The Bad Boy & The New Girl

First Day (Part 1)

Chapter 3

First Day (Part 1)

(Ivy’s POV)

I really didn’t want to be here.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped onto the paved path leading to the school entrance. I had no choice but to push through the day ahead, despite my rising anxiety.

Bella had wanted to take me on my first day, but she had work, and I didn’t want her to miss her shift. She was juggling so much—two jobs and evening classes—and I couldn’t fathom how she managed it all. It felt as though she had everything under control while I was falling apart, carrying an emptiness inside me that I couldn’t seem to fill.

Being here, away from my friends, felt incredibly lonely. I missed them more than I could express; they were the ones I confided in about my problems and the whirlwind of life. They had attended the funerals, having received permission to come. My teachers and the dean were there too, but I had been in such a fog that I barely registered their support.

Now, standing at the entrance, everything felt like a punishment rather than a fresh start. I craved my friends now more than ever, yet deep down, I knew I would likely never see them again.

“Hey there.”

The masculine voice snapped me from my spiraling thoughts, and I turned to see the guy I had met last week standing in the same spot.

“Looks like you’re about to bolt,” he said with a playful smile.

“I might be debating it,” I replied, shrugging my shoulders, trying to keep it light.

He nodded. “Jayce McKinney. We met last week.”

“Ivy Matthews. I remember you. Your dad was one of the trustees interviewing me,” I replied, managing the best smile I could muster.

Jayce nodded. “I heard you’re a genius.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“What’s funny?” He asked, confusion flickering across his face.

“It’s just weird to hear someone say that, especially someone I don’t know,” I admitted, my cheeks warming slightly.

“Well, that means we just need to get to know each other, don’t we?” he winked at me, his charm making it hard to resist a smile.

I was about to respond when I caught sight of the imposing school doors again. I had to go through them. “I should go find my first class,” I replied, turning away from him.

“Wait! I can help you. My dad requested that I show you around on your first day,” Jayce called out, catching up to me.

“You don’t need to do that. I can get by on my own,” I said, glancing at him from the side.

“I want to help. Not just because my dad told me to. You… are you okay?” he asked hesitantly.

I looked at him, a bit taken aback by the directness of his question.

“I’m fine,” I said more harshly than I intended.

He stepped back slightly, surprised.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…” I let my voice trail off, turning away as I quickly walked into the building, my heart racing. I couldn’t believe I had snapped like that. What was wrong with me? I needed to get a grip.

Inside, the hallway was bustling with students chatting, laughing, and moving to their classes. The noise felt overwhelming, and my mind flashed back to brighter days.

“Ivy, wait!”

I turned to see Stone and Sofia Carson making their way toward me, their familiar faces bringing a rush of warmth.

“Hey guys!” I greeted them, forcing a smile.

Stone threw an arm around my shoulder, looking down at me with a cheeky grin. “How’s it going, girl?”

“Leave the girl alone, Stone. She’s not interested in you,” Sofia chimed in, playfully punching her brother in the arm.

“That’s not true, right?” Stone asked, trying to muster his best puppy-dog eyes.

“Well… she’s not wrong,” I said, shrugging out of his hold, unable to suppress a laugh.

“That hurt my feelings,” he said, taking a step back with mock hurt.

“And Stone gets rejected again! What is this, the third time this morning?” Ziva teased as she joined us.

“How did you know?” he asked, feigning shock.

“It was a guess… kind of. I saw Vanessa laughing in the cafeteria and she filled me in on what you were up to this morning,” Ziva replied, a mischievous grin on her face.

“What? This is not good for my image!” Stone huffed, crossing his arms dramatically.

We all burst into laughter, shaking our heads at him.

“Ivy, have you seen Georgie?” Ziva asked. Georgie was my roommate and, without a doubt, the most boy-crazy girl I knew.

“She told me she was going to stop by the boys’ dorm before coming in; Roman leaves for an away game today, so she needed to say goodbye,” I explained.

“Of course, she did,” Ziva laughed, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

“Ladies… and Stone. Don’t you have classes to get to instead of loitering in the halls?”

