by Cara E Holt
“This is school?” I say in awe.
Dom follows the driveway round to the side of the grand building and parks up. Students mill about chatting and meandering around. We all climb out and I gawp at the impressive building. Izzy links my arm and pulls me forward laughing at my gob smacked face. It looked big from the front but from the side you can see how far it stretches back. Abigail shouts to a girl and with a quick goodbye she is off.
Dom leans over and kisses Izzy’s cheek. “Common room?”
“Sure. Let’s get Everly to the main office first.”
Inside the place is just as grand as the outside with ornate ceilings and large archways. Izzy and Dom take me to the front of the school. At a large oak type desk sits a lady in her late fifties. Her glasses are perched on the end of her upturned nose and her greying hair is styled in a perfect bun. She ignores us for a good minute before Izzy coughs and her razor-sharp eyes glare at us.
“Yes?” She barks out, her finger poised over a key on her keyboard.
“Miss Manning this is Everly Hope, new student.”
“Ah yes.” She comments without smiling. “Take a seat.” She points over to a solitary chair to the right. Izzy gives me a wink.
“We’ll see you later, Okay?” I nod and smile feeling grateful that they are both looking out for me.
I sit there a good five minutes waiting for the formidable Miss Manning to deal with me. She continues to type away furiously on her keyboard. I start to wonder if she has forgotten about me when she suddenly curls out a finger and beckons me.
“You girl.”
“Me?” I ask her pointing at myself.
She tuts and looks at me pointedly. “Well do you see anyone else here?”
I scuttle to my feet and stand before her. “Here.” She thrusts a set of papers at me.
“School map, timetable. Account login details.”
I take the papers off her and then look at her in surprise as she offers me an I-pad.
“You’re kidding me?” I say, surely they don’t provide I-pads?
She looks at me like she is fast losing her patience with me. “All pupils are provided with one.”
My jaw hanging open I take it off her. She adjusts her glasses and looks down her nose at me.
“Well off you go. First class starts in ten minutes.”
“Thanks.” I mumble and she completely ignores me. Well that wasn’t the friendliest of welcomes on my first day. I move away from her and check where my first class is on my timetable. I smile when I see it is English literature. The timetable says south building room 103. I pull out the map and try and locate the room. I am so busy examining the map that I walk into a solid chest.
“Well if its isn’t Manchester.”
Great! I look up to find Grayson with his tell-tale smirk on his face. Two other boys that I remember seeing at the party stand either side of him.
Of all the people I had to bump into, it had to be him.
“You lost Manchester?” He grabs the timetable from my hand before I have chance to answer. He hands it me back. “Go right through that door, follow the corridor all the way along and take a right at the bottom. Take the stairs to the first floor.”
I look at him surprised. Wait. Posh was helping me?
“Err, thanks.” I mumble taking a step back and heading the way he directed. As I walk away I hear laughing and turn around to see them walking off the other way.
It takes a good five minutes to walk to class and I get to the first floor just as the bell sounds. I frown as I walk up and down looking at the room numbers on the doors. All the rooms on this floor are number 30-40.
“Everly.” A voice shouts and I turn to find Jacob coming my way.
“You look lost.” He comments.
“I think I am, but I followed the directions Posh gave me.”
He gestures for me to hand over my timetable. “You say Grayson gave you directions?”
“Yeah.”
Jacob bites his lip. “Do you want the good news or the bad news?”
I frown. “Bad.”
He hands me my timetable back. “Bad news is Grayson played you and sent you in the complete wrong direction.”
“You’re shittin me?” I ask folding my arms and frowning. I feel such an idiot for thinking he was being nice.
Jacob shakes his head. “Sorry no. Good news is that I can take you to where you need to be.” Jacob sticks his head around the classroom door next to where we are stood. “Sir, this girl is new and she is lost. Am I okay to take her over to south building?”
I hear the teacher tell him to go ahead. Jacob beckons for me to follow him.
