Speaking Isn't My Strong Point

SIX

Exhausted and unexcited, I dragged myself passed the school gates with my bag and dreary attitude. I didn't feel like school that day. To be honest, I didn't think I ever did.

School was boring and sociable. The education I was getting from school was alright, but it was just the people in it. Some were sweet, but the majority were just plain horrible.

Hearing the bell ring for my first class for the day, I dashed down the corridors. It was difficult, but I managed.

When I got to my class, I noticed a familiar face among the others that were waiting by the door. We both instantly made eye contact and we smiled awkwardly. It was Ashley.

I did not know we were in the same class. Staying away from her, would be harder than I had originally thought.

"Hey. Leia, right?" She greeted, her golden earrings glistening in the light.

"Yup," I nodded, rolling my lips into my mouth.

"We're in the same class. Who knew? Because I sure didn't," she pointed out.

I was making the conversation awkward. I always made it awkward, which was what I hated most about myself.

"I-I never knew either," I replied, mentally congratulating myself for getting out more than one word.

"Hey, did you hear about the girl that got chased by some strange guy today?" Ashley whispered.

"No! When was that?" I panicked, my eyes widening whilst thoughts of them ran through my mind.      

"Oh. Yesterday afternoon. It was on the news," she explained.

"That must have been scary," I replied. "There are loads of strange people around here. Sometimes I even wonder why my family moved here, you know?"

"Oh, are you new to this town?" She asked, smiling with her pearly white teeth.

"No. I have been here for a while. Me and my parents moved to this town when I was two so..." I answered, trailing off.

"Why did you move?" She asked, but then her eyes widened like she had just committed an awful crime. "If you don't mind me asking."

Why did my parents choose to move? I didn't know. I had no clue.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully. Nothing was wrong with the town I was born in so why did we move?

"Sometimes we never know what our parents are thinking," she nodded, glancing back at the line where people were bashing into each other and obnoxiously laughing, like the loud annoying people they were.

"I'm dreading P.E today," I blurted out, huffing out a breath afterwards.

"Same! Who's your teacher?" She asked with a tinge of hope in her smooth chocolate eyes.

"Mrs Shepard," I mumbled, glancing down at the time on my watch. How long did it take to get to a classroom? We had been waiting for at least seven minutes.

"I have her too," Ashley shuddered, like the thought of Mrs Shepard made her sick. "She's horrible. Honestly, I wish she could just leave this country and never come back."

I silently agreed, nodding vigorously.

"Sorry class! I was caught up on something," our teacher, Miss Clark, apologised, rushing in her black heels.
"I wonder what that was," Ashley murmured quietly, leaning towards me.

"What?" I mouthed, interested in what teachers got up to in their spare time.

"I'll tell you later," she mouthed back slowly, following the rest of the line that went into the classroom. 'Later' meant lunch time and I didn't sit with anyone at lunch. I had no friends and I wanted it to stay that way.

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Glancing around sheepishly, I ducked down once my eyes had landed on a very bubbly Ashley who seemed like she was in a very deep conversation with another girl. Ashley's friend had brown puffy hair and appeared to be very chatty from what I could see. Ugh, I hope she wasn't one of 'those' girls. You know the ones that always speak about themselves and what they were going to do on every single day of the week. Whether they were going to get their nails painted blue or pink, or whether they should cry to get attention. To get people to notice their existence in this crazy world.

"Hey!" a voice sung, as a finger poked me on the shoulder. "Leia. Remember what I said before class."

I spun around to see Ashley and her friend. Her friend had a questioning look on her face, but it soon changed to a wide smile.

"O-Oh y-yeah," I stuttered, flaming in embarrassment. "Sit down, please."

I couldn't say no to them. That would just be damn rude. I didn't need enemies at that point. I needed to get through sixth form with friends or not. I definitely didn't need enemies.

"So, Leia." Ashley spoke, pointing to her friend next to her as she sat down in the seat across from me. "This is Sara. Sara, this is my new friend Leia."

"Hello!" Sara grinned, waving with her hand. She didn't seem self-obsessed, but I couldn't be so sure then. "How come I haven't seen you around? You know walking the halls of hell and uhhh hell?"

"I keep myself under the radar," I muttered, pushing my framed glasses up with my finger.

That caught Ashley's eye and she narrowed her eyes for a moment like she was in deep though. A few seconds later she, blurted out, "I didn't know you wore glasses."

I cleared my throat and fiddled with the hem of my jumper. There were too many people in the room. I needed to leave right that second.

"I wear them occasionally. When I'm doing homework normally," I informed her, averting my eyes to my homework that was just writing an essay on the genetic code and how it worked.

Ashley looked over at my homework and beamed, grabbing my homework off of the table.

"What's she doing?" I mouthed to Sara, staring at Ashley like she was some kind of alien from outer space.

Sara just acted like it was the most normal thing she had seen all day. I didn't find someone jumping around in excitement over homework normal.

"Oh, it's cool. Ashley loves science so I almost see her everyday getting overexcited about science. She especially loves learning about the human body so I'm not surprised that she is obsessed over your homework which is um..." Sara explained, pointing towards the strange human being called Ashley.

"THE GENETIC CODE! Gosh, Sara. This is the most important thing ever. How could you not know it?!" She glared at Sara with accusatory eyes.

Sara stuck her tongue out at Ashley right before the bell went, "Well I'm out. See ya when I'm still slaying at life."

Putting down my essay, Ashley ran out of the canteen's door, going the opposite way to Sara. Peace and quiet at last. Oh wait, I still had two more lessons 'til the end of the day. Woopee.

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I AM SOOOO SORRY ABOUT NOT UPDATING. I HAD WRITER'S BLOCK FOR SOOOO LONG. LUCKILY I HAD SOME TIME WRITING ON MY SISTER'S LAPTOP. SHOUT OUT MY SISTER. ALSO I WANTED TO SAY A HUGE THANKS TO lotus7543

She has been a big help in getting this updated. She was just being an awesome pleading friend :) and yes Ashley is based on her. I would like you also to check out her amazing book We Meet Again.

ANYWAY I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS LITTLE UPDATE AND I WILL SEE YOU SOON MY LOVELIES <3

Gem Gems