Sanctuary (A Dan Smith/ Bastille fanfic)

3. Chloe

I sit in my stepdad’s car as he pulls up to the college. The front building is an old building which honestly looks more like some sort of prison rather than an educational building. I sigh whilst thinking about the shit hole that my mum has sent me to now. If I wasn’t here I would be at the coffee shack on my old college campus. I would be with my mates and we would be talking about the shit that we had got up to that weekend whilst sipping our iced coffees. I already miss that place and I’ve only lived in London for 2 days, how the hell am I going to cope for the next year?

Okay, so it’s only a year. That’s what mum keeps on telling me. It’s only a year that Alan will be spending setting up the new office in London. It’s only a year that I will be away from all of my friends. But all I can think of is that it’s a whole year of unhappiness. A whole year dedicated to this wet wipe that my mum has chosen to marry.

Alan’s car slows and he starts to ask me a question about coming in with me, but before he can finish what he’s saying I’m out of the car and have slammed the door shut, not wanting to put up with any more of his painfully bad jokes.

“I’ll meet you here at 4 then.” He calls in my direction. I put my hand up whilst I walk off. Half to say ‘fuck off’ but half to say ‘okay’ because I don’t want to be left here for any longer than necessary. At least the house we’ve moved into is okay. It’s not as large as our house in Cornwall and obviously doesn’t have the sea view. But for London it’s not bad.

I stroll through the main doors, following signs that point to a reception. I was told to come here to collect my new timetable. I don’t know why they couldn’t have just sent it to me. I mean, I can follow a timetable I’m not a retard.

When the receptionist asks if she can help, I give her my name and explain that I need my timetable. She types into her computer and then asks me to follow her. I have to enrol or some bullshit like that. She leads me through to a room around the back and tells me that she needs to take my picture for my student card. She makes me stand with a white wall behind me and then tells me to smile at the camera. I make no attempt to smile but instead of taking another, she simply sighs and goes to plug the camera into the laptop on the table next to her seat. Seconds later a small card has printed out of a small printer. She hands me the card and I inspect it quickly before shoving it in my pocket. She tells me that I will need it to get into the different buildings on the site and I groan in response.

We spend another half an hour of her making me a student email address and username so that I can access their computers in the library. I want to tell her that there’s no way in hell I will ever be seen in that library, but then I realise that this is eating in to my lesson time and I would much rather be here than in whatever lesson I’m expected to be in.

She finally gives me my timetable and tells me that I am set to go. She walks me to my first class, history, and leaves me at the door to find my own way in. I quickly glance over my timetable. Because I’m coming here half way through the term they weren’t able to directly transfer me onto the A level courses that I was taking in Cornwall. Instead I’ve got history, English literature, business studies and psychology. I was okay with the first three but psychology? I didn’t even know they did a course called psychology. It obviously wasn’t too popular here seeing as it was empty enough to shove me into.

I realise I’ve been stood outside the room for quite some time before a boy starts walking towards me. This guy looks just as uninterested as me in what’s going on as he strolls towards the door in front of me. He makes no effort to avert his eyes from staring at me, but neither do I. Without a word he manoeuvres past me to get to the door. When he’s opened it he looks at me again as if to ask if I’m coming in and I nod slightly, still wanting to run away from the class that I’m about to end up in.

When we enter I’m faced with 30 sets of eyes staring up at me. I’m at the front of the room with the teacher stood just in front of me. Moody guy seems unfazed by the situation and moves towards the empty table at the back of the room.

“Sorry I’m late Sarah, here’s some shit excuse about my car breaking down or dog eating the homework.” The teacher who I now believe is called Sarah sarcastically says in a raised voice before crossing her arms and glaring at the boy who has just entered with me. “Second time this week Dan, stop making a habit of it.” She points towards him and then directs her attention towards me. “Sorry, that was rude of me!” She tries to give me a warm smile. “You are?”

“Chloe Hart.” I grumble, assuming that she knows who I am.

“And what can I do for you Chloe?” She replies with a blank expression. The class who are staring up at us begin to chuckle and I realise it’s at my expense. This woman has no fucking clue who I am or what I am doing here.

“I’m in this class I think? I just moved here..” I say with a questioning tone.

“Oh. Um okay. I haven’t been told anything about it but that just shows you how crap this place is.” She snaps her head at me and then realises what she’s just says. A small smile plays on my lips as I watch her panic. “I mean it’s a great place?” She adds slowly. “If you don’t mind swearing tutors that is.” She adds again. I smile some more but what I want to say is ‘I fucking love swearing.’ Instead I decide to hold back seeing as it’s only my first day. “Well that’s sorted then. Take a seat wherever you can.” She waves her arms at the tables in front.

I become even more aware that all these people are still staring at me and I really want to give them all the finger and leave the room. Instead I hold back again and glance around the room looking for any available seat. There’s one next to a nerdy looking teen at the front, or there’s one next to this Dan guy. I decide to walk through the tables to get to the table at the back, regretting it immediately when I accidentally thump a guy in the head with my bag, causing the whole class to erupt in laughter.

“Way to go, newbie.” Dan finishes laughing as I take my seat next to him. As soon as I sit down he moves his chair further from mine. What a jackass.