From Brooklyn, with Hate

Chapter 5

 The hallways in the school weren't as busy as they had looked the other day. Sure, it was crazy, but it wasn't too bad. I had just gotten to school and kids were at their lockers lining the hallway, each in their own groups. At least one person from each little group looked at me as I passed, and I had a feeling this was a smaller town than I was used to. In Mexico, we lived in a small town, but it wasn't this small. Or maybe it didn't seem like it because I had been there since day one, just like all the other kids. Every other time I was the "new kid" at school, it was in a big city where no one noticed me. Especially in New York, the classes, even in elementary, were huge. It was more like a lecture hall for children ages 5 through 12. In Phoenix they weren't as big, but Julia was still in her "you're only staying for a few months so my mom is making me be nice to you" mode, so she introduced me to a few people, which in turn I made friends with the nerds and geeks, the enemies of the girls Julia introduced me to.

A cat call brought me out of my trace as I was walking to my new locker. I looked to where the noise came from and saw a group of guys, probably freshmen giving their small stature. The other guys in the group were clapping him on, encouraging him. The girls in the group, however, were punching their shoulders. I could just imaging the group dynamic, three guys, three girls. Too bad it's high school. I roll my eyes at them, deciding to ignore them. I might be new to the school, but I'm not new to freshmen. Great, senioritis already.

After some wandering, I found the locker with matching number to the one at the top of my schedule. Impressing myself with perfecting my combination on the second try, I fit my belongings in my locker and shove my laptop and a few folders and notebooks for my first classes. I closed my locker door with a sad sigh. I didn't exactly have the money for new clothes at the moment, so of course the only clean article of clothing I had was a baby blue short sleeve, and my sweatshirt was too dirty to wear to school from wearing it every night and traveling in it from Phoenix. Since the fire was a mere two weeks ago, this is my second full day in Oregon and I was just released from the Phoenix hospital last Sunday, the day the flight was, my burns are still bad. Unfortunately my wrists were the worst. The bathroom the fire started it was right next to Julia and I's room. I had been sleeping on her bed since she went to sleep out in the living room. My right arm had been halfway off the bed and the only reason I woke up was coughing from the smoke and my arm burning. Needless to say, that hand was bad. To top it off, I ran out of tape to wrap my hand with like I normally did, so today was my first day with that hand unwrapped in two weeks. It was still puffy, and it looked ghastly. Of course I had no gloves, and even if I had had them in Phoenix, they would have been burned.

As I turned from my locker, looking down at the paper in my left hand to find first period. I took off down the hallway, following the map to where it looked like the Spanish room was. Unfortunately, I can't look at a piece of paper and where I'm supposed to go at the same time. So of course, being me, I ran smack into what I thought was a brick wall. I looked up, maybe to say a quick prayer, or maybe to ask the big man upstairs why I was so clumsy. Although when I looked up, I don't see a brick wall, but a face, and quite an attractive one. Okay, so at least I ran into a hot guy instead of a wall, and now I don't look completely dumb. Except... I realize I've been standing here thinking and this guy, who is huge, may I add, is staring me down.

"What do you want?" He asks me gruffly, or at least I think he's talking to me.

"Me?" I ask, pointing at myself.

"Yes you. Who else would I be freaking talking to?" he growled, raising his voice. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

"Aye, no tengo ganas." I muttered, meaning I wasn't 'in the mood' today.

I moved out from the giant's path and kept walking to the room. I finally found the right one, and took in the room surrounding me. It was festive, Spanish decorations hung everywhere. I almost expected the teacher to be wearing one of those huge Mexican sombreros. How typical. She was.