Hello there, Reader. I'm your Narrator, your guide through this crazy fictional world. And what world might that be, well you know it's a fictional world that centers around a girl and a boy. What more do you need to know? Oh, you do want more information? Oh…well okay. I can't really argue with the Reader, now can I? And aren't you just in luck then, that's our main character running down the street now. Let's have a look see what's about to happen.
"Iona! Wait up."
She looks back over her shoulder to see her best friend, Nicole running to catch up with her. Her long dark hair swaying behind her, as she picks up her pace. Both their arms filled with books that don't fit into their bags, ready for the first day of the new school year.
"Hurry up, or I'm going to be late!" She shouts back. Fighting a smile as she remembers how just yesterday Nicole had fought insisting on walking together, at least part of the way. An attempt to hold onto their friendship despite Iona changing schools. Iona drifts off in thought walking the familiar route. They walk in step, still half-asleep after having stayed up half the night promising that nothing's going to change.
Suddenly she's on the floor. Yes, just like that. A stranger on his skateboard, equally lost in his mind, crashed into her. She looks at her scattered books lying around her. The palms of her hands and her knees hurting as she's pulled back to reality.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!" She was annoyed at being knocked off her feet, but seeing him now pushes her towards anger. He stands there silently. Almost frozen in place with a blank expression that she can't read.
I'm sorry, Reader, but our skater boy isn't making the best impression on her. Looking up, she runs her eyes over him. His beanie pulled down low over his forehead with only a few stray strands of hair sticking out. It's a wonder he hasn't hit more people, she thinks standing up. It doesn't help that he's just standing there staring at her like it's her fault that he crashed into her.
"Well..." she says gesturing towards her books. Still nothing, so she starts gathering the books closest to her, and the registration papers that fell to the side. Without any help from the beanie guy here, and her friend too shocked to do anything. The least he could do is apologise for knocking me over. She thinks frowning at him as he stands there just staring at her like it was her fault that he hit her.
A moment later he shakes his head, "I'm sorry…"
He bends down, picks up the last two books from the damp pavement, and hands them to her before putting his board down and skating off.
"Oh my word, that did not just happen. Did he ask for your number? Did you get his number?" Nicole asks, reminding her of why I didn't see him in the first place in time to move out the way, "Don't you think he was hot?"
"What? No, I was too busy being shocked that he knocked me over and sent my things flying" she says laughing at the fact that after the whole thing that just happened her BEST FRIEND wants to know if they exchanged numbers and if she thought he was hot.
Now you see, unlike her crazy, social butterfly, party animal friend Iona doesn't think about things like this too often and she doesn't go out that much to meet boys who ask for her number. She's also too shy to even dare ask for theirs. Instead she has a plan in life, and that plan does not involve getting a boyfriend, getting knocked up at a party, or having any distractions in her life. Unfortunately for her, Life doesn't go according to plan. No matter how badly you want it too. She's about to find out just how different life can be to the way you planned it.
"Hey, what you guys laughing about?" Lizbeth, their other best friend calls out as she sees them at the gate to their school. Iona's old school.
She takes a breath in between Nicole's and her combined laughter to begin to explain the scene that just played out when she sees the time on her watch.
"Shoot. I'm late, I've got to run. I promise to tell you about it after school. I'll message you guys when I get home" She shouts the last part as she runs off, trying to get to her new school on time.
"Don't forget, we're coming over to help you unpack." Lizbeth reminds her,"We'll be there around three, after school. Bye!" They shout back running along the other side of the fence.
"Bye!" She runs pushing through the small flame rising in her calves.
Great I'm late for the first day, at a new school, at the beginning of the year. Way to make an impression. She checks her watch. Twelve minutes until the bell goes, not bad but I still need to move it.
She slows down as she walks through the front doors of East-Coast High School for Boys - well that's what it was called until four month ago, but they haven't gotten around to changing the sign yet- to stop herself from running through the hall.
With only minutes to spare she makes it to the headmistress's office. Even though she's only here because she's registering, she feels her stomach twisting into a knot. She hates the feeling of dread that seems to fill the reception area. Just going to the office always makes her feel guilty, like she's done something wrong but she can't work out what it is.
"Come in" Mrs Green the headmistress calls her in and gestures for her to sit down in one of the chairs in front of her desk. "Miss Blake is it?"
She nods my head yes, not trusting her mouth to speak just yet.
"Welcome to East-Coast High School, sorry we haven't changed the sign just yet." She gives her one of those half-hearted smiles. The ones where you can never really tell what the person really means when they look at you like that.
"You are one of only thirty five girls to apply here so far, but we are hoping to increase our number of female students by the end of the year." She looks at her over the rims of her glasses. Iona notes that she looks young, but she gives off an air that lets you know that she runs the place with authority. She continues to explain things that Iona already knows, but Iona sits there and smiles listening. "As for the girls themselves, there are ten in form 1, three girls in form 2, thirteen girls, and yourself in form 3, and another six girls in form 4, and two girls in form 5. For the most part we want to spread the girls out within the school but still give them a chance to interact with each other so we are aiming to have between one to three girls in each class."
She pauses and because she feels that it's expected of her Iona nods her head to show she understands what she's being told. Which she does, she's just not completely sure why she's telling her all this.
Seeing the confusion on Iona's face she goes on to say, "Because of the number of girls there are in your form I'm sorry to say that we can't accommodate everyone into groups like we want to. This is why I've put you on your own for most classes. You'll be taking them without any of the other girls in your year. I've looked at your marks and you seem to be the one who will suffer the least on your own."
She understands now. She'll be the only girl for the most part. "I understand Ma'am. I don't mind. I'm sure I can hold my own, keep up my marks. Thank you for…"
There's a knock on the door cutting her off, and guess who walks right in. Beanie, skater boy from this morning. Now you might think this is unbelievable. Iona certainly does, but you see it's more believable when you take note that he does go to this school. Not only that but the reason why he was in such a rush was to get to school in time to hand in extra credit work.
"Morning, Mrs Green" his voice smooth as he talks, not what Iona was expecting at all. Up close she can see his eyes are a deep green and his hair under his beanie is dark and curled. Nicole wasn't wrong to have asked if he was hot.
"Morning Mr Colbyn, please remove that thing from your head. It is not part of our uniform, thank you. You know the rules. Now then would you like to tell me why you are in my office when I am in the middle of a meeting with a new student" her voice is hard but not cold as she addresses him. Her words drawing his attention to Iona.
"Oh, hi there sorry I didn't see you. Jack, Jack Colbyn." He flashes her a smile as he takes off the beanie. Acknowledging her for the first time, since he entered the room. "Hold on, have we met?"
He's now looking straight at her. Typical, he can't even remember that he hit me with his board only minutes ago.
Thankfully Mrs Green chooses this moment to interrupt, "Mr Colbyn would you mind flirting outside my office not in it."
Even though it sounds like a question they both knew it was more of a statement, one that makes Iona's cheeks flushed pink. I really hate blushing!
"Now would you mind please telling me why you are here?" Iona can hear that she's getting a little impatient now, and so can Jack.
He's quick to answer this time. "Sorry Ma'am, but Mr Kennedy sent me. Something about disrupting his class. I swear, I did nothing. I only asked a question."
Iona looks at him. Confused by the fact that he sounds genuinely confused about why he had been sent here in the first place, because reason tells her that he knows all too well why he's here.
"Alright detention until the end of period three then back to class. Got that?"
"Yes ma'am" and with a smirk on his face he turns on his heels and heads for the door. He only stops to say goodbye to the headmistress, and that he'll see Iona around.