Hidden Pasts. Dark Secrets. Chapters 6-7

Chapter 6: New Friendships
Tod wearily rolled off the couch and trudged into the kitchen. His brown eyes widened at the sight of his favorite breakfast that stood in front of him. The smell of waffles and warm maple syrup most of woke him. I saw the cheerful glow in his eyes. That was something I hadn't seen since I got here.
Tod and I talked all during breakfast. We talked of my past friends, favorite places to hang out in San Diego and the great things we both loved about my father. We told me of his life with Evelyn and how she used to be as caring and loving as Tod. I knew he wanted to tell me something about his past life but I didn't want to bring up any more pain. We've both suffered enough these past few days.
"Hey Lace, you feel well enough to get out of here and see the town right? Well since we didn't have any time the past couple days, how bout you say we'll go out and I'll show you off to some of my buddies. They've been dyin' to meet you, since you're all I talk about" His familiar, wide smile ran across his face. I smiled back.
"Sure, Tod! That sounds great. But I hope I make a good impression."
"Ha. Oh Lacey, you always make a great impression." He reached out to pull me into one of his bear hugs. I could barely breathe but I felt better.
I ran upstairs, flying past Evelyn in her room. I ran to the bathroom and took the shortest shower ever. I wanted to make Tod happy, so I knew he'd want to get a head start on a long day. After blow-drying my hair and washing my face, I searched my room for a pair of clean clothes. I wanted to make a great impression on his friends and I wanted to look somewhat decent. I pulled on my one pair of skinny jeans, a light pink button up shirt with my dad's sweatshirt over it. I always wear it because this is one of few memories I have of him. As I passed Evelyn, sitting at the table eating some leftover waffles, she stopped me. She grabbed my forearm and pulled me to the sit next to her. Her hazel eyes looked right into mine. She smiled at me with awkwardness and struggled for the words to come out.
"I'm…um sorry Lacey. I knew it's been hard for us both with Antonio's death. But your father loved you so much. I saw that all the time. And," she looked away from me and started to cry. "I just wanted him to do the same for me. I guess I was jealous."
The words stunned me. Jealous? How could she be jealous of me? She had my father with her all the time. I never had enough time to spend him. She controlled him too. Jealous? Never!
"Oh, Evelyn, I didn’t know you felt that way. I guess I was jealous of you. I mean c'mon you spent everyday with him. I was beginning to lose him because of you." The words came out harsher then I thought. She stood up and looked at me. Tears still dripped down her cheeks. She nodded and walked back upstairs. I felt awful. Worse then I've ever felt. I stood up too and marched to Tod's truck.
As we were driving down the narrow streets, my mind started to wander. I drifted back in forth with a thousand questions. Why is Evelyn jealous? Why was she once a happy girl and is the opposite now? Why is Tod caring for me all the time? What secret from his hidden past is he keeping from me? Why do I keep hearing his voice? My mind stopped there. Him again. I tried and tried to forget him. He hurt me, he hurt Tod he crushed my heart and burned me up on the inside. But at the same time he made me happier, he made me smile. But in the end, he makes me feel incredible.
"So kid, here's my office." His finger pointed to his left. A two-story building painted white. A luminous sign read, "Appleton's Finest Vets." He hoped out of the car and walked to the door. While trying to unlock the double-doors, I turned around to see the long street stretch for miles. With shops on every side of the street, I knew I'd find some pleasure here. Once inside, he showed me where all the animals stay and where he treats them. I cringed at the vision of seeing a sick dog on this lab table. After showing me almost every inch of his building, he decided we should take a walk around town to see his friends.
"Lace, my buds are going to love to meet you. Bob Monroe's own kid will love to meet you too." A smile gleamed upon his face. I smiled too and moved closer to Tod—just to get a little bit warmer. He put his arm over my shoulder pulled me in closer. His long straight hair was blowing with the wind as he walked. Although the rough times that Tod and I had, his heavenly smile never faded.
"You don't know how much I've been dyin' to have you here. I know we aren't that close but us two, we could be buds."
"Tod, I think you're right." For once I felt some connection with Tod. There was no spot of worry or pain on his face. I knew he was feeling better and getting used to me.
