Chapter Four
A week later, Ada was attending the local public high school. She dressed in concealing clothes that were slightly baggy on her so no one could see her slim figure. Her hair she kept around her face, so no one would get a real good glimpse of her face and she applied very little makeup. Only enough to hide the dark bags under her eyes with mascara and little eyeliner.
The walk to her new school was a little further, but she would rather walk than ride the bus. She felt a little nervous since this would be the first time she ever attended a new school, but it was definitely better than the alternative.
As she walked up to the old, huge building, Ada was relieved that no one paid her any attention. Some people that walked past her only saw a quick glimpse of her face as they searched for their friends and classrooms. She enjoyed being a nameless face in the crowd while making her way to the office.
“Can I help you?” The school secretary asks with sweetness as Ada makes her way inside.
"Um, yes. I’m Ada Mitchell and—"
“Oh! Welcome! It’s nice to meet you. This is Kacey.” She announced, pointing to a girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes sitting in the corner. “She has a lot of the same classes as you, so we figured she would be your guide.” The secretary stated with a bright smile. “Here’s your schedule. If you have any questions, Kacey can answer them and if she can’t help out, you can always come back to the office.”
“Okay,” Ada replied dumbfounded by how quick the interaction went. “Thank you.” She turns to Kacey who was reading a fantasy novel. “Hi.”
The blonde girl looks up to meet Ada’s gaze. “Hello.” She places a bookmarker in her book. “I guess it’s time for me to give you the grand tour!”
“I guess so,” Ada replies, slightly confused.
“Sorry, I get a little strange when I’m nervous.” She giggles.
“Why are you nervous?”
“Meeting new people, showing them around, etc., it’s not exactly my thing. It puts a lot of unnecessary pressure on me.”
“I know the feeling.” She states under her breath as she takes in her surroundings; eyeing every person that walked past.
From the outside, the high school appeared to be enormous, but once inside, it seemed a little small for so many people. The halls were narrow and seemed even smaller when there are droves of people walking in various directions. The classrooms weren’t any better either.
The building was old, for sure though, with wooden floors that creaked with each step. You could smell the dust in the air that was mixed with chemical cleaners.
“So, over here is where you will find the guidance counselor. You will find some bathrooms down this hallway, another at the end of that hallway, and some more on the second floor, which I’ll show you later. The cafeteria is to your right. Do you want to grab some breakfast before we continue?”
“Oh, no, thank you.”
“Okay, well, our first class doesn’t start for another 10 minutes, so I guess I could show you other places to hang out around the school, or I can show you your other classes unless you want me to show you who certain people are?”
“Hangouts would be cool, I guess. I can figure out where I need to go later.”
“All right,” Kacey replies as she leads Ada outside the school. The front lawn was covered with students, a lot more than Ada was used to. “Mostly everyone hangs out on the front lawn before school, but I prefer sitting on the benches on the side of the school.” She states as she walks to the side of the school. “So where are you transferring from?”
“From the Schifter Academy.”
“Whoa,” Kacey says in amazement. “Why are you here?”
“Just needed a change of scenery.”
“Oh.” She replies disappointed. “I get it, never mind.”
“What?” Ada asks confused.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“No, I just got into trouble and decided it would be better to just start over away from that mess.” She looks over her shoulder to take a quick peek around; making sure Jessie wouldn’t sneak up on her. It may seem ridiculous. It’s ridiculous to Ada. She knows he’s in jail, but he still haunts her. “So what book were you reading earlier?”
“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.”
“I loved that book,” Ada replies with a smile.
“Me too. This is like, the fifth time I’m reading it.”
“What did you think of the movie?”
“Some parts I really enjoyed, others weren’t that great though,” Kacey stated, excited about the topic.
“Yeah, same here. Maybe we could watch it together sometime.”
“Sweet!” Kacey sing-songed. “Sorry, weirdness again.” She and Ada laughed.
******
Ada’s second, first day of school was going pretty good she thought to herself. It was as normal as any school day. Fourth period Ada and Kacey had different classes, so Ada was on her own for an hour.
