True Gold

Chapter 2

More and more people begin entering the classroom as I wait for class to begin. Esta sits in silence next to me, her thoughts still lingering on him. The same person that took my locket. Somehow I know that we are connected in a way I may never understand.

I hear them before they even enter the room. Those voices full of laughter, those lips that like to lie. The main crowd, the cool crowd, enters the class room. Kate, the stuck up ring leader who thinks the world revolves around her, stands on her tiptoes and plants a kiss on her boyfriend,  who is equally self centred, Noah's, cheek.

The group scans the room like predators looking for prey. I notice Kate's eyes linger on me. Her brown hair with blonde streaks is plaited and her bangs frame her tanned face. Her brown eyes look me up and down before moving over to Esta. She smiles at Esta, but my side glance at Esta proves that her mind is elsewhere and she doesn’t even notice Kate walk up to her because her eyes are focused on a spot near the roof.

Kate smiles at her again even though she is now aware that Esta's head is elsewhere. "Hey, I'm Kate. Your new here right?" There is no response. I see Kate get frustrated and taps her on the shoulder.

Esta spins around and her eyes meet Kate's. I don’t exactly know what happens next but before I know it Kate is lying on the floor, and I don’t even have to look at her to know she is out cold. Mr Grady is at her side in a matter of seconds, and so is everyone else. I know that if I had fallen to the ground no one would have even flinched.

I don’t bother to rush to her side and neither does Esta. Instead I make eye contact with Esta and send a single question through my eyes: You did that? She nods, and a small smile spreads across her face. I can't help but smile to. I have always wanted to get at Kate.

"How?" I ask. She shrugs and I take that as her way of saying "off limits topic".

"Don't tell." she says quietly. I nod. She is not the only one who has secrets.

I let my head drift into the mind of Stacy, Kate's best friend, and her thoughts rush to the front of my mind: "Oh God, what the hell? What happened?"

Bored already with her thoughts, I block off her mind and instead focus on what she sees. Kate lies on the ground, her eyes wide open, staring at nothing. Stacy sees Mr Grady check her pulse and watches intently as he moves his fingers to different places on her neck, unable to find her pulse. Eventually he finds it, and confirms that she is still alive. Unconsciously, I breathe a sigh of relief along with Stacy, and withdraw from her mind.

"Everyone, please return to your seats, Now. There is no need for a crowd. Give her some space." says Mr Grady. Everyone begins backing away, with the cool crowd reluctantly dragging their feet all the way to their desks in the second row. One thing you should know is that they ALWAYS sit in the second row. A new kid once made the mistake of sitting in that row on his first day and was sent home with a bleeding nose. He never came back.

I laugh out loud at the stupidity of the rumour, knowing that it isn't true. Stacey sends me an icy glare and I shut my mouth and look at my hands resting in my lap. I take her seriously; always. Because if she says she will hurt you, she will hurt you and if she gives you an icy glare, you know to back off and shrink into a corner. Nothing good ever follows.

Mr Grady's voice pulls my from my thoughts as he tells Noah to carry her to the office. I don’t even have to listen further to know that I won't see her again today.

Science passes without any more dramas and as Esta and I head out the door, Tara and Olivia, who are also part of the supposedly 'cool' group, push straight past us and I find myself heading for the floor. I pick up my books and help Esta to her feet, annoyed with falling over twice in one day.