“I can’t believe he did that?” I state as we walk to where my real class is. “Actually, I take that back, yes I can believe it, what I can’t believe is that I fell for it.”
Jacob grimaces. “You did press his buttons the other night, but yeah, it is a mean thing to do.”
“Mean?” I repeat, one eyebrow raised. “It was a shitty thing to do.”
“Don’t’ worry.” He tells me smiling as he places an arm over my shoulder. “We’ll have you where you need to be in no time.”
We walk fast but it still takes a good five minutes to get to the other side of school. Jacob leaves me outside the classroom door, which is closed. So much for sneaking in early and sitting myself at the back.
“So, I’ll leave you here.”
“Thanks, Jacob. You’re my hero.” I tell him giving him a playful nudge.
Jacob gives me a wink and heads off back the way we have just come. Taking a deep breath, I knock on the door and then open it. A full class of students all turn towards me.
“Sorry. I’m new, I got lost.” I explain to the teacher who is stood there glaring at me.
“Take a seat quickly.” He tells me, turning back to the class and dismissing me. I rush forward and my eyes scan the room for an empty chair. Spotting one the second row from the back, I keep my head down. As I get to the seat, I go to pull it out but find a foot resting on there. I follow the foot to it’s owner on the next row back. I find myself staring into the eyes of Grayson St. Clair. My day was going from bad to worse! He sits there, arms folded, his eyes challenging me. I give him a cold smile right before I kick out at his other foot that is on the floor beside the chair.
“Fuck!” He exclaims dropping his foot off the chair and grabbing his ankle that I just kicked. With a satisfied grin on my face I pull the seat out and sit down.
“Grayson! I will not have that language in my class.”
I keep my eyes trained to the front and switch on my I-pad so that I can take notes. I feel a tug on my hair and clenching my teeth turn to scowl at dick-face. He leans forward his blue eyes full of challenge.
“One all, Manchester.”
I roll my eyes dramatically in response and I turn my attention back to the front.
I do my best to concentrate, I really do, but having him sat behind me makes me uncomfortable. It is as if I can feel his eyes on me. The bell eventually rings and I pack my things into my bag. A shadow falls over me, but I don’t look up as I know who it will be.
“Do you need directions to your next class Manchester?” That smug-ass grin is present again.
I smile falsely at him. “No thanks. I don’t want anything from you Posh.”
He leans in putting his hands on my desk. “You keep telling yourself that sweet-cheeks.” He gently tugs on a piece of my dark hair before he walks off out of the room.
I clench my fists in frustration, glaring at the door he has just walked through. I pull out my map and figure out my way to the next class.
I find my way to History class and thankfully I am there early and take a seat. A girl sat in the seat beside me smiles at me. She seems nice. Her brown bobbed hair is cut in a blunt style like Lucy Hales.
“Hi. I’m Lottie and you’re new.” She states leaning on her hand, smiling at me.
“I’m Everly and yes, this is my firs
t day here.”
She nods. “I love your accent.” She tucks her hair behind her ears. She has big expressive hazel eyes. “It reminds me of my Grandmas. She was from your way. She lived in Eccles.”
I grin. “Really? Yeah that isn’t far from where I lived.” I like this girl, she seems more down-to-earth than the others.
“So how is your first day going?”
I laugh. “It could be better. My accent makes me stand out like a sore thumb and I feel like a fish out of water. I went to a state school and grew up in a terraced house. I buy my clothes from New Look and Topshop and round here it looks like they all shop in Chanel and Ralph Lauren.”
Lottie laughs leaning closer. “Trust me I get you. I’m only here thanks to my grandma’s trust fund. My mum and dad aren’t loaded like most here.”
I can’t help but smile at her, I have found someone normal, someone who knew where I was coming from.
Dom enters the class and sitting near the front gives me a quick smile and a wave.
“You know Dom?” Lottie asking, she looks at me like this news is some kind of amazing thing.
