," Clara stuttered out as she stared at the book in fear. She was going to humiliate herself.  Carolina noticed her friends bewilderment as she scrunched her eyebrows up in confusion.