Underneath his arm, I slowed my pace with his. He walked a block and a half. The pavement felt harder underneath my converse. My hair blew wildly with the wind. I tried to pat my hair down and brush my finger threw it. We stopped at a small barbershop. Inside were three chairs, facing the walls with mirrors on them. A small group of people chatted by the front desk. Almost simultaneously they turned towards us and 3 wide grins stared at us. One tall, skinny girl with long light brown hair that ran down her back came forward towards me. I held out my hand and was about to introduce myself when she pulled me in and gave me a tight hug.
"Oh my, Lacey McRoy! I'm so excited to meet you. My name's Neenah Alexander. I've heard a so much about you. Dr. Saltor talks about you nonstop!" her voice trailed off about how much I'll love it here and how I'll fit right in with the other kids at school. Tod stopped her in mid-sentence and introduced me to Bob Monroe. The tall man with light skin had short auburn colored her that just reached the bottom of his ears. His rough hands grasped mine when I held my hands out.
"Very nice to meet you, Miss Lacey." His brown eyes beamed along with his white teeth. "I hope you enjoyed your new room. Tod, here, thought you would like it."
"Thank you a lot Mr. Monroe. I thought it was perfect."
Joy flickered on his face as he stepped back to let a short girl with blond hair, short as mine walk up to me. Her blond hair was unbelievably straight. It sat graciously on her shoulders. It bounced around as she ran towards me. Her braces filled teeth opened as she smiled. She grabbed me, like Neenah, and hugged me even tighter.
"So, you're the Lacey McRoy that Dr. Saltor talks about." she glanced to look at Tod. "I hear great things about you. I hear you're an amazing artist. Oh, oops, my name's Tess Monroe. Oh! I'm so glad to hear you liked the room. Personally, lavender is my favorite color so I thought maybe you'd like it."
"Thanks a lot, Tess. I really liked it and lavender is my favorite color too.
"Yay!" Happiness and overpowering excitement flushed her body and she bounded towards me with another hug. "We're gonna be best friends!"
Neenah cleared her throat and Tess and I looked at her. Her eyes were fixed on us with confusion and laughter.
"What about me, Lacey? C'mon. We're going to be best friends too right?
"Of course Neenah!" I spoke with lots of excitement. She excitingly ran towards me and joined in our hug. This was a lot different then I expected. Were they really allowing me to join in their friendship? I guess leaving San Diego was for the better.
"We have to take you to meet Derek Corri. He's also our best friend and he'll just fall in love with you." Neenah's face became more excited as she spoke. But I glanced at Tess to see her face full of gloom. Maybe Neenah said something.
They grabbed me arm and flew out the door. I tried to yell to Tod saying I'll be back later. But he was too deep into conversation with Bob Monroe. We walked about two blocks to an apartment building. The wind blew harder now. Chills ran up and down my spine. I shivered a couple times. Neenah noticed my uneasiness.
"Don't worry. You'll get used to the cold. I know it's probably freezing compared to California. But it's not so—Derek!" She shot a quick glance behind me. She waved frantically.
"Derek, Derek! Come here. It's Lacey McRoy, you know the girl that Tod Saltor talks about. I turned to see behind me was a boy walking towards me. His smile was huge. His hands were opened in front of him—like he was going to hug me too. He seemed to be only a few inches taller then me. He seemed like and average 17-year-old, but his head was too small for his body. He wore a tan, zipped-up sweater with blue stripes. His baggy jeans sagged on the ground as his feet ran towards us. His light brown with many waves, moved around on his head and he came closer. I expected him to run up to me and hug me too but he stopped right in front of us. His brilliant green eyes looked into mine. His smile was calm and he held out his hand to me. Graciously, I shook his. His calm aura brought my thriving excitement down to peaceful.
"Hi, Lacey. My name is Derek Corri. I am 17 and it's an honor to meet you."
I blushed and looked down. It was almost as if he were speaking me like I was royalty. "Nice to meet you Derek."
We all decided to head to the nearest Starbucks and talk. To my surprise, I didn't feel too much awkwardness. I felt included the whole time. Every worry and confusion slipped out of my mind. I knew this was the beginning of something great.
Every once in a while, I'd glance at Derek. His green eyes flashed with every blink. His half smile appeared when he's look at me. After talking for a while, we decided to head home.
"I'll talk Miss Cali-girl home. You two girls get ready for school tomorrow. We have to show off Lacey to everyone." Derek's half smile turned to a full grin.
Neenah and Tess slumped in their seats.
