Bad Kidz

Chapter 2

Marina walked into her first class after checking her new timetable that the office ladies had handed her. She felt nervous, especially because the majority of the class had already arrived.

She sat herself at an empty desk and pulled out her books for the lesson. She didn't like geography much, back in Wales, but she supposed it might be different here. They could have a different curriculum for this term, maybe.

The teacher called a role at his desk, ticking of each of the students names.

"Jason Budden," he called out.

"Yes!"

"Isabella Cole."

"Yep!"

"Marina Diamandis."

"Uh, yeah!" she called out. A couple of students looked at her curiously.

After two boring classes in which she was embarrassingly introduced to each class, she hurried out to recess. To her relief she saw Chelsea weaving her way through the crowd to her.

"Hey! Wanna come sit with me and my mates?" she asked her. Marina smiled. "Sure!" Chelsea lead her to a secluded building at the far left of the high school, and then around the back. It was cleverly concealed by several bushy trees.

There was a small clearing behind the building, with a few logs that a couple of kids were using to sit on. Others were sitting on the soft grass.

"Hey, guys! This is the new girl, Marina. She's from Wales," she said grinning. She sat on the log, telling the others to 'shove over'.

"Hey, so, Marina, since you're new and all, you should join us for a party or something tonight, hey?" said a boy who was introduced as Derek.

Agreement rippled through the group.

"Uh, I guess...but, isn't it a school night? And who's party is it?" she asked cautiously.

"Aw, couple of my cousins. We're all going."

Marina contemplated the idea. Well, she didn't have much else to do. "I'll have to ask, but I can probably go," she said, "But can someone pick me up? I don't want to trouble my aunt and uncle."

"No problem!" said Chelsea. "And you can meet the rest of the group. They, ahhh, were busy today so they didn't come to school," she winked.

"Oh, don't forget it's a costume party!" called out the blonde girl called Hayden. "Just come as a cartoon character or a fairy or something. Just like Halloween. It's gonna be a blast."

Just then the bell rung for the end of recess. Everyone chatted for a couple of minutes and Marina wondered what was taking so long, but it was obvious they were stalling. They were purposely making the most of their recess. They didn't care how late they'd be.

She left in search of her next class.

Seeing as it was maths, she wouldn't have really concentrated anyway, but her mind was whirring and she was absentmindedly scribbling hearts and stars and diamonds in her book.

She wasn't sure what she'd wear to the party, or if she'd even be allowed.

She mentally scrolled through the contents of her suitcase, and before long she had firmly decided what she would wear.

Now all she had to do was persuade her aunt to allow her to go.

Marina had never been to a proper teenage party before, and she imagined that was exactly what this one was going to be like. Of course, back in Wales, none of her friends had been the partying type. And never would her parents have allowed her to go to one, anyway.