Class of '19 (A Steps School AU)

2 - New Girl

Claire's Point of view
I looked out the window at the new school in front of me.
"Oh God no! I'm glad it's not me!" Gemma said.
"Shut up Gemma." Kevin yelled from in front of me.
"It looks like a lovely school Gem, I don't know what you mean. Claire, Edward. Time to get out! Have a lovely first day." My mum said.
I sighed and opened the door, grabbing my backpack from the foot-well. I mumbled goodbye to my mum and hopped out of the car, slinging my backpack over my shoulder. I looked up at the messy, old, prison-like buildings and thought just how wrong my mum was about the school. It looked horrible. A kind looking teacher met us at the edge of the car park and showed us to reception. She talked a lot, and I couldn't take in what she was saying, I was too nervous. When you've been through the crud I went through, you learn to be scared of everything or nothing. Today I was definitely channelling an everything kind of day.

"You'll be the new children then." Said a bad tempered sounding woman in the front office.
"Yes Miss." My brother replied. "I'm Edward Richards, I'm in year 10, and this is my little sister Evan... no, sorry, Clarabella Richards, she's in year 8."
"Ah good. Edward, you'll be going with this lovely pair over here and they'll show you around. Clarabella, that was your name right? If you just wait here I'm sure your buddies will be here in a minute." She said.
My brother waved me goodbye as he headed for the two older students, locked in conversation and completely ignoring him to begin with, who eventually took notice of him and set off for a tour of the school site. Now feeling rather awkward alone, I took a seat on one of the soft chairs and waited for my buddies to turn up. I watched the other existing pupils bustling through the hallway the other side of the door handing in notes, catching small parts of questions about timetables and lost property. A short girl with browny ginger hair turned up and waited shyly, hugging a reading book, standing in the doorway, looking around anxiously as if for someone else. A tall brown haired boy carrying a football quickly joined her and a few moments later a blonde girl, who looked suspiciously like she was a popular girl, joined them. I immediately got the feeling this was a group that didn't often hang out together.
"Clarabella? These are your buddies." Said the reception worker as the trio entered the room I was waiting in.
The blonde sunk back against the wall, picking at her nails, while the guy examined me from a distance. Only the short girl was brave enough to approach me. "Hi I'm Lisa, it's nice to meet you Clarabella." She said, still hugging her book. "That over there is Lee," she gestured to the boy, before turning to glance at the other girl "and take no notice of Faye, she doesn't want to be here and ended up in Isolation yesterday. I guess you're nervous, so let's go to registration so you can meet our tutor, don't worry, he's really nice."
I'd been trying to butt in with my nickname since Lisa had started talking, so I seized my opportunity. "Actually, I'd rather be called Claire than Clarabella." I said to the trio.
"Wait back to the IC thing.. How'd ya find that out?!" Faye squealed, her face pale.
"Easily done. Some of your friends were talking about it during lesson yesterday. Well... joking about it." Lee replied.
Faye flashed him a rude gesture.
"Anyway, pay them no attention. Its a long and complicated story to explain our relationships. Are you scared? It'll be alright." Lisa said.
I smiled softly. I'd learnt it was best not to show or talk about my emotions, but she was right. "That'd be nice." I replied, playing out the nerves so that nobody could guess anything about me. Nobody here needs to know about my past. Not yet anyway.

Faye's point of view
For once in my life, I was embarrassed to be late to tutor. Maybe it was because I was turning up with a nerd, a jock and a new girl. It was a recipe for disaster in the context of my popularity. Why was I so worried? None of my friends would be in this room.
Maybe that wasn't worry. Maybe that was... what was the name for it? Longing. A longing to be friends again with the 2 people I used to love so much but pushed away like a fool. Yeah, that seemed more likely. But how to tell them. I couldn't very well turn around and tell them both could I? It'd been too long for a start.
Lisa picked out the empty table in one corner of the room, and Claire joined her. Lee begrudgingly accepted his place. I shrugged. I might as well sit with them considering I had nobody else to sit with.