Chapter 22: First day at School 1
It's been two months since I've been in Canada. And that meant that today was going to be my first day at Hawthorne!
Nervousness, lightheadedness, heart pounding, were all the things I was surprisingly not feeling. It wasn't like years ago during my first day at Fairfield that I literally cried myself to sleep the night before. Probably it was because now, I already had friends there who I've been hanging out with this past month.
I stared at myself in the mirror. Since it was a private school, they had uniforms. The uniform consisted of a white shirt, red tie and blazer, with a nice black flair skirt that was thankfully not too short and black socks that were just a few inches below my knees with black shoes.
'The typical school uniform.' I've never worn a uniform in my life. Since I was never on the cheerleading squad, that was the only place in Fairfield I could even have one.
I took a quick picture of myself. Why? Courtney made sure to remind me every hour yesterday to send a picture of me in my uniform. She needed to know if the uniform brought out my 'flair.' I seriously didn't understand what she meant by that. I then sent her the picture.
I pulled my hair Into a bun. I preferred it like that today. I took in deep breaths then went downstairs.
"There's my baby girl." My mom exclaimed with a big grin. I gave her a smile.
"I'm in my senior year, mom." I mumbled. She just laughed.
"Yes, yes , sure. Are you nervous?"
"Actually, no. I feel normal." She hummed.
"That's good honey. Now eat quickly. I'll drop you off, ok?"
"Good." I sat at the counter and dug into my breakfast. I felt my phone vibrate. It was a message from Shawn.
"Are you at home?"
I quickly typed back. "Yeah."
"I'll be picking you up in five minutes." My eyes widened in shock. Why is he picking me up? And five minutes wasn't enough for me to finish my breakfast.
These past few weeks made me figure out something about Shawn. He was extremely time conscious. If he says he'll be here in five minutes, he won't be a second late. He's a handsome time freak!
"Mom, don't bother about taking me. I already have a ride."
"Really? Is it Karla?"
"Yeah." All the lying I haven't done in my seventeen years of living I was doing within two months! But most were just little white lies.
"Be careful honey, ok? Come home straight away."
"Don't worry, I'll be careful." I saw relief wash over her body. I bade her goodbye and stepped out. Looking down the street, I saw a familiar vehicle parked a few feet from my house. I took in a deep breath and walked over.
"Are you ready new blood?" He asked when I got in. I nodded immediately before asking,
"Why are you picking me up?" He shrugged and started the car. I took in his appearance. It wasn't even eight yet and his hair was already dishevelled. He had his white long sleeved shirt rolled up to his elbows. And his tie was nowhere to be found.
'Bad boy attitude, huh?'
"No reason." He then gave me a smile. That smile always managed to make my heart beat faster. His piercing gaze was on me and it made me shift uncomfortably in my seat.
Suddenly, he reached for my hair and pulled it out from their bindings. My eyes widened in shock. I tried to say something but I couldn't find any words to even stutter out.
"You look much better with your hair down." He said, his smile never fading. I just stared at him, heat rising up my nape. I looked down shyly.
"But I like it that way." I muttered, although I knew he would hear me.
"But this is much better." We then drove off. It was a silent ride. Once in a while I could feel Shawn steal a glance at me but I acted like I didn't notice. I just watched my surroundings, counting the seconds until I arrived at my new school.
Shawn parked his car outside of the school. The last time I was here, which was also the first, the school was completely empty. Like a beautiful deserted building. But now, it was packed with teens filled with raging hormones.
"I think I'm going to suffocate." I muttered to myself, but surprisingly, Shawn heard me. He just chuckled lightly.
"The hallways are wide enough Emily, there'll be enough air for you to breathe, don't worry."
"It's not that."
"You're nervous?"
"Yes, very. I wasn't at first, but now…I just want to hide in a hole." I turned to face him. He was staring at me, his focus was all on me. It made me feel good in a way.
"You'll be fine new blood. You just stay close to us and be confident in yourself. They have quite the nose for fear."
I groaned internally. 'That doesn't help Anderson!' I could feel a few piercing gazes at my back. All of it coming from beyond the car, but I didn't dare to turn around.
"Trust me, Hawthorners don't turn people into human sacrifices if that's what's bothering you." He then straightened my collar, his hands lingering way longer than it was supposed to. I took in a harsh breath, not letting it go. Then, he pushed a lock of hair away from my face.
'What the hell! He's literally crossing my boundaries! But for some crazy reason, I'm not complaining. Why ain't I complaining?!'
"Still doesn't help."
"Will a kiss do the trick?" He asked seriously. My heart almost leaped out of my chest.
"W-what?" He stared down at my lips before leaning in. I just stayed frozen, not moving a muscle. His head tilted, leaning closer and closer. But instead of kissing me on the lips. He kissed my cheek instead!
When his lips touched my cheek, I felt jolts of electricity ignite from the spot he kissed before it spread to other parts of my body. His lips were soft, extremely soft! The kiss was like a soft caress. A caress that made my body hot!
"Again, you'll be fine." He whispered into my ear. I grasped my skirt tightly, knuckles turning white. He pulled away and got out of the car. I tried my best to calm my racing heart.
"You coming new blood?" I heard him say. His eyebrows were cocked and there was a cunning smile on his face. That was when I noticed he had already opened the door for me. I grabbed my bag and got down.
'He's a jerk! A handsome sweet jerk!'