Two Sides To Every Story

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

As I walk through the hallways I get stares from all of the senior school, just like a new girl would on her first day. There faces are the practically saying 'Who the hell are you?' and I'm meant to act as if I'm the girl that never tells anyone anything because I'm new and shy. Well half of that's true, no matter how hard someone gets to know me, they will never know my deepest secret, but other than that I'm an open book. My names Paula Hemmings, I'm a 16 year old girl who has just moved from North Carolina to Sydney in Australia. It's very different here in Australia to what it's like in America. I don't like it. But I had to move, and I have no doubt that I will probably move again in a short while, if I don't find what I'm looking for. See, I have a pretty wealthy family but I would never say that we are greedy, in fact, far from it. My mother works as a hairdresser, well she did before we moved but my guess is she will continue on here in Sydney. My dad worked as a policeman and got a job offer here in Sydney so that's one of the reasons why we moved. A hairdresser and a policeman don't earn that amount of money, no way. Most of my valuables are actually brought from my uncle. He is part of a global financial business and he provides more then enough for my family. If he had a family of his own, we wouldn't be so wealthy ourselves but it's only him and all I can say is he is a generous man. I have two siblings, one brother and one sister. My brother Luke, is older than me by a year. He's a good brother, well as good as a brother can get. Even though sometimes he gets on my nerves he's still not as bad as my little sister. My sister Meika is shy around people but at home I would classify her as a little brat. She's always complaining on how I steal her dolls and typical things like that. But seriously, she should really know that 16 years old's don't play with 11 years old girls dolls. That's the main part of my family, both sides of my grandparents have passed away but even if they were still alive, I doubt we'd have much to do with them. They had both disowned my parents long before I was born. Life at home isn't bad. I'm still adjusting to the Australia lifestyle, but I'm more focused on other things instead to take much notice of family. I wasn't a popular girl back in America but I will admit I had a lot of friends. In Middle School, I had a small group of friends that consisted of me, Lauren, Maia, Angela and Paris. We made friends with other people but that was our main group. Maia moved at the end of Junior High and we stayed in touch for a short while but before we knew it she was gone for good. Angela got into a fight with Lauren and left our group. Lauren, Paris and I stayed together until Middle School ended and we all went to high school. Paris and I went to the same school but Lauren went to a boarding school and well obviously we only saw her a couple of times a year. Paris and I were best friends throughout the first 2 years of high school. That was until she had gone. In summer 2011 Paris went missing and the police never found her body. My dad was in charge on the search and his guess was that she got kidnapped or ran away. Ever since, everyday I've been guessing what had might have happened and why. I think of reasons as to why she might have ran away but none of my reasons are strong enough for someone to actually think that. I haven't been myself since Paris has been gone, I find it hard making new friends as all the friends I ever made were through Paris. I shut everyone and everything out of my world completely. So we moved. Mum said it was for me to start new but starting new wasn't going to erase everything that happened in the past. How could it when she was all I thought about every second of the day. But I never declined her idea of moving as for all I know, Paris could be here in Australia too.

As I walk into my first class, science. I scan the room for a seat and as I sit down I watch every person, one by one walk into the classroom. I'm early. Thank God. There's nothing worse than walking late into your first class at a new school when everybody can stare you down as you walk in. I'm sitting in the middle of the classroom to the side as sitting in the front is nerdy and sitting at the back is where the judgmental people sit. As I open my books, a guy walks past my table and knocks my pencil case over on the ground with his big bulky backpack. "Sorry." he says as he goes down to pick my pencil case up. What a Gentleman! I think to myself. But as per usual I think to early and he pick up my pencil case and chucks it back onto my desk before waking off. Typical teenage boys I think to myself. Never interested in any of them, I never had a boyfriend I was always the third wheeler with my friends. Especially with Paris, she had a boyfriend. In fact she had several, but that was understandable because she was beautiful. She, unlike me was more on the popular scale. She knew people who knew people and before you know it she was very popular. She wasn't nasty popular she was one of those rare nice popular girls who everyone wants to be friends with. I guarantee that if Paris had of been In my situation just then, no doubt he would have been a lot more polite. Oh no, there I go again thinking about Paris, I just can't get her out of my head. I'd think that after 2 years I still wouldn't be this obsessive over her missing but I am, and it kills me to think she's never coming back. But I know she's out there somewhere, she has to be.