Obstacles

Chapter 1: The New Kid

Monday morning, I sigh as I get up and start my routine for school. As I trudge into the bathroom, my mother appears, popping her head through the doorway. "Oh good Emma, you're awake" she smiles, "breakfast is ready" She walks out before I could say anything. Hopping into the warm shower, thoughts of last night drift into my head, I push them aside and wash my hair.

I dry my hair with my towel and wrap it up. I'm not the type of person to wear makeup, so I decide to just do my hair. I turn on my blow dryer and flat iron on and connect my beats pill as tunes blast out. Slipping my clothes on, I zone out and start playing with my nails.

After I finish, I grab my Vans bag and phone and head downstairs.

"Mornin' sleepy head, glad you finally decided to come downstairs" my dad says while he fixes his newspaper. I slap a slight smile in his direction before eating the toast with turkey bacon and butter my mom left out for me. "Do you need a lift to school?" My brother walks into the kitchen. I politely decline his offer and make my way out the door and to the bus stop.

Once I reach the school, it was 8:45 and I had fifteen minutes to get to class, seeing as though school itself started at 9, I let time pass by waiting outside the school gates for no one in particular.

I feel someone tap my shoulder and I turn around to face the one and only Paige Crunen, not only was she my best friend, she was my sister, we've known each other since pre-K. She jumps onto me and I loose my balance as we both fall to the floor laughing.

"Hey cracken" I playfully punch her shoulder as we both dust ourselves off. "Dilemma" she smiles facing me. I call her cracken because of a weird fetish she used to have of cracking things, she calls me dilemma because it has my name in it and she's corny. "Let's head to class" I say as I shake my head and laugh.

Emma and I have different Schedules so we only see each other 3rd and 6th period not including lunch which we also have together 4th. My first class is English and hers is History. We say our goodbyes at the hallway that separates the two rooms.

I walk into the class and sit at the back where the sockets are and decide to charge my phone seeing as though the teacher isn't here nor will she be here in the next 30 minutes. I pull out my headphones and drown out the chatter boxes with Arctic Monkeys. After my guess of 30 minutes was clearly correct, the teacher walks in and starts to set up, but after a little while gets pulled outside for something.

Not paying any mind to her, I look out the window at two people crossing the street, they seem happy.

No one can be that happy.

With a start, I'm pulled out of my gaze by the teacher walking in with a student, I can't see his or her face but telling by the girls' reactions, he is a guy, and a cute one. I never pay attention to cute guys because I think it's a waste of time when I could be doing something that benefits me and is for my well being.

He turns around and we lock eyes for about a second. He has hazel eyes with a hint of green, black hair that looks like it's in a quiff but it's hard to tell because he is wearing a leather jacket that has a black hood which he has on. His black skinny jeans with holes at the knees claim he is a 'bad boy.'

He must be emo.

I laugh slightly at my thought. He doesn't seem emo but if he keeps wearing all black and hiding behind his hood, that's the impression that's going to radiate off of him.

"Ms. Anderson. Ms. Anderson"

A figure comes up to my desk and starts waving a hand in front of my face. I take notice and roll my eyes as they land on my shoes. I bend over and wipe off a dust mark on them and look back up at the teacher as I hear people trying to hold back their laughter.

Assholes.

"Yes Mrs. Bark" I raise my eyebrows while looking up at her. "Miss" she corrects me.

"Sorry I forgot you weren't married" I mumble looking down at my shoes again. I could sense her roll her eyes. I quickly remember that she came up to me in a sense of wanting something. "Can I help you with anything?" I didn't mean for it to come out rudely, but it did. Eh.

"This is Alexander Carmelo, I would like for you to show him around seeing as though you need to pay off demerits and you have the highest grade in my class" she ushers for Alexander to come closer.

"Thanks but no thanks" I decline. "I have things I need to do, problems I need to solve, I'm pretty sure someone else would be willing to do so."

"You don't understand Ms. Anderson, you-"

"No, I do understand," I cut her off.

She sighs and walks towards Alexander. "Sit next to Emma" she points in my direction. "I will find a seat for you next week."

No one ever really sits in the it assigned seats.

"And hood off Mr. Carmelo" he does as told.

For the rest of class we sit quietly, me dozed off and him on his phone.

Next period is turning out to be an absolute bore. I tuned out Mr. Ryan's lecture on respect for your elders and looked in Alexander's direction. To my surprise, he was looking at me, he caught my gaze and I quickly turned away.

Before class ended, we were given our assignments for the night. We have to look up 1 article about any topic and rewrite it in an opinionated tone and blah blah blah, I don't care.

I ran out of the class to math where I would be reunited with Paige.

"Stop running in the halls Anderson" Principle Phillip yelled in my direction. I ignored him and kept jogging; not running, to math.

As soon as I get to class, cracken runs up to me and I'm instantly engulfed into a hug.

We sit down and I decide not to tell her about the new kid because she is going to find out on her own.

As if on script timing, in walks Alexander, in sync with my thoughts. He glances over at me and gives me a slight dirty look which I happily accepted but got confused as to what I did.

Then it hit me.

He doesn't have a schedule yet and I totally ditched him seeing as though I was supposed to 'show him around,' which I was not okay with doing at all, and I strictly jammed the fact that I was not going to have that responsibility into the teachers slouched little head.

So the question is... Does he have trouble comprehending conversations? Words?

I slouch down into my seat as my stomach starts to hurt.

"Get up you look like a dinosaur" Paige says snapping my gaze from my hands that fiddle around with the rim of my sweater.

I laugh slightly but groan at the pain the comes with sitting up.

After about 15 minutes of everyone either talking or in my case on their phone, in walks a teacher, I'm guessing a substitute with a long nose and hair that needs to be combed.

"Hello class, I'm Ms. Ocasio, you're substitute for the day" cheering erupts through the room, but I glue my eyes to my phone. "Even though I am a substitute, I expect respect and gratitude from you all, now, your teacher has left some work but I will proceed to take attendance."

She talks like she has a stick up her-

"Emma Anderson?" I look up, and raise my hand slightly. "Please respond with 'here.' Emma Anderson" I force out a 'here' loud enough for her to hear. "Thank you"

Thank you my ass.

After she finishes, I put on my bag and Paige does the same as she knows exactly what I'm doing.

"Alright let's go" I nod my head towards her. She hesitates. "Cracken"

"I don't think we should today, Phillip has been roaming the halls all day looking for troubled adolescents" she shakes her head, looking down.

I scoff. "I don't care, come on" I laugh and pull her hand as she starts laughing along with me.

"Where do you two think you're going?" A nasally voice calls out.

"Anywhere but here!"