Forever His & His Ghost

Chapter 2: First Day of School

        The three of us sitting in the principal's office had me second guessing even deciding to be here, I could have opted into home schooling if I wanted, but I didn't, I wanted to be a normal kid, but right now I am not sure I was ready for this.

       Preston noticed me fidgeting and reached over putting his arm around my shoulder and pulling me close. Preston was fourteen and a freshman, he was a freaking genius and skipped sixth grade. He was a bad boy sure, and always finding trouble, but at the end of day I could always count on him, we were close, and we told each other everything. I knew he was running with a bad crowd long before mom and dad did, and I even tried to get him out of it, but he just kept getting sucked back in.

       Darlene sitting on the other side of him just rolled her eyes at us, she was seventeen and a sophomore also, but only because she failed eighth grade and got held back, mom and dad weren't happy with it, but then it became my job to tutor her, so she didn't fall behind anymore. Seems she was more worried about her looks, boys and social status than her education. We weren't close at all, and truthfully, I think she would be perfectly fine if she never seen me again, she was not only my big sister, but she was my biggest bully.

       "Here you guys go, sorry about the mix up." Principal Lee handed us our schedules. "Now would you like me to have a student escort you guys, the school is pretty small, but it can still get tricky sometimes."

       "Yes, I would like a popular kid to escort me please." Darlene fluttered her eyes at the principal, and he just shook his head, he didn't seem amused by her at all.

      "I think we can find our way Principal Lee." I stood ushering the other two to the door, "Thank you." I smiled over my shoulder while we filed out into the hallway.

      "I can't believe you," Darlene hissed, and I just rolled my eyes.

      "Get over it, will you." Preston hissed back at her, causing her eyes to open wide. "Now I am going to class, I will see you two later." And with that he ventured off down the hall.

      "What's your first-class sis?" I asked, maybe this year things can be different. This could be our new start.

      "Biology, and Skyla, you and I don't know each other when it comes to these people, I don't want to be associated with the school nerd." She flipped her hair over her shoulder and strutted down the hallway in her black pencil skirt and black ruffles of the shirt flowing with the way she walked, and let's not forget about the six-inch black stilettos that made a loud click every time they landed under her feet.

       I just rolled my eyes, "This is going to be a long year." I said to really no one. Looking down at my first class I realized I was also in Biology, oh no, I hope they didn't make us have the same schedules, she doesn't really get under my skin anymore, but I don't think I can go through the whole school year in all her classes.

      The first four periods of the morning seemed to go by rather uneventful, even though much to my dismay, Darlene was in every one of them. She didn't pay attention to me, nor I her. I did notice she seemed to have already made friends, but whatever, if they forget about me, and I can stay under the radar it was all good.

      The bell soon rang signaling the start of lunch and I took my time leaving the classroom, stepping out into a busy hallway I tucked my head down, and yea you guessed it, I found myself running into a wall and stumbling backwards, only to be caught yet again, by two arms. "No, no, no, no," that same feeling of warmth was there. "It can't be," I whispered to myself, as I was pulled back to a standing position, never opening my eyes.

      "You know, we really should stop meeting like this," there is that husky voice again. I slowly peeked one eye open and sure enough there he stood, smiling with those dimples and I felt the red creep in again. "Are you okay?" And again, the sincerity in his voice almost made goosebumps run up my body.

       I took a deep breath and stepped back slowly, finally just opening my eyes, might as well face the music. "I should really start paying attention to where I am going, I am sorry again." I spit it out so fast, I don't know if he even understood me.

       Soon enough he chuckled and placed his hands in his pocket, "Well I don't mind catching a beautiful girl when she falls."

       I know my jaw hit the ground and my eyes were probably fixing to pop out of my head, and there it is, my blood all rushing to my face. I know I was probably as red as an apple ripe for the picking. I didn't say anything, I finally gained enough wits about me, I smiled at him and rushed past him to the nearest bathroom I could find.

      I took a few minutes staring at the mirror and splashing water on my face, trying my best to get the flustered look off my face. I think I entered the twilight zone, never have boys ever been interested in me, well that was all of them except Isaac. And Isaac knew me well, he was literally the boy next door, and we grew up together. This boy though, oh I can't do this. Bad boy, bad boy vibes for sure, and player, I am sure, I chanted those words until I felt myself calm. 

      Taking a deep breath, I peered out of the door into the hallway and noticed there was only few kids. "I can do this," I muttered to myself. I seemed to be doing that a lot.

      I finally found the lunchroom and when I stepped to the doorway, I froze, everyone was already seated, and I was like the oddball in the spotlight. I backed up to the other side of the opening and put my back against it, taking deep breaths, trying to calm my anxiety and racing heart.

      Getting the deep breath I needed I peeked around the edge to take it all in, the school was small but there had to be four hundred students, looking over them it wasn't hard for me to spot Preston, he was sitting with a group of boys, surprisingly he looked like he belonged there, and they were laughing and cutting up like old friends. I heard an all too familiar laugh and looked to the right where I could see the table, where Darlene sat. Looks like she found the popular table, from where I was standing, I could see that they all had a mixture of uniforms, or varsity jackets. Football players and cheerleaders, I thought to myself, Darlene's scene. And then I saw him, smiling, those amber eyes shining and those dimples.

        I tried to peel my eyes away, but unfortunately it wasn't that easy for me. He was sexy for sure, figures, I would think a popular boy was cute. This could spell disaster for me, it was almost like he felt my eyes on him, because he looked my direction and our eyes met. He flashed that devil smile at me and motioned his head for me to join them, I watched as the girls saw his gesture and thank goodness their backs were to me, because I ducked out of view just as they turned around.

