Not Very Stereotypical.

Chapter Twelve

The hazy heat of the morning bustled through the corridor along with the students as they arrived at school. Keeping my head down, I walk forwards trying to remember the route to my locker in order to collect the books I need for the day ahead. Turning corners and avoiding getting knocked over by preppy cheerleaders in uniforms and athletes begging for the attention- I cringed at the stereotypical behaviour and made a beeline towards the locker I was introduced to yesterday.

Swinging the bag off my back, I grabbed the so-called dial and started twisting in the combination I read out of vague memory. By surprisingly achieving to unlock it first time, I opened the door and started to roughly organise my belongings, not really caring about the whole opportunity to 'dress it up' but that's when I got tapped on the shoulder.

"Good morning Miss Britain." Leighton teased as she adjusts her curled blonde hair out of her face. I flipped my bag back onto my back and turned around to face her, closing my locker in the process. Dressed in a yellow crop top and high-waisted black jeans, she looked put together yet casual.

"Hello Leighton." I chucked, zipping up my bag and beginning to walk along side of Leighton- quite unsure of where we are going. "Where are Milly and Gracie?"

"Gracie gets a ride to get coffee in the Jeep most mornings. Something she says provides her with 'good vibes for the day'." She laughs and looks at me, it made sense to me. I'd only known the girl a day at the time and it was obvious Gracie was very dependant on her coffee, she loved the stuff and the fact that Milly could drive in order to fuel her addiction- helped their friendship in a kind way of course. With Milly having so much affection towards her friends and someone she only just met, like myself, it really made me grateful for landing myself in my feet in such a kind friendship group. Don't speak so soon.

Leighton stopped in her tracks and my mind paused its thoughts as a girl stepped in front of us. Paler skin laced with her ruby hair twisted into a messy bun with strands long enough to dangle onto her shoulders which were revealed by her low resting crimson top and black latex trousers. My legs are almost sweating in shorts, how she's wearing those is beyond me. Her eyes are wide with thick fake lashes and bold eyeliner with dull dark brown eyes paired with large matte red lips. "Well, well, well- is this the new English girl?"

With her voice being sarcastic and irritable, I immediately decided I didn't like her. "My names Bethan, who's asking?" She smirked and leant against the locker next to her, shifting her heeled-boot to rest on it's toe.

Clearly irritated by my answer, "oh don't act as if you didn't mention me yesterday to her L," she turned towards Leighton who choked in a laugh and shook her head, "I'm Kate." she announced bitterly.

I couldn't help myself but to stagger my breath in order for my laugh to be held in. She shot her eyes at me and decided to continue, "anyway now that I've introduced myself I'm going to leave you two. I've got better things to be doing." she tosses her finger across her rings near her knuckles and begins to turn around before Leighton speaks up.

"Its so sad that you haven't got the picture yet, Mitchell doesn't want to do you." I almost choked on my urge to laugh but managed to justify a short snort-like noise to leave me instead. I looked over at Leighton, her eyes painted with justice and anger which were clearly served with her last comeback.

Kate turns on her heel and gives Leighton a look that could kill. Bracing myself for a possible retort I stood up straighter and watched to witness the drama. But nothing unfolded, Leighton quirked her eyebrow and the red-head turned and strutted away. "Am I missing something?" I asked lightly as we began walking again.

Leighton sighed and turned to me, "she was Milly's next door neighbour when she moved here. She was instantly pining for Mitchell as soon as she saw him and she's been trying to get with him ever since and the closest she's gotten was at their birthday party last year, he confused her for his girlfriend at the time and gave her a drink. But that was it. She's always been out for us since then and even if you mention her name next to Gracie she goes mad, yet Milly's grown old of it, knowing that her brother would never go for her considering how much stuff she's put us through about it."

I nodded taking all the new information in, but noting that we don't like her. At all. "Well at least I know t avoid her now." She nods dramatically bumping into me as we walk. "Plus how does she have the right to call me British girl when her name is just as English?" I shrug as Leighton laughs loudly, walking us deeper into the school.

A bell rang taking volume over our laughter in order for me to begin turning on my heels. "Where are you going?" Leighton asked me as she stood facing the same direction as we were walking.

Pointing my finger in the direction I was walking I answered, "Homeroom? the bell just rang. Where are you going?" I dropped my hand and looked at her confused as she began to walk towards me.

"To the auditorium Silly, we've got assembly." Leighton hooked her hand around my bag strap and started to pull me along the quietening corridor. "I assume with the lack of questioning you know what an assembly is. So let's go, come on."

Following along to the auditorium we joined the crowd of students filing into the double door entrance. With Leighton right in front of me I let her go through first so I could follow and act in the way she did too, the students didn't seem to lower their volume as they entered which contrasted majorly to the formality of my assemblies in the past.

"The girls seemed to have beaten us here." Leighton pulls herself up the steps of the bleachers as she locates her friends. We'd entered an inside gym, with markings of multiple sports painted on the ground and the huge school logo located in the centre. As we pretty much reached the top of the seats, the crowd began to fill and the amount of people walking into the entrance seemed to slow.

Gracie and Milly greeted me as the room shuffled with anticipation- mostly my own. I looked around to see the obvious groups that had formed, of friends who has distanced themselves from other group with inches of seating visible between them. "Mitchell said that they were announcing something about the lacrosse team today." Milly said from the other side of Gracie who was still sipping at her colourful drink.

I continued to look around when I saw a group of boys near the front wearing mixtures of gym apparel and burgundy hoodies, which I clearly identified as the lacrosse team- well most of it. Mitchell was easy to identify, his loud personality lighting up the area around him. Yet the energy he released seemed to be dull when you looked next to him, the jokes he was making sparked a room changing smile on Noah. His dishevelled hair still slightly damp, whether it be from a morning run or shower- it made him just as attractive as it contrasted the grey jacket he was wearing too.

"I say ago for it." Leighton whispered in my ear as she spotted who I was distracted by. I shook my head and pushed her away with my shoulder. A light blush creeping up onto my cheeks. But luckily I was saved from anymore boy-teasing questions as a man entered into the gym, followed by other staff, making the room go quiet and the assembly began.