About 15 minutes into this class, the door opens and a boy walks in.
“Sorry, I’m late Mr. Spence.” A familiar voice states.
Ada looks up slowly to see who the voice belonged to. She froze. It’s him!
“And what is your excuse this time, Ewan?”
“No excuse.” He says nonchalantly.
Ada’s breathing became uneven. The guy that saved her life was now standing before her. His brown hair a stylish crew cut, much like Dean Winchester’s, his brilliantly colored brown eyes shone brightly, and his perfect smile was contagious. The boy was very attractive.
“Hmm...” The teacher remarks unimpressed. “If you’re late one more time, then you will have detention. Find yourself a seat.”
Ewan turns to look at the room to find a place to sit when his eyes fall on Ada and he stopped. The smirk he was just wearing had disappeared.
She thought she felt as though her heart leaped into her throat as they stared at each other in awe.
Mr. Spence clears his throat and impatiently says, “Find your seat, Ewan.”
By lunchtime, Ada hadn’t seen Ewan again. She was sitting at a table with Kacey who didn’t say anything but stared at her.
Ada would smile at her and go about her business, but when it became too much, she finally asked her what was up. “What is it?” Ada questioned irritated. “Do I have something on my face?”
“No,” Kacey says shaking herself out of her reverie. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to stare but,” she leans in close, starting to whisper, “are you the girl from that robbery?”
Ada let out a sigh. “Yes.”
Kacey let out a gasp. “Oh my gosh.”
“Please don’t tell anyone.” She responds sheepishly. “That’s why I transferred schools.”
“My lips are sealed,” Kacey replied with a reassuring smile. “I’m sorry for bringing it up. I just had a nagging feeling that I knew you from somewhere.”
“It’s okay, just as long as we don’t have to discuss it,” Ada replies, waving her hand.
“Deal.”
By the end of the school day, Ada was relieved that she had a somewhat normal day. No one, besides Kacey and Ewan, knew who she was. All in all, it was a great day. Everything that Ada could ever ask for.
She says her goodbyes to Kacey and begins her walk home.
“You’re walking all by yourself?” A male’s voice says, frightening Ada. “Whoa, easy!” Ewan laughs.
“Jesus, you should know better than to walk up on someone who had a near-death experience!” Ada retorted hotly.
“I’m sorry.” Ewan began apologetically, his eyes showed his remorse. “Do you mind if I walk with you?”
“Um, no, that’s fine.” She says in surprise, smiling at him. “I would like the company.” Ada was happy to have him accompany her. Not just because she didn’t want to be alone, but because she didn’t have to say a word. They both knew the horrors each other have been through.
The walk home was a quiet one, without much being said. A somewhat awkward silence, however, it was still a welcomed difference that Ada enjoyed.
Continuing down each street, Ada could tell there was something on Ewan’s mind. He would start to say something but then stop himself.
“So, this is my house,” Ada states, smiling at him as she stops in front of her and her mom’s cozy little two-story brick home that was curtained by a huge oak tree in front. A little garden of blue and pink flowers skirted the house.
Ewan stared at the house for a few moments before looking back at Ada. “Hey, listen,” He hesitates for a moment. “Um, the reason I asked to walk you home,” He paused again, a weird look on his face as if there was something he wanted to say but couldn’t bring himself to, “was because I wanted to make sure that you’re okay.” Ewan was finally able to force himself to say.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Ada lies.
“Oh, okay, well that’s good,” Ewan says while scratching the back of his head. “Well, in case you ever need to talk to someone or are having a rough night, I can give you my number so we can talk.”
“Yeah,” Ada replies. “Have you been having trouble sleeping?”
“A little bit, yeah.” He says, giving her a piece of paper with his number.
“Me too.” She replies staring at her feet. “And, I’m sorry about that interview that my so-called friend released. I had nothing to do with that. I’m not even sure what was said during that story.”
Ewan just smiled. “No worries”