Being Isabella

Episode 3: The New Girl

Jade stared out the car window as her mother pulled into the long driveway leading to West Hill High School.

The school looked enormous.

Her mother parked the car and turned to her.

"Jade."

The serious tone immediately got her attention.

"What?"

"Please behave yourself this time."

Jade groaned.

"Mom—"

"I'm serious."

Her mother sighed.

"I don't want a repeat of what happened at your old school."

Jade looked away.

The last thing she wanted to think about was her old school.

"Don't worry," she muttered. "I'll be good."

Her mother studied her for a moment before nodding.

"Good."

Jade stepped out of the car, adjusted her backpack, and headed toward the gates.

The moment she entered the campus, she froze.

The place was beautiful.

Students filled the courtyard. Expensive-looking buildings stretched across the grounds.

Everything about the school screamed wealth.

Then she noticed people staring.

A group of girls stopped talking.

Several boys glanced her way.

Someone whispered.

"Who's that?"

"I don't know."

"She looks scary."

"Look at her piercings."

Jade resisted the urge to laugh.

Seriously?

After wandering around for a few minutes, she stopped a student.

"Hey. Administrator's office?"

"Second floor. End of the hallway."

"Thanks."

A few minutes later, Jade stood outside a wooden door.

ADMINISTRATOR

MR. PETER

She knocked.

"Come in."

A middle-aged man sat behind a desk.

"So you're Jade."

"Unfortunately."

Mr. Peter didn't smile.

"I've read your records."

Of course he had.

"What happened at your previous school was unfortunate."

Jade remained silent.

"West Hill has a strict policy regarding student conduct."

"I know."

"I'm hoping there won't be any trouble."

Jade sighed.

"Everyone keeps saying that."

"Because everyone wants to avoid it."

After a moment, he stood.

"Come with me."

Soon they arrived at the staff room.

A woman looked up from a stack of papers.

"Oh, this must be Jade."

"She's all yours," Mr. Peter said before leaving.

The woman smiled.

"I'm Ms. Parker. Welcome to West Hill."

For the next few minutes she explained schedules, rules, and expectations.

"If you need anything," Ms. Parker said, "you can come to me or the class representative."

"Class representative?"

"Her name is Isabella."

Jade noticed the smile that accompanied the name.

As they walked toward the classroom, she heard it again.

"Did Isabella finish organizing the event?"

"Of course she did."

"Typical Isabella."

Jade frowned.

Who exactly was this Isabella?

Some celebrity?

A queen?

A few minutes later they reached the classroom.

Ms. Parker opened the door.

The room immediately fell silent.

"Class, we have a new student joining us today."

Every eye turned toward Jade.

"This is Jade."

Whispers spread across the room.

Jade ignored them.

She quickly took the empty seat near the back.

The moment she sat down, her phone vibrated.

Unknown Number.

A message appeared.

So you are finally here.

You think it's over?

Think again.

Jade's blood ran cold.

She looked around.

Nobody seemed suspicious.

Yet somehow someone already knew she was here.

What she didn't notice was the girl sitting several rows away.

Watching her.

Isabella.

She had been observing the new student since she entered.

Something about Jade seemed... uneasy.

The bell finally rang.

Students began gathering their belongings.

"Hi."

Jade looked up.

A pretty girl stood beside her desk.

"I'm Isabella."

Jade raised an eyebrow.

"So you're the Isabella everyone keeps yapping about."

The words came out harsher than she intended.

Isabella blinked.

"I just wanted to ask if you're okay."

"I'm Jade."

She grabbed her bag.

"And I'd appreciate it if you minded your own business."

The silence that followed was painful.

Without waiting for a response, Jade walked away.

Behind her, Isabella stood frozen.

Clara's mouth dropped open.

"Did she just—"

"Yep," Ethan replied.

"Wow."

Clara wrapped an arm around Isabella.

"Ignore her."

Isabella forced a smile, but she couldn't stop thinking about the look on Jade's face.

Meanwhile, Jade couldn't stop thinking about the message.

Whoever was sending them had somehow found her again.

As she headed toward the cafeteria, she stopped at a vending machine and bought a canned drink.

As she bent down to pick it up, a familiar voice spoke.

"Need help?"

Jade froze.

Slowly, she turned around.

Her eyes widened.

"Greg?"

The tall boy grinned.

"Remember me?"

Jade immediately smiled.

"What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that."

The two of them laughed.

They hadn't seen each other in years.

Greg had been one of her closest childhood friends.

When he noticed her smile fading, his expression softened.

"Come on. Let's go somewhere quieter."

A few minutes later they sat beneath a large tree behind one of the buildings.

"So," Greg said, "why are you really here?"

Jade stared at the ground.

"I'm starting over."

"What happened?"

She hesitated.

Then she told him.

About the girl being bullied.

About trying to help.

About being blamed.

About the rumors.

About becoming the villain in someone else's story.

"I was innocent, Greg."

"I know."

The answer came immediately.

Greg had known her long enough to trust her.

Relief flooded through Jade.

"I couldn't stay there anymore."

Greg nodded.

"That makes sense."

Then Jade handed him her phone.

He read the anonymous message.

His face darkened.

"You've been getting these?"

"Yeah."

"And now they're messaging you here?"

Jade nodded.

The silence stretched between them.

Finally Greg handed the phone back.

"Okay."

Jade blinked.

"Okay?"

"We figure out who's doing it."

"You make it sound easy."

"It won't be."

