"Knock it out, you've got this girl."
I smiled. Roger wasn't a huge talker, but when he did, it meant something to me.
We waited at the end of the driveway for the bus to come.
"The school is small," Felix said. "And it's a Christian school with Christian teachers."
The Christian part made me feel better. But the small part made me feel like I would stand out more.
I was nervous, but at least I had my friends.
"Does Tina go to this school?" I asked.
"Yes."
Then, my mission to befriend her would be easier.
It was cold that morning, real cold. But my sweater was wooly and warm.
"Felix?" I ran my fingers down my thick braid.
"Yes?"
"Do you think Tina is jealous of my hair when she says bad things about it?"
"No doubt about it. You have the prettiest hair I've ever seen." His eyes had a way of twinkling when he said sweet things like that. He grabbed my hand and pulled me near him.
"I love you, Anna." He kissed my cheek.
When the bus pulled up, I climbed in behind Felix and followed him to the back. That's where Tom and Sarah sat. And there were two seats next to them on the bench.
Sarah greeted me and Tom just looked sad. It was clear. Too clear.
I quickly sat, hoping not to get noticed.
"Who's the new girl?" A guy with curly hair asked.
"I'm LeAnna," I said quietly.
He stared at me. "I'm David." I noticed he had braces.
Then, two girls ahead stared and started whispering. It had begun. And I hadn't even made it to school yet.
After a few more stops, Tina climbed on. She glanced at me and then jerked away to sit in the furthest seat possible.
"I'll try to talk to her later," I whispered, and Felix and Sarah agreed.
"We will try, too."
I glanced past Sarah and saw Tom staring at the floor. Was he thinking? Or was he depressed?
Once the bus finally stopped at the small school, everyone poured out and knew exactly what to do. Except me of course.
"I'll take you to miss Heather," Sarah said.
"See you later," Felix whispered in my ear. And we departed.
I followed Sarah down the hallway, and we stopped at a door.
"Good luck." She hugged me and then disappeared.
I was nervous. I knocked. I heard footsteps. Everything in me wanted to go home. But the door opened, and I gazed at the lady in round glasses.
"LeAnna?"
"Ye – Yes, that's me."
"Welcome to school. I’m miss Heather. I've been looking forward to meeting you." She stepped aside. "Please, come in."
I entered and she shut the door beside us.
"Please take a seat."
I did. And she sat behind the desk.
"First off, I know you have never been to public school before. But Ella tells me your smart and I know you will fly through these pages I'm about to give you. Likewise, don't worry about the grade. Just focus on learning. And if you struggle with something don't worry. Take as many breaks as you need. Do you think you're ready?"
"Yes ma'am." She took some pages from her desk drawer and passed them in front of me along with a sharpened pencil. I glanced at the smooth walls and noticed the room smelled like paper and lemongrass. Before coming in, I had thought about taking my sweater off. But now I was thankful for its bulky sleeves because miss Heather must like the cold.
"I'm not the best at writing," I explained, holding the pencil between my fingers and trying to find a comfortable grip.
"That's okay. You'll be doing more circling and check marks at first anyway."
Two hours passed by on the wall clock above the door and within that time, I already felt smarter. And most of the work had just been reading and comprehension. And whenever I had a question or didn't understand something, Miss Heather was there to explain it. Despite the overwhelming anxiety that had filled my head whenever I had thought about school or being tutored, I was happy to be here. At the same time, I wondered how long it would take before I could join my friends in their classes.
Miss Heather glanced at the clock. "It's time for you to join the others in the cafeteria."
"Okay." I stood, thankful to stretch my legs.
"Do you need me to show you the way?"
"No, I got it." I walked out into a crowd that was shoving their way down the hall. I squeezed in and followed. I looked for Felix or Sarah, but it was impossible to spot them out of so many people.
When everyone made it to the lunchroom, they formed a line at the bar. I followed suite and was soon standing with a tray of food.
"Over here!" It was Sarah.
I walked to her table and sat across from her.
"How was it?" She heaped.
"It went well. Really well. I’m excited about learning."
"That's great. I did well for the first day too." She started eating and urged me to do the same. "We only have a certain amount of time to eat."
I saw Felix at the back of the line, and he smiled and waved.
"I'm glad Felix is happy," she whispered and motioned towards Tom. He sat at a table alone, head down, hoodie up.
"He's got to eat. I'm scared." She was concerned. It took over her face.
"I know. I – I am too." For different reasons. Because at this rate, the cat was bound to get out of the bag – meaning Felix would find out about what happened. And I just wasn't prepared.
Chapter 20
First Day
When I returned to Miss Heather's office – instantly chilling – we continued my lessons for another hour and a half.
"Now, the others will be going to creative class. That's where you are assigned with a partner and together you study on x of a x subject. I'll take you to the library. That's where they
