Hazel - sm

Three.

HER

Contacting Flora was difficult due to time zones, but if staying up until 1 am meant face-timing her only friend before she went to school, then fuck sleep.

Opening her laptop, she accepted Flora's call, immediately giving the girl a wave before Flora babbled on about how boring school had been without her. A boy had asked her out, which was no biggy for Flora; she was drop dead gorgeous. She'd friend-zoned them, politely of course, before going back to her bubbly and bright life. Sometimes she was jealous of Flora.

Eventually, the need for sleep hit her like a truck as the clock on her laptop struck 2 am, and she found herself yawning, before blowing a kiss goodbye to Flora. Her friend caught it dramatically, falling back onto the bed like she'd just caught the winning hit in a cricket tournament. She was destined for acting.

School that day had been dreadful. Usually, her first days were OK, filled with people welcoming her and then leaving her be. This time, people tried to talk to her. Of course, she knew it was polite – and her dad had warned her that Canadian's were polite – but she had always preferred to be left alone.

A boy with hair tinged with red had made multiple attempts to invite her into his group of friends, another boy with long brown hair, and a friendly looking girl with curled black hair that touched her shoulder-blades. She'd been honoured, and eventually gave in, nodding and smiling at the boy. She didn't get his name.

---

The next morning she awoke with a thud as she fell off the bed. Quickly shooting her eyes open, her heart skipped a beat - fear flooding her body. Where was she?

And then reality kicked in and she drew a sharp breath. She was in her dorm room – her new dorm room – in the new school in the new country surrounded by new people.

She eyed the bed for a moment from her position on the floor, scrunching her nose at the pain that filled the right side of her body. The floorboards were cold.

Standing up, she decided that she could either;

A. Get back into bed and attempt to fall back asleep.

Or;

B. Get ready early and watch the sunrise from the rooftop garden above the science block that the teachers had paraded to her on her school tour.

Suddenly feeling awake, and hit by the sudden need to get out of her unwelcoming dorm room, she settled on B, heading over to the small chest next to her bed to slide into her uniform.

Her mother was most likely still sleeping, tucked behind covers that would keep her warm until she woke to reply to emails and manage her online florist shop that seemed to cause her more stress than it was worth. Although, the girl believed that no one working in the flower industry would know the meaning of stress if it slapped them in the face.

Her father was probably on the bus on his way to work; he always started out early. She wondered what their house in London would be like.

The sun rose behind the hill that surrounded the east wing of the boarding house, instantly bringing warmth to her skin as she sat with her legs dangling over the edge of the railing. She still wasn't completely sure where she was supposed to eat breakfast - yesterday she hadn't bothered - but she was sure that if she waited until others rose, she could follow behind them.

And they did, almost as if on cue. A mob of girls all dressed in uniform padded across the courtyard below where she sat, toward a building that she recognised as the cafeteria. How she hadn't thought of that sooner, she didn't know.

So she followed behind, tying her hair into a side braid before standing at the end of a line that led to an array of hot breakfast foods.

---

She spotted the classroom easily, its cluster of instruments and loud students was all it took for her to see that that's where she'd spend the next two periods.

She was new, so she took a seat in the middle. A seat squished between a girl who eyed the piano in the corner of the room like if she didn't begin playing it, she'd explode, and a boy who stared at her inquisitively as she sat down.

She was surprised when the teacher ignored her presence and began scribbling on the board. Usually, she was told to stand at the front of the classroom, stared up at by a mob of wide-eyed curious kids.

"This is our new student, Camden Gertler. She's mute, so try not to bombard her with too many questions."

And usually, the questions of what mute meant were drowned out by kids whispering if Camden was a boy's name or not.

Though today she didn't mind the lack of attention regarding her name.

She used to like it.

---
A/N

Belle, this is for you (stop nagging me now x)

Thoughts on Camden?

Also, this is a very nothing chapter but eh, more soonnn

- N -