The Bad Boy & The New Girl

First Day (Part 2)

Chapter 4

First Day (Part 2)

(Ivy’s POV)

“Hey! Surprised to see you in this class,” Jayce joked, flashing me a bright smile.

I nodded in his direction, then quickly turned away to focus on April.

I didn’t need another person around me, especially him. I didn’t want anyone feeling sorry for me. I was here to learn and go home, and I had more pressing matters on my mind. I needed to find a job, even if Bella didn’t want me to. She was too young to bear all this responsibility alone.

I would figure out a way to help her. I had to.

It looked like Jayce was about to say something else, leaning over my desk, but then the teacher’s voice rang out.

“Ladies and gentlemen, face the front. Class is about to begin.”

I glanced over to see Mr. Lathar standing at the front of the room.

April leaned in and whispered, “That’s Mr. Lathar—he’s our English and homeroom teacher!”

I nodded and turned to face the front, determined to stay focused.

Mr. Lathar glanced at the papers in his hands before looking up at the class. “Okay, it looks like we have a new student joining us—Miss Ivy Matthews.”

My heart sank as all heads turned in my direction. Heat flooded my cheeks, and embarrassment washed over me, making my mind go blank. The attention felt suffocating, and I fought the urge to bolt.

Since I stayed silent, Mr. Lathar spoke again. “Miss Matthews, would you please give the class a little bit of an introduction? Don’t be shy.”

Panic rose in my chest. OMG, I looked at him with pleading eyes, hoping he’d change his mind. I didn’t want to speak in front of everyone; I barely wanted to be here.

April leaned over and squeezed my hand, offering encouragement. I glanced at her and saw her smile, trying to reassure me.

Jayce turned around, giving me another smile that felt warm yet intimidating.

Taking a deep breath, I nodded at Mr. Lathar.

“Alright, then come up here. Tell us about yourself,” he instructed.

I slowly got up from my desk and made my way to the front of the class.

There were about thirty students in the room, all eyes on me. My heart raced as I thought I might have a panic attack. I could feel my palms getting sweaty, and I tried to steady my breath.

“Hi everybody… I’m… I’m… I’m Ivy Matthews. I just transferred over. I’ve spent my entire life living in Switzerland. I’ve never been to Chicago before. And then my p…” I trailed off, feeling lost for words. Everyone was waiting for me to continue, but luckily, Mr. Lathar stepped in to rescue me.

“What was your last school?” he prompted gently.

“I attended Bergmont Institute in Switzerland,” I replied, feeling slightly relieved.

April chimed in, “That explains your accent!” She smiled brightly.

“Miss Brimsley, you raise your hand to speak in this class,” Mr. Lathar said in a warning tone.

“Yes, I’ve spent my entire life between Switzerland and Paris,” I added.

“How many languages can you speak?” a voice called out from the back of the room.

I nodded. “Yes, um… growing up in Europe, my siblings and I learned many languages. In addition to English, I speak Hindi, French, German, and Italian. I am currently learning Spanish.”

A few classmates nodded in approval. It made sense; we were all in advanced programs, and expectations were high. But I couldn’t help wondering if those expectations would be enough. I knew I was probably ahead of most people here in terms of education, but without my friends, without the comfort of familiar faces in the halls of Bergmont, I wasn’t sure how I would get through this.

“That’s very impressive, Miss Matthews,” Mr. Lathar replied. “Bergmont is a sister school. I assume this means our curriculum should be parallel. If not, you should be ahead. Now, you’ve lived in Switzerland your whole life. Why move to Chicago now?” he asked, looking genuinely curious.

I froze.

How was I supposed to answer that without breaking down? How could I tell him that a girl who had never set foot on American soil, but was an American, had lost everything in a single month? That she was forced to move to a country she didn’t know, to a place where she had no one but her sister?

So instead, I took a deep breath and said, “Certain circumstances arose. But I’m glad to finally see the country where my dad grew up.”

Mr. Lathar seemed satisfied with my answer and nodded. “You may go have a seat, Miss Matthews. I believe you’ll make a great addition to our English class.”

I moved back to my seat, feeling the sweat still lingering on my palms. I was just relieved I hadn’t made a fool of myself up there.

The girl who had once been the head of the debate team, the girl who confidently delivered speeches at every opportunity, could no longer find her voice. How disappointed would my parents have been at that? They had paid outrageous amounts of money for my siblings and me to receive the best education possible.

