A Series Of Firsts

Twenty three★ Crazy Annie

          Annie took a deep breath, glaring at the door beside her, as though it would magically open itself. Her brothers had long exited the car, but she still didn't have the courage to do the same. It was the first day of school, but she already dreaded it. Actually, she dreaded seeing Jack. She dreaded seeing his friends. She dreaded his reaction when she talked to him after practically humiliating him in front of her mother the previous day.

          Suddenly, the door to the backseat opened and Annie,clearly startled, jumped. "Come on, it's not the first time you're attending high school." She glared at Dave at his lame joke and he rolled his eyes. "He was kind of eager to see you yesterday."

          "A day difference can change a lot of things." She mumbled and added as an afterthought, especially when you broke his heart the previous day.

          "We can talk about this when you get out. I have to lock the car."

          "But I can't face him!" Annie cried, making her brother click his tongue.

          "If you don't come out, I'll carry you." Annie knew there was truth to Dave's words, but she really felt like challenging him, so she stayed rooted in place, and he shrugged. "You asked for it." He reached out and in one swift move, scooped her in his arms. He closed the door with his leg and even with Annie squirming in his hold, he managed to lock the car.

          "Put me down!" She demanded, wiggling in his arms, but he didn't listen to her and just kept walking. She hid her face in his chest when she noticed people looking at them. It was just the first day of school and Dave had already made a show for them. "God, you're so embarrassing." Annie groaned but her brother only chuckled, knowing he wasn't embarrassed at all. When she gathered the courage to open her eyes so she could peek around, her gaze immediately caught sight of Jack, standing in the far distance by his motorcycle, watching her.

          She blinked once, twice and he was gone, she wondered if she'd imagined him in the first place. Dave, as though sensing her instant change of mood, lowered her to the ground slowly. "Have fun on your first day." He squeezed her shoulder as a form of support before walking past her inside the double doors of their very large school.

          Annie took a deep breath and schooled herself to step into the hallway. As usual, it was buzzing with excitement as friends had a lot of catching up to do, but Annie had never felt so lonely in her life. Sure, on her way to the office for her new class schedule, a few people acknowledged her, but none of them were Jack. Or Elle, or Javy. Hell, or even Xander.

          Just before her homeroom, she saw Jack at a locker which she presumed to be his and even if she had a feeling he would ignore her, she still approached him. "Hey." She mumbled, clearing her throat. Jack's gaze snapped to her, looking her over. She was plainly dressed in a blue sweatshirt and Nike leggings but his eyes seemed to linger. She cleared her throat again, but he still took his time before his eyes settled on hers and when they did, he blinked. Then, as though he didn't know her, he snapped his locker shut, casting one last her way before walking towards the opposite direction.

          That stung. More than Annie cared to admit, even if she'd hurt him first. She'd seen him standing, staring hopelessly as they drove away the previous day and she could see the confused expression he'd worn. She probably deserved it whatever he was doing to her.

          Annie blinked back the tears that threatened to escape and put on her big girl pants. She was going to talk to Jack whether he liked it or not. When she walked into her homeroom, she was surprised to find Jack in it. He was sitting at the back of the class and since there was an empty seat next to him, she quickly joined him there. A muscle in his jaw ticked, but other than that, there was no indication that he was annoyed it even noticed her presence.