Beautifully Broken

Chapter Five

   Dedicated to @catbus99 thank you for your encouraging words
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The care ride to school was filled with nothing but awkward silence. No one dared uttered a word. The only interaction they had was when Amelia reached out to turn up the volume on the radio and so did Ethan. Their hands brushed momentarily sending a jolt throughout her body. She quickly brought her arm back to her side both of them mumbling a sorry. She couldn't take the silence anymore, so when Ethan parked his 1980 ford f series truck- Amelia only knew this because her grandfather used to drive the same one- she spoke up.

"About early." Her voice falters. She wasn't sure what to say. How do you explain something without giving away a piece of yourself you've been trying so hard to keep a secret?

Before she can say anything, he stops her, "Don't worry about it. There's no need to explain. We're all entitled to a little secrecy."

She didn't know whether to be disappointed or relived, still she couldn't help but smile. Opening the car door, she instantly feels the butterflies in her stomach erupt. It was only the second day but she still felt like an outsider. She hadn't met anyone, besides Ethan that is, and that's what scared her the most. At her old school she was part of the "it" group but that was mainly because she was Lukes sister, so it was a given. No one dared excluded her from any group activities, still while they wanted to spend there weekends drinking till the blacked out she preferred staying in and enjoy getting lost in book. Taking a deep breath, she tells herself everything was going to be okay. Shutting the door behind her, she catches up to  Ethan.

"So" he starts, "what brings you to Lakeside?"

No matter how many times she rehearsed her answer, she still wasn't prepared. It was best to keep the answer to a minimum. Plus she didn't feel comfortable telling anyone about her past in California, after all Ethan did say she was entitled to some secrecy, "Needed a change of scenery," which wasn't a complete lie.

A chuckle escaped his lips, "And you choose little old Lakeside."

Amelia didn't really like where the conversation was heading, so she shrugged her shoulders and walked a little ahead of him. She could've went on to say it was where her mother grew up, and she always wanted to come back; but if she did that then she would only be opening a door that would be way to hard to close.

"Hey," She feels Ethan hand rest gently on her shoulder. She stops, "I didn't mean to upset you. It's not everyday Lakeside gets a new face."

Amelia could feel her heart rate pick up at the sudden closeness between them. He smelt of pine and something else, maybe mint? She had to remind herself to breath and not let him distract her. Still, one wrong move and she would know how it felt to kiss Ethan. She wasn't here to start a romance, she was here to find herself. Swallowing she says, "Don't worry about it."

The bells rings in the distant letting them know they had seven minutes to get to class. Ethan drops his hand back to his side leaving Amelia feeling cold. Funny how one touch could make her feel so many emotions. She had to be carful. Last time she had given a guy her heart, he had broke it into a million pieces. Leaving her feeling used and worthless.

***

Amelia hated lunch time. Not because she was the type of girl who didn't like to eat. in fact, she was the opposite. She was the type of girl who wasn't afraid to eat a whole pizza by herself, so the reason she hated lunch time was because she had to go table to table asking strangers if it was okay to sit with them. It was something she wasn't fond of.

Holding tightly onto her tray, she scans the lunch room praying that she can find an empty table or maybe a familiar green eye boy. Sadly she doesn't see him, but there was an open table towards the back of the cafeteria. She heads towards it grateful she didn't have to make small talk. Pulling out a chair, she sets her tray down wondering where Ethan could possibly be. Not that she cared or anything. She was just, you know, curious.

Her thoughts are interrupted when a girl with red hair sits down in front her. She slowly places her lunch down on the table making it seem like it was a regular thing for them. Amelia wants to ask her if she's lost, but she refrains from doing so. It's not like she owned the table, it was free to the public. The strange girl must have noticed her discomfort because she extends a hand out an apologetic look on her face.

"I'm sorry where are my manners. Hello I'm Chloe, you sit  next to me in Health."

She shakes her hand and says "Amelia."

"I know." Chloe says it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Your the talk of the town. Being new and all that. It's not everyday we get fresh meat."

Amelia didn't know how to feel about that. She didn't like to be the center of attention and she had her reasons as to why. So all she could manage to say was, "Oh."

An awkward silence falls upon them. If it wasn't for the chatter of the cafeteria, you probably would have been able to hear a pin drop. She picks at her food, not in the mood to eat anything. And maybe it was for the best because she could have sworn she had saw it moved.

"What is this stuff mystery meat?" The lunch lady had told her it was suppose to be some kind of beef stroganoff but it looked more like someone had threw it back up.

Chloe chuckles, "Lakeside doesn't have the best cafeteria food. Which it why I always bring my lunch." She slides her container of grapes towards her, "You can have some if you want. I really don't mind sharing."

Amelia hesitates, "Why are you being so nice to me?"

By the look on Chloe's face you would have thought someone has said her dog had died. Guilt flooded through Amelia, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound rude. It's just..." She falters unsure how to undo the damage.

Chloe shakes her head, "No it's fine. Really." She sighs, "I use to be in your shoes, so I know how it feels to be the new girl."

Amelia sits their contemplating on what she should say. When nothing comes to mind, she grapes a grape and pops it into her mouth. Chloe smiles a chuckle escaping her lips. Amelia couldn't help it, she laughs along with her. She couldn't remember the last time she laughed. The sound was foreign to her, yet it was still music to her ears. The rest of lunch goes by pretty smoothly. Chloe asks where she moved from. When Amelia tells her California, Chloes face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. It was a dream of hers to live there. They continued to make small talk and by the time the bell rang signing the end of lunch, Amelia knew she had made herself a new friend.

"Wanna walk to class together?" Chloe asks as she packs her lunch up.

"Okay" she gathers her trash and tells Chloe she'll meet her by the doorway. Walking towards the trash cans, Amelia sees Ethan sitting outside alone. It would explain his absent from the cafeteria room. She wondered what he was doing out there in the cold instead of in here where it was warm. Her thoughts are interrupted when she hears Chloe calling her name.

"Coming." She calls over her shoulder. She looks out the window one last time, but he's gone. That's strange. She thinks. Running to catch up with Chloe, all she could think about was Ethan.

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Authors Note
Thank you for reading! Let me know y'all's thought so far.