Avery’s P.O.V.
People rush around, ebbing and flowing with the tides of the school hallway. I search the sea of heads for Quinn. That’s when I see him.
Towering above the rest, his hair is in a glorious arc of golden blonde. His eyes are a blue so bright they put the sky to shame. Wearing a plaid button down shirt, a Drop Dead tee-shirt, and black skinnies, he looks amazing. And he’s walking against the current, recklessly moving about.
Without realizing it, he’s right by me. Suddenly he’s right by me. As in he has walked directly into me, knocking all of my books and supplies onto the ground.
“I’m sorry.” I say quickly. We both are standing in the hallway, which is now thinning as students scurry off to class. His brows furrow.
“Why are you apologizing? I walked into you!” He replies, grinning.
“I don’t know.” I mumble, my cheeks getting hot.
“Well I’m sorry for walking into you- what’s your name?”
“Avery.” I reply.
“Ah. Well I’m sorry I walked into you, Avery. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He smiles, sticking out his hand. I shake it. “I’m Boston. And I’ll help you pick up your stuff.” We both kneel down, collecting books and pencils that have scattered around the floor.
We stand up, and he hands me his pile of my stuff. “There you go. Sorry again. What class are you going to? Are you a freshman?”
“Yeah, I’m a freshman. What about you?” I ask. “And I’m headed to the auditorium for our first day of school freshman orientation thingy.”
“Same! Care to accompany me?” Boston asks, grinning ear to ear. He has cute little dimples that show when he smiles.
“Sure. Let’s go!” I smile back. We head off towards the auditorium, weaving through the now empty hallways. “So what school did you go to?” I ask him.
“Rosebrook Prep. You?”
“Pineford. My friends boyfriend went to Rosebrook. Do you know Jace Schmidt?” I ask, curiously.
“Yes! He’s literally my best friend! So you know Quinn?” We’re nearing the auditorium now.
“Yeah, she’s my best friend!” I reply, matching his enthusiasm. “How weird.” I open the auditorium doors, cautiously walking through the hall. I scan the crowd, finding Quinn and Jace sitting in the top row. “Wanna sit with them?” I ask him.
“Yeah, I don’t have that many other friends. And Jace is cool.” We take the steps, plopping down in the seats next to Jace and Quinn.
“Aye!” Jace says, seeing us. “So you’ve met Avery?” Boston nods. “She’s pretty fucking great, man.”
“Thanks.” I smile. “Quinn, wanna come with me to the bathroom?” I ask, standing up.
“Sure.” She stands up. “Be right back, baby.” She quick kisses Jace on the lips and follows me out of the auditorium.
Once the auditorium door has shut behind us, Quinn turns to me. “HE TOTALLY LIKES YOU!” She yells. I raise one eyebrow. Boston is gorgeous. Sure, Jace is too, but Quinn is really pretty. Her deep brunette hair is styled into a bang that sweeps across her face. She’s tall and thin and has huge icy blue eyes. And unlike Quinn, I’m average. I’m kind of short, not skinny enough, and my eyes are a dull grey. My hair is long and is dyed bright red. I’m pretty, but not that pretty.
“I don’t know…” I trail off. We reach the bathroom, looking at ourselves in the mirror. I fix my sailor striped tank top, pull down my tan shorts a bit, and straighten out my hair- all while tuning Quinn out.
Suddenly, in the corner of the mirror, I see a girl standing in the open stall. She smiles and waves. I whip around, but she’s not there. “Did you see that?” I ask. Quinn looks at me like I’m crazy.
I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn to look, seeing the girl. “Maybe Quinn is going insane. That’s why she can’t see me. I bet she’s going to try and ruin your relationship with Boston.” The girl whispers. “Meet me in the hallway.” With that, she’s gone.
Something feels a bit off, but I tell Quinn I’ll meet her in the auditorium and go into the hallway. The girl is sitting on the floor next to the bathroom.
“Who are you?” I ask.
“My name is Cher. I’m not supposed to be at this school, but I’m here to help you. You’re special. Just listen to what I tell you, and don’t tell anyone else about me.” She says, speaking urgently. “I’m going to have to leave. But everyone else who can’t see me is out to get you. They’re crazy, and they want to kill you. Just do as I say, and you’ll be okay.” Panic strikes, my stomach churning. She disappears.
I try to catch my breath, but I can’t. I’m freaking out, so I just find a barren hallway to sit in. Occasionally I think that someone is behind me, but everytime I look, there’s no one there.
I can’t bring myself to go back to class. So I stare at the brick wall until I can’t tell which brick is which.
