Chapter Two:first Day At Schoolled
1513 Words
"I want to drive you to the school," Mrs. Hart said. "Just so I can see where it is. For peace of mind."
"I can walk. I saw it from the car yesterday."
"It's three miles away, Amelia. Please. Just let me do this."
Amelia sighed. "Fine."
The drive was short. As they approached the building, a tightening in Amelia's chest made it hard to draw a full breath. The school was a sprawling complex of red brick and glass, surrounded by a sea of yellow buses and hundreds of teenagers.
To Amelia, they didn't look like students. They looked like obstacles. They looked like people who had families that were whole.
Mrs. Hart slowed the car near the drop-off zone. She reached over, her hand hovering near Amelia’s shoulder.
"You're going to be okay," she said.
Amelia looked at the school, then back at her mother. The anger was gone, replaced by a cold, shimmering fear.
"I don't know how to be okay," Amelia whispered.
"You don't have to be okay today," Mrs. Hart replied. "You just have to go inside."
Amelia opened the door. The noise hit her first the slamming of car doors, the shriek of laughter, the rhythmic thumping of bass from a nearby car. She stepped onto the pavement, the heat of the morning sun pressing down on her. She didn't look back. She didn't wave. She simply turned and walked toward the brick entrance, her shoulders hunched.
As she crossed the threshold, the cool air of the hallway rushed to meet her. It smelled of floor wax and old lockers. Amelia stopped, leaning against the cold metal of a locker, and closed her eyes.
She could almost hear her father's voice, a low rumble that always sounded like a hug. Keep your head up, little bird. The wind only pushes you if you let it.
Amelia opened her eyes and stared at the crowded hallway. The wind was already howling, and she wasn't sure if she knew how to fly.
She took a single step forward, then another, disappearing into the tide of strangers.
The administrative office was a sanctuary of beige filing cabinets. A woman with oversized glasses handed Amelia a printed map and a schedule.
"Welcome to Oakhaven High, Amelia," the woman said, her voice a practiced chirp. "I'm Mrs. Gable. If you get lost, just ask a hall monitor. They're the ones in the neon vests."
Amelia took the papers. "Thanks."
"Do you have any questions? Any special requests?"
"No," Amelia said.
"Wonderful. Your first period is Honors English in Room 214. Just follow the blue line on the floor."
Amelia walked out, the map fluttering. The blue line felt like a leash, guiding her through a labyrinth of lockers. She kept her head down, counting the tiles. One, two, three, four.
The fifth step never came.
Amelia bumped into someone, and the papers in her hands slipped to the floor.
"Oh my God, I’m so sorry!" a girl exclaimed immediately, crouching down to help gather the papers. "I walk too fast when I’m late."
"It’s okay," Amelia murmured softly, kneeling too.
The girl handed her the last sheet with a relieved smile. "Are you hurt?"
"No."
"You sure? Because you hit that locker pretty hard."
Amelia glanced at the locker beside her. "I’m fine."
The girl smiled warmly. She had long dark hair, glossy lips, and kind almond shaped eyes that carried an easy brightness.
"I’m Sophia," she said. "Sophia Lian."
"Amelia Hart."
Sophia’s brows lifted slightly. "Wait… you’re the new girl?"
"I guess."
"Well, welcome to Oakhaven High," Sophia said dramatically. "It’s chaotic, loud, and emotionally exhausting."
A small laugh almost escaped Amelia before she stopped it.
Sophia noticed anyway. "There. That almost-smile means you don’t completely hate me yet."
Amelia shook her head faintly.
"So where are you headed?" Sophia asked.
"Honors English. Room 214."
Sophia gasped. "No way. Me too."
For the first time that morning, Amelia felt a tiny c***k in the suffocating loneliness wrapped around her chest.
Sophia looped her arm lightly through Amelia’s and began leading her down the hallway. "Come on before Mr. Andrew starts another lecture about punctuality being the foundation of civilization."
The classroom buzzed with chatter when they entered. Sunlight spilled through tall windows while students leaned over desks laughing and talking.
At the front stood a tall man in a charcoal shirt flipping through papers.
Mr. Andrew looked up immediately. "You’re late, Miss Lian."
"Technically only by thirty seconds," Sophia replied.
"Time still exists within those thirty seconds."
Soft laughter spread across the room.
Then his eyes shifted toward Amelia. "You must be the new student."
Amelia nodded slightly. "Amelia Hart."
