When Lightning Ignites [COMPLETED]

Chapter 21: First Day of School

Julie's first moments at her new school were about as uneventful as any school. It was only a few days after her rescue, but life continued on the island. Mandy and Darcy were back in Atlanta, only remembering the vacation being cut short because Jamie needed more rest. She shivered thinking about the facility, glad that she would be distracted with whatever her first day of school had in store.

The buildings looked eerily the same as the other school, stone and stately. Formal gardens with benches surrounded them all. If it wasn't the fact that it was bigger, with strangers surrounding her, it was almost as if she was at the other school again.

She ignored the stares as Jamie walked with her to their classroom. They had all the same classes, something her parents had worked out. The teacher nodded at them as they sat down.

Unlike the other school, this room was full of kids. A few of the girls whispered to each other and stared her up and down as she entered. Melissande laughed at something, her glossy, brown hair swinging around her as her beautiful dark eyes narrowed on Julie. She and Kara could almost have been twins except for the hair and eye color. Both were tall and willowy, model–like and perfect, but where Kara was kind, Melissande was not.

Julie rolled her eyes and pushed her chin up in the air, resisting the urge to fidget under the glare of Rory's ex–girlfriend before he broke it off to be with her. Except now they weren't even together.

She didn't care what people said about her, but she was out of her element here. How could she brush stuff off now?

"Julie, over here." Jamie pointed at a desk in the front of the room next to him.

Rory walked into class late, staring at her as he came in. Their eyes met, and she stiffened. Her body reacted like she knew it would. She yearned to get up and throw herself in his arms.

She drew a slow breath. Weeks of fighting it off had helped her control, but the feeling never lessened. She blinked back tears. It was always going to be this way—this need to be with him, even if her mind screamed no.

Jamie tensed up beside her. Was he going to throw himself between them? She pulled her gaze away. Her stomach churned, and her fingertips grew warm. How could she do this? How could she be in class with him every day like it was normal?

Rory took the first seat available, next to Melissande, who smiled at him and threw a smug look over her shoulder. Julie's heart clenched. She didn't want him, but this hurt.

He frowned and moved to another seat. Melissande glared after him, her gaze moved to Julie's, and her dark eyes sparkled with hatred.

Julie gulped. This girl hated her. Even the dancers in the past who were jealous never looked at her like that. Melissande wanted to kill her. And they barely knew each other. There was no other way to describe that look. The girls sitting around Melissande leaned in toward her, patting her on the back. A few others glared back at Julie too.

This was so unfair. It was like throwing salt on the open wound she already had from breaking it off with Rory. She didn't know he was with Melissande when he was with her too. Why wasn't he getting all this hate?

The class itself was relatively boring. It was history. Okay, so some people would find the history of the Fey and humans interesting, but it was still history. Dry, boring history, which was at odds with all the tension in the room.

She sat stiffly all through class, barely paying attention, when all she wanted to do was put her head down and cover it with her arms. She felt eyes boring into her back from Rory and the girls. If it was going to be like this every day, she might go crazy.