CHAPTER 01
[] Alexandra []
I shivered and yanked the hood of my black rain jacket over my head, observing my new school from the other side of the crossroad. It was an old building, built of red bricks and stone which looked in dire need of a new paint job. "Brookland High" in faded bold lettering was painted over the main entrance where many students were already filing in.
Weeds sprouted from the base of the structure and spidered up the walls, winding their way into cracks. I watched as a beetle frantically scurried over its rough surface, searching for refuge from the rain. I inhaled the scent of mud and a chemicals wafting from a nearby abandoned factory and sighed. I had learned early on that my sense seemed sharper and more acute than most people. I had always been the odd one out. The strange new girl. The outcast. Today would be no different.
I lifted my face toward the sky, feeling each droplet of rain splash agaisnt my skin. I hated these kind of days. The clouds hovered unrelentingly overhead. Gray and morbid.
The sound of tires scraping the pavement told met the cars finally came to a halt, spraying dirty rain water in all directions and allowing me to cross. I quickly made my away over and tried my best to blend into the crowd. Sloshing up the school steps with everyone else, I was pleased to be greeted by a draft of warm air. Old as the school looked, it seemed they at least believed in heaters.
The inside of the school looked ordinary enough. Rows of plain gray lockers stretched down the corridor, interrupted by classrooms at irregular intervals. Drawing away from the stream of students, I turned left and made why way down a mainly deserted hall to the school office.
The office door stood ajar. Behind the front desk sat a plump lady who looked a little over her forties. A phone was wedged between her cheek and her shoulder and she was speaking rapidly into the speaker. A sudden waft of her heavy perfume hit be full in the face and I blinked, stifling a sneeze.
"Yes. Of course. No problem, sir. We will see to it right away. Of course. Okay. Good bye." She sang, putting the phone back onto its stand and looked up at me over her wiry glasses.
We both stared at each other, waiting for the other to speak. When a minute went by, I decided to break the silence. "Um... Hi." I began uncertainly. "I'm a new student. Alexandra Mathews...?" I told her, unsure how she would react.
She continued to gaze up at me with a blank face. Just when I thought she wasn't going to respond, her face split into a smile so suddenly it was startled me. I blinked. "Of course! Here you go, darling!" She said cheerily, yanking open her filing cabinet so hard it made the desk shudder.
She pulled out several papers and thrust them under my face, her grin seeming to be frozen in place. "Um... thanks." I said uncertainly, sorting through the mess of notes. She jabbed her finger at them as I flipped through. "That's your homeroom... and that's your locker number... and that's your class schedule." She finished. "Have a nice day!" Clearly a dismissal. The wide grin slid off her pudgy face and she began moodily doodling what looked like naked men riding ponies on her notepad. I hastily turned and left the office.
Note to self: Write reminder to principal that his receptionist may be a lonely crackpot.
Making my way back to the main hallway, I scanned one of the sheets crackpot lady had given me. My locker number was 28; also conveniently located near my homeroom; homeroom A.
The majority of students were already in their classrooms, only a few were lingering next to there lockers or chatting with friends. I strode quickly past each locker number.
30... 29... 28.
I paused and ran a hand over the rusted metal until it came to rest upon the handle. I stared at it for a moment.
I had had a total of nine separate lockers at nine separate schools since I entered high school. This would make ten. I never really strove to make any friends. It's how I kept myself safe. When I felt my walls thinning around me, I would run away. To a new school. A new life. I wondered how long this one would last.
I sighed resolutely and fished around in the flap of my bag for my combination lock. I hooked it into the slot and pulled my locker door open. As I slung my bag over my head and proceeded to shove it into the locker space, I became aware of his presence.
I heard his footsteps approaching before he spoke. "Hey." He said from behind me. He had a nice voice, I would give him that. It was low and gravelly, the kind that I could listen to for hours.
Other than that, these kinds of people were the kind that gave me the most trouble. The ones that would insist on trying to pry my walls down, when all I wanted was to be left alone.
I twisted my head to the side in a casual acknowledgement "Hey", I threw back, hoping he would take the hint and leave. He didn't. Shit.
"Are you the new student? I haven't seen you here before." I gathered my books and slammed my locker door with more force than I had intended. "I doubt you've seen me anywhere." I said flatly, taking the combination lock and squeezing it until it clicked into place.
"So you're new in town." I grunted uncommitedly, turned, and began making my way down the hall without looking at him. He kept pace easily. "Are you in homeroom A? I could show you to it." I kept my face from twisting into a grimace.
"Thanks, but no thanks." From the corner of my eye, I saw him shrug. His arms were muscled, I could see the swell of his bicep under his sweater, the set of his broad shoulders. "I'm going there too, so I guess it makes no difference. That was just courtesy." Great. Just great.
I exhaled roughly through my nose. Any other person probably wouldn't have even heard it, but I saw his lips twitch.
"Here we are." He said, as if he were a tour guide. "Homeroom A." I fixed a smile on my face with some difficulty. "Thanks." He reached around me to put his hand on the brass knob. As he inclined his body, I could smell his scent. It was soapy, mixed with something else. Perhaps some kind of cologne.
"Anyway," He breathed, his breath tickling my ear. "I hope you enjoy it here, Alexandra Mathews."
