DIFFERENT

Intersection

They were finally at Janice's school. Blue Ridge High School. The principal was a burly, thick-necked, stout man in his late forties. He was Mr Sanford Moore.

"She'll be fine here. Even though it won't be easy on the teachers filling her in on where she might have lost out on. She can start officially tomorrow. We'll get a comprehensive record of her past activities in her last school." He paused for effect. "You don't share last names?"

"Yes...um, she's...well, her parents, they...uh-"

"She's my aunt" Chelsea spoke up.

"Yes. Yes of course, I'm her guardian. We, my husband and I" Aunt Jeannie chuckled nervously.

"Alright then." The principal said, closing the file in front of him. He gazed at Chelsea for some seconds. "Welcome to Blue Ridge High School, Chelsea Levin. I hope you enjoy your stay here."

"Thank you" Chelsea smiled.

"You have a cousin here, I hear?" he asked.

"Yes, she does" Aunt Jeannie answered.

"That's perfect! She'll fill you on the school's rules and regulations, but you can have this in the mean- time" he handed her a leaflet and a prospectus. "Alright we're done here"

Chelsea and her aunt stood. "Nice meeting you sir" Aunt Jeannie said, Mr Moore nodded, and they left the office.

The next day, Chelsea was introduced by Mr. Lee Chung, a Chinese history teacher, to the whole class. He gave her a textbook and assigned her to the last seat in the third row. Everyone looked at her, watching her every move. They were all curious.

The bell for recess went and everyone filed out to the cafeteria.

"Hi" a blonde-haired girl with piercing green eyes and a sharp gaze said. Her eyes had a dull glint in them that made Chelsea think of sunsets, right now they flickered with excitement. She had her medium length hair tied up in a messy bun on the top of her head with a few loose strands framing her pretty face. She had thick straight brows, with a slight arch in the middle.

Her lashes were long and luscious, with a natural curl at the tips, a deep brown colour, almost black, that framed her green eyes perfectly. She had a small nose and a strong jawline, with a smattering of light freckles across her face

Chelsea also noticed that this girl was very tall with an athletic build, her guess was 5'8 feet. She had on a patterned flannel shirt and baggy jeans over Nike sneakers, with her backpack slung on her right shoulder.

This was the first person talking to her since morning.

"Mind if I join you? I'm Jesse Reed" she said and smiled.

Nice dentition. Chelsea noted. "Oh, no, not at all. Chelsea Levin. New here" She was nervous.

She pulled a chair and sat astride it, facing Chelsea.

Jesse nodded. "Yeah, I figured. Welcome to the chaos!" she laughed. "What brings you here?"

Chelsea hesitated and became uncomfortable. "Uh...my mom...moved away. And I'm living with my aunt now.

"Oh, sorry to hear that. That can be tough. Trust me, I know how that feels. What about dad?"

Chelsea looked at her feet and played with her fingers. "No...I don't really know him"

There was an awkward silence and Jesse noticed Chelsea's discomfort.

"Hey" she said ever so softly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry. Family stuff sucks."

Chelsea forced a smile. "it's okay...it's just...complicated."

"I feel you, gang. But hey, we're in a pretty cool school. You'll find your groove. She gave a sympathetic smile.