Change of Heart

Chapter 1

The corridor’s hallway was jam packed with students, most were hurrying to their respective rooms and some were simply chatting with their friends as if they weren’t much in a hassle. Connor Rayne allowed his eyes to adjust to his surroundings, memorizing every important point of interests around him. The boy of 14 paced along the crowded corridor, letting his eyes search for Classroom 2-BH.

He was clad in a grey hoodie that covered his plain white v-neck shirt, jet black pants and a pair of grey sneakers.  His most striking feature wasn’t his taste for clothing nor was his physical built. But it was his midnight like mask that bore only his raven black hair, piercing gray eyes and the sharp ridge of his nose. He swiveled his head right and left, not even minding the cliques of students around him. Out of the blue, his constant swiveling paid off. There it was. Classroom 2-BH.  

He took a deep breath that was muffled by his mask. The first thing he saw through the door’s clear glass before he entered was a red head of a girl reporting of what seemed to be about the French Revolution. He was awestruck by what he saw. Gleaming copper hair framed her face fashioned in a pony tail with a bang leaning to the left, her amber eyes and slender frame was everything a teenage boy could possibly hope for.

Connor slowly walked towards the closed door, trying to ignore the marvel of beauty in front. He gave it a gentle but audible knock. The classroom fell into absolute silence; even the red head in front stopped reporting. In an instant, he felt all the eyes of the room converge towards him. The teacher in charge flashed him a smile as she approached him. She was in her late 20’s but still had that teenage spark in her, in all aspects possible. She greeted Connor with a wide smile.

“You must be the new student! Connor Rayne, am I right?” the teacher spoke heartwarmingly.

“Yes, Ma’am.” Connor answered, obviously tensed.                                                                                                                   

“Please, don’t call me ma’am.” The teacher gave Connor again a reassuring smile as if she knew the nervousness that engulfed him. “Call me Ms. Barnes. Lauren Barnes. I’m 2-BH’s history teacher and it’s a pleasure to have you here, Mr. Rayne.”

Ms. Barnes extended her hand to Connor as a gesture of welcome. Connor reached for hers and she began to shake his hand in return. He could only admire the friendly atmosphere and the reception that Ms. Barnes brought to her class. Connor let go of Ms. Barnes’ hand and said.

“Likewise, Ms. Barnes.”

Her tone made him relax a bit but the nervousness was still inside him. It wasn’t all about Ms. Barnes but the class that was all eyes on him.

“Relax, sport! It’s not like the first time you’re going to be introduced to the class!” She tapped his shoulder and smiled as she turned back to her students. “Class, this is Connor Rayne. He’s the new student I’ve been talking to all of you guys since last week. Now, you might be wondering why he’s wearing a mask. I’m not telling you that he’s teenage robber or a terrorist but…”

Her sentence was trailed off when her students laughed and giggled at her humorous remark. Connor also laughed. He was used to get these kind of jokes from other people as long as it didn’t trailed off as insult. His teacher pursed a smile on her lips and continued.

“It’s because of a hunting accident he had when he was 8. I don’t want to give any more details. So, why don’t you take a seat Connor? You’ll be beside Mr. Hughes while we continue to Scarlett’s report.”

“Sure thing, Ms. Barnes.”

He took a quick glance to Scarlett in front. He then headed towards an empty chair that was practically reserved for him at the second row. As he approached the vacant chair, he was greeted again by a hand waiting to be shaken. Connor turned his head and saw a blonde, emerald eyed boy sporting sharp eyeglasses. At first sight, he was obviously the stock that could make girls faint just by looking at them in the eyes.