Caroline felt a wave of nausea pass over her. Feelings of immense guilt and remorse, which she had long kept locked away, began to dig their way back up. She could already feel tears welling up in her eyes. Feeling dizzy, she leaned up against a wall of lockers, with her back turned from the classroom door, and attempted to compose herself.
Suddenly, the door swung open a few feet behind her.
Kirsten? Caroline thought, in desperate need of a friend, or anyone she could confide in.
"Oh my god! I'm so happy to see you here! I didn't think we'd ever even see each other again!" Anya gleefully cheered.
In that moment, Caroline's inner reserves of self-control exploded into action, and she was able to pull herself together, at least for long enough to continue this conversation.
"Wow, I wasn't sure it was really you! This is incredible!" Caroline exclaimed.
Anya Leoni had first met Caroline Septima at her previous charter school, in the third grade. They had stayed very close friends, up until Anya had her spot on the school roster cut out due to budget constraints, and moved back to Italy with her family.
Tears were forming in Anya's eyes as well. "I'm sorry, I'm getting a little sentimental right now... This is... such an unexpected surprise, Carol..."
Hearing that nickname sent a jolt of negativity throughout Caroline's body. No one had called her that since the seventh grade. She shuddered slightly, but played it off.
"So, how about we go back to the classroom to, um... catch up?" Caroline offered.
"That sounds wonderful!" Anya grinned, and gave Caroline a tight hug, before they both walked back into the room.
All eyes were on them. A few stifled snickers were heard. Kirsten, as expected, was looking down at her phone, paying no attention.
"Is there a problem, girls?" Mrs. Goodwin, their English teacher, asked.
"Nope, we were just having a little chat." Anya giggled.
"Well, take your seats, and let's get back to working on our Romeo and Juliet plot analysis projects. Anya, you can feel free to hop in with Caroline's group, since you two seem to have a dynamic going." The teacher instructed.
The girls sat down at their group of desks.
"Damn, were you two makin' out in the hallway or something?" Kirsten joked.
"Oh, um, I beg your pardon?" Anya questioned, confused.
"Kirsten, Anya is Italian, and has been going to school in Italy since the eighth grade. Your abrasive, overbearing sense of humor is going to be lost on her." Caroline explained, and then turned to Anya. "Speaking of which, how was it down there? And what has brought you back here to the states?"
Anya glanced around, observing the room. She looked like a kid in a toy store. Once Caroline's words made their way past her decorative earrings, and into her brain, she quickly turned her focus back.
"Oh, well... It was nice... But it's good to be back. I suppose I eventually just needed a change of pace. So I enrolled in an exchange program, and finally found my way back home! My real home..." Anya sighed with relief.
Caroline's nervousness faded away after a bit. She had intended to tell Kirsten about the issues she was facing internally, but decided to opt out of it, at least for now. This was a secret she'd been keeping for long enough, and there was no point in telling anyone now. She spoke with Anya for the rest of class, as Kirsten kept to herself and played on her phone. Caroline explained why she was no longer going to the same charter school in which they had first met, and expressed her dislike of their current school.
YOU ARE READING
APEX
Mystery / Thriller"If you have a quality, let it define you. No matter what it is." Caroline Septima was your ordinary over-achiever. She has always been the top of her class at her charter school, and envied by many of those around her. However, all that changed on...
