Chapter Five
1114 Words
“Be careful! Make sure to wait for me after school. Remember, no subway or school bus allowed!”
May shut the car door with a loud bang, ignoring her still talking father and running off into the school with a sulking face. He did that on purpose! How could she not tell?
After getting the whole process done in the past two weeks, she had woken up very early that morning and full of energy. It was going to be her first day of school and like every other kid her age, she was excited. She even made the move to prepare breakfast for her and her father!
However, her excitement was cut short when her father kept coming up with one reason or the other. First, he had come down for breakfast late and without showering! Then after breakfast, he had spent nearly forty minutes in his room ‘preparing’ to drop her to school. By the time she arrived, it was five minutes before the school gates would be shut.
Seriously?
It was her first day at school. She was supposed to make a good impression by coming super early but thanks to him, that was ruined. Sulking, she walked down the hallway to report to the principal’s office. She stopped in the middle of the hallway filled with students with a sigh. Not only was this her first day at school, it was her first day outside the house since the day she was born and she couldn’t help but tremble. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, trying hard not to let her anxiety show in her face. She couldn’t tell if she failed or if she was doing just fine.
“Hi!” A voice called from behind her.
May’s fingers trembled and the books in her hands fell to the ground. She turned behind her to see a pretty blonde girl with pink lipstick and a pretty smile on. “H—Hi.” She managed to reply before bending to pick her books off the ground.
“Did I scare you? I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to.”
She straightened her back, feigning a smile. “It’s fine. I wasn’t really scared. I was just…” She swallowed. This was harder than she thought. “…surprised. Yes, I was surprised.”
“Oh.” The pretty girl nodded. “Are you new here? Forgive me for asking. You were standing in the middle of the hallway for so long without moving. I am sure I am not the only one who noticed that.”
May’s eyes roamed around the hall. Indeed, the blonde was right. There were numerous eyes on her. Quickly, she moved close to the wall, wishing something else would happen so they would stop looking at her.
The blonde girl laughed as if noticing her fear. “It’s okay. They don’t bite.”
She nodded. She had never had to be the center of attraction. Ever. “You are right. I am new here. I was actually trying to figure out my way to the principal’s office. Can you show it to me?”
Thankfully, all her years of being homeschooled had not been in vain. At least, she could communicate well with people.
“Sure! It is not biggie. Come with me.”
May followed behind her with a smile, glad to have found a friend so quickly. From eavesdropping by the window of her room, she had learnt that high schools were actually filled with bullies. Thankfully, she hadn’t met them immediately she stepped in.
Or maybe, there were no bullies.
Well, if it were so, the stories were lies, weren’t they?
“Oh, by the way, my name is Jamie. What is yours?”
“May.” And you have a beautiful smile and hair. If she had enough courage, she would have added that. Well, they could save that for another day.
Jamie was a chatterbox. In no time, May forgot her nervousness and was laughing at the blonde girl’s stories. Even her fingers had stopped trembling. Suddenly, Jamie stopped. May followed almost immediately.
“Are we here yet?” None of the doors looked like the principal’s office. Or perhaps, there were no plaque on the door indicating it was like she had expected to see.
“There is someone behind us. I noticed he has been following us for a while. I thought he was your bodyguard or something but judging from his looks, he doesn’t look anyway like a professional bodyguard. Do you know him?”
May’s brows creased as she turned slowly. As the figure behind her registered slowly, her eyes widened in surprise. What the hell was he doing there?
“Dad?”
A few meters away was her father still dressed in the pair of shorts and ridiculous shirt he had worn to drop her at school that morning.
Beside her, Jamie nodded her head. “Yup! You do know him.”More eyes were beginning to turn in their direction. May wished the ground could open up and swallow her whole. She walked over to him quickly, grabbing his hand and leading him away to a quiet corner.
“Dad, what are you doing?” She was trying hard not to get mad at him.
He shrugged. “Well, you didn’t respond to my goodbyes and I was worried that you wouldn’t fit so I followed you to make sure you are safe.”
She snickered. “Were you planning to follow me inside my class too?”
“No. Of course not. I only wanted to make sure you met the principal and…” He sighed, wiping the sheen of sweat on his temple.
May swallowed. She could not be mad at him no matter how she tried. “I understand, Dad. It is not your fault.” He was only trying to protect her after all. “But I need you to understand that I am a grown-up girl. I can take care of myself. Look around! Every other person in here is within my age gap and I don’t see their parents hovering around them.”
She was used to her father fawning over her but definitely not in front of over a thousand people. She raised her head to look at him, realizing that he was no longer looking at her but was looking straight behind her. “Dad?”
“Don’t look!” His voice called out as she tried to turn. She frowned. Who was there?
His next order came a few seconds later, stricter than the first. “Run!”
- Writer