"C'mon Derek, why can't we take her home. She was our friend fist." Neenah chimed in, grabbing my arm and pulled me closer to her.
"Yeah, Neenah's right! We should bring her back to Dr. Saltor. He knows she's with us." Tess finally stood up to protest against Derek.
The argument went on for another 10 minutes. I started to drift out of their fight and looked outside to notice it was late. The sun set silently in the horizon. The smell of coffee lingered in the air. It was getting late and Derek was right, there was school tomorrow. I knew I had to get home and get everything I needed.
"Look guys, it's okay. I'll just walk home myself. I'm just up the street."
"No, you don't" Derek grabbed my waist and pulled me closer. His smile was back and suddenly I felt uncomfortable. A flash of Gavin's face flickered in my mind. I realized my sudden attraction to Derek was because he reminded me too much of Gavin.
"Don't worry Gavin. Neenah and Tess should take me home. Tod does only know I’m with them.” I tried to sound relaxed as possible, without making it awkward. I squirmed out of his arm, smiled and waved good-bye. Neenah, Tess and I walked down the cold, dark street. I felt a sudden sadness. Looking behind me, I saw Derek’s head down and leaning on his arms. His green eyes were now full of agony and I hope it wasn’t my entire fault. I shrugged it off and joined in the conversation of “cute boys in California”. After reaching my house, Neenah and Tess both gave me big hugs.
“I’m so glad I finally met you, Lacey.” Tess said with great happiness. “It’s gonna be awesome tomorrow. We can show you off to everyone at school. All the boys will be just dying— ”
“Calm down Tess.” Neenah rolled her eyes and smiled back at me. “It’s going be great. You’ll love it here.”
Waving good-bye, I opened the door to see Tod already sleeping on the couch. In his hand held a People’s Magazine. I ran up the stairs, brushed my hair and hoped into bed. This day was so far, my second best day. My first day was meeting him.

Chapter 7: Beating Hearts
The light sound of knocking against my door woke me up. Tod peaked his head in the door.
"Hey Lace. You must've had a lot of fun last night. Got back pretty late didn't you? Well, you can tell me more later. School's in an hour so I think you should start getting ready."
I rolled over in my bed and nodded my head. Tod chuckled lightly and stepped out of my room. Visions of Neenah and Tess ran through my mind. Happiness was the first emotion to hit me. Then a quiet sorrow ran through me—seeing Derek's sad face, after leaving him last night. I saw Evelyn and Tod's tears and that also brought sorrow that pumped through my veins. Was I beginning to hurt the people around me? Tears of my own dashed down my cheeks. I darted out of my room to the bathroom. I turned on the shower and the sink, to fade the sound of my sobs.
After getting a grip of myself, I took a quick shower and walked back to my room. I slowly picked out some tan corduroy pants. I slipped on a white T-shirt with a black sweater over it. After wiping the smeared make-up that stained my face, I tiptoed down the stairs. Evelyn was deep in sleep and I knew I couldn't disturb her. The clock read 6:45. My first day of school would begin in 30 minutes. I was already in a horrible mood and I wasn't sure if I could make it through the day. I sat absentmindedly at the kitchen table. I put on a fake smile for Tod as he ran threw the door with a package in his hands.
"It's your first day of school. So you get a new present" his smile extended across his pale face. His bright brown eyes glistened with pleasure. He handed the small box to me and I traced my fingers across the lace bow. I untied it and ripped threw the silver wrapping paper. I opened the small box. Inside revealed a marvelous necklace. It was shaped in a heart with a smaller heart interlocked on the other side. The sapphire color caught my eye. The studded rhinestones each gleamed when the sunlight reflected off it. I jumped into Tod's arms.
"Thank you so much Tod! This is so pretty. You really didn't have to buy it. You didn't need to spend—"
"No Lacey, I had to give it to you. Your father originally wanted to give this to you on your 17th birthday but he told me before he passed, that it should be given to you soon."
I was surprised. I didn't know my father would give me anything like this. He spent all his money to buy something this beautiful for Evelyn. But I guess he really did love me. I smiled back at Tod and he helped me attach it together around my neck. It dangled pleasantly on my chest. I watched the rays of light hit the gems and reflect back, showing a sparkle of rainbows. After I stared at the astounding necklace for almost 5 minutes straight, Tod put a bowl of Frosted Flakes in front of me.
"Eat Lace, you're gonna be late if you keep looking at it."
