Heart In A Shell (On Hold)

Chapter Six: Miss Burger Face.

North Ridge High School.

Those beautiful words possessed my heart a type of joy that couldn't be explained. It was practically impossible to prevent a large smile from breaking on my face as I stood in front of my new school.

Mum had dropped me off, but not before spelling out her list of rules, which had failed to capture my attention as I was too busy imagining what my new classroom would be like.

There were throngs of students all over the parking lot, pushing their way to the front doors—but not me.

Taking a step back, I let my vision take in the tall grey building right in front of me.

It was simply magnificent!

With my feet still rooted to the ground, I let air into my lungs—as much air as possible. This air was special. Why? Because it carried the smell of that one thing I'd been praying for my whole life—freedom.

Well, not full freedom, but at least Mum let me attend a public school.

This single action of hers had become a fuel to my fire. The fire of hope in my heart that one day, she would let me socialize more and, ultimately, allow me to study Fine Arts in college.

She would have to give in to my demands, just like she did today. But for now, we were taking it one step at a time.

Unconsciously, my fingers found my necklace—my only grounding in nervous situations like these. It was the only thing that could stop my heart from pounding so ceaselessly but however, seemed to be working less than usual.

As a result, my heart continued its rhythmic dance against my chest as I walked, just like everyone else, through the front doors.

My field of view was immediately filled with long rows of lockers on both sides of the wall. The hall was packed with students, numerous voices bouncing off its wall but my brain was zoned out.

The only thought that ran through my mind was how I would soon own a locker like every single teen in the school.

Tentatively, I leaped forward, venturing down the hallway. Different eyes prickled the back of my neck, following my movement and unsettling my nerves even more.

Calm down, Rachel. You're the new girl. Of course! Everyone is going to stare at you.

I walked slowly—not knowing where I was headed—while my brain fought the urge to run like hell! There was no way I could do that though. I didn't want people to start thinking I was a psycho new girl. But when my mind was in full freak-out mode, I hardly became aware of my surroundings.

My attention was fleeting, and I didn't realise when I slammed into something hard—not hard enough though since the force of the hit didn't make me fall. I heard a sharp curse and my eyes dipped to the floor to find a girl right there, busy gathering scattered papers and books all around her.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" I crouched to her level and joined in gathering the papers.

"Didn't see you coming there." I tried to explain, while handing her the books with me as we both found our feet.

My eyes locked in on a set of sparkling emerald orbs coupled with a lazy smile that got me stunned.

"It's no problem." The new girl waved her free hand dismissively. "I wasn't looking either."

"Still, I'm very sorry." The nervousness that had settled in my stomach made my voice shaky. "It's just... I'm new here and still so confused about where I'm supposed to go so—"