Chapter 5

As we all filed out of the assembly hall I could see the views of the hallways which were exceptionally long especially since I was looking at them from the entrance of the assembly hall. Columns lined the edge of every hall and I could just imagine swinging on them like a stripper, literarily. The walls of everything I could see from my side were painted in the same cream color as the dining hall.

Students had already left the hall but Charlie wanted me to get a good look at everything and savor what was going to be my 'home' for the next one and a half years. It was not bad, it was better than my former school back at Lake George.

"You're kinda lucky, you know, you came in right when we had just a year left before graduation"

"Yeah? If I had my way I would not be in any school at all"

Charlie laughed shaking her head. Somewhere at the far end opposite us, a door banged and a man in white sleeves and grey trousers came out holding some books.

"Class is almost starting, Jessica, we should go now"

 I had barely left the entrance of the hall when my eyes fell on the miracle leaning against a column to my left. Tall, lean, long wavy dark hair, interesting, intense blue eyes, and yes, the uniform which unfairly clung beautifully to him. Not surprisingly that of all the people in the hall I noticed HIM. Eye candy. Diabetes for the eyes. I guess you could say I stood there foolishly like a deer in headlights. 

I almost couldn't take my eyes off him. 

Then he winked. And I stumbled into Charlie's back.

I hadn't even realized I was walking.

"What the fuck?! " Charlie cursed swinging around to hold me steady as I stumbled on my own feet. "What the fuck is wrong with you? What exactly is with you and my back?"

I'm not the type to get embarrassed quickly but like I said I really must be getting the hang of this good girl thing because before I knew it my cheeks were hot and I didn't have to look into a mirror to know the length of my cheeks to my neck was as red as ketchup on well-fried chips. The last time that happened to me was with Mark and I wasn't the guilty one.

"Get a grip on yourself, sweetie, if you're gonna be stumbling every single time then you better get a new friend and kiss my room goodbye ."

Adjusting her bag, Charlie looked around at the students still hanging around in the hall "We gotta go for classes right now, I can't see any of our classmates here ." And as if on cue an electric bell went off and I joined Charlie as she wiggled her way through the crowd taking a moment to throw a glance at the eye candy who had winked at me. He was still there standing cocky-sure with one shoulder resting against the solid wall of the column. Ah yes, I know the type. 

"We have English first," Charlie announced. We reached the end of the hall and began to climb up some stairs with a few students, some of whom whispered "hi" and "welcome" to me.

Something about the way the students could shift from rowdy, noisy to cultured and well-mannered was almost comical. It was something like a switch that someone turned on and off. Charlie was different though, she was real and definitely not too big on impressions. Even now she ignored most of the students we walked with and once we reached the first floor she turned left and opened the third door. The classroom had five rows of seats and on four lines and at the back were lines of lockers facing each other. 

Charlie gestured for me to come with her and walked to the back of the class to drop her bag in one of the lockers. I searched the numbers lockers and found the one with the same number I had on my keys. I opened it and dropped my bag in picking out the Edwin customized hardcover note to use for my English class. Charlie claimed two seats for the both of us and plopped down on the one closest to the window while I took the one behind her. Some of the students who had been in class when we walked in waved at us and a few even said words of welcome.

On one side of the classroom staring daggers at me were the three bitches; brunettes and redhead. 

I stared right back until a second bell rang and the class began to fill with students and right behind them was a middle-aged man with thinning brown hair and wire-rimmed glasses on his nose. Zoe was right behind him carrying some books.

"Morning Mr. Benson," voices chorused.

Mr. Benson spared a nod and with a grim set of his lips collected the books Zoe held and set them on the teacher's desk.

"It's a good thing that many of you will inherit your parents' business empires but I'm afraid to say that if you cannot manage an A on a test assignment you may need help," Mr. Benson surveyed the class with a stern look, one that turned the dismay when he realized his speech was wasted on students who weren't even bothered about what he had to say. While only about 2% of the class listened to him the others did stuff that ranged from doodling to talking and laughing to randomly just searching their school bags for whatever.

As Mr. Benson sighed I could almost hear him say "I hate my job" under his breathe. Poor old man.

He began to call out names and handed English workbooks to their owners. Can't blame the old man for hating his job when students won't even put in the effort to ace a simple test-assignment.

As he passed out the workbooks Mr. Benson's eyes fell on me.

"The new student. Hello, would you like to come forward and introduce yourself to the class please?"

If that was a question I was supposed to answer; no, but being a rhetoric question that it was I stood from my chair and muttered a "fuck" under my breath. I had known this was going to happen but I had hoped for a miracle I should have known was not going to come. 

"Morning, my name is Jessica Underwood," I said and sat back down on my seat.

"Oh, no no come up here and introduce yourself let the whole class get to know you"

Great now I'm sweating. I stood up and walked towards the front of the class and if my embarrassment wasn't enough I felt wetness on my leg. And I'm sweating on my bum too.

I faced the class and my eyes immediately fell on Charlie. She had the strangest look on her face. Her brow was furrowed and her mouth was tight. I drew my eyes away from her and faced the class that had suddenly gone silent, wide-eyed and watching.

