Moonlight Love

Lockers

A new school. A new co-ED school. Ellen gulped as she walked the morning halls of the local middle school. Everyone had already fell into their cliques. You had the cheerleaders who had the quad, the band kids had the corner by the big oak tree, drama kids by the theatre always-

"Ellen?"

Ellen jumped as she was startled, dropping all her new textbooks everywhere. She looked at the boy in front of her. She knew those dark curls, and big blue eyes. Patrick.

"Oh god," Ellen murmured as she bent down to get her books. Patrick knelt down too. "Hi uh Patrick," She felt herself blushing as he helped her. His hands brushed her arms as he helped place the books.

"Is this your first day?" Patrick asked, smiling. Ellen nodded shyly. She didn't know where Patrick fit in here, and better yet not even herself. "You get your locker set up yet? I can help." He asked. Ellen held out a paper with her classes, locker number and home room.  Patrick took a glance, nodding. "Oh these are over there. Mines across from them, sort of. I'm by the door to the lunch room," a flicker of disgust crossed his round face before he smiled again. He pointed as Ellen spoke.

"Can you walk me over? My old school didn't have lockers. We just kept books and bibles in our desks." Her blue green eyes were big, full of anxiety. Patrick began walking, a straight cut through campus and all the groups on the grounds. They passed through a smoking circle, then a photo group. Typical. 

"Here we are. Locker... 1515?" Patrick pointed at hers. It was between two others but directly across from the lunch room, and Patrick.

"Patrick?" Ellen asked, shifting her weight with her books. "Why don't you like the lunch room?"
Patrick's face fell, hoping it wasn't too obvious.

"Well..,I mean there's a trash can in front of my locker. It smells. Constantly. And then there's food fights." He said, while opening Ellen's locker for her. "It's fine I mean I can't do anything. Anyway here's yours."

Ellen put her books inside as the bell rang. The entire hallway became packed full of people rushing to class. Ellen looked startled, unsure where to go. Patrick grabbed her paper, grinning.

"You're in my class. Come on." He started to walk. Ellen followed, a bit frazzled. She entered the door with him. The class was medium sized. Girls sat in the corner by the window, checking makeup. Sports playing Boys sat in the back with their sport bags. A few quiet people sat in the front leaving the middle to Patrick and Ellen.

"Good morning class!" Mr.Andrews called out, writing on the chalk board. It screeched until the class became quiet. "Nice to see you behave so well. Before we get started on today's activities, I would like to introduce a new student of ours. Ellen, please come up here."

Ellen's stomach flipped. She stood up, walking up to the front of the classroom, looking directly at the back wall and never in anyone's eyes.

"Ellen please say a few words about yourself and your old school." He asked her. Ellen twisted her hands, shaking her head.

"Oh um...I'm from Boston. My sister is in highschool, um...my old school was a Catholic one. My Italian grandparents live with us..." She said, embarrassed. Patrick watched her and felt bad, he wanted to do something like clap for her but he had his own reputation as a nerd to think of. He was scrawny, and his hair always seemed a mess no matter how he tamed it.

"Thank you Ellen. Class make her feel welcome. Even you Jill," the teacher called a girl out. Ellen turned her head as she heard the click of a makeup mirror. A girl with bright blonde hair, blue eyes framed by blue eyeshadow looked annoyed. Jill. A few girls around her booed and hissed.

Today was the start of the rest of her life.