Greg leaned back.

"But you're not dealing with it alone."

For the first time all day, Jade smiled.

"Thanks."

"Now," Greg said, pointing at her drink, "open that thing already."

Jade laughed.

On the other side of the school, Isabella was finishing a task Ms. Parker had given her.

An old storage room needed organizing.

What should have taken twenty minutes somehow turned into over an hour.

By the time she finished, the room looked completely different.

She enjoyed the scenerio of the place and thought it could be her hideout.

The final bell rang.

"Oh no."

She grabbed her bag and hurried outside.

Near the gates, Clara and Ethan were waiting.

"There she is!" Clara called.

"Look who finally returned from the dead," Ethan added dramatically.

"You two are ridiculous."

"And you're late."

"Blame Ms. Parker."

A few minutes later the three friends were seated inside Crescent Cafe.

Their history assignment lay spread across the table.

For nearly thirty minutes they worked in peace.

Then Clara lowered her pen.

"I have an important question."

Ethan groaned.

"That's never good."

Clara pointed at him.

"You first. What's your love life looking like?"

Ethan nearly dropped his drink.

"Why me?"

"Because I said so."

He sighed.

"Fine. But don't make a big deal out of it."

"We won't," Isabella promised.

Ethan took a deep breath.

"I'm gay."

Clara blinked.

"That's it?"

"What do you mean that's it?"

"I thought you were about to confess to a crime."

Isabella laughed.

"You're still Ethan."

"Exactly," Clara agreed.

A relieved smile appeared on Ethan's face.

"Thanks."

"Of course."

"We love you, i***t," Clara added.

Ethan rolled his eyes.

Then Clara pointed at Isabella.

"Your turn."

"I'm painfully single."

"That's not shocking."

"Rude."

The three burst into laughter.

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly.

Just three friends enjoying each other's company.

By the time Isabella got home, the sun was beginning to set.

The large house was unusually quiet.

"I'm home!"

"Perfect timing," her mother called from the dining room. "Dinner is ready."

Isabella joined her at the table.

For a while they talked about school and assignments.

Then her mother asked,

"Anything interesting happen today?"

Immediately, Jade flashed through Isabella's mind.

The dark hair.

The piercings.

The attitude.

For some reason, she decided not to mention her.

"Nope."

Her mother raised an eyebrow.

"I don't believe you."

Isabella quickly changed the subject.

"When is Dad coming back?"

Her mother's smile faded slightly.

"Probably next week."

Isabella sighed.

"He just left."

"You know how his work is."

"I know."

"But it feels like he's never here."

For a moment neither spoke.

Then her mother reached across the table and squeezed her hand.

"He loves you, Isabella."

"I know."

The conversation moved on.

Eventually dinner ended.

After changing into comfortable clothes, Isabella collapsed onto her bed.

Her phone immediately vibrated.

A smile appeared on her face.

Moonie.

Moonie: You alive?

PopySky: Barely.

Moonie: Rough day?

PopySky: Weird day.

Moonie: That's worse.

PopySky: What about yours?

Moonie: Let's just say my first day didn't go as planned.

PopySky: New school problems?

Moonie: Something like that.

PopySky: People bothering you?

Moonie: Maybe.

PopySky: Punch them.

Moonie: Great advice.

PopySky: Thank you.

Moonie: Met someone annoying today.

PopySky: Same.

Moonie: What do you usually do when someone gets under your skin?

PopySky: Depends.

Moonie: On what?

PopySky: Whether I secretly want to know more about them.

For several seconds there was no reply.

Then:

Moonie: That's suspiciously specific.

PopySky: Ignore that.

Moonie: Noted.

The two continued chatting for almost an hour.

Neither mentioned names.

Neither realized they had already met.

Eventually Moonie sent one final message.

Moonie: I'm going to sleep.

PopySky: Goodnight, Moonie.

Moonie: Goodnight, PopySky.

Isabella placed her phone on the bedside table and turned off the lamp.

As darkness filled the room, her thoughts drifted back to Jade.

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the city, Jade lay awake thinking about a certain class representative she had been unnecessarily rude to.

Eventually, sleep claimed her.

...

Jade found herself standing in a long hallway.

The air felt wrong.

Heavy.

Silent.

The lights above flickered weakly.

"Hello?"

No answer.

She began walking.

Her footsteps echoed through the empty corridor.

The hallway stretched endlessly before her.

Then she saw it.

A shadow standing at the far end.

Jade stopped.

Her heart pounded.

The figure moved.

One slow step at a time.

Toward her.

"Who's there?" Jade called.

The shadow kept coming.

Slowly, it took shape.

A girl.

But her face remained hidden by fog.

Then a voice spoke.

Cold.

Familiar.

"You think you can run away?"

Jade froze.

"You think you can walk away after everything you've done to me?"

"What?"

Jade shook her head.

"I don't even know you."

The fog thickened.

The girl stepped closer.

Something appeared in her hand.

A wooden stick.

Jade's eyes widened.

The girl suddenly charged forward.

Fast.

Far too fast.

"No—wait!" Jade screamed.

The stick came down.

Jade bolted upright in bed.

Her chest heaved.

Sweat covered her forehead.

It was just a dream.

Just a dream.

Breathing heavily, she reached for her phone.

The screen lit up.

12:37 AM.

A notification waited for her.

Unknown Number.

Her stomach dropped.

Slowly, she opened the message.

Three words appeared on the screen

Her blood ran cold.

see you soon