Shattered Pieces

Chapter One

Mystery Man

  Lorraine Badica was singing along with her A Capella group again, seemingly lost in the lyrics. The sound of snapping fingers and lowly clicking tongue was circulating the classroom. 'Boy Problems' by Carly Rae Jepsen was sung to the T with some backup chorus from the other a capella girls as the boys provided dramatic sound effects.
  Nearby, Helena Finnegan was red-faced and begging the group to hush.
  All of a sudden, my friend Danielle Goddard popped up over my shoulder. She took one look at the scene and a perfectly manicured eyebrow rose.
  "A Capella groupies teasing Finnegan 'bout her and Farlowe again?"
  Helena Finnegan and Jackson Farlowe were the infamous on-again-off-again couple of Armthorpe High. The junior 'Selena Gomez Justin Bieber' couple.
  I nodded, taking out my algebra textbook. Danielle fumbled with her backpack, random pieces of trash and crumpled paper falling out. Danielle was the slob of my friend group, she never seemed to be organised.
  "Bollocks," she shovelled dog-eared books and folded homework assignments around in her bag.
  "Forgot your book?" It wouldn't be the first time she misplaced it. 
  "No, wait. I know I put it in here." A few more moments of digging. "Yes!" A worn book slammed onto the table, pages sticking out at odd angles.
  "Wow, thumbs up on the well taken care." I said sarcastically.
  I was shown a pink, moist tongue in return for my compliment. She flipped through the pages, coming to the topic we were on.
  "Were there any assignments given last lesson?" She blew her bangs out of her face and glanced at me before flipping through a few more pages.
  "You forgot? We have a quiz today."
  A string of vile curses later. "Quiz? We have a quiz? How did I not know of this?" She scanned through her textbook in a panicked fashion, trying to memorise the formulas I guessed.
  "I think Ms Dodders told us when you were off in dreamland." I shook my head, grinning. "Maybe this will teach you not to take naps in class."
  "She did this to me on purpose, the old goat. Why today of all days when Algebra is first period?" she wallowed. I didn't jib her that even if it wasn't Algebra for first period, she still wouldn't have studied.
  She groaned and slumped onto the desk. I jokingly patted her back in sympathy. The a capella group switched to 'Same Old Love' by, coincidentally, Selena Gomez.
  Teresa Morgan, another friend of mine, bustled into the room in her usually dramatic fashion, almost knocking over Lorraine. The song went on without a hitch.
  Danielle snorted. "Train wreck much?"
Teresa waved her away and grinned at me. She plopped down into her chair and bit her lip.I noticed her eyes were dewy and face was a pink flush.
"Guess who I saw?" Her did a little jiggle in her seat. Her smile was a mile wide.
"Ajax Andrews?"
She blushed some more and nodded eagerly. Her expression screamed lovesick.
Ajax was the boy she'd been pining for since middle school. Always dressed in leather jackets and sporting smirks, he was certainly a looker.
"He asked me out." She squealed as she hugged me tight. The next thing I know, we were on our feet hopping. Even Dani had joined in, though I suspected she was the reason we were jumping around in a group hug.
I felt the eyes of our fellow classmates watch us as I laughed at our antics.
After several more squeals and hops, we sat down and discussed the news. Teresa was launching into a lecture of how handsome and sweet a lad he was despite the hard exterior.
I wasn't surprised she was falling for the local bad boy. Her style was similar to his.
  Her wardrobe was all blacks and greys, maybe the occasional white. She was usually adorned by oversized rings, choker necklaces and spiked bracelets. Leather boots, leather jackets, leather purses and even leather pants were her  signature style. Her hair was dyed a different colour every week, this week's was jet black with electric blue streaks, with bangs that fell all over her face.
  She was so hard in love with Ajax, she had shed her usual cold personality and adopted the nature of a typical lovesick teenage girl.
  "And guess what?" She didn't wait for us to guess. "He's got a new friend, transfer student. An American."
  That got my attention. "Transfer student?" It was odd news, a transfer in the middle of the school semester. This was bound to gain at least some interest from the local gossips.
  "Oh, Alessa, he's such eye candy," she fawned. It looked she'd grown quite a soft spot for Ajax's friend.
  "Aren't you s'posed to be in love with Ajax?" Danielle remarked.
  "Oh hush, he's so built and tall. He looked all hard muscle and he's got some sweet tatts. Not like all those tacky ones the those old biker farts have got of all those stupid logos and gang names, no. They're all so artful and amazingly professional. Ajax mentioned that a relative of his owns a tattoo parlour and apparently he works there, the American I mean..."
  She droned on and on.
  Clearing her throat, Dani jostled Teresa out of her supposedly hot American boy induced daze. "I don't supposed this hot American hunk has got a name, has he?" she choked back her laughter.
  "Oh, yeah, sorry. His name's -"
  "Alright, class, I'd settle down if I were you." Ms Dodders directed a steely glare at everyone, in a cranky mood as always.
  As everyone took their seats and the giggling died down, she spoke again. "Alright class, we have a new student in class so please welcome him." She sighed a little. "Mr Marshal please escort yourself in."
  A boy -no, man more like- strolled in, an arrogant and egotistical feel radiated out from him and hung like a thick veil in the air. Tall, well built, broad shoulders and muscled limbs, every girls' dream and undoing.
  His face was all the more a work of art. It was all sharp angles and smooth marble. I wished my cheekbones were as sharp as his.
  But it wasn't his looks that drew the sharp gasp from my lips. His ears caught my breaths, dragged his eyes to mine. His eyes widened, just a fraction.
  "Class, this is Harris Marshal from California, America."
  Oh, shit.