Fixing Her

Chapter VI

"It's very nice to meet you," I hear myself say.

For each second that goes, I feel more like moving here was a good decision.

"Indeed."

"And I'm Angela," the lady says and shakes my hand with both hers.

"Hayden," I say, forcing myself to smile at them all.

The girl who's name I now know is Mia stays quiet in the back as the gray haired man starts talking.

"Okay," he says and motions for us to sit down. "It's never too early. Take a seat."

We sit down on the chairs of the classroom as they take their seats on the chairs they've placed in front of the desk. "Mia told me what had happened, and I talked to Mr. Hathaway to see what we can do about the situation. Can I know once more why we can't find your name in any system?"

I swallow. What lie am I supposed to tell this quickly to the people who know everything about what I'm gonna lie about?

"I told you," Isaac says, causing me to stare at him. "She changed her last name to her mother's husband's in the summer."

"Isaac, I asked her."

Isaac leans back in the chair and looks at me with some quite raised eyebrows.

"Tell them what you told us," he just simply says, as if he did not just lie for me without knowing why.

I would personally spend the upcoming five minutes to just stare at him, but the suspicion of the adults in front of me that in any second can send me in a plane back to Minneapolis causes me to open my mouth and form a few words.

"Yeah," I say and look at them. "They've been married since I was a kid, and I changed this summer. We talked to my previous school, but there was something wrong with their system that time, so they couldn't save my new name."

I swallow as I try reading their minds. I promise they're not buying it. They don't look like the people to easily believe in a lie as bad as this one.

"Would you mind if we check in the system for your name before the change?" Mr. Hathaway asks as he starts walking to the other side of the desk, to the computer.

No no no! You're dead! Isaac's here! They'll find everything out, stop!

"No," I hear my lips form. I don't know why part of me ignores all the hurdlers that are coming my way in a straight line after each other. "Not at all."

Isaac's observing me, and now I've got two options; either lie to the boys again and go back home, or lie to the school and answer the boys' questions later. Which one comes with the least trouble?

Only one of those options are safe Hayden!

"Last name and name," he says, and I inhale sharply as Isaac's eyes pierce through me. This is it. Here it comes.

"Kendricks," I say. "Hayden."

I don't dare look at Isaac, I just keep my gaze focused on the computer, as if by doing that, I can change everything there. Change it all and put in the identity of Hayden Rivera there.

"Straight A's," Mr. Perkins says when he reads the information from over Mr. Hathaway's shoulder silently, but the widening of my eyes must show him I heard him. Straight A's? I'm not straight A's. "No detention, good records, good clubs and organizations.... Parker Graham, interesting. One more thing before we get on with that test."

I'm oblivious to everything that's going on right now, but I just play along. I'm pretty sure I'll get an explanation from Isaac later. Or so I hope.