The Newcomer (SEMI-ON HOLD)

Chapter Eight

KIM'S POV

    A role of a best friend is still obscure. Kennedy and I have been best friends for years, and a lot of those years consisted of me rescuing her from a party because she can barely walk out of the venue. And it's very typical of her to skip school the morning after a party because she's hungover.

    Today is not different, that's how I ended up with the blessing of having lunch with Jacky by myself. It wasn't planned, we just ran into each other in the hallway. We never usually have lunch in the cafeteria, we take the roof deck at the front of the school. Both of us hate the rowdiness of the cafeteria, and this is the best place.

    Lunch with Jacky alone shouldn't be too awkward, but it is. No one brought up what happened last night, not once. I might be in over my head, but she's quieter than normal. Until—

    "What did you tell that freshman?" She asked me out of the blue.

    I looked up from my laptop screen, my eyes wide pretending I didn't hear her, and hoping she would press on but... "Which one?" I ask innocently.

    Jacky smirks, shaking her head. "The one who asked if I was your girlfriend," she clarified, but she didn't need to because I knew exactly what she was asking about! I just wished I didn't.

    And I just sat there, clearing my throat as a response. I shook my head and went back to pretending I'm rendering the video presentation for the assembly tomorrow. That only happened because of what happened last night. I'm still figuring out what it is with Charlotte because when Jacky and I shared the look, Charlotte looked like she was slapped by a brick wall!

That girl, seriously. She wants to hog a lot of things, and a lot of people.

The whole time we were sitting on the roof deck, me watching her chew on an apple over my laptop screen as she flicks through her English textbook. She frowns slightly, full concentration for whatever she's reading. Luckily, that kept her from noticing how I'm looking at her, and wishing she never saw what happened.

Now, it's weird! We may seem okay, but the last thing you want is for the person you like see you kissing someone else! Even if you don't know that they like you, you'll never know now cause you messed that up already!

After school, I told Jane I'll be putting the video together at home. When I did get home, I was met with a surprise; my dad's car is parked in the driveway. He's not meant to be back until tomorrow, and he usually comes back later than earlier— well, I guess we now cracked the mystery of why I'm always late. It's in my genes.

"I'm home!" I yelled when I came in the house. Not long after, I hear footsteps from upstairs. My father smiles from the top of the stairs before running down, meeting me with a hug. "Why are you home early?" I ask him. He's still in an office shirt and slacks so it hasn't been long since he got here.

"Meetings went smoothly, they didn't need us to stay another day!" He exclaims, "I wanted to come home, because we have unfinished business!" I frown, confused. "Your scholarship! Tell me all bout it!"

Oh! That one. We make it to the sofa where I drop myself on the cushions and fiddled with a loose thread on the pillowcase. "Are you sure you want to hear it?" I ask, my voice sounding more nervous than it should.

He smiles, nodding at me. "Tell me everything! Is it Yale?" He asks enthusiastically, being a proud alumnus of the prestigious college. "Is it for business? Accountancy? Biology?"

Oh god, don't do this right now, dad. I shake my head but his smile doesn't fade. When he mentions every Ivy League, and I follow it with a shake of the head, that's when signs of confusion appears, and possibly disappointment is about to follow. This is our first conversation alone without mom in a long time, and I'm bringing more of a bad news for than good. It's so hard to disappoint dad, and he's not the most accepting about my career path of choice.