Heart of Flame: Freshmen Year

Chapter 9

When I got to school the next day, there was the weirdest sight I had ever seen, right outside the front doors, where the buses were parked, Ame and Rhythm had jumped two guys (one with raven hair and the other, slightly shorter one with pink hair) and was on there backs. What the fuck did I just walk into?! I wondered, walking towards them.

"HA! I told you, you can't get rid of us THAT easily!" Ame declared, obviously happy. I just stared at the scene in front of me, wondering what the hell was going on. "Ame, Rhythm, what the fuck are you doing?" I asked, dumbfounded. "Oh, hey Sorcha! This is Nathan and Aiden. Nathan, Aiden, this is Sorcha. She moved into the neighborhood on the first day of school." Ame said. The pink haired one (who I later found out was Nathan) offered his hand for a shake. Not really sure what else to do, I shook it. Ame and Rhythm got down from their shoulders, and Aiden started analyzing me. "Wow, you are tall." He noted. Nathan playfully punched him in the shoulder. "Dude, that's the first thing you say to her? Wow, good first impression." Nathan said sarcastically. I got the impression that they were really good friends. I just smiled. "Eh, it's okay. I've had weirder things said to me." I said honestly. It's true. Most people notice my orange skin tone, my gold eyes or my unusual ruby red hair first. Then they notice my height. "So, you a freshmen?" Aiden asked. I was about to say yes, but that's when the first bell rang. Ame sighed dramatically. "Well, see ya'll later." Nathan said, and we parted to go to our own classes.

      As it turned out, Nathan and Aiden were in my Band and PE classes. In band, Nathan played the drums and Aiden played the guitar. Since Aiden and I were the only guitar players, we ended up talking a little more and he taught me a few things, like how to tune my guitar better and get the best sound without cutting my fingers.    

PE was a nightmare, as usual. We ended up playing this thing called the Hunger Games, where we were given a foam stick and we were supposed to hit people with it. We were in groups of five, so Nathan, Aiden, Damian, Ame and I were all on the same team. Only one person on each team was allowed into the "arena" (the inside of the black perimeter around the basketball part of the gym) and when the last person on the team got hit, the entire team had to sit out until the next round.

      We actually held out pretty well, for a while. It wasn't uncommon for our team to be one of the last three teams left in a round. At the last round, I even got the satisfaction of getting Brandon out and being last team in the arena at the same time. When it was over, Barnes tallied up all the points, and believe it or not, we got second place, so I was happy with that. Brandon and his team of lunatics got last place, and I could feel him glaring at me from behind, so I knew to prepare myself from whatever he has in store for me.

Brandon didn't make his move until after school. What happened was we were walking towards the front doors so we could wait for the busses (Ame and I didn't need to, but we liked hanging out at the front with the rest of our friends), when we got confronted by Brandon and his group of meatheads.

      "Well, well, well, ain't this a surprise?" Brandon said, smiling coldly. "Fuck off, Brandon." I said, trying to continue walking, but they were right in our way. "Actually I'd rather not. You see, you've been humiliating me and my queen ever since you first walked in those doors, and I think it's about time I put you back into your place, you orange-skinned freak." He sneered. Damian looked like he was about to defend me, but I stopped him. "No, this is my fight, besides, you'd miss your bus." I pointed out. Damian looked like he was about to protest, but I gave him a look and he stopped. He then lead everyone away to the front of the school. Except for Ame. "You too." I commanded. Ame shook her head like a little kid. "No, any fight you get into is my fight too, so I'm staying." She said determinedly. I sighed. "No, Ame. I don't want you to get in trouble, besides, I need someone to keep my stuff safe for me." I said, handing her my backpack. She looked like she was going to still stay, but I pushed her away. "Go." I demanded, giving her the message that I was not going to let her stay. Ame gave me a pouty face before she left. I turned back to Brandon.