7. Take This as a Hint
TAKE THIS AS A HINT
WILL
SIXTEEN YEARS OLD
I slam the front passenger door shut on Dad’s car and kick a clump of grass on the curb.
I’m still pissed that we had to move to Brisbane and have been stomping around for the last week, refusing to let myself get comfortable in the new house.
The logical part of my brain knows this is a done deal.
There’s no going back to Sydney now. At least, not while I’m still legally required to live with my parents.
But the second I graduate, that’s it, I’m moving back.
Brisbane is hot and it’s too fucking far to drive to the nearest surf beach.
What the hell am I meant to do for fun now?
I miss my friends, and I’m doubly pissed that I had to quit the job I’d scored at the surf shop after years of spending all my pocket money there.
I still can’t believe I have to miss out on spending my last two years of high school with the mates I’ve grown up with.
Most of whom I didn’t even get to say goodbye to because they were away for the summer holidays when Dad blew up our lives with his stupid new job.
I don’t want to make new friends.
“Hurry up, Bug!” I snap, while Kylie takes her sweet-ass time getting out of the back of the car.
She’s adjusted to the move way better than me, but that’s nothing unusual. She thrives on change and was so excited when Dad told us he got the new job up here. So much for sibling solidarity.
“Jeez, William. Calm yourself.” Kylie comes to my side and waves goodbye to Dad while he pulls away.
Mum drew the short straw and got stuck dropping the twins off at their new school. Cause they are still in primary school, she had to go in with them. But Dad gets to just dump us and run.
I check the map that came in our orientation pack and lead the way to the administration building.
After we spend twenty minutes getting our classes sorted, the vice-principal walks us both to our home rooms. Kylie’s is conveniently located in the room next to mine, so at least we’ll be able to navigate our way back here together tomorrow morning when we have to do this all over again.
Throwing my bag onto the rack outside the door, I follow behind a couple of other guys and take a seat at the very back of the class, glaring down at the timetable in my hands to avoid making eye contact with anyone. Of course my first class after this is English.
This day just keeps getting better.
The two guys I followed in take the seats to my left, and the one closest gives me a wave.
“Hey, I’m Jake. You’re new, right?”
Despite my determination to become a loner, I find myself smiling back. “Yeah. I’m Will.”
“Cool. Welcome. This is Chris.” Jake jabs his thumb towards the other guy, who nods towards me .
We don’t get a chance to speak any further before the teacher starts taking attendance. It only takes a minute or so to get through the names on her list, then she starts going over all the important news for the day. At least this doesn’t seem so different from back home.
While we wait for the next bell to sound, I study my map and timetable, trying to work out where I need to go for English class. As I glare down at the map, I’m startled by a tap on the shoulder.
“Hey, do you need help working out where you need to be?” I look to my right, locking eyes with the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid eyes on. I’m stunned into silence as my hormones take over.
I’ve always been attracted to redheads, and this girl has the deepest red hair I’ve ever seen, with bright green eyes, creamy, flawless skin and an amazing smile. Her body is curvy in all the right places, and I swallow hard, my stomach doing a weird, flip flop while I do my best not to stare.
She grows wary with each second it takes me to find my voice, which is absurdly long.
“Oh, yeah, sorry. That would be great. It’s English, and I absolutely hate English, so I’m fine being late.” I shake my head when I realise I’m rambling, trying to get my thoughts back on track.
I’m sure she thinks I’m a complete idiot now, which is the worst first impression I could make.
She takes my timetable from my other hand and inspects it before handing it back to me with a smile as the bell finally rings.
“You’ve got the same class as me first up.
We can walk together if you’d like?” She is already getting to her feet, which gives a clear view of the body attached to the amazing face, and I have a sinking feeling that my already dismal English grades are going to be even further impaired by having this girl so close by.
“That sounds good, thanks. I’m Will Anderson, by the way.”
She laughs - a sexy, husky laugh that I could listen to forever - as I stick my hand out towards her, taking hers and giving it a firm shake.
“How very formal of you. I’m Annelisa Richards.”
And with that, I’m a goner.
I follow her from the room, knowing I’ve just met the girl that is going to be a source of all hormonal distraction for me.