      "This isn't good. Keep your head down Skyla, this could be bad, very bad." I exhaled and walked to my next class. Surely, I could get in early, because there was no way I was going in that lunchroom. 

       During my walk my mind drifted to Isaac, making me feel a little guilty for ogling over another guy. Isaac and I made our feelings for one another known, he wasn't just a crush he was my first love, well, I think. Anyway, the last day I was there, we made an agreement, we would wait and be each other's firsts for everything when we turned eighteen and I came back. We agreed to both get into UCLA and we would make our relationship official then. My heart skipped a bit thinking about my sweet Isaac, and then the handsome devil's face flashed in my eye's, realizing Isaac has nothing on him. "No, no, no, no," I chanted. Isaac was sweet and my first love, everything about him was total boy next door. His tall, slinky figure, with those forest green eyes, and that messy brown hair. Yes, Isaac, I needed to think about Isaac.

       I found my way to chemistry and was quite relieved to see only one other person in the room sitting in the back, deep in thought in the book in front of her. I quietly made my way to the other side of the back and took my books and my apple out taking a seat. She finally looked up and gave me a strange look, I just smiled at her.

      "New girl, right?" She asked.

      "Skyla," I walked over and offered my hand. She shook it, "Nice to meet you."

       She finally smiled, "Names Marie, and why don't you sit with me." She pulled the seat out and patted it for me to sit. I quickly noticed the cheerleader uniform hanging out of her bag. Her eyes followed mine and she offered another smile, "Yea, it's not what it looks like. My mother forced me to join, but trust me when I say, I am not one of them by no means, I barely go to practice, keep my head down, never go to games, and the rest of the time I keep to myself."

       I grabbed my stuff and took the seat next to her. "Well, that's good to know, because all I want to do is get through the next couple of years and get out of here. And trust me when I say, I am not one of those kind either."

      We both laughed before she gave me a quizzical look, "Where are you going?"

      "I really am hoping to go back to Cali and get into UCLA."

       Her eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store, "OMG we are going be awesome friends. That is my dream school. I just want to go to school, enjoy the sun and sandy beaches. And not to mention the hunky surfers."

       We both laughed and enjoyed each other's company for the next thirty minutes talking about everything under the sun. I told her all about my old life and my crazy family, leaving some bits out, while she told me about how she was from here, been here her whole life, her parents own a small café in town and her brother is a junior and on the football team, but he was a down to earth kind of boy.

       "Hey sis, you need a ride after school?" I almost jumped out of my skin at the boy's voice booming over us, not even noticing everyone starting to trickle into the room.

        I looked up to see a cute black haired, brown eyed boy staring down at us with a smile on his face, and it was a sweet smile, it didn't look malicious at all. "Yea, sure." I heard Marie from behind me. "Mark, this is my new friend Skyla," she patted my shoulder. "And this is my big, overprotective, handsome brother Mark."

       He just rolled his eyes and offered me his hand, "Nice to meet you Skyla."

      "You too." I replied simply. Well maybe not everyone here is so bad.

      "You can come to if you want, there is plenty of room in my truck." He turned and went to sit a couple seats in front of me.

       It didn't take anytime at all to realize Darlene was in this class too and then my eyes met his as he walked in talking to someone behind him. He stopped and gave me a smile making his way to the back of the classroom. My heart stopped for sure, and I was trying my best to stop looking, I willed my eyes to tear away, but to my own stubbornness, they didn't and when he sat in the seat on the other side of the row from me, I know my heart stopped again right there.

       "Hey Maria." He said, flashing her a smile.

        She didn't even blush she just smiled back, "Hey Jaxon." He was talking to her, but his eyes never left me, and she seemed to notice, "Have you met my new friend?" I am going to kill her, maybe this friendship isn't such a good thing anymore.

        He stuck his hand out, "Well not officially, but I am Jaxon."

        I squeezed my hand a few times trying to dry my clammy palm before taking his hand in mine, and it felt like electricity shot through my body causing my heart to skip all kinds of beats. I think I might need a pacemaker. I closed my eyes for a brief second and took a deep breath, "Skyla. Nice to meet you." I whispered out; I wasn't confident with my voice at the moment. Isaac, Isaac, Isaac, no Jaxon! This is not good, is all I could think.

       I felt daggers being thrown at me and when I turned to look it was Darlene, throwing them with that eye glare of hers. I wanted to shrink away right there. She cleared her throat and put a smile on looking back at Jaxon. "Jaxon sweety, why don't you come sit next to me?" She said so sweetly I almost gagged.

       He let my hand go finally, and I didn't even realize he had still been holding it. "Nah, I am good. I think I will sit back here. Hey Mark, why don't you come sit back here." He flashed me a smile and I watched as Mark took a seat next to him.

       Let's just say the rest of the day didn't go by easy in no way, he was in every class, and so was Darlene. He always took a seat as close to me as he could, and if looks could kill, she would have had me dead at least five hundred times again. I was happy that Marie was in those classes too, at least I felt like I wasn't alone. She seems to be the invisible person I wanted to be and could only wish that this would get easier as the days went on.

      "Hey, want to come with me. Mark can drop you back home this evening." Marie asked as she looped her arm around my elbow, and we walked out to the parking lot.

      "Sure, let me call my mom." She nodded and I pulled my phone out telling her I would be home later; I was going to a diner with a friend. I caught up with Mark and Marie, "Ready."

       And just like that, I had made new friends, well at least a friend with Marie, Mark was still on the fence. I had made it through my first day of sophomore year and at a new school no less. I can do this, I wasn't bullied today, I hadn't been mocked for doing something stupid, I made it. This could be good, and then there's Jaxon, I am not sure what I felt about him yet, or why I seem to lose my senses around him, but I am sure that I am going to avoid him like the plague.

       Sophomore, Junior and Senior year, how hard could it be.