"My name is Jessica Underwood," I said through a dry throat. Why was everyone staring?

"From where my dear?"

"Lake George"

"Jessica Underwood from Lake George welcome to Edwin and Co, we are pleased to have you," Mr. Benson looked at the class "are we not?"

"We are!"

"We sure are," came a loud reply from the left line, third row.

"You can go back to your seat now"

I walked back to my seat thankful for the break as I  passed Charlie she mouthed something to me.

"What?" I mouthed back.

She mouthed something again incoherently. "Just speak Charlie." I got to my seat still trying to figure out what the movement of Charlie's mouth meant. 

"Miss Underwood you have introduced yourself already please take your seat quietly."

I slid in between the seat and sat down. I poked Charlie with my pen "Charlie what were you saying?"

"After the class," she whispered over her shoulder.

* * * *

The bell rang for a break and Mr. Benson picked his books and left the class. 

I tapped Charlie on the shoulder "What was it you were saying?"

Before she could respond a blonde girl walked up to me "Jessica? The principal needs you in her office"

"What for?"

She shrugged "New student stuff"

I started to stand up when Charlie held my shoulder in a strong grip "Don't even think about it. Wait here let me get my sweater"

"Charlie," the blonde girl said with an arrogant raise of her brow and an edge in her voice "The principal needs to see her now"

I stood up immediately "I'll be right back"

"Jess-"

But it was too late. The roar of laughter was almost deafening and I knew immediately that something was wrong. 

"Oh my gosh! What the fuck?!"

"Oh look, Lola, I-I think my uterus betrayed me"

"Oh no Mother nature punched me HARD today"

I realized it was the curly-haired who had spoken first and as far as acting dramatic goes she was the worst. She was clutching her belly pretending to double over and laughing so hard.

"What's so funny?" I demanded.

That got more laughter and more embarrassment for me. 

"Oh stop, Dahlia the bitch just demanded to know why we are laughing. You don't want to be reported to the authorities"

So that's what this was about. But why the insult to mother nature?

"Y-you've got something on y-your--," a boy sitting at the front trying not to get seen said quietly. He was pointing at my skirt and I looked but there was nothing there and then and turned to check the back... and then I saw it. Blood red covered my entire backside, which explained the wetness but not the source until I put two and two together. I marched up to the three bitches and snarled, "You know if this was real  blood I would like to let you know that I came screaming into this world with blood all over me and I'm not afraid to leave like that!"

"Ooo I'm frightened," the one called Lola, short dark-haired said "Got any more?"

"And this is not even real. You could have found something more convincing," and because I was looking for comebacks and running out of them in my head I rubbed my hand against the back of my skirt and got some of the - whatever- it was on it and as if my embarrassment was not enough my actions made them all laugh harder "Try harder," I said in a moment of vainglory.

The three idiots did nothing but slap hands with four guys who were sitting behind them. Fours guys and one of them was the one I had seen outside the assembly hall "Nice one Tyler"

The one, the redhead, whose name was Heather snared at me "Thanks for giving us some reason to laugh. Hope you love it here with us, Aunt Flo"

And because I was out of my elements, I mean who wouldn't be? The first official day of school and you get this? I barked at them.

At this point, I felt someone pull on my arm. It was Charlie.

"That's enough let's go"

I tried to resist but she pulled harder until I was moving against my wish.

"That's right, Charlie, take your new dog out of here"

Charlie pulled me out of the class and into the toilet. Once she locked the door she started laughing so hard she started choking on her breath.

"You think this is funny?"

"You're such an idiot!" Charlie choked out "Why did you bark at them?"

I tried not to laugh as I turned on the tap to wipe off the stuff from my skirt.

"Those were great comebacks just the wrong place for them"

"You think I don't know that? That bark did me in"

Charlie came over to help me with my skirt. There was a knock on the door. Charlie opened it and the idiot called Tyler, handsome and flawless walked past her and handed me a piece of paper with a mocking wink and left the toilet. 

"You're dead and I've just risked my reputation for you."

I opened the paper. 

         From the Bad Boys Club,

 Our own way of saying welcome. Thanks for giving us a reason to be active again.

             -BBC

I laughed. BBC? That was the best they could come up with?

* * * *

Ask Diddy your most personal interrelationship questions. Tell Diddy everything. Go on! We dare you!

Remember, the reason Ask Diddy is added to the school newspaper is to help students interact with a fellow yet an anonymous student. All secrets told to Diddy remain secret.

Dear Diddy, 

I need a girlfriend but no one is forthcoming. I keep trying to ask girls out but they either put me in the friend or brother zone and date my friends or they don't even bother making friends with me. What should I do? 

- Single and searching.

Dear single and searching,

I just want to know if your parents paid your fees so you can get a girlfriend. Good, most people date now but dating is not for everyone. Some are lucky, some are not and I gotta you if all the girls you're interested in are not interested in you too then you're among the unlucky ones. 

I just want you to be patient and stop trying so hard. Sometimes I believe in what they say "There's someone for everyone ĺ but sometimes I don't. But if you do believe in it then keep waiting.

Yours,

Diddy.