Vixen

Chapter 3

Changes

Noelle

I arrived to the school and it was as usual. The hallway crowded with chatting teenagers. I walked to my locker and took out the books I will need until the lunch break. The whole corridor was decorated with our school's colours, white, gold and navy blue, also there were many posters hanging. I looked at one of them which was hanging on the locker next to mine. Honestly my heart clenched a little. The senior ball will be in only a couple of weeks and nobody invited me. Not like I have been expecting anything, but deep inside I wanted to go. Just for one year in my life I wanted to be normal. I closed my locker with a sigh and looked round me. Many couples walked hand in hand. Suddenly my ears started to hurt and I had to cover them, in only matter of seconds my hearing became a lot better. I heard people's chatter from inside of the classrooms. The next moment my eyes stang and I rubbed them. When I could open them again I saw with precision everything around me. I noticed so tiny details I never did before. Also all the smells and scents became stronger and the smell coming from the American football players made my stomach turn upside down.

- What the hell is going on? - I asked out loud causing a group of girls to notice me and now I could hear them gossiping.

- Look, the carrot head weirdo... Now she talks by herself. - Silvia the most popular girl said to her friends. She was nominated to be the queen of our ball, which meant that she will have a week to order us around. This was far the stupidest tradition of all I have ever seen, and believe me, I've seen hell of lots. Silvia was as tall as I'm. She had long, wavy blonde hair, ice blue eyes and a body of a model. They all started to laugh and another, chick who was a bit taller than Silvia, had a short black hair and green eyes, I think her name was Taylor whispered.

- I heard her mother is an alcoholic. - they laughed again and the third b***h added.

- And paranoid! That woman is even scared from her own shadow. - Shanon said. She was the most usual person in the world. Brown hair and brown eyes. I thought Silvia only kept her around because she was willing to do anything to please her.

- No wonder why Carrot came out the way she is. Come on! Let's have some fun. - Silvia said and then approached me. They targetted me before as well but honestly I didn't give a damn. But now, for some unknown reason, it hit me the way they talked about my mother. Yeah she had her problems but she raised me despite of everything. They were in front of me now.

- Hey Carrot! - Silvia said. I didn't say a word just turned away from them like I were searching for something in my locker when Taylor pushed me against it.

- Are you deaf?! Silvia was just talking to you! - they all laughed and a smaller crowd gathered closer. "Great..." - I thought and turned to them.

- Leave me alone Silvia. - I said in a straight and strong voice.

- Look how brave she is! - Shanon mocked me.

- Too brave to be honest. - Taylor added and Silvia slapped me.

- Know your place Carrot! - she said and I felt my hands clenching into fists. "What the f**k was wrong with me today? Maybe I have had enough of this..." I let out a strange sound which made them take a few steps back.

- Did you hear that?- Shanon asked her friends and Taylor pointed at me with a frightened expression.

- Carrot just growled! - Silvia pulled her friends further and she screamed.

- Be careful everyone! Noelle has got rabies! - a teacher heard her scream and she walked to us.

- Silvia... This is a very heavy accusation! You shouldn't joke about this kind of things. - I glanced at her but the teacher's eyes widened. I have no idea why because that morning I looked exactly the same.

- Mr. Andrews! She was growling and look at her eyes! - Taylor shouted. Mr. Andrews was an older and kind teacher without lots of friends and his colleagues avoided him because he was always talking about fantasy creatures and history. They thought he was getting senile.

- Everyone to your classrooms.!- Mr. Andrews shouted and the crowd disappeared. He stepped carefully closer to me and said.

- Come with me Noelle, we will go to the nurse to see what is wrong. - I shook my head. If I go to the nurse they will call my mother and we will move again! But Mr. Andrews looked really concerned.

- Noelle please.

- No!- I almost shouted and trembled in my whole body. My bones started to hurt and I just wanted to get out of here and run.

- Why not?- he asked with a calming voice. I took a deep breath and stared into his warm, friendly brown eyes.

