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GUESSES OF WHO MARINA'S KILLER WAS TURNED MY DREAMS TO NIGHTMARES ONCE MORE, disrupting my peaceful sleep for the hundredth time this summer. I jolted awake, sitting up in a panic, small snippets of my nightmare flashing in my mind. I tried to control my breathing, catching a glimpse of my zombie-looking reflection in the mirror, heavy bags under my eyes. As I calmed down, I glanced to my bedroom door, where my freshly ironed uniform hung, courtesy of my parents. A part of me considered faking sick out of fear for what the day would bring, but I knew if I did, I would leave Samuel all alone, and I knew he'd need me today. We both knew there would probably be drama between him, or rather us, and the richer side of Las Encinas, and I knew we had to stick together. Just like he'd always had my back, it was my turn to have his.
Delicate knocks on my bedroom door snapped me from my thoughts and anxieties for the day, as my father's face peered in a small gap in the door. "Can I come in, Polpetta?" He smiled as I nodded, rubbing my face in an attempt to wake myself up a bit, trying to hide the fact I'd been up half the night, Marina's killer on my mind. "Excited for your first day back, huh?" He nudged me as he sat beside me on the bed, and I scoffed, almost surprised that he would even ask that after the year I had last year. "No Dad, I'm not. At all. God knows what this year has in store for us." I rolled my eyes as he turned to me, a stern expression on his face, his mind probably spiralling at the thought last years murder. "Jada Eleanora, if you didn't want to go back, you didn't have to. Your mother and I were very eager to take you out of that school, but it was you who was fighting to stay. You know, if you've changed your mind-" I shook my head, standing up out of bed, my father mimicking my actions. " I still want to go back Dad, I'm just a bit nervous. But, don't worry, I'll be fine." I said, and he nodded, giving me a quick hug before heading out the door, tapping on my uniform with a smile as he left.
After a quick shower, I attempted to fix my appearance, fixing my hair and adding a few accessories to make me look more like I was making an effort, and less like I was dreading everything. Glancing at my phone, where I'd apparently missed a call from Samuel, I realized the time, and grabbed the last few books I need, shoving them into my black tote bag before rushing out the door, grabbing a banana as I yelled goodbye to my parents, not wanting another emotional conversation about how they'd never leave for work again, and how I would be safer at another school, blah blah blah. It's true, I probably would be safer at another school, I mean I'd probably be safer at San Esteban that Las Encinas, and San Esteban was the school that collapsed. But I was determined not to give up on a good opportunity and determined to use my time this year to figure out who really killed Marina, as well as getting good grades and important lessons for my future. Although, it seemed Marina's killer was taking priority for now.
"Samuel! It's only been eight hours, ¿ya me hechas de menos?" asked as I answered his call, his voice ringing through my headphones. I could practically hear him scoff through the phone, and I rolled my eyes, waiting for him to speak. "As if. ¿Dónde estás? No llegues tarde." I smiled as I fiddled with my phone, waiting for the Uber to arrive to take me to school. "I'll probably get there before you, I'm getting an Uber." Silence filled my headphones, and I could faintly hear Samuel's breathing in my ear, quivering slightly; he was worried. "Samuel. It'll be fine. No te preocupes. I'll meet you outside." I said, and he mumbled a response that I didn't quite catch, before hanging up, perfectly timed with the uber pulling up to the side of the road. "Jada?" The driver asked as he rolled down his window, and I nodded in response as I climbed into the backseat, flattening my skirt as we set off, navigating the busy streets to get to Las Encinas quickly. The driver stayed silent, which I was glad of since I was listening to music and wouldn't have responded anyway. He seemed like he was in a rush as he drove, swerving unnecessarily as if this was a race - I wasn't that excited to get to school. By the time the large white walls of Las Encinas came into view, and we had joined the queue of cars making their way to the entrance, I was relieved, eager to get out of the car with this man's reckless driving.
"Gracias" I smiled as I stepped out of the car, slamming the door shut as I looked around, trying to spot Samuel in the crowd of students. I grabbed my phone from inside my bag, quick to text Samuel, telling him where I was, hoping my description of the big tree beside me and a certain student with pink heels and ginger hair would help him find me. "En serio. Muchas gracias por seguir preocupandote por mi. Yay!" An unfamiliar voice made me glance up from my phone, taking note of the new curly-haired boy sitting in a convertible Mercedes-Benz, yelling across to Lu. Perhaps, a new boyfriend? "Es mi penitencia por ser tu hermana." Sister? Shit, there's another one of her? God help us all. I watched as Lu strutted over to Guzman who welcomed her with open arms, and kisses, to my surprise. Clearly I'd missed a lot over the summer. "Hola! Hello?" I snapped out of my thoughts as the owner of the Mercedes whistled to get my attention, waving his hand around as he lounged in his car, sunglasses balanced on his nose like an old librarian. I offered him a small smile, but clearly he wanted to talk, indicating for me to come over to him with his hand. If he was anything like Lu, I was probably about to be bullied or something, but of course, I went over anyway.
"And who are you, guapa?" He asked, winking as he spoke, extending his hand to me as I stood at the door. "Jada. You're Lu's brother right?" I shook his hand and he smirked as if he thought he was getting somewhere with me, but as soon as I mentioned Lu, he rolled his eyes. "I'm Valerio. More than just Lu's brother, muchísimas gracias. ¿Cómo no te he conocido antes?" He asked, and I leaned on the car, resting my arms on the door. "I'm here on a scholarship, one of the poorer students, I guess. From the streets." I smiled as I explained, expecting a snobby response, but he just laughed. "Well lucky for you, I like the streets." He said, before his face dropped, staring behind me with a face of annoyance. I turned to see the object of his distaste, and there was Samuel, staring at me wildly, causing me to giggle slightly. "Nos vemos, Valerio," I called back to him as I began walking with Samuel, heading towards the front doors of the school, scaling the giant staircase to hell, that was tall enough to make anyone out of breath. Thank god neither of us was in that much of a rush. We had time.
I draped my arm over Samuel, ruffling his hair in an attempt to distract him, but he pushed it away, clearly not in the mood for games. "Samuel, come on. It'll be fine. We just have to deal with some snobs, didn't we always?" I said, and he shrugged, not really in the mood to even come up with a response, twiddling with his fingers as we walked. "Christian y Carla han vuelto." He said, and I nodded, knowing they'd return eventually, and I'd have to face seeing them together every day, all cute and whatever. Admittedly, even after the summer, I was still stuck on Christian, and I was hurt by both him and Carla, but I had to get over it. He'd made his choice, I needed to move on. "¿Estás bien?" Samuel asked as I was deep in thought, and I nodded slowly, not wanting to make today about me. Samuel had a lot on his mind, going back to school where he met his first love, the whole school a constant reminder of the times they had together. And not only that, but he knew that her family and friends blamed him for her death since his brother was the one accused of her murder. Falsely accused, that is. He was dreading it, that much I could tell, and I didn't blame him. But we had to try to stay positive. We'd get through it, just like the first year.
As we reached the top of the stairs, I looked between the crowded entrance and Samuel, spotting the hesitation on his face for a second, before he shut it down, putting on a brave face instead. "Are you ready?" I asked, and he shrugged in response, yet a small smile appeared on his face.
