Don't Fade Away

4: The look

"I Never believed in love at first sight, so I looked at you twice"
-Unknown

Alex's pov

We entered the front lobby of the apartments, "You could've mentioned it looked like a resort and that it was on the beach!" I yelled accidentally due to the shock, she just laughed in response. 

"So I used some starter money that the program gave me to put as much as I could down, so that means slight rationing until my pay is up and steady." I flinch at the words, my mother and steady just never mixed. "The program holds my first check for 30 days, I guess as a precaution, you know making sure I'm committed." She started explaining to me when a young man, around my age or a little older, greeted us. He wasn't dress entirely like a bellhop, he had on cargo shorts and a tank top that showed off his tanned arms. Obviously from being on that beautiful beach. 

"Hello, welcome to Sunny's, the best apartments in California, Ms. Sandburgs, would you like me to show you to your room?" He said cheerily, he ended his sentence with a smile that made my stomach do backflips, because why is anyone that happy. 

"Sure, young man. Aren't you just the cutest." She said pinching his cheeks, I giggled a bit and he shot me a look, I stopped immediately but he continued looking at me, but in a way I couldn't read. Next thing I know, boom, I slam into the elevator door and start falling backwards until a pair of arms catch me,

"Are you okay?" I turn around to see a chocolate complected, well-built obviously older man, with his daughter, I could tell it was his daughter because she asked him "Daddy is she okay?"

"I uhh ye-aah, so-orry thanks", I managed to get out, he let go of me and smiled, my mom shot him a look of worry before he walked away, I don't think he noticed. 

When I finally learned to walk, we entered a beautiful apartment. It wasn't huge and it would've probably been average to most people, but to me this was everything I never knew I needed or maybe never admitted I wanted. "And here you are" said the bellhop, "im Jason, let me know if you need anything." 

"Thanks." my mom said as she tipped him. Just before he left, my eyes caught his gaze. There it was again. That damn look. 

I went into my room and hung up some clothes until my door swung open, "SHOPPING TIME!" my mom yelled dragging me out the house. 

"Shouldn't we register me at a school first?" I said tripping and jumping over everything as she yanked me out by my sleeve. "That too!" She said locking the doors.

------- 

We stumble out of the taxi and head into this big building, it had the words Del Norte High School plastered across the entryway. Fair to say, it was a little intimidating, a secretary greeted us immediately upon entry.

"Welcome to Del High! How may we help you?" Her voice was sweet and warming.

"I had called earlier and they said I could come in and speak to-" My mom shuffled through her messenger bag and pulled out a sheet of paper nearly ripping it "- Mrs. Calmin about picking my daughters classes?" She finished. Half embarrassed at my train wreck of a mother, I smiled sheepishly. 

"Oh yes! Just down the hall until you see her door, her plaque will say her name, head right in she's waiting for you." She answered, she turned to the phone on her desk and picked it up, "Mrs. Calmin, The Sandburgs are headed your way." 

Mrs.Calmin The plaque read in bolded letters, italicized under it read beloved principal and legend.

We knocked and within seconds she opened the door, we entered and were immediately seated, "Hello, how wonderful to meet you both." She said greeted us, shaking our hands. She was older, late 40s and she had multiple gray hairs, she wore a nice professional dress and her face had shadows of stress, she looked very intimidating. "Let's get right to it, shall we?" My mom just smiled in response. 

"I'm just going to give it to you straight, we looked at her current grades, but we also looked at her grade history, and something's not adding up." She stated reading a file, "you're obviously a bright kid, you excelled on your MCAS and all major test, in elementary school you even skipped two grade levels, but there seems to be a big gap between this history and these current disciplinary records and grades, what happened?" I was flushed with embarrassment, the room started spinning and suddenly my chest got tight. I knew it, I told myself, the past could never be behind us. 

I hear the faint sounds of my mother's words as I attempt to focus more on her than my current anxiety, "We had a bad family history, that we do not currently wish to get into. She is an extremely bright girl with so much potential, you should know because even with these currents grades, she aced the entry exam." She sat up tall and I tried to mimic her posture, have I been so stuck in my trauma that I didn't see the changes this program was having on my mom? 

"I understand." Principal Calmin cleared her throat, "So, due to her entry level exams, she's being placed in most honors classes, AP biology, and she can select electives after a week here. She will have one week as a trial run. However, we expect you to not break my rules, even one of them or you will not like the consequences, we give our kids the freedom to make choices but the limit to making the right one." She said sternly. 

"Of course." My mom replied

"Yes." I whispered 

"So, we have a wide variety of electives here, some are already full however if you're lucky you could squeeze in there." She explained. She handed me a paper with all of them on it. The was so many to choose from; wood shop, photography, culinary, art, audio production, cinematography, drama, graphic design, workshop, dance, foreign language, sign language, chorus, Journalism, zoology, finance, graphic design, yoga, interior design, child care, and more.  

"You have 7 classes a day, your electives switch daily, so what's your first choice for the trial week?" She looked me in my eyes

"How many do I pick?" I whispered

"5, every day you have 1. After the trial you will pick your top 3." She sat back in her chair

"Uhm, photography, journalism, child care, yoga, foreign language; French. " I finally let out. She started typing, and typing, and typing, then printed and handed me my schedule,

"At the top is your locker # and code , building # , next to each teachers name is their building #" she handed me a card. "Place all your lunch balances and book balances on this, don't loose this." She emphasized. Feeling overwhelmed by everything I turned down the tour. 

I finally let my breathe out once we left. "Oh my gosh." I said.

"Let's go shopping!!" My mom yelled in response.