In Case of Broken Hearts

𝄞 4. Afternoon in F-Minor

The same girl then launches into a giggly conversation with her friend on the next seat and Alice decides to tune out the sound though it's kind of hard since they are not at all being subtle with it.

She could've sworn Moon Boy was making eye contact with her, and she feels quite awful knowing that he might not, after all.

"Yeah right, as if Jake would ever look at you."

An unsolicited comment causes Alice to turn her head around. She finds a Middle-Eastern-looking girl sitting right behind her eagerly takes responsibility for it.

"Get a grip, Hannah. Jake is so not looking at you. He's looking at her."

Alice's eyes go wide when she, all of a sudden, gets dragged into what seems like a catfight waiting to happen. Stifled laughter from the people around them erupts, and whispers start to spread from seat to seat.

"Fuck off, Sam, why would Jake be looking at her?" Hannah retorts before eyeing her hard as if to decide if Sam's presumption could be true.  "No offense, new girl." Hannah adds, a bit snarky, but overall, less hostility than the one directed for Sam. "You don't know, Jake, do you? And you're not like, his cousin or something, right?"

Alice shakes her head and keeps her mouth shut as Sam promptly scoffs to counter Hannah. It doesn't take a genius to see that there's bad blood between those two girls.

"Well, for reasons he's not looking at you of course." Sam's comeback earns a round of cheering and Alice swears so hard inside. This is so not the kind of situation she wants to be in for her first day. For God's sake, she hasn't even found her locker yet.

"Jealous much, Sam? Don't be a bitch and get yourself a boyfriend already before daddy marries you off to a goat farmer." Hannah bites back with a racist remark that scares the hell out of her. Back in Camden no one would be caught dead with that kind of tongue though it might be another story behind closed doors.

"Oh, yeah? Well at least I can bring the goat farmer as my plus one instead of crying in the single table at Jake's wedding." Sam's following mock-cry earns a roaring laugh from the girls this time, and for that, they get a scold from one of the Senior Prefects.

"You know what, Sam, just back the fuck off me, will you? I can't believe Jake is friends with someone like you. I swear, I'll get him away from you once we're together." Hannah seethes with a hushed voice after the Senior Prefect left.

"Which will never happen." Sam's snickers. "Why don't we ask Anna and see what she thinks about it, yeah? I'm sure she'll be happy to share her thought."

Hannah's jaw drops, and for whatever reason, she stops entertaining Sam and doesn't even look back when Sam tries to get under her nerve some more. Whatever it is, Alice is just grateful that she's off the hook and she keeps her head down until the principal ends the assembly with a round of applause to officially start the new school year.

It takes a bit of time for everyone in the auditorium to join the line for the queue to the exit door as mandated by their year's student leader and she sticks out like a sore thumb during that short moment where freedom is exercised. The fact that she's not a familiar face for a school that offers classes from Kindy surely has something to do with it, but the backpack on her hand which she desperately tries to hide is amplifying that spotlight effect way more than she likes it to be, given that no one else is holding theirs.

"Bags should be stored in the locker first thing in the morning here." Their year's Student Leader for the girls comments as she controls the crowd and gathers the strays at the back.

"Right, sorry." Alice mutters her apology as she takes a second look at the gorgeous looking Asian girl with a bronze skin who might be of Thai, or Malay origin.