"What is she doing here?!" Rick hushed to himself.
"Is there something wrong bro?" Bill asked while trying to puzzle out the weird action of his friend.
"Nothing."
Rick still can't believe what his eyes are telling him. Is this some sort of an aftermath of his accident? Is his brain making up pictures of what his heart really wants... because he just literally came back to life?
"Everyone, Laura Summer, your new classmate." Professor Carnelie blustered out with all the pride he got. He stroke his tummy that seemed to be coming off his gray tuxedo. His smile, just as how it had been for years, have been automatically switched on so that he may garner a 'good point' from the new student- perhaps he know he won't get any from those who really knows him.
"Perhaps having a brief introduction Miss Laura?"
"I... I'm Laura Summer."
"And...?"
Whispers and light giggles clouded up the whole room. The thirty five students exchanged their quick remarks and judgements about the new girl.
"Maybe she's an exchange student..."
"Maybe she transfered school because of a scandal..."
"I bet she got pregnant..."
The preposterous remarks were not that inappropriate- why on Earth will this girl transfer in the middle of the term?
Rick didn't ride the craze of the guessing game, he could have at least added that maybe she killed anyone from their town and that she was needed to be exiled here, but no, he remained silent and remote, trying to conceal the thoughts that slowly fills his mind. Somehow, somewhere deep within him, he feels that Laura is different, and that none of their guess went right.
"Silence!" Professor Carnelie demanded, wiping off his huge and rather hideous smile.
"Introduce your self properly Miss Summer."
"I... I live in Georgia before. But... but something went wrong so I needed to transfer here in Chicago with... with my mom." Laura explained.
If it wasn't for the black silk lining of her white dress, she could have been mistaken as a chameleon who manifested her talent of doing camouflage. She was as white as a pure talcum powder- or as white as someone who just died. Her hair, however, was very much surprising- a light pink shoulder length straight hair, as if she have just undergone a sorority initiation. She stood 5'6 in height, perhaps one of the tallest girls on their class, yet she carried her self like a sulking slave that made her look like she stood 5 flat.
Laura was automatically seen as an opponent by the it girls- there she was, a living a breathing fairy tale princess that every boy would go crazy for. For the boys, she was a normal pretty girl they would love to kiss on their first date then will trash her off the next day. The nerds, having seen that she got no spectacles nor any books on her body bag, sighed complacently.
But for Rick, she was more of a new classmate. It could be sheer physical attraction towards her but he was somehow captivated unconsciously, as if something binded him on her.
"Okay enough. Miss Laura, you shall take the seat right next to Mr. Dylan. He can be such a pest but he just recovered from an accident. Hopefully that made him less pestering than he really was. Right Mr. Dylan?"
Does he really have to say that aloud?
"Yes sir. I'm safe. For my self and for her. No worries." Rick said sarcastically.
Laura gracefull took her seat next to Rick. She looked so shy and reserved... and weak, like she would pass out any time. She opened her notebook slowly and looked at Professor Carnelie.
Rubbish. She looks and acts normally. Why do I feel so uneasy? Rick thought, and opened his notes as well.
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Laura had been the topic of the whole school. She caught the attention of almost everyone. One of the seniors came over Rick's usual waiting bench and asked if they got the pink-haired girl's number.
"No we don't." Said Bill as he ate his burger that he hid from their canteen.
"And we would never do." Quin pointed out.
"She gives me creeps! She don't have any facial expression! She's a zombie!" she added.
"A hot zombie. 'Know what, you sound like a whimping dog. You're just jealous." the senior said, then walked away from their bench as he learned he wouldn't get anything from them.
"That's rude. You okay?" Bill asked.
"Sure. What do you think about her."
"I think she's just shy. And... I think she's nice too. But you're kinda right. She's a bit creepy."
"How about you Rick, what do you think of her?"
Rick didn't hear anything. His mind was literally flying... flying with Laura. He still hadn't moved on yet from the weird feeling he had. He pumped and pumped the stress ball he got from the hospital.
"HEY! Rick! Are you high?!" Bill asked and shook Rick's right arm.
"Huh? Why? What?"
"Quin asked about your opinion on the new girl! Where were you?!"
"Uhhh. Nothing. I don't think about her. "
"Are you sure you didn't die last week?"
"Shut up."
Rick himself didn't know if NO was the appropriate answer. Maybe his weird feeling is an aftermath of his accident?
"I think you need rest Rick, and it's getting late, we shall go home now." Quin adviced.
"Yeah, think we should, but you sure you're ok Rick, we two are going left and you're going right, shall we bring you there?" Bill suggested.
"No, I'm fine. I'm fully recovered now, I can manage. You two take care!" Rick gleefully said as he walked his way to the right side of the street.
"Okay. Take care Ricky-o!" Bill said as he and Quin walked away from Rick.
As he walk his mind was still not with him. He threw the stress ball up and catch it with his right hand, since his left one had been quite unmanageable because of the accident. At first, he felt rather normal and carefree, then, all of a sudden, something swept away his comfort and replaced it with a feeling he can't manage to fathom. He widened his steps so that he may arrive home faster since it was the only safe place he can think of.
Striding he went, still playing with the stress ball just so he wouldn't look scared, but he lost his track of it and it rolled behind him. He hesitated turning around because he thought that he might see something terrifying following him but he realized he had to man-up: he turned around to look for the ball.
What he thought he would see was the exact opposite of what he saw: it was something, perhaps someone so beautiful and serene...
and it got a pink, shoulder-length hair.