I took a long time to eat this time. I took small bites but stopped to look down at my necklace. Tod would catch me drooling over the necklace and would just roll his eyes. I smiled to myself. I realized my mood was getting better—thanks to Tod. I drank the remaining milk at the bottom of my bowl and threw it in the sink. I jogged up the steps—still glancing down to see my necklace. I looked at myself in the mirror in my room. I saw your average girl with short black hair. This nicely tanned skin girl was different. Her smile was back and she felt different. She felt loved. I smiled to myself, and thought the possibilities of what might happen throughout the day. Not once did he cross my mind.
I walked back down the stairs, with my checkered tote full of notebooks and extra pens. I brought my sketchpad and some colored pencils just incase. I tried to wave bye to Evelyn but she was too busy on the phone. I headed to the front door and walked out. What stood right in front of me flashed a bright shine in my eyes. The strong pink color almost blinded me. It was Evelyn's car. It was finally here. I knew after this day, she would be in a better mood. I caught Tod laughing at the obnoxious car. I laughed too—thinking the same thing, Wow. I could barely reach the door handle; I had to reach on my toes. But I finally hopped inside Tod's black Ford F-150. As we drove past his office we took a left and went straight for about a half-mile. I suddenly felt something inside of me. Nervousness. I didn't think I was going to be that nervous. But sweat almost started to roll off my forehead. Something was going to happen today. I could feel it. Tod noticed my anxious face and gripped my hand. His cool skin relaxed my flaming nerves.
"It's going to be fine. Don't you worry about a thing. The kids will love you. I mean look at Neenah and Tess. You already got two new friends, so don't worry, everyone else will love to meet you too."
His words helped me a little bit. But he wasn't going to be there during the day so I had no one to talk to if I felt alone.
"Well, we're here Lace. It's your new school."
The small sign read "Appleton's Fine Arts School." I took a long breath in and turned towards the door to open it when Tod caught my arm and forced me into one of his bear hugs. He kissed the top of my forehead and let me go. I walked hesitantly to the front door and turned around to wave good-bye to Tod. I took one more breath and opened the double-doors. In front of me stood a long corridor with lockers on each side. Some people walked in front of me—not noticing I was there. I took small steps down the long corridor when someone pulled me from behind.
"Lacey!" Neenah screamed as she hugged me. "You look so pretty today. Oh my gosh, we're gonna have so much fun. C'mon let's take you to Mr. Springfield. He's our principal."
We took a left down another hallway. Neenah would often wave to people and they would look at me and smile. I guess everyone knew I was coming. We stopped in front of a tan door with Mr. Springfield's name on it. She knocked loudly and opened it.
"Hey Mr. Springfield! Lacey McRoy is here. She's the new student."
The short man with gray hair on the sides of his head looked up from his paperwork and smiled at me.
"Nice to meet you Lacey and welcome to our school." His slightly yellow teeth flashed a few glimpses of hospitality.
"Thank you, Mr. Springfield. You're school is very beautiful"
"Wait Lacey, I have to show you the rest of the school. It's even cooler." Neenah chimed in with great excitement.
Well Lacey, here's your schedule. On it you have 5 courses selected for you. I'm assuming Dr. Saltor picked them out for you." I nodded to him and he continued.
"First, in A period you have an English course which is also your creative writing class. In B period you have your history course, which will be on describing different themes in American history and literature. Next you have an acing class. Dr. Saltor tells us you're not much into acting but he wanted to surprise you."
I felt some unease when I thought of me being on stage—I would probably end up falling off the stage.
"Then you have a break in your schedule for lunch. This period is called D period." He held the white paper to show me each class name and time each class starts and begins. "Afterwards in E period you go to your art course. It's a great course."
"I'm in that class too! Oh my gosh we're going to have the best time." Mr. Springfield glanced up at Neenah who was gleaming with excitement. He went on to explain my schedule to me.
"And lastly, you have a film making class. This is our newest course and only few have signed up. This is called F period." He handed me my schedule.
Well, I hope you enjoy your day Ms. McRoy."
"Thank you a lot Mr. Springfield." I shook his hand and walked out. So far things were getting better.
