Ragged✔|18+

FIVE

REYNA

"Here's your schedule Ms. Morgan." The secretary hands me a leaflet together with the school's map.

"Thanks." I give her a small smile but she doesn't return any back. The tag pinned on her shirt says her name is Peggy and she strikes me as someone who doesn't like her job very much.

"I can have one of the students come over and guide you —"

"No, it's fine. I can manage." I hold up the map. The last thing I need is to have to make small talk with a complete stranger.

"I don't know. . . the campus is pretty big. Sure you'll find your way around it?"

"Yeah."

"Okay." She shrugs and reaches for something behind her desk. "Here's your student ID and remember to turn in your attendance at the end of the day."

After giving me final instructions and my locker combination, I head out of the building. I trudge along the pavement at a sedate pace, my mind focused on decoding the maze puzzle that is the school's map.

It's the first day of school after summer break. Meaning everyone around me is either happy to be reunited with their friends or wears the same vacant expression I'm sporting that says “Fuck high school”.

I'm not particularly happy about dad changing me schools but I'm not exactly against it either. I mean, who would pass up an opportunity to attend Northridge Prep? It's one of the best places to school in New York, not to mention the whole country.

I guess it's because everything now seems. . .real. So real. That everything that happened last year wasn't just a bad nightmare.

The schedule says I have first period computer and at least it's something I can look forward to. Only problem now is to find the class.

I squint harder at the map and all I see are endless crisscrossing hallways and rooms that are marked with colors and numbers. Looking at the key provided to decode the rooms is futile. Too many rooms equal too many numbers. Too many numbers equal too many colors. And too many colors equal me having a fucking headache over trying to make this map work for me.

Christ, I should have taken up on Peggy's offer. Meaningless chatter with someone would be much better than me losing my goddamn mind.

Northridge is huge, expansive even. And even though it's just a high school, it looks like a freaking university with kids heading into the campus building. I blindly follow the wave, my eyes trained on the map in my hand.

I could ask around once I get inside. People here seem friendly. One guy earlier even gave me a fist bump as he sped by, flashed me a smile and asked if I was doing good. Like I was someone he knew —which he definitely didn't. Must have confused me for someone else but I didn't get the chance to rectify him because like I said, he sped by. Ran to catch up with his friends or something.

Thought that was a shocker until it happened again. I'm so lost trying to overanalyze that I don't notice someone in front of me. I stop just in time, sparing myself the embarrassment of bumping into him or her.

"Well, well, well." I look up from the map and come face to face with ice blue eyes. "Looks like fate is on my side today. "

Oh. My. God. "You?"

The guy from last Friday. At Lotus. The one I had a rather lust-filled confrontation with at the bar. My God, he looks so much different.

He runs a hand though his tousled dark brown hair, which is thick and lustrous before saying, "I'm surprised you even remember me."