Soulmates

Chapter 4

The tall arch gates at my new school's entrance extravagantly welcomed students in, as the orchestra practiced Swan Lake in the auditorium. 

Ooh la la, la la la, the boys here were so fine. A tall guy, firm shoulders and solid muscles in his football jersey walked by, looking like a 60:40 mix of Leonardo DiCaprio and Ian Somerhalder. His friends were equally breathtaking. I had never seen so many models in one place. 

Trimmed and neat rose bushes and cherry blossoms lined the sides of the pathway, their pink and red floral produce lay scattered on the ground in whorls, spicing the air with a fresh, floral scent. Shadows stirred gently underneath the trees. But that was the end of it. The rest of the school was several blocks of glass and metal. There was one dedicated to art, one dedicated to music, another dedicated to STEM and another for homerooms and English. I was horribly disappointed. 

I never had a chance with the boys at my old school. Maybe this would give me a fresh start. I was mostly unknown at my old school, and whoever noticed me called me "the quiet girl". Not even by my real name. 

The only issue was that they all dressed horribly. Nobody seemed to take pride in their appearance here. This was a sentiment shared by another girl, coincidentally also new to the school. 

"The hell are these people wearing."

The fashion here was jaw dropping. People wore pyjamas to school, with the cotton chafing between their legs as they walked. There was an incessant shuffling sound. It was tasteless, not to mention unhygienic. The girl standing behind was Almada Rodriguez, dressed to kill in her cropped turquoise denim jacket lined with black stitching, a matching turquoise beret and a short black skirt draped with a silver chain and Mary Janes. Her clothes were ironed. That should've given her a confidence boost, but it instead made her feel overdressed.

"Fuck, am I one of the weird kids here?" she said. 

"Why did I wear my Miu Miu outfit to school?" I groaned. Sandra used to wear this pink checkered top and skirt in her twenties.

"Because if I am, I hope I'll find my crowd someday. There has to be some nerds who'd wear Louis Vuitton and Miu Miu to school, or throw house parties or drink alcohol. I don't get it. Aren't we in a rich neighbourhood?" she whined.

Our first class was English, which Almada and I had together. We stuck together like glue. I learned her name and she learned mine. Leena Montrose x Almada Rodriguez, it had a ring to it. 

"I was that bitch. I got expelled because I fought with a girl called A-lex-a." Almada clicked her tongue when it came to Alexa. "She fucked my best friend's boyfriends, every single one of em', also she tried to one up me in studies and sports and literally everything. Your turn."

"I..." I nervously thought of what to say to this ravishing girl. 

I was distracted by the gnawing fact that I didn't deserve to talk to someone as brazen and beautiful as her. I didn't want to mention that part where I didn't talk to anyone at school and was awkward with everybody because Almada and I seemed to be getting along quite well. I decided to begin with the truth.

"I moved here because I was adopted. Nobody wanted me for two years, saw all my friends get plucked out of the foster home like flowers. You know what they say, prettiest flowers get picked first."

"You're adopted? That's mad." she tilted her head downwards looking at me. "So what school did you come from?"

"Northwest High School. I had so many friends there. I had to leave my boyfriend for this school." I lied.