Chapter 7 #2
“Jacinda, come on. We’re trying to eat lunch,” Beth says to the blond.
“Who else would we be talking to, Lizzie?” the dark-haired cheerleader interjects, ignoring Beth.
The girl with tanned skin and dark brown wavy hair beside her locks narrowed eyes with Ryder, and her nostrils flare like a charging bull.
“We're not doing this today, Maria,” he says to her, the warning clear in the tone of his voice.
Jacinda winks at Jayson and I feel him recoil like she's a venomous snake poised to attack. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the old me and these three girls were not friends. At least I now know who to avoid for the rest of the year.
Ryder stands up, placing both palms flat on the table, and leans over it in a authoritative way. “Since Fallon is back in town and was actually here this morning, I'm sure he'll be thrilled to find out you tried something with Elizabeth on the first day of school.”
By the way Jacinda reacts to that statement, you would think Ryder actually threw a punch at her.
“Now, get lost. Pretty please,” Jayson says with a toothy grin that isn't that friendly.
The one Ryder called Maria sneers at me, and then the three girls turn tail and walk away without another word.
“Are they going to be a problem for me?” I ask the group at the table.
“If Fallon has anything to say about it, no. He kept Jacinda and Samantha in check last year. Maria? She's a whole other ball game,” Julien explains.
Beth relaxes back into Keith. “We won't let them screw with you, Lizzie. They're just a bunch of petty, spoiled, entitled bitches. Beth and I may be on the same squad as them, but that doesn’t mean we’re friends.”
Davis wraps his arms around Celeste and kisses her temple. The smile she gives him is filled with adoration. They clearly are in love with each other. I peek over at Jayson. Were we like that, I wonder?
Celeste notices me watching. “We didn't see you this morning, Lizzie. What classes are you in?”
“According to the schedule Mrs. Stubb's gave me the other day, all AP courses including Spanish.”
Keith whistles through his teeth. “You were always the smartest of our bunch,” he comments.
“Beth and I are taking AP European History this year, so we'll be in the same class together for that.”
I already know that Ryder, Jayson, and Julien will be in my AP Calculus class, and Julien will also be in AP Chemistry with me.
The bell rings, signaling that lunch is over. Jayson picks my bag up from the ground where I had placed it under the picnic bench. “Where are you headed next, princess?”
“I'm not your princess,” I remind him, then answer, “AP English.”
“Come on. I'll walk you to class.”
“It was nice to meet you...again,” I say to Celeste, Beth, Keith, and Davis.
Keith picks Beth up and she gives me a wave over his shoulder as he carries her inside the school.
“They are totally going to make out under the bleachers in the gymnasium before class,” Celeste giggles, then yelps as Davis smacks her on the butt.
“Come on, woman,” he playfully commands, and she literally swoons right before my eyes.
“Those four are adorable,” I say to the guys
Ryder stands up and motions for Julien. “They're good people. Good friends. You couldn't ask for better.”
I want to ask Ryder about Maria. About the scathing, withering look she gave him. There's history there between them, and it doesn't seem to be a good one. Based on what Ryder said to Jacinda, and how she reacted to it, I'm also curious to find out what Fallon has to do with everything.
“Is this desk taken?” a dark-haired girl asks me.
“Not at all. Be my guest,” I reply as I take out my spiral notebook and a pencil.
The girl settles in at the beside me, even though there are like ten other empty desks in the classroom. “Hi, my name’s Meredith,” she proclaims happily in greeting.
“Elizabeth,” I answer.
“Nice to meet you, Elizabeth.”
“Yep,” I mumble, not really paying attention.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to,” Meredith says.
Realizing I hadn't heard a word of what she said, I apologize. “I’m sorry, Meredith. It's been a crazy first day. It’s very nice to meet you.”
She beams at me and I notice how pretty she is. Dark brown hair cut in a pixie bob, chocolate brown eyes, and a heart-shaped face with a creamy complexion. And she’s tiny, around five feet tall.
“I asked if you'd like to do something this weekend. I'm new in town, so I don't know anyone. It would be nice to have a friend who can show me around.”
A hand lands on my desk. When I look up, Trevor is standing in front of me.
“Small world.” When I continue to stare at him, he backtracks and says, “Trevor, remember?”
The way he emphasizes remember has me thinking he's heard that I'm the amnesia chick who lost her memories. Fantastic. I'm the new school oddity.
“Yes. I remember.” Trevor is really good looking—tattoo, twin dimples, and all.
“Do you guys know each other?” Meredith asks from beside me.
Trevor aims his dimpled smile at her. “We ran into each other earlier in the parking lot.”
“Of course you did.” She turns to me. “Don't waste your time on him. As brothers go, he's the best. As boyfriend material, not so much.”
“Hey!” Trevor says and kicks at her feet, which are sticking out from under her desk. “I'm not that bad!”
She rolls her eyes. “Yes, he really is,” she silently mouths to me and I laugh. Trevor plops down at the desk in front of me.
“So, you two are siblings?” I ask.
“Paternal twins,” Trevor replies.
“That's cool,” I say. “I should introduce you to Jayson and Julien. They're identical twins.”
Meredith gets excited. “Hey, maybe they'd like to join us this weekend.”
Trevor looks on with interest. “Cool. What are we doing?”
“Elizabeth is going to show us around town.”
I stutter, “Wait, I never said I would—”
Trevor sees my panic and jumps in to control his sister's assumptions. “Mer, stop being so bossy. She probably has plans. Right, Elizabeth?”
I take the life preserver he's tossing me. “Right. I can't this weekend. Maybe, next weekend?”
I don't remember where the grocery store is, let alone any other place in this town. I would be a horrible tour guide. Maybe Ryder can show me around.
“Oh, sorry, Elizabeth. I can get carried away sometimes.”
Like now, I think, when she leans over and snaps a selfie of the two of us.
“Let's exchange numbers,” she prompts.
After Meredith and I trade digits, Trevor gives me his number too. He sends me a text as the teacher walks in.
Trevor: Sorry about my sister. I'll talk to her later and explain everything.
Me: So you do know.
Trevor turns around in his seat. “Yeah,” is his one-word reply.
A throat clears from the front of the room. “Alright class. Settle down. My name is Mrs. Pender, and I will be your AP English teacher this year.”