Mr. Andrew gave a polite smile. "Welcome to Honors English. Why don’t you introduce yourself?"
Every eye in the room landed on her instantly.
Amelia swallowed against the sudden tightness in her throat.
"I’m Amelia," she said quietly. "I just moved here from Rosehill."
"Wonderful," Mr. Andrew replied kindly. "You can sit beside Sophia."
Sophia grinned brightly and patted the empty seat beside her. Amelia sat down while the lesson resumed.
Mr. Andrew began discussing symbolism in The Great Gatsby, but Amelia struggled to focus. Her mind kept drifting back to Rosehill. To her father. To the empty ache sitting permanently inside her ribs.
Halfway through class, the door suddenly opened.
A boy walked in lazily, completely unbothered by the fact that everyone turned to stare at him. He was tall with broad shoulders and messy brown hair falling over sharp brows. His uniform tie hung loose around his neck, sleeves rolled carelessly to his elbows.
And his eyes blue, cold and beautiful in a dangerous way.
Mr. Andrew sighed heavily. "Late again, Mr. Ryder."
The boy shoved his hands into his pockets. "Personal stuff."
Several students laughed.
Mr. Andrew pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly. "At this point, I’m convinced punctuality physically pains you."
"It does before noon."
More laughter followed.
Mr. Andrew shook his head in disappointment. "Go Sit down, Ken."
The boy smirked slightly before walking toward the back beside another boy with dark curls and an arrogant grin.
As he sat down, his eyes suddenly landed on Amelia.
The air around her seemed to tighten.
His gaze lingered longer than necessary, slow and unsettling.
Amelia quickly looked away, heat prickling at the back of her neck.
"A new girl?" he murmured to his friend.
The curly haired boy glanced toward Amelia before nodding. "Looks like it."
Ken leaned back lazily in his chair. "Cute."
His friend snorted quietly. "You say that about every girl."
"No," Ken replied, eyes still fixed on Amelia. "Not every girl looks terrified and angry at the same time."
Sophia leaned closer toward Amelia.
"That’s Ken Ryder," she whispered carefully. "And the i***t beside him is Jason Cole."
Amelia said nothing, though something about him unsettled her deeply.
The rest of the classes passed slowly. By the time the final bell rang, Amelia felt mentally drained.
She and Sophia packed their bags together and walked toward the school gate.
Sophia talked easily while Amelia listened, occasionally answering questions about her old school and friends.
"So your old town was really that small?" Sophia asked.
"There was one bookstore, one diner, and everybody knew everybody."
Sophia groaned dramatically. "That actually sounds peaceful."
Before Amelia could reply, loud screams erupted nearby.
Girls suddenly rushed toward the parking area with their phones out.
Then a loud engine roared through the gates.
A black motorcycle speed past Amelia and Sophia recklessly fast, the violent rush of wind sending their skirts flying upward. Amelia grabbed hers instantly, stumbling backward in shock.
"What the hell?" she snapped angrily.
The motorcycle stopped ahead.
The rider removed his helmet slowly.
Messy brown hair.Blue eyes.Ken Ryder.
Beside him sat Jason.
Neither looked remotely apologetic.
"Watch where you’re standing, new girl," Ken called lazily.
Amelia stared at him in disbelief. "You almost hit us!"
Jason laughed loudly. "But we didn’t."
Ken smirked faintly, his eyes dragging briefly over Amelia before looking away. "Relax. You survived."
Then the motorcycle roared again before disappearing through the gates while girls squealed after them.
"Mannerless idiots," Amelia muttered under her breath.
Sophia sighed. "Don’t waste your energy on them."
"That doesn’t excuse what they did."
"It doesn’t," Sophia admitted. "But Ken Ryder and Jason Cole think the world belongs to them because their families are rich and the staffs don't do anything because their parents also contribute massively to the school growth."
Amelia crossed her arms tightly, irritation burning beneath her skin.
Sophia nudged her gently. "Trust me. Stay far away from Ken Ryder if you want peace."
Amelia watched the empty road where the motorcycle had disappeared.
Something told her peace had already started slipping away.
"My mum should be here soon," she said quietly.
Sophia smiled. "Mine too."
They exchanged numbers before standing near the side gate beneath the shade of a large oak tree, talking softly while waiting for their parents.
For the first time since leaving Rosehill, Amelia didn’t feel completely alone.
- Writer
