I woke up startled as my body lurched forward without my permission. I frantically looked around, but calmed down when I realized I was in the passenger seat of my car, a terrified Megan at the wheel. "What the hell happened?" I grumbled, rubbing my temples. Megan looked at me, half shocked and half relieved. "That's what I should be asking you!" she said, frantically. Her blue eyes were still wide with shock, but her nervous shaking had stopped and she now had a steady hand on the wheel.
"I don't know." I said, blinking rapidly to clear up the last of the fog from my eyes. The pain had almost completely stopped, the only remnant of it being some sort of buzzing feeling from the scratches themselves. "Do you know how I found you? You were passed out on the ground, your clothes were torn!" she said. "Do you know how freaked out I was?"
I looked at her somewhat confused. "Relax, I'm fine, I just need to lay down for a while. Or forever. I'm cool with whichever." I said. Megan seemed to be thinking of whether or not it was a good idea, thoroughly contemplating whether or not to take me home or to take me to the hospital. "Fine, but if you have any complications, go to the hospital." she said. "Go. To. The. Hospital."
"Aye aye." I replied. The rest of the car ride was in an uncomfortable silence as I tried to sleep and Megan occasionally glanced over at me, her face still drowning in worry. Thankfully, the drive wasn't too long as we once again drove up the driveway and into the garage of my house. "Do you need me to call someone?" I said, walking into the house.
Megan shook her head. "No, I'm good." she said. "See ya tomorrow."
"See ya." I replied. Megan walked out of the garage onto the street, walking towards what I could assume was her house. My dad and stepmother weren't in the house, and the dogs seemed to be sleeping on the couch. Picking up the notepad on the table I quickly jotted down a note for my dad or Leah.
Went to bed early
M.A
I don't know why I signed it, seeing that I was the only other person who could've wrote it, but I did anyway. I walked up the steps and into my room, closing the door behind me as I collapsed on my bed. Sleep was a welcome savior.
I woke up to the annoying sound of my new alarm clock, placed strategically on my nightstand, as close to my head as possible. My eyes fluttered open and I yawned, slowly getting up. Groaning, I turned off the necessary evil and rose to my feet.
The familiar sound of light rain was welcomed as I combed through my closet. According to my dad, Leah had bought me a brand new wardrobe and was excited for me to try on some of what she had bought. As I usually did when it came to dressing myself, I grabbed the closest things to me and hoped for the best.
Thankfully, fate decided that I could look decent today. I pulled out dark blue jeans and a long, black tank top with the words; coffee, rain, and rocky coasts on the it. My boots were black, calf-sized combat boots that were practically brand new. To top it off I put on an unbuttoned blue and black flannel shirt that had sleeves that rolled up to a little past the elbow.
Then, as if it was automatic, I put on a little mascara and a nude lip color, nothing too fancy or extreme for my tastes. Then I pulled up my hair in a messy bun and preferred downstairs to find the source of the tantalizing scent.
In the kitchen, Leah and my dad were serving themselves pancakes, grits, and sausage while they laughed together. I couldn't help but wonder if he had been that way with my mom, or if it was just meaningless sex. Either way, they both had refused to tell me. "Morning, Malia, would you like some breakfast?" My dad said, realizing I was standing in the doorway.
"Yes please." I replied, happily taking the white breakfast plate he was handing me. Leah happily served me, and led me to the dining room, my father not too far behind. "So, are you excited for your first day at school here?" Leah asked, sitting across from me at the large, eight seat table. In all honesty, I didn't want to go to school, I wanted to sleep longer, wake up, then sleep some more. "Yup." I lied, not wanting to seem ungrateful or bitter or something.
"Well, the girl's lacrosse team has weight training today, unless you would rather come home and rest." My dad said. It was still pretty clear he was somewhat uncomfortable with this new, more active role as a father. It was clear he wanted to be involved, but he just didn't know how.
At least he was trying.
"Yeah, I'm going to weightlifting." I said. It was more for Megan than for them. I didn't want her thinking I was dying or anything.
••••••
I pulled up into the parking space of the school and took a good look at the building. It was pretty modern and full of large windows where the students were clearly visible, walking up and down the steps and through the hallways. Though it was modern, it still retained a rustic vibe like the rest of the town with dark wood panels and grey stone detailing. The building was surrounded by towering pine trees and large, flowery bushes.
On the sidewalk where the students were going in and out, I could clearly see Megan talking to Erika and some other guy. He was of average height, had some muscles on him, and wore a simple long sleeved shirt with jeans and hiking boots. He was somewhat attractive, at least from a distance, and had dark brown hair. The most striking feature he had, however, was a slanted jaw that looked like it had once been broken and never set correctly.
Since I didn't really know anyone else, and only had a somewhat vague schedule to help me through the school, I headed up towards them, casually walking into their conversation. They didn't seem to notice me, or they just did care, either way they continued talking as if I had not just slid into their social circle.
