I Found Home

Chapter 7

Hannah

Tolom's trees have lost their orange glow , the weather is no longer warm and welcoming , people are putting their light clothes aside to replace them with heavy cardigans and coats .

Winter is knocking on the doors with shivery hands ready to freeze us with this town . As I heard from Paget and Iker , winter here can be pretty tough , with storms and unbearable winds . Some storms have caused schools , hospitals and public places to close awaiting for it to alleviate .

Thankfully I know how cruel winter can be , especially for those with no ceiling above their heads or a shield to keep them from the coolness of the air cutting through their flesh . Yet I survived it , with no shield but my determination to out-stand every obstacle in my way , the desire to be strong for myself and for the only person I care about and trust .

Besides myself and my mom , I put my faith in nobody . I don't think I can trust anybody else in this world . Not after all that happened and all that me and mom endured . Having faith in others isn't something I am used to , it's also part of the reason why I never had a friend until now apparently , since I have two friends who don't expect me to be confining in them or spilling my secrets to them , all they want is getting me out of my bubble .

Paget and Iker have been putting a respectable effort to protect me from Selena after the Halloween party , expecting her to answer back at the way I got back at her for trying to humiliate me by tearing away my dress . However she's been eerily silent and kept her distance from us . Even though she speaks to Iker , since according to him , Paget , Selena and himself have been friends since childhood .  Until something happened between the girls and ruined their friendship for good .

Iker couldn't choose sides since he grew up with them both , so he stayed neutral , no matter how hard of a task it seems .

Throughout these few weeks , I got to see that Iker is not really the boy I thought he was , I like the way he cares for both Paget or Selena – I said what I said – and how loyal he is to them . Even Paget is not the brat I thought she was , she is genuine and honest , but no matter what I can't get myself to fully let go around them . I am still the same tomboy grumpy girl they met a few months ago .

« Miss Floris ? »

His voice startles me from my thoughts . I turn my gaze from the falling snow and towards Mr Oliver who is glaring at me . I may have been distracted from his class and his explanations for a few seconds . I put down the pencil I have been chewing on for a while now and look at my glaring teacher .

« Since you find the snow outside more entertaining , perhaps you should take a break and visit the principal's office for a while . »

He says in a deep and calm tone as he keeps glaring at me . I take a deep breath and swallow , not cowering from holding his gaze . « I ... »

« Now , Miss Floris . »

I glare at him for a beat longer , then gather my stuff and leave not sparing him another glance .

I try to understand him , I really do but I always fail . Like what the hell is wrong with him ? Always mad at me , always glaring and rolling his eyes at me !

I walk to the principal's office , where I find Iker already sitting on one of the benches waiting for his turn to pay the principal a visit . I chuckle as I see him and he stands up smiling and walking towards me .

« Kane can be pretty serious sometimes it makes me want to punch him . » Iker says looking down at me. It's as if he's reading my mind right now . He calls him by his first name because , first , Iker isn't his student and second because Miss Lambert who is his cousin , always calls Mr Oliver by his name so he picked up the habit from her .