Down Cherry Lane

CHAPTER 1 - Move along

Hello and fun that you came round here. We have cookies! On a more serious note this book will contain some mature themes but I will give content warnings if there is anything obvious so that you can avoid it or prepare for it. If you need a summary of the chapter just message me and I'll be happy to give it. Happy reading.

For the end of summer it was quite dreary outside. The rain was pouring down ticking hard on the car roof. The trees didn't make it easier with wet leaves sticking to the windshield every time a gush of wind comes. In summer and with good fall weather the drive through the woods is beautiful, relaxing even but when rain and winter hit it becomes more of a hazard than a scenery.

The parking lot up front is absolutely packed. I make about three rounds before deciding to just park towards the back of the school. There's never this many cars all at once. The school dad put us in this time was small, three hundred and fifty students at max. Which in comparison to the fifteen hundred students minimum schools, is teeny tiny.

Not that the students were any different. Stuck up rich kids, stoners who were trying to rebel against their parents and the rest who were just trying to get by.

Grace is frantically waving at me to come over so I lock my doors and skip over to her. 'Sup.'

'Asher fell in the fountain this morning.'

'What? How?!'

My brother has always had misfortune with his balance but you have to be an extreme kind of special to be able to fall into a fountain that has a five foot tall wall around it.

'He walked up like five steps and just tipped. It was amazing. You should have been here. Why are you this late?'

I grumble, 'had to do like three laps around the parking lot to find a spot. Why the hell are there so many cars?'

She smirks and points at a large group of kids standing in the hallway. Mr Green is handing them stacks of papers, most of them appear terribly disinterested in his explanation of what seems to be their schedules. Some of them looked my way and it was almost unnerving how long they kept their gaze. I was very tempted to stare them down but Grace interrupted our little contest.

'Their school burned down. We are the closest to their district so they all are here until the building is rebuilt or at least something to manage. Also I can see some cute guys there too. And girls...sooo.'

I give her a knowing look and grab the books from my locker. One of these days the weight of the backpack will break my back, I nearly tip over every time I put it on my shoulders. 'How do you even know all that.'

'Charis', she grins. Of course. If there was anything to know or if you had to get around the school fast, she was a sure way to do it. She can turn a spark into a house fire or well, school fire in this case.

She hands me a few papers as well with what seems to be a new roster and some forms to sign. My days didn't change much from what I can see but before I can check out the rest Grace snatches it out of my hand. She presses her outfit matched glasses up skimming the page.

'We still have most of our classes together. Just not AP Bio and physics. You'll have to do without my fabulous presence.'

Sighing dramatically, I put a hand on my forehead. 'Whatever will I do.' Bell rings and we slip down the south corridor on our way to first class.

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End of the day was creeping in slowly and it couldn't come early enough. My head is absolutely pounding and the duffy air in the room hasn't been helping. We are going over genetics and it's honestly the most boring thing. Usually Grace and I will play games during biology. We are both good at it and when we work on it at home we go twice as quick as DeRoi does during class. Most of the class is made up out of the new kids and they look about as bored as I am.