- Because you will call my mom and then we will move again and I want just one f*****g year to finish in the same school! - Mr. Andrews frowned and crossed his arms in front of his chest like always when he was thinking. He was one of those few of teachers who knew that I wasn't a mediocre student and unless others, he truly cared about me.

- Let's make a deal Noelle. We will go to the nurse and unless she finds something serious we won't call your mother. - I tilted my head and tried to find out if he was lying but my gut told me that he was honest.

- Fine. - I shrugged and followed him to the nurse room. He knocked gently on the door and a cute looking chubby woman opened the door with a big smile.

- Oh Mr. Andrews! What a pleasant surprise! - she said and I saw that she blushed lightly. I also heard her heartbeats fasten when Mr. Andrews smiled at her.

- Pleasure to see you as well Greta.

- What do we have here? - Greta asked looking at me. Mr. Andrews pushed me gently towards the door, while he said.

- She is Noelle Smith, one of my students and I'm a bit worried about her. She is out of her element today. - "What a discrete answer..." - I thought and Greta looked me over from head to toe.

- Come is sweetie and tell me how do you feel. - she suggested and despite all of my feelings I went inside.

- I'll be at my study id you need me,and Greta, please inform me about her situation! - Mr. Andrews said while he slowly stepped out of the room. Greta sent him a warm smile and said in a lower voice.

- I will! - the door was closed by Mr. Andrews and Greta motioned at a chair infront of her desk. I sat down and she asked.

- So what do you feel? You can be honest with me. Anything you tell me will stay inside these walls. - I looked at her, she radiated calmness and kindness. Greta was around the same age as Mr. Andrews and she seemed like a lovely woman. I liked her voice and also her scent. She smelled like freshly baked chocolate chips cookies. Her short, brown, hair embraced her chubby but nice face.

- I'm feeling fine. - I lied and right after that my face twitched with pain and Greta frowned her eyebrows.

- Okay and now the truth. I have all day. - she said and leaned back on her chair waiting. She looked at me like she knew exactly what was going on and this bothered me.

- My bones hurts a bit and it seems like all my senses strengthen... Does this make any sense? - she stood up and walked to me with a tiny light in her hand. She lighted into my eyes and seemed a bit surprised.

- Did you take any drugs sweetie? - she asked and I busted in laughter.

- I knew you won't take me seriously! - I jumped up from the chair and headed to the door. But I turned to her before I've left.

- By the way, the answer is no. I haven't took any drugs. - I walked out of the door and slammed after me. I had to crunch on the floor because my head started to hurt like hell. I groaned in pain and suddenly noticed that a guy was looking at me from the corner. He had his arms crossed in front of his chest and he smiled at me with a cheeky grin. If my head wasn't hurting so much I would have thought that he was handsome. He was tall and fit. He had short really dark brown hair and green eyes.

- What are you looking at? - I asked him and he laughed.

- I'm just wondering why are you so scared. - I frowned and tried to stand up but it hurt too much.

- Why do you think I'm scared?- I asked him and he walked closer.

- Your scent betrays you. Also your heart beats. You are scared and lost. - he said and kneed next to me.

- You sound like that you know exactly what I'm going through. - I said to him and our eyes locked he smiled again and said.

- Because I know. - he stood up and extended his hand to me. I toon his hand and he helped me to stand up.

- Let's go for a walk. - he said, he had a familiar scent. I was wondering if he was a friend or an enemy. When he walked ahead and noticed that I didn't follow him he turned around and tilted his head.

- Are you coming?

- I don't even know your name. - he laughed.

- Sorry. I thought you wanted to know why you feel like your bones are breaking and why tour emotions are so different. - my jaw dropped and he laughed.

- I'm Zack by the way. - I blushed a bit.

- Noelle. - he grinned and kept walking ahead. I followed him carefully but full of curiosity. He might be an other bully, but he knew what I was feeling, without me telling him a single word about.