I turned to see Mr. Rosario, our history teacher, standing behind us, a knowing look on his face.

“Hi, Mr. Rosario,” I said, smiling at my favorite teacher.

“Ms. Matthews,” he replied with a nod.

“Chill out, Mr. Rosario. We have time before class starts. We were just catching up,” Ziva said, waving a hand dismissively.

“I think you ladies can come up with something better to do than watching Mr. Carson fail at procuring another date,” he quipped, walking past us. He paused for a moment to add, “Don’t be late to class!”

We all laughed, watching Stone’s face turn crimson.

“Man, Stone, even the teachers know!” Ziva said, laughing even harder.

I shook my head at my crazy friends, a smile spreading across my face. They were wild, but they always knew how to lighten the mood.

“Excuse me? Ivy, right?”

My thoughts snapped back to the present as I focused on the girl standing in front of me. Her mouth was moving, but it took me a moment to process what she was saying. She had short red hair and was a few inches shorter than me, but the standout feature was her striking blue eyes—they were so bright, they almost seemed clear.

“Ivy? It is Ivy, right?” she asked again, a hint of urgency in her voice.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. “Yes.”

“Hi! I’m April!” she exclaimed in an incredibly cheerful voice, practically bouncing with energy.

“Hi, April…”

“I represent the students in the IB program, or the HIP program. Mr. Peters informed me about you and your records! You’re going to make a great addition to our programs and definitely help boost our international standing! I’ll show you around. We have the same schedule apart from languages and history,” she explained, her words tumbling out in a rapid stream.

I tried to smile at her, hoping it came across as genuine. April looped her arm through mine and pulled me down the hall.

“So, from what I understand, you speak five fluent languages? I only speak two—English and French. I really want to learn Spanish! See, I grew up in Canada, where the official languages are English and French. When we moved here, I decided to continue with French, but I think I need to expand my knowledge, so I took Spanish this semester!” she rattled off in one breath.

I turned my head to look at her, trying to keep up.

“What about you? How do you know so many languages? Does the rest of your family speak all five languages too?” she asked, her excitement contagious.

Taking a breath, I reminded myself to stay composed. I couldn’t let memories of my past overwhelm me.

“Well, my father was an American diplomat, and my mother was Indian but grew up in France. We grew up speaking English, Hindi, and French. The boarding school I…umm…went to was in Switzerland, where we were taught German and Italian. My parents believed in leading by example, so they learned German and Italian too. We had family dinners where we’d speak a different language each night,” I told April. She was loud and cheerful, reminiscent of Georgie in some ways.

“That’s so cool! So, you can help me with Spanish?” she asked, her eyes wide with excitement.

I nodded, feeling a bit more at ease.

“Cool! And I also need to hear everything about this boarding school you went to! I mean, it has to be different than private school, right? I couldn’t imagine having to live with some of the people that go here. And you have to invite me over to meet your family! I could really use a night of speaking even French! My parents only speak English…” April babbled on.

I tried to absorb everything she was saying, but the mention of my family made my heart constrict. I needed to stay focused; I couldn’t break down here—not today. It was the beginning of the day, and I still had so much to get through.

“We’re here! Our first class is English,” April announced.

I looked up to see we had arrived outside a classroom.

“This is our homeroom,” she informed me, her enthusiasm palpable. “Come on, you can sit by me. Usually, Jasper sits by me—he’s my best friend, by the way! But today, we’ll stick together! I know how lonely and scary first days can be!”

“Thank you, April.”

I genuinely appreciated her kindness. It was hard being the new kid, and the last thing I wanted was to be seen as a nerd.

She waved her hand dismissively. “No big deal,” and then pulled me inside to our seats. I felt a bit less out of place with April by my side. We took our seats, and I opened my backpack to pull out a notebook and pencil.

“Hey there, beautiful.”

It was Jayce McKinney again, taking a seat right behind me.

I was a bit shocked to see him in an honors class; he seemed like a typical jock. But I tried not to judge anyone too harshly.

He leaned forward over his desk. “It’s nice to see you again.”