"Trust me, it gets weirder." Erika said, "She got a fake tan and hair extensions." The guy shuddered in mock horror as Megan shook her head in disappointment. Who are they talking about? I thought. I got my answer. Almost unrecognizable, I saw Rachel walk out of the school and make a beeline for, who I assumed was, her squad. At first I was confused, her hair was much, much longer than it was last night, and her olive-like skin tone had become like a fake copper, or oompa loompa as I like to say.
Even her clothing seemed somewhat out of character. When I had met her on the beach I kind of assumed her clothing style was probably a more clean cut style, but today she shocked me by her plaid shirt and worn, jean shorts.
"Wait a minute." Megan said, straining her eyes to get a closer look. "Malia, didn't you wear that exact same plaid shirt last night?" Startled by the acknowledgment of my existence, I hesitated before taking a closer look. Sure enough it was the exact same shirt I had worn, now ruined by whatever had attacked me.
The guy looked at me, then Rachel, then me, then Rachel, then me again. "The long hair, the tan, the shirt..." He said, "I think she's trying to be you!" The guy started laughing and laughing hard. He was doubled over, his hand resting on the tree beside us as he let it all out. Erika and Megan joined in leaving me to wonder what the joke was.
"The...oh so...great leader....of the.....Tempest Club.....is mimicking.... the new girl?" Erika said through fits of laughter. Although I don't think she heard us, Rachel turned to us with a clearly annoyed look on her face as her friends seemed to chuckle at her new appearance. One of them seemed to connect the dots, pointing at me then laughing at her.
That seemed to be the last straw for Rachel who promptly got up and stormed back inside the school, pushing any and everyone out of her way. Megan opened her mouth to say something, her laughter dying down, but she was cut off by the 7:41 bell.
"Well, time to get to class." Erika said, getting up from her spot on the ground, "See ya third period." She strutted off into the school, disappearing into the swarm of students. "So, what class do you have first?" Megan asked, putting her hair up into a ponytail.
"Uh..." I said, pulling out my mint green schedule, "Biology with Mr. Dawson."
"Sweet, that means you have the same class with Taylor and me." Megan said. "Come on, let me show you to your locker while we still have time." Megan and Taylor walked to the school with me close behind them.
Outside I had plenty of space, but inside - I was completely overwhelmed. The tiles were a light brown and the lockers were a bright blue and most of them were decorated with sports and club signs. Where there weren't lockers and doors, the walls were covered in posters and papers about the "Black Pines Wolves", the school team/mascot.
People were swarmed around doors and lockers, laughing and talking about whatever they wanted. Social media, homework, dating, anything and everything really. "So, where's your locker?" Megan said, walking through the crowd like a pro.
"Um, it's, uh.." I began, I pulled out my locker number from the front pocket of my black leather backpack, "1889."
Megan smiled, "Cool, so yours is across the hall from mine." She said. She led us down to the cafeteria and turned down into another hallway. Here the lockers weren't bright blue, instead they were black, and the walls were the plain brick. "Welcome to the Sophomore's hall. Here is where the Sophomore's lockers are, upstairs are Freshman, and the two main halls belong to the upperclassmen." Taylor explained. Megan stopped in front of a plain black locker smashed between two lockers covered in sports and music signs. "There you go, 1889." She said.
I opened my locker and placed my jacket inside, soon it would be full of notebooks and textbooks. Ugh. "Alright, let's go, we've only got three minutes until the bell rings." Taylor said. Megan nodded and gestured for me to follow them as if I had any choice. The two led me back to the main hall and up the steps to the science hallway. Fortunately for us, we had just made it into the room as the bell rang.
"Well done." The teacher said. Mr. Dawson was a man seemingly in his late forties, but still quite good looking. "I guess we have a new student, Miss..."
"Malia. Malia Ashwood." I replied.
"Well Malia Ashwood, you can sit next to Miss Rachel right in front." He said, gesturing to my seat. The tables were painted black with two people per seat. Rachel had drastically changed since earlier this morning, now wearing a black and white maxi dress with a blue long-sleeved jacket/sweater for a pop of color. Her tan had been washed off, though there were some remnants of it, and the extensions had been removed.
She looked at me as if I was her greatest enemy, and she was not happy I was sitting next to her for the next nine weeks every morning. The feeling was mutual.
I sat down in the seat next to her, and tried not to make eye contact. Already it was a sucky day. Out of the corner of my eye, to my relief, Taylor and Megan sat in the table behind us.
There was some mercy in this world!
Can I get a hallelujah?
Anyway, as I was inwardly celebrating the amazing feeling of not being alone, my back began to start to buzz. My vision started to slightly blur, the sound of the chalk on the blackboard became louder times a hundred.
I could hear a pencil break behind me. "Damn it." A voice whispered. My vision started to sharpen and focused on the small mirror on Mr. Dawson's desk. I saw a boy, his head down, holding a broken pencil in the back corner of the room.
Instinctively, I pulled out a pencil in my bag and handed it to Megan, gesturing towards the disgruntled guy. As soon as the pencil left my hand, everything went back to normal.
"Alright, any questions?" Mr. Dawson asked, turning his attention from the blackboard back to the class.
Yes, but you wouldn't know how to answer them. I thought.