Dear Diary

Chapter 32

"Please keep quiet everyone," Mr Evans droned, half-bored out of his mind. "We have a new student and her name is Mindy Prescott," he said and the whole class turned to look at a small girl who entered. 

Her long brown hair reached her mid-back and her bangs concealed her forehead while thick-rimmed glasses perched on her delicate nose. She wore a large sweater with baggy pants and worn-out sneakers.

"H-Hi," she mumbled and glanced up at the crowd once before shooting her eyes back to her sneakers. She licked her lips nervously and pulled a piece of her hair behind her right ear.

Sophia watched her with a slight frown as she leaned back in her seat with her arms crossed over her chest. There was something oddly familiar with how this new girl acted.

"Mindy, you can take a seat in the desk near the back in front of Sophia and Luke," Mr Evans said and she ducked her head in a nod before quickly making her way to the desk. The only reason she knew was because Luke waved at her.

"Hey," Luke greeted and flashed a welcoming smile to try and ease her, but she merely ducked her head further and hastily sat down in her seat. 

Luke didn't seem affected by the rejection, but more along the concerned lines. He past a glance at Sophia and she shrugged her shoulders.

The lesson began soon after and Mr Evans gave them two activities to do in class which, if they didn't finish, had to be completed as homework. Never mind the fact that they each consisted of one hundred questions. 

A knock came at the door, but Sophia didn't bother looking up. She was too busy trying to figure out why this new girl felt so familiar. She had obviously never met her before. She never forgot a face. So what was it?

"Oh no," Luke suddenly said. "Here we go again." 

Sophia looked up and saw Miss Dempsey walk into the room.

"What's wrong?"

Luke moved closer to her and began to whisper, "Miss Dempsey has had this massive crush on Mr Evans ever since she arrived here a year ago. The whole school can see it, but he's oblivious."

"Maybe he knows, just isn't interested. He probably already has a girlfriend," Sophia offered.

She knew he wasn't married. He didn't wear a ring.

"Highly unlikely," Luke said. "Have you ever seen someone with such a sour face who isn't single? He's been here for more than twenty years and as far as I know he's never so much as looked at anyone."

"And this concerns us how?" Sophia asked as she drew her attention back to her work when she saw Miss Dempsey try to touch his arm. 

She certainly didn't feel like watching middle-aged people flirt.

"I'm just curious," Luke stated before returning to his own work.

-

The bell went forty-five minutes later and Sophia slowly packed up her things, watching how Mindy hastily packed hers and dashed out the room. This girl was bothering Sophia. Why was she so familiar? 

Luke waited for her, as he usually did. Sophia had given up trying to push him away. It was obvious he wasn't ever going to leave her alone and she had come to accept his presence as part of her daily life. They made their way out the room.

"Hey, Sophia, I have to go to a meeting so I'll see you later, okay?" Luke said and she nodded her head. 

She really didn't see why he had to tell her that.

He gave her a smile before making his way down the crowded corridor. But despite her indifferent attitude towards the boy, she couldn't deny that it felt a little weird not having him standing next to her. She had grown accustomed to him that she almost felt a little empty. But she didn't have time to dwell on the thoughts as someone yelled to her from down the corridor.