High School Recall

Chapter One

The class was quiet entering the fifth minute of lunch break, and so was Chloe. After two days of peeking the code to unlock a certain locker, she finally got the perfect chance to start piling her mischief. First target: The girl who stuck her foot out to trip Chloe Martin on her first day of school. Mission: Stationery delivery package. Chloe huffed, trying to find something significant in the locker. She didn't even bother to know the girl's name. The poor girl was about to lose her USB drive, and potentially her important documents. Eventhough Chloe stepped the girl's foot instead, it was the thought that counts.

Chloe slipped out of the room, lightly smiling at the idea of the little drive in her blazer pocket. Being a goody-two-shoes was proved easy, especially when she was the shiny new student. After all, her senior year would be too boring if she didn't catch anybody's attention.

The crowded cafeteria swallowed her lean figure, blending her into the line of students queing for food. The boy in front of her swiped his student ID into the slot and his menu popped up on the screen. Chloe followed suit, rolling her eyes at the menu. Of course, Mrs. Martin chose the nutrition not the taste.

"New Girl!," someone called out. "We have an empty seat, mind to take it?"

Chloe stared at the girl who was pointing at the only empty stool on the table. Middle table in the decent-sized cafeteria for three hundred people. A smile grazed Chloe's lips. Score. She eyed her chair before sitting down.

"Don't worry, we don't do that kind of joke," the girl assured.

"What kind of joke do you do, then?" Chloe raised an eyebrow, trying to be playful about it. She remembered the girl's name. Her class president, Valerie Montgomery. Chloe familiarized herself with the faces surrounding her. She turned to Valerie. "Take the cat out of the bag already," she prompted. "This seat has a price." She leaned closer. "Name it."

Valerie's face visibly brightened. She looked at her companions. "I like her. We should keep her."

Her companions nodded in agreement, similar, amused expression on their faces.

"Your promise is enough. For now," Valerie said. "We're going to give you a name tomorrow morning. Whatever you want to do, I'll let you decide." She handed Chloe her phone. "Save in your number."

Chloe took it and did as told.

"You're pretty, you know that?" Valerie asked, eyeing Chloe's luscious, blow-dried hair, wondering what products she used.

"Mm-hm," Chloe replied, sipping on her juice.

"So, you moved from New York?" Another one asked.

Chloe nodded.

"Did you really set a classmate's hair on fire?"

Chloe smirked. "Unintentionally, of course," she answered with a wink.

Valerie bursted into laughter. "Oh, my God. I'm so keeping you with me," she exclaimed.

Sure, she should. Chloe smiled at her.

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Chloe was glad that she chose to take Chinese as her extra language lesson in school. Norcross Academy for Sacred Hearts was the perfect school in her eyes - great teachers, normal people, and oh, as long as she wasn't homeschooled. Mr. Lee, for example, was very considerate to his students. He asked everyone to take out their e-pads and played them a movie in the language with English subtitles. All he asked was to turn in notes of the words they found interesting.

She peered around and raised her eyebrows. Most of the boys were either sleeping or faking attention, whilst the girls were watching web videos and trying to be discreet. How... normal. This was why she begged to go to human school. Commuting with teenagers, normal teenagers - not the one that would stop growing up at a certain age and live for however long their blood allows. These people are ignorant, mean, and fame-crazed. They didn't notice when she found their necks more interesting than pizza, didn't care that she ate food to keep up pretenses, or even the very fact that her water bottle wasn't filled with only water.

Chloe smiled in satisfaction. This was easier than New York. Isla Rivers caught her hair on fire because she was accusing Chloe of being on drugs, that because Isla ransacked Chloe's bag and found a pillbox with capsules that humans are not even capable of digesting. Chloe glance at Valerie. The class president would be the gateway to make 'intimidating Chloe Martin' happen. She has learned her lesson from New York: Being an outcast isn't going to help her with keeping her little secret.

A sigh of relief resounded in the class when the bell rang. Apparently, Thursdays meant extracurricular meetings after class. Everyone scrambled out of their seats and packed their bags in a hurry. Their meetings must have been very exciting, then. On the other hand, Chloe took her time since she hasn't registered herself anywhere.

"Tomorrow morning, Chloe," Valerie called out, waving her hand as she walked out.

Chloe replied with an easy smile.

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A thud resounded at the locker section of the class. Chloe turned her head around and hummed. Best fighter of the class and his minions surely had nothing better to do than turning transfers into punching bags. The remaining students scurried out of the room as quick as they're able. Chloe didn't recall something like this happening before.

One who appeared to be the leader turned to Chloe. "What are you looking at? Get lost," he snapped.

Chloe frowned. "Don't you have somewhere else to be? A meeting, maybe?"

He sneered at her and covered the distance between them within three strides. "Are you challenging me?"

She flashed a smile. "No, unfortunately not stupid enough to challenge a boy," she scoffed. "Mr. Lee left his drive behind. He might just be retrieving it now." She shrugged, throwing in her pencil case in her bag. She looked back up to the boy, pleased with her proportional height. "What do you have against him, anyways? He's too... new," she commented, pretending to be oblivious to the furious boy looking down at her.

"If it wasn't for Valerie favoring you..." the boy seethed. "Mind your own business," he curtly said before gesturing his minions to back up.

"Told you so," Chloe taunted when the said teacher poked his head through the open door. Chloe looked at the boy who received the beating before walking to the front of the class, taking the drive from the teacher's table and handing it to him. "You left this, Sir," she beamed a winning smile. The teacher thanked her and left.

Chloe heard a snort and turned around, only to have her shoulder hit by the leader's.

"Move."

She rolled her eyes, walking back to her seat and pulled out her tissues. She knew the boy from when they registered for Norcross. Tamed, ash blonde hair and a pair of unique, copper eyes, his name was Eli Hendricks.

Eli looked up when a box of tissues was shoved to his nose. He ignored her pointedly.

"Eh, you can't go home bleeding." She pulled out a few and pushed them into his hand. "At least wash that sullen face of yours and wipe it clean," she told him.

He stared at the pile of thin, white layers in his hand then back at the girl. Her confidence in facing the bully was impressive, as much as he didn't want to admit it. But then again, of course she would be. With a face as innocent as a little baby, anyone would think twice before touching her. He even heard that she came from money. There was one he couldn't understand, though. "Why did you stop them?" he wondered.

Chloe paused at the door, placing a smile on her face before looking back at him. He finally talked. "It was the right thing to do," she answered without hesitation. "See you tomorrow."