"Oh Ms. McRoy, that necklace of yours is absolutely stunning." I turned around and smiled back to him and walked on. I stroked the two-hearted necklace in one hand and smiled to myself. Neenah put her arm threw mine and we walked around to find Tess. After talking with Tess, the bell suddenly rang. I looked at the map that was on the back of my schedule. I suddenly panicked when it all looked like a bunch of random places with room numbers. My panic-stricken face caught Tess' attention.
"Don't worry I'll take you around."
So we went down three different hallways and up one flight of stairs. Tess and I walked in my Writing class. She introduced me to Mrs. Leonie. The short, round women had long brown hair that touched her collarbone. She introduced me to the class and we began. I sat in between one tall, lanky girl with platinum blond pigtails. On my other side sat a boy with long light brown hair that polished the top of his shoulders. Tess sat one row behind me but at the opposite end of the room. She would occasionally call my name and wave to me. Since the new semester was starting, we were going to learn new information. Luckily I wasn't missing out on much. Today we were starting to write a short story. Ironically, we had to write a short story on our favorite place from our childhood. I guess I couldn't get too far away from San Diego.
When the bell rang, Tess and I walked out the door. She hugged me unexpectedly.
"Lace, I'm so glad we're friends and I'm so happy I met you." I smiled and rolled my eyes jokingly. She laughed at my gesture and walked me to my next class.
Mr. Flammino taught my history class. In class, we learned about an author who goes by the name of Ernest Hemingway. We discussed two of his many famous novels—The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms. We discussed his different writing styles. The short girl next to me wrote two full pages or notes when I only went down a half a page. She elbowed me.
"Hey, Mr. Flammino is a tough teacher. You should um…be writing more." I glanced down to my sloppy notes and nodded. After 45 minutes of hand-cramping writing, I went to my acting class. Just thinking about getting up on stage in front of hundreds made me queasy. I walked threw the brown doors and up the aisle. About 13 kids sat in a circle, taking out some pencils and paper. I tentatively walked to the group. They all looked up at me with different emotions. Some girls smiled, other looked at me like I was some alien but most looked very uncomfortable. I half smiled at the group and sat next to the smiling girls.
"Hi, my name's Aimee. I'm guessing you're a new student?"
"Yes I am and my name's Lacey."
The three other girls gathered around me. They all introduced themselves to me. I met Aimee Green, Irene Vadock, Samantha Tyler and Justine Norwalk. I felt that same welcoming feeling inside me, just like when I met Tess and Neenah.
"Wow! You're from California? It must be pretty nice there, huh?" Samantha exclaimed.
"Yeah, it was nice there. And so far, Wisconsin isn't so bad."
"Ha-ha! I would've thought a girl from Cali would hate some cold place here." Irene laughed at my statement.
"I guess, but I'm not like most girls." I admitted because it was true. Something about me was different then the stuck-up, arrogant girls from California. The other people around me snickered to themselves—maybe about me but I didn't care.
Immediately, Mr. Pavers, the musical director and acting teacher, staggered to the front of the stage. He walked right up to the group and looked at me.
"Has everyone met our new student? Stand up Ms. McRoy."
I hated being put on the spot and seeing everyone's face watching me. I stumbled to stand up.
"Hi…my name is Lacey McRoy and uh, uh, I'm from California and I'm 16." I didn't really know the right words to introduce myself.
"Well class, why don’t we introduce ourselves to Lacey."
"Oh Mr. Pavers, it's okay. I met mostly everyone already." I didn't want to have to go through that awkwardness again. So I sat down and we began class. Mr. Pavers handed out small booklets. The title read Romeo and Juliet.
Automatically, my mood lifted. Romeo and Juliet was the only play that seemed interesting to me. I never knew if it was the stupid decisions made by Romeo and Juliet that had them end up dead or if it was just fate, but somehow that interested me. The love of these two teenagers just happened to meet one nigh at a ball and just fall head over heals for each other. It always was so fascinating to me.
Mr. Pavers was going to hand out roles. I wished so badly that I wouldn't be Juliet. Pulling off a role so delicate as that was nowhere in my standards. I knew I would forget my lines or trip and fall face first on the stage. The embarrassment I would have to go through was difficult to imagine. I wouldn’t have to do any of this if it wasn't for Tod.
"Here Ms. McRoy. You get to play the Nurse. I'm sorry but we won't have auditions, so you are obligated to play the part of the Nurse. Is that okay?"
I stared blankly at him and nodded. The Nurse? I had to play the free-spirited, crazy, Juliet-loving Nurse. I would have to be the women who raised Juliet and was basically her mother. Great, just kill me now I thought.
