Dear Diary

Chapter 6

Well, a minute and two snips of a scissors later I was sitting next to Anne near the front of Mr Tuttle's classroom trying to pull my new, short lock of hair into a pair of clips. 

"Okay, now?" I asked and Anne looked over my work.

"Looks good," she said and I sighed in relief.

My face still felt hot from my embarrassment as I thought about that encounter. It would just have to be my luck that something like that would happen to me. 

The door to the classroom opened, breaking me from my thoughts, and everyone looked to see who entered. My eyes widened in horror as the principal came in with the guy who helped me out of the rubbish bin behind him. His bag was slung over one shoulder and his hands stuffed in his pockets, tattooed arm on full display.

"Oh, you must be the new pupil," Mr Tuttle greeted.

Mr Tuttle was a very friendly man with grey hair and a kind smile. He was actually one of my favourite teachers. It's just the subject he taught...

"Yes," Mr Robertson nodded and turned to the class. "This is Cole Knight, and I hope you all make him feel welcomed," he introduced briefly and left the room. 

The students, more specifically the girls, hyped up at the newcomer.

"Welcome Cole, you may take a seat at any open desk," Mr Tuttle said and Cole nodded as he began walking down the isle - the isle that I happened to be seated next to. I felt my heartbeat skyrocket as he neared me. 

We made eye-contact for the briefest moment and I felt my breath hitch. I quickly ducked my head as low as possible, breaking the stare. Only once he had passed and took a seat at the back of the class did I let out a long, slow breath.

I turned to see Anne grinning at me and I felt my face flush a bright red when she moved her eyebrows up and down in quick succession. I tried to give her my most vicious glare, but she just chuckled and took out her books as Mr Tuttle tried to quieten the class to start the lesson.

-

I was starving by the time lunch rolled by and eagerly opened my packed lunch. My group was currently seated in the quad, an area that was designated to the seniors. None of us ever went to the cafeteria as we preferred eating outside in the sun. I was seated next to Anne, as usual, and had Amy on my other side.

The topic of discussion that the group was engaged in was about the hot newcomer. Surprise, surprise. 

"He's in my history class," Betty went on to say. "You should've heard what the girls were all saying about him. My ears were burning by the end of the lesson!" 

Betty - the ever-present drama queen.

"He seems like quite the loner though," Natalie, a close friend of mine since eighth grade, stated as she bit into her sandwich. "He sat at the back of my science class yet there were open desks up front."

"I wonder if he's single?" Emily asked. We were never really close, but we had common friends. One thing I did notice was that she liked the guys. A lot.

"No idea, but he's super cute! It's just those tattoos ..." Tyler trailed off as she slurped her water. "I wonder if anyone's spoken to him yet?"

Anne looked at me and slightly nudged my knee with her own. Natalie, who had eyes like a hawk, immediately caught the subtle gesture. 

"Lizzy ... did you talk to him?"

My face flushed once again as the whole group's attention turned to me. It was a well-known fact that I couldn't talk to a boy to save my life. Well, except for Richard, but we've been friends since forever.

"Sort of ..." I mumbled and looked down at my packet of crisps. Yes, I know I'm not the most healthy of people. It's ironic how I'm best friends with Anne who never eats a drop of anything unhealthy.

"He saved her from a rubbish bin!" Anne piped up and the whole group shouted out in surprise, causing my blush to deepen.

"Spill. Now." Natalie said, her brown eyes boring into my own and I knew that there was no way out of this. If Natalie wanted to find out something, she won't stop until she knows every last detail.

"I sort of tripped and fell into a bin, and couldn't get out so he helped me," I muttered.

"Aw, he's like your Knight in shining armour." 

The group burst out laughing at Natalie's pun, but she never once looked away from me. "And what else?" she pushed.

Natalie loved gossip, but she was safe to tell secrets to as she never spread them, unlike me who forgets that it's a secret and accidentally tells someone. I have the worst of memories.

"That's it. I said thanks and he walked off," I finished.

"Not to mention that they looked at each other in maths today!" Anne decided to add, causing me to scowl at her. 

Natalie squealed in happiness. "You might get a boyfriend this year, Lizzy!"

"Don't be daft," I mumbled. "He's only been here... What? Three hours? That's hardly enough time to know if he's boyfriend material. Besides most of you haven't had boyfriends either!"

"I agree with you Lizzy," Betty added, completely ignoring my last statement. "But Cole definitely isn't your type of boyfriend. You're a little Miss-Goody-Toe-Shoes, church-goer and I hear he's a real bad-boy."

"Yeah, well, anyone can guess that by his tattoos and piercing," Tyler said. 

"No, I mean, I heard he was expelled from his last school for smashing some guy's face that just looked at him wrong. The only reason he's here is because he's Mr Robertson's nephew. No other school would take him. Trust me, that boy is bad news."

The rest of the group voiced their agreement.

I wanted to agree with the rest of the group, but I don't know why I didn't. I just didn't get the same feeling from him that everyone else claimed to feel. Besides, they were just rumours about him ... right?