Broken Souls (Souls #1)

Chapter 5 - Destiny

Another girl joined our table two minutes before the bell was going to ring and gave me a once over, as if assessing if I'm worthy enough to be in her presence. Her hair is a luminous blue black and she has a beautiful olive complexion. Her nose twists up in the air as if she smells something bad and the corner of her lip curls up in disgust. I shrink back into my seat and turn my head to look away from her. Amber glances over at the girl and then introduces us - since it's clear that the Spanish beauty isn't going to do so herself and I'm too intimidated to do so.

"Destiny this is Jasmine, and Jasmine this is Destiny."

I glance in her direction and say, "Hey," softly. The only reply I get from Jasmine is her flipping her long hair, which reaches to her waist, over her shoulder.

I look over at Amber and she mouths to me, "I'll explain tomorrow."

I sure hope she does, because I don't think that I'm that revolting for someone to refuse to talk to me when we just met.

As soon as the bell rings a boy with sandy blonde hair struts into the class room. He holds up both of his hands and says to Mrs. Falkner, "Now before you tell me anything, I would like to point out that I am in fact not late. It's still eight thirty." He points at the clock above the door and looks at her, waiting for what she has to say.

She sighs heavily and points to the empty seat to my left. "Hurry up and take your seat Tyler before I change my mind and make you go down to the office," she tells him.

"Yes ma'am," he says, giving her a salute and adding a wink in for extra measure. I can already tell that he's such a flirt with just that one action.

Mrs. Falkner doesn't respond to him but instead turns to the chalkboard and begins writing page numbers on it.

I can't help but thinking that if I was put in charge of finding Tyler a friend I wouldn't pair him up with none other than Hayden. They seem like the perfect match for each other. I smile at the thought and begin to wonder if Madison is the perfect match for a friend for me. Hayden did say that she likes other girls who play football, so at least I know that we have one thing in common.

"Hello there Blondie," Tyler says and winks at me also.

The corner of my lip hitches up and I mutter, "Actually, it's Destiny."

"Well, I'm Ty." He offers his hand and I shake it. He leans closer to me and then whispers, "I heard the news about you, Blondie. It's spreading like wild fire throughout this school."

"Actually, what's being said is-"

"Tyler and Destiny, is the meet and greet over there done, because I need to begin my lesson," Mrs. Falkner says from the front of the class, sounding quite annoyed. Her arms are crossed over her chest and she has a single eyebrow raised in question.

Tyler isn't the least bit shaken by the sound of her voice like I am and says smoothly, "By all means, Mrs. Falkner - the floor is all yours." He smiles wide at the end and makes an exaggerated motion with his hands to display that she may speak to the class.

"Why thank you Mr. Parker," she says frostily to Ty, with her arms still crossed over her chest, and begins to address the whole class. "Now, everyone I would like you to turn to page twenty-five and then to page forty in your art textbooks."

Everyone reaches into their bags and pulls out a textbook. I stay as I am and look at everyone feeling a bit on the outside of this class. Everyone turns to the first page she asked the class to turn to, bookmarks it with their finger and then turns to page forty.

"Do we read these two pages?" A student in the class asks who is off to the right, near the door.

"Yes," Mrs. Falkner says, "including the pages which are in between them."

The whole class groans collectively and then turns back to page twenty-five to begin their reading assignment.

I raise my hand in the air to ask Mrs. Falkner something but her back is to me so she can't see my raised hand. Instead I decide to call out to her.

"Um, Mrs. Falkner?" I ask. She turns around and then I add, "I don't have a textbook."

She points her pen in the direction of Ty before saying, "Share with Tyler. I'll get you one tomorrow."

I nod my head and then turn to Tyler. He drags his chair over to my side of the table and plops his book down in front of us.

"Thanks," I say.

He grins at me widely. "No problem at all," he tells me.

...

At the end of art class my head was stuffed with everything I needed to know about how art works reflect the society where they were made in. I get directions to my next class from Amber and I get lost not once, but twice on my way there. I was getting some weird looks from students when I made a u-turn in the middle of the busy hallway when I realized that Amber told me to make a left, not a right when I saw the classroom with all of the science posters plastered on the door. It was a wonder that I made it to class on time with only the five minutes travel time I got. But to be fair, I literally sprinted to the class door when I eyed it in the distance. I felt like to do a touchdown dance when I stepped inside the class on time.

English class was boring. Everything that was being taught was things that I already knew. I felt like to take a nap but when I attempted to the teacher whipped the edge of my desk with her ruler.

"Are you try to get away with sleeping in my class?" She barked.

"No ma'am," I automatically responded. My voice shook slightly and I hated that it did. I wished at that moment that I wasn't easily fazed and was like Ty who was confident and cocky.

"When you walked in my class did I hand out any 'Please feel to sleep in my class since you're new' card?"

"No ma'am," I said again - this time without my voice wavering.

"Then why are you sleeping? Sit up straight, face the front, keep your eyes open and on me at all times," she growled.

"Aww, come on Mrs. Walden, she was just resting her eyes," a boy from the back of the class said in my defense. But, truthfully I think he just wanted to say something. He seemed to be talking whenever a chance arose.

"One more word out of you mister and I'll have you straight on your way to your vice principal's office. Hear me?"

I turned around to look at the boy nod at the teacher and caught his eye. I mouthed 'thanks' to him and he gave me a toothy grin in reply and put both of his thumbs up.

"Destiny! What did I just say?"

I turned around to face a fuming Mrs. Walden and repeated what she told me a few minutes ago, "Sit up straight, face the front, keep my eyes open and on you at all times."

"Exactly! And what were you doing?"

"I was turned around and my eyes weren't on you," I answer back softly and duck my head, embarrassed.

"You must learn quickly that I don't put up with funny business and disobedient students."

I raise my head and say, "Yes, Mrs. Walden," with more confidence in my voice than I actually felt inside.

I stay quiet and keep my eyes glued to her throughout the entire lesson. And if Mrs. Walden was beginning to feel uncomfortable with my intent staring. Well, then too bad. I was just following her instructions. And anyway, what would she tell me if she wanted me to stop? "Destiny, stop paying so much attention to me when I'm teaching." - yeah, I don't think so.