Everyone started to read his or her scripts. Irene Vadock came up to me. She was so thrilled when she got the part of Juliet. I was happy for her too. Just by looking at her, I could see that theater was her passion. She would stare at the stage with awe and in her eyes I could see that she was envisioning herself on Broadway and playing the lead role.
Irene and I went over our lines together. She memorized most of them in no time but I was unsuccessful. Every two lines I had to glance at my lines. I sighed—knowing this was going to be a big failure. Irene just smiled and giggled. She was way better then me and I can admit that I was jealous. Finally the bell rang and class was over. Irene, Samantha and I all walked to towards where I was assigned my locker. I waved good-bye to them and I met up with Tess, Neenah and Derek.
"Hey Lace! How's your first day going?" Derek had his bright smile again and spoke with pleasure.
"It's pretty good actually. Besides the acting class, it's great!"
"Oh are you guys doing Romeo and Juliet? That's awesome. It's my favorite play." Neenah chimed in, also smiling. Tess and Derek agreed. We stood around my locker sharing smiles and laughs. Derek's brilliant smile was back. I smiled, happy that he wasn't angry with me. We walked down to the cafeteria. I looked at the baby blue walls that embraced the black and white lockers. Inside the cafeteria, there were four large, white walls. There were about 15 small round tables. Tess took my arm and we walked to the lunch line. We took two blue trays and walked down the line of people. Tess would sometimes stop and introduce me to many people. I felt like a new exhibit at a museum. I picked out an apple, a small salad and a juice box. We took a seat at a table with Derek, Neenah, Irene and short girl with wild red hair. Her natural curls caressed her face and made it more noticeable. Her small freckled on her cheeks would move with her smile. Derek introduced me to his girlfriend Maria Lockney. Her timid smile crept on her face when I said hello. Maybe she was shyer then I was. We talked about the upcoming basketball game, the fun Neenah and I will have in art class and how cool Irene and Tess thought it would be to live in California. Suddenly two hands clamped on my shoulders and I jumped out of my seat. I turned around to face a tall boy with black hair looking at me. His menacing eyes stared into mine. A sinister smile showed up on his face. I automatically took a half a step backwards.
"Geez, Cam. Do you have to scare her like that?" Derek stood up next to me, looking at the tall boy.
"C'mon it's just for fun. Hi name's Cam Haven." He turned to me and held his hand out. I grabbed it and shook it lightly.
"You're cute, what's your name?
"Uh—"
"Cam, just go away. She's trying to eat and you scared her half to death. You can talk to her some other time." Irene stood up and walked Cam to another table.
"Sorry about that. He's an interesting person. He likes to…um, prey on girls." Derek's words must of came out wrong, because he covered his mouth quickly with his hand and his eyes were filled with regret.
"No! That's not what I meant. I meant to say he um…likes girls too much? No, I mean he uh, uh—"
"Don't worry Derek, I get it." I lied. I didn't understand fully what he meant. All I knew was that Cam Haven was somebody I had to watch out for.
I shrugged it off and joined in Neenah's conversation. Somehow, all the conversations ended up talking about San Diego. I didn't have a problem with it but I wished so badly that San Diego could just leave me alone.
The bell suddenly rang and hundreds of students got out of their seats and put their trays on a cart and walked out. I watched, interested, how each person seemed to do the exact same thing—like robots. Neenah already took my tray, and I sat alone at the table, wondering to myself.
"Come on silly, stop starring and let's go to class!" Neenah and Aimee both grabbed me and pulled me out of my seat.
We walked down a new hallway that I haven't seen. Instead of blue walls, there were white with black stripes. The lockers seemed older then the others—as if no one had used them in years. The wood door on the left was open and we walked in together. We walked in to see a large room with white walls. 12 easels stood in front of us and 8 large tables were behind them. A large crowd of about 15 people sat at the tables. Some pottery machines and sculptures were in the far right of the room. I took a seat between Neenah and Aimee. A small girl walked through the door. She put her books on a different desk and sat down. I was about to ask Neenah why that student was there, when the girl at teacher's desk looked up to me.
"Oh! You're Lacey McRoy right?" She burst out of her seat and came towards me.
"Yes, I am."