“So, why do you hate English so much?” she asks while we walk side by side, following the crowd of students heading for their first class of the day.
“I don’t know. I’ve just never been a fan of reading. And the books they made me read at my old school were so boring.”
“Well, maybe you just haven’t found the right book?” She gives me a little smile.
“Maybe… I’m guessing you’re a reader?”
She nods. “Absolutely. I’ve already read twenty books this year.”
I stare at her. “It’s only the end of January…”
She laughs. “You have no idea how much I love reading.”
“Oh yeah? What’s your favourite book?” I ask, wanting to keep her talking so I can hear her voice.
It’s a little husky, low and sexy. I never thought I had a thing for voices before, but I could listen to her talk all day and not get tired.
She smiles, cocking her head to the side. “Do you even know any books?”
I shrug, blushing. “I mean, I know the ones I had to read for school.”
She snorts, and even that has my insides all askew. At this point, I don’t think there’s anything this girl could do that I wouldn’t find attractive.
“I read everything, really. But I love romances the best. There’s just something about reading about humans falling in love and becoming better people through the trials they endure in the course of finding each other. It just gets me right in the heart. I actually want to be an author one day.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Wow, that’s cool. I’ve never met someone who wanted to be an author before.
You don’t fit the image I have in my head of what an author should be like,” I say, then immediately realise how rude it might have sounded.
“I mean… You’re really pretty and I just always thought authors were like old people.
” My face heats up. “I’ll stop talking now. ”
She gives me an amused look. “I think that was a compliment?”
I nod. “Yep, it was meant to be, I just lost my ability to talk properly.” I give a nervous laugh, marvelling at just how stupid she must think I am.
“You’re cute, Will Anderson.”
I let out a sigh of relief when she leads the way into the classroom, thankful that I’d managed to endear myself to her instead of having her think I’m a complete idiot.
Maybe this new school won’t be so bad, after all.
By lunch time, I’m starting to feel a little less out of my depth, and after having PE with Chris and Jake, they invite me to sit with their group of friends.
Chris reminds me of my best friend back home, with his dry sense of humour and easy-going nature.
We’ve already started ribbing each other about our opposing footy teams. Although I’m not a huge fan, having grown up with a mother who is an avid Cronulla fan, the fact that I’m firmly in enemy territory, surrounded by Brisbane supporters, is going to be an adjustment.
We arrive at a lunch table in the middle of the school yard that they’ve apparently claimed as their own, and Chris starts hammering me with questions about what it’s like to live so close to the beach.
It seems like beach trips are a bit of a novelty for these city people, and neither of them have ever been on a surfboard.
But our conversation is interrupted soon after when his girlfriend arrives.
Morgan is a bubbly blonde who greets me warmly, and I recognise her from my English class. She’d been sitting next to Annelisa, and I wonder if they are friends.
We’re eventually joined by Morgan’s younger sister, Brianna, and another redhead, Tara, who seems to bear a striking resemblance to Annelisa.
I’m sure it’s just because I’ve been hoping to see her again ever since English finished.
I’m surprised to find Kylie with them, but it seems like Brianna and Tara have taken her under their wing in their own classes.
“Hey, did you grab my lunch this morning?” A voice says from behind me, and I turn in my seat to see Annelisa walking towards us.
Tara nods from where she sits beside me. “Yeah, sorry. Did you bring mine?”
I guess I wasn’t so far off with the resemblance thing. They must be sisters.
Annelisa nods at Tara as she places a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Well hey, Will Anderson,” she says, taking a seat on my other side and reaching across me to exchange paper bags with Tara.
I trip over my words while I greet her back, and Kylie covers her mouth, giggling and giving me an amused look. I glare at her, but am thankfully rescued when Morgan starts asking us how we’re settling in.
“I guess it hasn’t been so bad. Still a big change, going to take a while to adjust,” I reply with a shrug.
“I can only imagine. We’ve all known each other since daycare days, so none of us have ever had to be the new kids.” She gives Chris’ hand a squeeze, before taking a bite of her sandwich.
“Yeah, lucky for you two, it looks like you’ve found the right people to hang out with,” Annelisa chimes in with a grin.