“Actually, I live with him.” Lottie’s eyes widen in surprise. “His mum is married to my Dad.”
She looks at Dom dreamily. “You are so lucky.”
History passes quickly and lunchtime rolls around. Lottie helps me find my locker and I pile my stuff in there.
“You can eat lunch with me if you like?” She offers giving me a shy smile.
“I’d like that.” I spot a toilet. “I need the loo. I’ll meet you in the dining hall?”
I enter the dining hall and follow Lottie’s directions through to a separated section that is for sixth formers only. I grab a salad and a carton of juice and look around the room for her.
“Everly.” I follow the voice and find Izzy sat at a table waving her hand in the air. I give her a wave and walk over to her table.
“Come and sit.” She offers, patting the seat beside her. Before I have chance to politely tell her I’d already promised to sit with Lottie, a voice I am becoming all too familiar with pipes up.
“Sorry Manchester but that seat is taken.” I hadn’t noticed him sat there.
“Grayson! Don’t be a shit.” Izzy tells him giving him a dirty look.
I roll my eyes and ignore him. “Thanks Izzy, but I promised Lottie over there that I would sit with her.”
Then I let my eyes fall to where Posh is sat. “How’s the ankle?” I can’t help the smirk that crosses my lips and I walk on past without waiting for a reply.
I take a seat beside Lottie.
“Everyone this is Everly. Everly meet Hannah.” She points to a girl with curly blonde hair and glasses. Hannah gives me a wave. “These two are James and Harvey.” The two boys opposite me both say hi. Harvey is quite cute. He has brown hair that curls on his forehead and dark brown eyes. He reminds me a little of the actor who plays Jughead in one of my favourite tv shows. James has ginger hair and his nose and cheeks are laced with cute freckles.
“Last but by no means least is Imogen.” Imogen has shoulder length straight black hair and a blunt fringe.
“Hi everyone.” I greet them shyly.
“Everly’s from Manchester.” Lottie informs them
“I have never been to Manchester. It looks a cool city though.” Harvey tells me as he rips into his sandwich wrapper.
“I love it. I don’t actually live in the city though. I live in a small town about a twenty minutes drive away.”
“Did I see you talking to Grayson St. Clair?” Imogen asks me curiously.
I groan in response as I open up my salad. “Yes, unfortunately.”
She looks at me like I am crazy. “He is so gorgeous. I don’t think he has ever spoken a word to me in the whole time we have been here.”
“Think yourself lucky.” I tell her.
“What is it about that guy that has girls lusting after him?” Harvey grumbles looking over at Grayson.
I nod in agreement with Harvey. “Beats me. I think he is a complete tool.”
They all look at me surprised and I pause my fork in mid-air. “What?”
James smiles and looks at Lottie. “I like her, can we keep her?”
This causes the others to laugh. I tuck into my salad as they tell me about which teachers are nightmares and which ones are okay. I gaze around the room as I listen. My eyes fall on him and stop there when I find him staring right back at me. I discreetly raise my middle finger and move it up my cheek. To my surprise he laughs out loud, causing everyone at his table to look at him strangely. His blue eyes sparkle when he laughs. He is an ass with beautiful eyes that lure you in. Feeling unsettled by his reaction, I avert my gaze back to my food. When I sneak a look back up a girl leans on the table by him. Her arm on his, chatting and smiling at him.
“Who is that?” I ask Lottie, gesturing with my head to the girl who is now whispering in Grayson’s ear.
“That is Paige Fitzgerald. She walks around like she owns the school.”
Imogen grunts and chewing on her food stares at Paige like she is a nasty disease. “The girl is a first-class bitch.”
I laugh. “Well I guess every school has to have one.”
“Have a guess who Everly here lives with?” Lottie asks the others waggling her eyebrows like this was big news.
“Dobby the house elf?” James jokes.
I laugh. “No one that cool I’m afraid.” I look at Lottie. “I don’t know what the big deal is?”
