Broken

Chapter 2

"Where the hell is room twenty two?"

I looked at the crumpled paper in my hands, annoyance building inside me. My boots clacked along the tiled floors, the sound echoing through the empty halls. I passed rows of deep blue lockers, the uniformity making me cringe. My eyes scanned the numbers of the doors until I reached the right one. I touched the doorknob, my fingers hesitating on the cold metal.

"It's now or never Adelaide." I whispered before opening the door.

"And you should all be done with the last part of your projects by then."

I stepped into the classroom, my eyes widening a bit. Hundreds of pictures where strung along the ceiling, their glossy faces capturing the sun from the opposite window. I drank in all the faces, the vibrant colors, the wide smiles.

"Can I help you?"

I snapped back to attention, catching the eyes of the teacher. He looked over at me from the tops of his round glasses, his greeting eyebrows raised in expectation. I cleared my throat, holding my note out to him.

"Adelaide Cushing, yes?" He questioned. I nodded, tucking my hands into the pockets of my shorts. "I'm Mr. Higgins. You can sit by Jean over there."

I followed his gesture past the room of faces to somewhere in the middle. A girl raised her hand in a small wave, her smile welcoming me. I grinned back best I could and hiked my backpack strap higher on my shoulder.

"So, as I was saying.." he continued as I made my way to my seat.

"Hi. I'm Jean." she stuck out her hand to me. I eyed her warily, before giving it a small shake. "And you are?"

"I'm Adelaide." I mumbled, not meeting her gaze.

"Adelaide. Pretty name. Cool hair too." she said, giving me another smile.

I subconsciously reached a hand to my hair, my fingers rushing through my ends. I inspected them, the ends frayed a bit from wear. "Thanks." I replied.

"Girls?" Mr. Higgings' voice traveled from the front of the room. I looked up, meeting his gaze. "This won't be a problem will it?"

I shook my head. "No sir." He nodded. "Let's go guys."

The class sprang alive with action. Rustling was heard as stacks of pictures were being shifted through, voices calling out for various things. I watched Jean leave her seat to join the bustle and I bunched my hands in my lap, staring at the table top. My stomach clenched in worry, this day already not starting well. I missed home. I missed my school and my friends and everything here was different and new and nothing I wanted. I ran my hands over my face, heaving a sigh.
A shutter sounded and I looked up, face to face with the lens of a camera.

"What the-" I started, leaning back.

"Don't worry." A voice sounded. He peeked out from behind the camera, a smile stretched across his face.

I didn't reply, my thoughts frozen as I took in the face before me. His eyes were an emerald green, small specks of gold free falling through the space. They were framed by dark lashes, making the color that much more intense. Deep dimples appeared on each side of his smiling lips. I noticed they were a deep red, the white of his teeth reflecting back at me. A mop of curly brown hair crowned his head, framing his face. He shifted and I noticed the way his t shirt stretched over his chest slightly, dozens of random tattoos covering his arms.

"You done yet?" he asked, a hidden chuckle in his voice. I blushed, pushing my hair out of my face, a habit I couldn't break.

"Why were you taking pictures of me?" I questioned, my gaze narrowing at him. He smiled again, letting the strap rest on his neck. He shrugged, crossing his arms.

"It was a good photo op you could say." he answered, not expanding any further.

His voice was deep and rich, and accent weaved into the waves of sound. This guy was throwing me off center and I didn't like it.

"You can't just go around taking random pictures of people. There is a thing called privacy." I hoped my coldness would set him walking the other way like it did everyone else. But to my surprise - and anger - he threw his head back and laughed. The sound floated from his mouth, filling the room. I noticed how everyone stopped and looked, their amusement apparent. He pulled over a nearby stool, leaning over the table with his arms crossed.

"See that is where you're wrong." he replied, his eyes twinkling. "There is no privacy these days. Plus, everything can make a great opportunity for a photo, so I better take my chances while I can."

He had a point. I sighed, crossing my arms across my chest. "Are you at least going to let me see it?"

"Nope." he replied. "That's for me to see. Welcome to school newbie." He said, before spinning on a heel and walking away.

~~~~~~~~~

"He's really a good guy."

I looked up from my plate, squinting in the sun up at the figure. "Oh, hi Jean."

She sat her plate down, throwing her deep red hair over her shoulder. Her skin was a wonderful tan color, her eyes a light brown.

"Who's really a good guy?"

"Harry." she said, spooning Greek yogurt into her mouth. "Camera dude."

"Oh." I nodded.

She laughed. "He can be annoying but he means well." She looked past my shoulder. "Harry!" She yelled, waving her hand. I looked behind me to seem him striding toward us. His legs seemed to go on for miles, tight black jeans hugging his figure. He sat down next to Jean, settling into the table, making it his home.

"Hey stranger." he said, grinning at me. I waved my fork at him, not giving him a direct response.

"What did you do to her?" Jean asked, giving him a look. He held his hands up, spreading his long fingers wide.

"Nothing. Just took a picture."

She rolled her eyes, looking at me. "Can you believe him? Taking pictures of everything."

"It's fine." I replied quietly.

"Better be." he shot back. He glanced down at his watch, his eyebrows furrowing. "Shit, I'm going to be late. Sorry for running out on you like this ladies." he said, giving a mock bow.

He started to step away from the table, the turned back around, his eyes trained on me. Everything seemed to stop, my thoughts paused where they were.

"And your photo?" he started, a hand tucked in his back pocket. "It was picture perfect. I promise."

I watched his retreating back, stunned into silence. Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad after all.