Little touch of heaven

She imagined what her school was like, she tried to imagine what the people that went there looked like. She had only ever been to America once with her dad, when he was on tour, she hated it so much, it was different, and now she was preparing to spend the remaining years she had in high school there. She knew her mum wouldn’t understand how she was feeling about moving because her mum moved around a lot and she seemed to really love it so she dropped the topic. The town looked a bit different from Knightsbridge, the people here looked a bit happier. Well, she didn’t know any of them personally but, at Knightsbridge, everyone looked so stiff and plastic, they all walked and talked the same way like it was planned, she always felt like she didn’t belong there. When the car stopped at the parking lot of her school she read the sign “WHITMORE HIGH”, it sounded like the schools she went to in London, preppy and uptight, but it looked nothing like them. She was used to wearing uniforms and she hated that but here it was so colourful and bubbly, everyone looked so different and unique. she saw a mascot holding the head of his costume in his hand as he was talking to a bunch of girls, one girl caught her attention, she wore a cheerleaders outfit and her hair was in a ponytail, she looked bored of the boy and it looked like her friends were laughing at him, for some random reason Elizabeth couldn’t stop staring at her, her eyes were dull and her face was expressionless but somehow she was the most beautiful person she had ever seen. her mum tapped her and she turned immediately “Elizabeth answer me” “Oh s**t sorry mum” “We’re here” her mum kissed her cheek “have an amazing day Lizzy” “Mum please don’t call me that” she pulled the hood of her sweater over her head and walked out, she could hear her mum screaming “i love you, text me if you need anything” but she didn’t turn around, she didn’t need attention on the first day. There was a student at the entrance who waved at her “hey” “Um hi” Elizabeth looked up at him “I’m Luca, the admissions officer, Mr Hernandez, appointed me to show you the ropes before you get used to the environment” he smiled at her but her expression didn’t change, she thought to herself “oh great, a babysitter!”. “We have classes together, so it’ll be easy for you to access me anytime you need help getting around”, she looked at him as if she was studying him, he was tall and had curly hair, he looked like someone girls would flock around but she didn’t have the time for that, he was so optimistic and she wondered why anyone would be that happy to take a total stranger round the school. “So shall we” he smiled again and made way for her to walk beside him. “So this is the lobby-” he was pointing at places but she wasn’t listening to him, she was staring at the walls, it had trophies and medals on it with plaques beside them, she looked closely and saw Luca in one of them, he stood beside the mascot she saw outside and held a trophy, she stopped to look at the rest of the pictures and noticed him standing beside the girl she couldn’t stop staring at outside, she was in her costume and he held a basketball in his hand. “Yo,Iwas was talking to myself the whole time” he laughed and turned to see what she was staring at “oh that” he smirked “i’m on the basketball team” “I can see that” she didn’t shift her gaze from the pictures “You’re british, cool” he laughed “ say the word governor for me will you” he tried to mimic a british accent, she was so confused, american humor was stupid and she wasn’t ready to adjust to it “Excuse me” she shifted her gaze to him coldly “I meant- like- it’s just a” he was stammering “Where is my first class?” she asked him with the same tone “We have history” he paused for a second “yoI'm really sorry i-” “Where is the history class please” she cut him off “This way” he looked like a wounded animal. He led her to a room she was too anxious to enter, luckily it was almost empty, there was just one person at the back reading a book. “Um if you need anything just let-” she didn’t wait for him to finish, she walked to the back and sat next to the boy, Luca turned around and walked away looking embarrassed. The boy looked over his book at her and looked back at the book, she looked at him and put her bag down. “Was that Luca?” he kept reading his book, he didn’t look up which creeped her out but she answered anyway “I guess so” “If you’re guessing you’re new because everyone knows Luca” he put his book down “and if you’re new he was showing you around” he turned to face her, he scanned her with his eyes “if he’s showing you around it’s definitely not because he likes you” Somehow she took that as a compliment but was still astonished “meaning what?” “Meaning you’re not his type obviously” he picked his book back up “why are you dressed like that for christ sake” “Like what” she wore a hoodie over her shirt, she wasn’t exactly sure how to dress and her mum barely gave her any information on the school. When she asked her what to put on she just said “wear your old uniform at your previous school darling” “Like that” he looked at her plaid skirt, she felt so embarrassed but she just said nothing and kept quiet “i wasn’t trying to be rude” “And yet somehow you were” He closed his book and put it down “well i wasn’t trying to be,I'm sorry” he turned to face her “you look kind of familiar”, she was really hoping he wouldn’t recognise who she was, she didn’t want any attention here, she simply wanted to fade into the crowd and not exist “i can’t place it” “What’s your name?” she tried to change the conversation “Alex, yours?” “Elizabeth” *** The class was over and she was getting ready for her next class but she realised that she didn’t have her schedule, Luca did and she wasn’t sure where she was going to find him. “Alex” she hated talking to people she didn’t know, but she needed her schedule and she wasn’t ready to walk around to look for him. Alex stopped packing his books and looked at her “yeah” “Weird question but do you know whereIcan find Luca ?” He stared at her like he was waiting for her to explain why she needed to see Luca. She hated that he was nosy but she needed his help. “He has my schedule” “Oh” he picked up his books “come with me then”, she followed him to his locker and he put his books, plus her new history books in it and walked toward a courtyard, she quietly followed him.