She looks over at Imogen and Hannah. “She lives with Dom freaking Harland!”
“Wow.” Imogen comments looking at me like she has just been told I own the world’s most expensive diamond.
I shrug. “I don’t know what the big deal is?”
Harvey laughs and looks at James. “We are so keeping her.”
Chapter Five.
After lunch I have a free period, so I head to the library to make a start on some English homework. Lottie had said most people head to the common room when they have a free period, but with the possibility of Grayson being there I decide to pass. I read for half an hour and then decide to take a walk around the grounds of the school. I head out of a back entrance and take the path down past some flower beds. I follow the path round to the right and find some benches situated along what appears to be a rugby field and sit myself down for a bit. I take out my phone and message my friend Leah from home. My quiet is interrupted by the sounds of feet thundering the pavement. I look up to see a group of guys all jogging down in rugby kits. Who doesn’t like seeing guys in shorts? They move onto the pitch and start doing warm ups and passing the rugby balls to each other. I pull my phone back out to see if Leah has replied when – whack! I am hit full in the face by something hard. The end of it hits me right in the eye.
“Fuck.” I exclaim grasping my face, that hurt.
I don’t hear footsteps approaching. “Shit Everly, are you okay?”
Opening the one eye I can see out of I find Izzy’s twin Owen stood before me.
“What the fuck was that?” I ask him still holding my face.
“You just got a rugby ball full in the face.” He leans down looking concerned. “You okay? You took a real whack.”
“I think my eyes been knocked into the back of my skull.” I tell him, as that is definitely how it feels.
“You should probably get that checked out. Can you stand?”
I go to stand up and my vision wobbles causing me to stumble. “You want me to carry you?”
I’m about to protest when two big arms sweep me up and lift me. I yelp out in surprise and turn with my one eye to find I am in Grayson St. Clair’s arms.
“Put me down. Right now!” I demand.
Grayson’s response is to roll his eyes at me and look at me like I’m some petulant child.
“You were falling all over the place, you can’t walk.”
He continues walking back up towards the school with me in his arms. My body buzz
es with his contact, a mixture of excitement and anxiety or maybe that’s the nausea from the head. Yeah that will be it, I tell myself. There is no way it is because Grayson St. Clair is touching me, right?
“Put me down and get someone else to carry me.” I instruct him. He ignores me and laughs.
“Only you could sit near a rugby pitch and get socked in the eye with a ball.”
“I bet you threw it at me.”
He cocks a brow. “You might drive me insane Manchester, but even I wouldn’t purposely hurl a ball at your pretty little face.”
Did he just call my face pretty? For once I am lost for words, so I turn my head and focus on the scenery in front of me.
“Who were you texting before?” He asks me casually.
“None of your damn business posh. Just hurry up and get me to the nurses’ office.”
He laughs at me again and damn, if his smile isn’t the nicest thing to see close up. It makes his blue eyes seem clearer. Up close there are hints of grey in there too.
“You’re infuriating, do you know that Manchester.”
I fold my arms and meet his intense gaze. “No more than you are.”
We make it to a room that has nurses’ office on a plaque on the door. He opens the door somehow and a lady in her thirties looks up from her book and rushes over.
“Grayson what happened?”
He places me down on the medical bed. Part of me is relieved to be out of his close proximity, another annoying part of me wants to climb back into his arms and curl up there.
He sits himself beside me on the bed. “She got a rugby ball, full force in the face. She was dizzy.”
The nurse takes my face in her hands and examines me closely. “You are going to have one hell of a shiner young lady.”
I smile. “It will go with my rough northern image.”
She shines a torch in my eyes and has me follow her fingers. “I don’t think you have concussion, but we’ll keep you here for a bit, just to be on the safe side. I’ll go and grab some paracetamol for you.”
She leaves the room and I look anywhere but at the guy beside me. Being in a small room like this with him, makes me super aware of him.