After wandering the halls trying to get my bearings again, I walk into English class, which is mostly full already, to see Blair and one of her vapid besties drooling over two football players. The resulting eye roll is so hard that I worry I won’t be able to undo it. I glance around the rest of the room before heading straight for the back corner where there’s a seat near the window, next to a girl with the brightest purple hair I’ve ever seen… And, considering the groupies I’ve met, that’s a feat in itself.
She smiles at me as I slide into the chair, but the teacher walks in the room as I go to say hi, so I shut my mouth and give her an awkward little wave. Her smile only grows in response, and there’s just something about her that tells me she and I are going to be friends.
That, or I’m projecting because she’s the first person not to treat me like a pariah since I showed up this morning. But I guess there’s still time for that to change.
“Morning, ladies and gents, welcome to the start of your senior year. You don’t know me, and I don’t know you, so let’s fix that. I am Ms. Summers, and I’ll be your English teacher for the year. Yes I’m new here, but don’t think that I’m a pushover. I don’t care what you did over the summer, it’s done. Right now, we’re going to focus on how I can get you out of this classroom and off to the college of your dreams. If I see your phone, it will be confiscated. I am not afraid of detentions, and bribes will not be accepted. Now that that’s clear, let’s start with your reading list, shall we?”
Oh my God. She’s English. My English teacher is English. Brilliant.
I wonder if she gets hung up on her ‘u’s?
The girl next to me snorts, and I bite down on my lip to stop from laughing too. I don’t know who this teacher is, but she just became my hands down favorite. I’m also glad I’m not the only new person here so I can avoid the whole new girl introduction thing. I make sure my phone is on silent in my pocket, because I really don’t want it to be confiscated by my new favorite teacher, and turn to focus on what she’s saying.
Ms. Summers passes around a piece of paper detailing the reading list in full, and I grin as I scan it. I’ve covered half of these with my tutors already. I knew I was ahead, but I didn’t realize just how ahead I was. Maybe, just maybe, this structured schooling thing won’t be as bad as I’ve been worrying about.
“I’ve highlighted the texts we’ll be focusing on, but I suggest reading the others because this is AP English, and you’re here for a reason. You’ll be doing the first assignment in pairs. Pick wisely because you’ll be stuck with each other for the rest of the year.”
I guess I’ll do some re-reads to refresh my mind on them, but some of my favorites are on this list. Plus,Wuthering Heightsis highlighted, which only makes my smile widen. I’ve always been an avid reader, so the thought of re-reads just excites me.
Purple Hair glances over at me, pointing at me then back to herself, and I nod. She might be godawful at English for all I know, but she’s a decent human, and that’s all I give a fuck about.
“Pick your favorite book on the list and discuss with your partner why you believe it’s the best one there. Try to convince them that your book should be at the top of the list.” She waves at us to begin before sitting behind her desk, and the room becomes a hive of movement as people shift to sit in their pairs.
“I’m Indi,” Purple Hair says, turning to face me, and the first thing I notice is that her big green eyes shine like seas of emerald. She literally looks like a living, alternative pixie. The ring in her nose and lip, plus metal studs all the way up her ears shock me. I’m surprised she gets away with them with the dress code. “And you’re Octavia Royal.”
Normally someone knowing who I am in this sort of situation would make me uncomfortable, but there’s something about her that makes me feel at ease. Maybe it's her laid-back demeanor, or maybe it's that she very obviously doesn’t look like one of the ECP drones, but I like her already.
“I swear I’m not like a crazy, psychopath stalker or whatever… Though I will say I listened to your dad somewhat obsessively in my tween years,butI’m past that little obsession. Sorry about him by the way. Also, I have really bad verbal diarrhea when I’m nervous, so sorry about the babbling. Oh my God, I need to stop.” She covers her mouth with her hands, and I just can’t. I laugh quietly at her, feeling my eyes crinkle at the edges as I do
“Dude, you’re fine. Take a breath.”
“Sorry, yeah okay. Right, let’s start again, shall we? I’m Indi, it’s nice to meet you.” She puts her hand out for me to shake, looking more than a little awkward, so I take it to make that lost puppy look on her face disappear.
“Octavia, though a lot of my friends just call me V.”
“I like that.” She grins and scoots her desk closer to mine. It’s then I notice the pattern beneath her shirt.
“Midnight Blue?” I ask, and her grin grows.
“I am more than a little obsessed with them. And the lead singer… I swear I’m not into girls, but Jenna B gives me such a lady boner. I can’t even.”
“Yeah, she’s pretty cool.” I laugh, relaxing in her presence. She just radiates warmth and joy, and it puts me at ease despite myself. “And they put on an epic show.”
“Oh my God, have you met her? I’m going to hyperventilate. You know Jenna B?” She’s practically fangirling, and I have to say it’s pretty refreshing to find someone in Echoes Cove who isn’t so up their own ass that they care about shit like this.
“I’ve met her a couple times, yeah,” I tell her, downplaying how close I am with her. Some people get weird when they know the people I’m friends with. “They were on one of Dad’s tours in their early days. They only did about seven shows, but they were amazing even then.”
“I am officially going to die. I dub thee my new bestie.” She cackles, and Ms. Summers looks over at us, narrowing her eyes at us in a way I do not like. Especially on my first day here.
“Done. Now… let’s talk aboutWuthering Heights.” I bring our conversation back to the class because I don’t want to fail before I even start. I grin at her, and she shakes her head, feigning a look of betrayal as she lays a dramatic hand over her heart.
“Oh no, you’re one of those. I take it back,” she scoffs before shaking the list in my face. “How can you pick Catherine over Jane Eyre?”
“Ah, the great sister debate… This is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship.”
* * *
I leave Indi behind and head to Business. I’m early, so I snag a seat in the back corner again and watch as the sea of new and old faces filter into the room. There are more than enough whispers and side glances in my direction for me to know that my return isn’t a small thing. I knew it wouldn’t be, and that’s exactly why I didn’t want to come back. Despite the fact that the people I grew up with in Echoes Cove have grown while I’ve been away, nothing much changes in a town like this. It’s still just as judgmental and gossipy as it was when I was a kid.