Class continued, and Mr. Lathar left me alone for the remainder of it.

I barely paid attention; all I knew was that we were reading a book I had already read and even written a report on.

When class was over, I stood up to walk out with April.

“Wait up, Ivy!” I heard Jayce call behind me.

“Want to walk to class with me?” he asked, a hopeful look on his face.

April gasped beside me, and I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of the moment.

When I opened them, Jayce was still standing there, looking expectant.

“I’m… um, walking with April,” I managed to say.

“You can walk with me too,” he replied, smiling at both of us.

“Oh thank god! The great Jayce McKinney will allow me to walk by his side!” April exclaimed, her tone dripping with playful sarcasm.

“It’s okay; we’ve known each other for a long time. Isn’t that right, April?” he said, shooting her a teasing grin.

“That’s right,” she replied, smiling back.

I didn’t understand the joke but nodded along.

“So Ivy, how do you like our school so far?” Jayce asked, turning his attention back to me.

“Um, it’s nice,” I replied, trying to keep my tone neutral.

“Come on, Ivy. You’ve spent your life in Europe. There must be something more interesting than this place. Tell us!” Jayce encouraged.

I thought about it, but the memories flooded back, pushing me down a deep hole I wasn’t ready to explore.

“Um, I guess it’s different growing up in a country like that. For me, being here in the States is a lot… different,” I said, my voice trailing off.

Jayce shrugged. “I guess.”

Then he leaned closer, his voice lowering conspiratorially. “I’ll get you to talk to me, though. You and me—we’re going to be friends.”

I looked up at him, tilting my head slightly. This guy was persistent, that was for sure.

Just then, I heard a girl call out, “Jayce, baby! Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

A girl strode down the hall, confidence radiating from her every move.

She wore the school uniform, but her skirt was hiked up to the limit, and she had tied the front of her blouse in a way that exposed a hint of her midriff. The makeup she wore seemed excessive for a high school student.

With gorgeous golden hair pulled into a high ponytail, she strolled over to Jayce and wrapped her arm around his waist. “Jayce, I’ve been looking for you!”

“I was in class, where I should have been,” he replied, his tone casual.

She glanced at me, her eyes narrowing as she assessed me from head to toe before turning back to Jayce. “Well, I thought you’d be with me.”

I felt a stab of realization; of course he had a girlfriend.

But it didn’t matter, because I didn’t want anything from him—not even a friendship. I needed to focus on school, on finishing, so I could return to my real home.

“Oh, hey there,” the girl said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “You must be the new girl Jayce's father is forcing him to show around.”

Forcing…ouch.

I nodded, forcing a smile. “I guess that’s me.”

“Jayce, come on, let’s go,” she urged, trying to pull him away.

“Go where?” he asked, sounding perplexed. “I’m walking Ivy and April to our next class.”

“But I thought you were going to come with me,” Liliana insisted, her voice dropping slightly.

“Lily, why don’t we talk later? I don’t have time right now. I’m heading to history with Ivy and April,” Jayce replied, clearly unbothered.

Liliana’s face fell, as if he had betrayed her.

She shrugged her shoulders and said, “Fine, whatever.”

Jayce nodded, “I’ll see you at lunch.”

She nodded curtly, and we began walking down the hall when I suddenly felt something at my foot, and before I knew it, I was on the ground.

How did that happen?

“Ouch!” I exclaimed, wincing at the impact.

“Hey, are you okay?” Jayce asked, helping me up.

“Yeah. I'm okay. I don't know what happened,” I said, trying to regain my composure.

I heard April scoff and whisper, “I do,” but I ignored her.

“Omg, are you okay, Ivy?” Liliana asked, her voice dripping with feigned concern.

“It’s Ivy, Lily,” April interrupted, a hint of annoyance in her tone.

“Thank you, Jayce,” I said, accepting his help.

“No problem,” he replied, giving me a wink.

This guy was persistent, but I didn’t want to be some charity case. I didn’t want someone spending time with me out of obligation.

I gathered my books that had fallen and noticed Jayce passing me my phone.

I offered him a weak smile as I took it from him, grateful for his kindness, even if I felt undeserving.

As we continued walking down the hall, I couldn’t help but glance back at Liliana, who was giving me a death glare that could intimidate even the bravest soul.

I had a feeling I had just made my first enemy at this new school.

This wasn’t going to end well.