Scar-Crossed Lovers.

Chapter 5.

"Class, I'd like you to meet Annabelle Walton. She's joined us here from West Virginia. I'd like you all to welcome her as you'd like to be welcomed yourself", Miss Patton announced with a broad yet serious smile. It seemed as though she was gritting her teeth, her jaw tense as Annie stood beside her feeling self-conscious.

It was her first day here at Havelok High, and if it was anything like her old school back in her home town, she wouldn't last a week. The class smiled back at her which usually would be taken as a positive sign, but she knew all too well that looks could be deceiving. Being the new kid often meant an invisible sign hung over your head saying 'easy target'; Annie wasn't a fighter but she would certainly defend herself if the occasion called for it.

"Please, take your seat at the back of the class..." the sentence was drawn out as if Miss Patton was waiting on some kind of permission or confirmation. Annie simply raised her eyebrows at her in question, hoping that her teacher could see that she wasn't a mind reader and that whatever she wanted to say, she had to spit it out.

"Do you go by Annabelle or-", Miss Patton asked politely, peering at Annie through her thin framed spectacles. Her light blonde hair was pulled back into a clip at the back of her head, still allowing her locks to drape over her shoulders. She must have been a middle aged woman; not ugly, but not pretty either. She looked a bit like the nurturing type.

"Annie", she replied, clearing her throat minutely as she hoped that everybody had heard her. If they hadn't, it was no big deal. She knew how long it took to fit in and make sincere friends, not those people who faked it just to find the gossip out about you that they could twist then try and use against you.

"Very well, Annie. I hope you don't mind being placed at the back. We gave you the seat by the window to try make you feel a little more at ease. I assumed that you would like to be out of the way of unwanted attention", Miss Patton looked partially inquiring, anxious that she'd made the wrong decision.

"The back is fine, thank you", Annie nodded briefly, making her way through the rows of tables, careful not to knock into anything or anyone. She quietly took her seat, thankful that her teacher had been courteous enough to realise that the newbie never wanted to sit at the front or the middle.

"Good, I'm sure Thomas will look after you anyway, won't you Thomas?" the teacher arched her eyebrows as though this was a rhetorical question. Judging by the sound of her voice, it came across as though Thomas was always the guy to look after the newbies.

"Yeah, I'm sure you'll look after her real good, Tommy", Gabe sneered loud enough to make the whole class erupt into a fit of giggles. His furrowed eyebrows with his cold glare could only mean one thing - for whatever unbeknownst reason, this guy had an issue with Thomas. She just hoped that he didn't give her any trouble.

"The way I looked after your Mom last night, Gay", Thomas grinned, earning himself a chorus of "oooh" and "burn!" That seemed to satisfy him, more so as Gabe huffed and turned back to the front. He turned to look at Annie, nodding respectfully at her with a cheeky smile on his face. He was handsome, she had to admit, and by the looks of things, he knew how to handle himself when it came to bullies.

"I'll take you on a guided tour once English is over", he beamed at her enthusiastically. He ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair, ruffling it a little. She heard a small sigh from across the room, one of her classmates staring at Thomas like he was Adonis, the Greek God of beauty and desire. Annie could understand why, though she had a feeling she was going to earn a lot of enemies from being seen with this guy. Great, jealous little bitches is exactly what I need, she thought.