"Well my name is Ms. Delilah. I'm the art teacher here." The short girl shot a smile at me and I smiled back. She turned around and went back to her desk. Teacher? How could she be a teacher, she looked like my age. I sat contently, wondering to myself again. Her long black hair swayed with each step as she walked away. When she passed, all the boys' eyes followed her. She turned to them, smiled and walked on. My guess was that she liked it when they looked at her that way—everyone could guess what the boys were thinking. I rolled my eyes at their immaturity and took my sketchpad out of my bag.
"Today we are going to start something new. We're going to concentrate more on portraits. So I want all of you to start to make a rough sketch of a person, place or something you like."
It seemed easy enough. But the hard part was deciding on what to sketch. I juggled the thought of the beach I used to go all the time in San Diego or a picture of my old house. But a new image came to mind. My favorite picture of my father and I was what I decided. It was when I was just 4 years old and my father had me in his arms as we posed for a picture with a forest full of trees in the background.
I started to sketch us first. I wanted every detail of my dad to be precise. I started to sketch his head and his broad shoulders. I drew out him bending on one knee with his right arm, clutching me. My long honey brown hair was in his face but he smiled and laughed at the same time. His arm held me close to him and I stood there, with my one arm across his back and one arm across his chest. My hands were locked and I hugged him for the longest time in that picture,
While I sketched my memorable portrait of my dad and I, I heard whispers of something.
"Yeah, I heard he's back from Europe. Crap! I thought we could get rid of him but he keeps coming back." One boy whispered to another girl. She nodded and rolled her eyes. Two boys behind them walked over.
"I heard that his mom didn't want him anymore so he came back. We're gonna have to teach this kid a lesson. I swear I'll—"
They glanced up at me. They had the "can I help you" look on their faces. I shook my head and went back to drawing.
"Anyways," I could still feel their eyes on me. "If his guy wants to pick I fight, let him come. I'll just beat his ass one more time."
I made a disgusted look—maybe a scared face. I wish I knew what they were talking about. Maybe it was Cam Haven? He seemed like a kid that could get on someone's nerves.
I had almost finished drawing all the tall, short, stubby or dead trees when the bell rang.
"Ugh. I was almost done."
"Wow! You're an amazing artist Lacey." Aimee exclaimed. Her, Neenah, a boy that sat across from me, and Ms. Delilah all looked down at my sketch. They looked at my portrait with eyes full of awe. I felt a little arrogant about it—and maybe uncomfortable.
"Thanks." I managed to say,
I hopped out of my seat and took my map out of my bag. It said that the photography room was just 5 rooms down.
"Oh, Neenah. I think I'll be able to find my next class. So you better hurry to yours."
"You sure? It's okay, I can be late."
"No don't worry. I'm good I think.
Neenah and Aimee both waved to me as the left in the opposite direction. I took a deep breath in and walked straight. The hallway seemed to get darker with every step I took. The color on the walls also seemed to get murky too. I strolled down the halls, but fear crept under my skin. I shivered, involuntarily, and hurried to find my class.
I walked through the small door and saw a smaller classroom with a small amount of kids. I searched the room to find someone I knew. I saw Derek leaning his head on his hand. He looked up too and saw me. His bored expression turned to pleasure when we saw me. He waved and gestured to me, to sit next to him. I glided through the classroom. On my way to his desk, which happened to be the farthest desk in the room, I saw something. At a table to my right there were three girls, bending over a boy. They had their arms around the boy and their faces were full of passion. They were head over heels for this boy but he didn't look like he cared. I rolled my eyes and took a seat next to Derek.
"I didn't know you were in this class?" I thought Derek would have told me if he had one same class together.
"I didn't know you had it, sorry. It's a great class you'll love it."
I smiled and we talked a little bit more. A tall, bald man with glasses walked through the door when the second bell rang. He stood in front of his desk and sat on top of it. On his desk a sign read: Mr. Benning.
"So class, we have a new student here. Her name's Lacey McRoy, why don't you all introduce yourselves to her."
Not again, I thought. Why does every teacher have to point me out and put me on the spot? I sighed and smiled, awkwardly to the class. Some girls turned around and smiled too. But the others didn't.
"Okay then. Well, the boy you are sitting next to is Derek Corri. The two nice girls to your right are Yvonne Marie and Rebecca Melody." The group of two girls turned to me, smiled and waved.
"The three girls in front are Sara Gallia, Kim Leroy and Stacie Levens." None of the three girls turned around—and I didn't care.
