Love on Lockdown

CHAPTER TWO

HER SIDE:

"Looks like they're here," Mrs. Genevieve said, her eyes now looking at the Gracie, whose gaze had already darted towards the door.

Gracie's gaze fixed on the door, waiting for it to swing open. Mrs. Genevieve ushered for the students to come in before returning to her desk and settling into her chair.

The door creaked open, revealing two figures: a blonde girl and a ginger-haired boy. The girl's gaze darted around the room, landing on Gracie. The blond maiden face lit up with a captivating smile as their eyes met. Momentarily taken aback, Gracie responded with a little nod.

'She's undeniably beautiful,' Gracie thought, observing the girl's appearance. 'Model material, or maybe even an actress.'

"There you are! Yesha and Mikael," Mrs. Genevieve greeted, gesturing to the empty chairs. "Please, have a seat." the two student complied, settling into the offered chairs.

Just as Mrs. Genevieve was about to say something, her phone rang. "Excuse me for a moment," she said, picking up her phone. "I'll just answer this quickly," she said apologetically and stepped out of the office to take the call.

The office door clicked shut behind Mrs. Genevieve, leaving Gracie alone with the two students. A stifling silence immediately descended upon the room. Gracie felt a flush rise up to her neck as her gaze shifted between the worn-out carpet and the two unfamiliar faces across from she seated. The silence felt like an eternity up until the ginger-haired teenager, Mikael, cleared his throat.

"Hey, hi," he said with an awkward smile. "I'm Mikael. You must be the new student?" Relief washed over Gracie. 'At least someone was brave enough to break the ice' she thought.

Gracie replied with a slight nod. Before she was able to introduce herself, the blonde girl beside him spoke.

"Hi, you can call me Yesha," she said, her voice bubbly and friendly. Gracie felt a surge of relief. 'They seemed nice', she thought as she notices how they sounded welcoming to her.

"I'm Gracie and I just transfered here. I'm in ninth grade this school year," she replied.

After the introductions were exchanged, the air in the room began to shed its awkward atmosphere. Gracie noticed Mikael's hesitant smile morph into a more genuine grin, and Yesha's bubbly tone from earlier that seems infectious, washing away the tension. Now that they weren't complete strangers anymore, the initial awkwardness seemed to slowly melt away.

"Looks like Ms. Genevieve might be gone for a while," Yesha said, turning to Gracie. "Actually, we're here to help you out on your first day at Allenwoods High, and Mikael," she said, gesturing to the boy beside her who beamed in response, "was tasked with being your guide."

Gracie's attention shifted to Mikael. His vibrant ginger hair, slightly wavy, framed his face, complementing his captivating green eyes. His pale complexion had a faint hint of pink tint on the cheekbones, which added to his youthful charm. She found herself momentarily lost in her observation of Mikael appearance. Somehow he vaguely reminded her of a certain character from a fantasy movie she had watched when she was a kid, minus the freckles.His uncanny resemblance to a movie character was baffling. 

The door creaked open, interrupting her thoughts. Mrs. Genevieve went inside her office, a relieved smile gracing her lips."I apologize for the delay," the teacher said her voice slightly flustered. "The call took longer than expected." Mrs. Genevieve continously apologized for the lengthy phone call, but the students kindly assured her that it was alright.