"And that is Kye Davidson." He pointed to the boy that the girls were all over. He too, didn't bother to look at me.
"So we're starting a new project. It's going to be on domestic violence. Each person will be partnered with someone and you will have to make a video about what domestic violence is and why it is bad."
I thought this was an interesting topic. I knew about domestic violence but I wasn't sure how to make it into a video.
"I'll read off the names of partners." Mr. Benning spoke.
"I hope were partners." Derek whispered to me. "It'll be interesting how that works out."
"Sara and Stacie, Kim and Rebecca, Yvonne and Derek." I heard Derek sigh when he heard his name called and realized he wasn't going to work with me.
"Rebecca and Kim," Mr. Benning continued. "And Lacey and Kye."
In the corner of my eye, I saw the boy turn around to look at me. I glanced my head in his direction. Suddenly, I went numb. His locked eyes with mine reminded me of him.
Was it really him? It can't be him, I thought. But when his smile appeared upon his face, panic struck me. My body went cold and i couldn't move. It was him. It was the mystery man who I ran into at the airport, the one who I saw outside at the diner and the one who was in my every dream.
When the groups of people paired off and once Derek left my side, Kye stood up and walked towards me. His smile was still on his face. His burning blue eyes sparkled as the sun beams hit them as he passed the window. His brown and blond hair seemed to glow and gently shift side to side as he walked. As he got closer, my heart ran faster and faster. My body was still numb and my hands were shaking. In my mind ran pictures of his face, his body, and his whole image. I saw pictures of when he tried to hurt me, and when he tried to help me. Then that lovely British voice sounded in my ears. The familiar voice spoke to me again, repeating. It said, “Be careful little girl". By just hearing the words, my eyes rolled to the back of my head and fell out of my seat. My body shook violently and pictures of my past darted through my brain. Pictures of my dad when I was younger, images of Gavin and my old friends, and an image of Derek's sad face at the café flew through my mind. But the one picture that remained was Kye's smile. It stained my brain and I couldn't shake it off. Voices in the background sounded scared but the sound of my beating heart muted them. I only saw Kye. Everywhere. I tried to fight the unconsciousness but I slipped and darkness concealed me.

"Hey don't carry her! I'll take her, she's my friend." A low murmur of a voice sounded behind me. The darkness had not yet subsided and Kye's image still remained in my brain. I couldn't force my eyes open but I thought I was getting feeling back in my body. The only thing I felt was a warm, electric arm wrapped under my back and held to my side. And I felt another arm under my legs and wrapped around to the front of my knees. I realized I was being carried.
"It's going to be okay. You're going to be fine.' The delicate, British voice spoke to me. Kye was carrying me. I felt comfortable in his arms. His wool sweater felt like silk against my skin. I felt so at peace. I wanted so badly to stay in his arms.
"I said, put her down." The same voice from before yelled at Kye. But he just sighed and shrugged the voice off and walked on.
"Open my eyes, stupid!" I thought to myself. I want to see his face. But at the same time I didn't. I knew would just go back into shock. We walked into a warm room. The smell of vanilla drifted in the room.
"Mrs. Baron?" his scared voice echoed off the walls. "I think Lacey fainted and hit her head."
"Oh dear, let's see."
The fiery hands gently laid me on a comfortable bed. His hands moved from my back to my hand. He gripped one of my hands with both of his.
"Mr. Davidson, I think she'll be okay." The lady announced to him and I almost heard a sigh of relief from him.
"I'm staying here until she wakes up."
"Be my guest Mr. Davidson."
I heard light footsteps walk out of the room. Kye's hands soothingly ran up my cheek to my forehead. He pushed the hair out of my eyes and stroked my face. My head started to throb with pain. Shivers ran down my spine and Kye suddenly moved. He gripped my hand again.
"Lacey? Are you okay? Can you hear me?" His pleading voice made my heart sank. It almost sounded if he was truly worried about me.
My eyes fluttered open. Kye's face was right in front of mine. His charming smile appeared again. My heart raced wildly again but I didn't lose control.
"I'm okay Kye." Those were the only words that crossed my mind. So I smiled at him and his delightful hands touched my face again and he pulled me closer to me and wrapped his arms around my back. His hug sent an electric shock through my body but it felt so peaceful.
I finally found him. I finally found my mystery man.