Chapter 7 Nice place, Nice people.
NANCY’S POV
I forced myself to keep smiling until Diana turned her back to me, humming a tune softly as if she hadn’t almost unknowingly reduced my lifespan by ten years with that unassuming question of hers.
God.
I knew without a doubt then and there, that I needed to get myself into shape before she started suspecting something for real.
Thankfully, we had breakfast in a couple of minutes while Diana kept me updated about her school, her friends and what the summer program required.
I listened and grabbed what I could, smiling when I needed to while internally trying to keep my mind away from the fact that I would have to sit in a classroom soon and pretend that Mr Landon didn’t agitate my nervous system.
By the time we grabbed our bags and headed for the door, my hands were clammy and my throat felt patched even though I had only just drunk water a couple of minutes ago.
“Are you ready? Diana asked, clasping her hands over my shoulder.
Ready?
I didn’t feel ready for anything.
I pulled my bag higher on my shoulder, the one she wasn’t holding and my stomach churned. “Care to define what ready means?”
Diana slapped my shoulder once and laughed, “Oh, stop being so dramatic. You’ll be fine. I promise you.”
It was easy for her to say.
She wasn’t the one who was attracted to her best friends’ father.
The drive to campus was filled with Diana’s excited commentary about a lot of things. She told me how the library was her favorite place on campus, how her school cafeteria didn't scrimp on lunch and how hot the guys on the football team were.
I wasn’t interested in any of that.
Frankly, I didn’t even think I would find any man as hot as I found Mr Landon.
I realized what I was thinking again and palmed my face, letting out a tiny groan of frustration.
Soon enough, we came before the large, towering, wrought-iron gates of the campus.
I let my hands drop when Diana announced that we had arrived and the minute I did so, my breath caught in my throat.
“Wow…” The word slipped out before I could stop myself. I had no clue what I was expecting, but I certainly wasn’t expecting the place to be so huge.
Huge could even be an understatement.
The lawns were really wide and green, there were numerous trees to be spotted and the buildings numbered more than a few.
The one right ahead was covered with ivy in a way that give it a medieval look and there were just so many students.
Some stood in groups while others walked around. The air was bright with laughter and whispers.
“This is your school?” I leaned forward in my seat, trying to soak the entire scenery in.
Diana glanced at me then her lips tugged back in a small smile, “ I told you, didn't I?"
“No, seriously, you didn’t tell me it would be so…huge.”
“There’s more to see,” Diana beamed. She for sure was satisfied with my surprised look.
Although I hadn’t lost track of my nerve, my curiosity currently overrode it and instead of focusing on what I feared, I had begun to focus on the beauty of what I could see and I told myself that maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as I initially thought.
“Nancy, can you return to reality?” Diana puffed out a breath of air, clapping her hands in my face.
I blinked, only to realise that she already had the car parked. Having been so engrossed in my thoughts, I hadn’t even realised when she did that.
“Come on, let’s go before the bell rings for classes.”
Without further ado, I grabbed my bag and stepped out of the car, following closely after her while my gaze still darted around.
Like I said earlier, this was a new place, and a new start. I could not afford to mess it up.
We had barely made it halfway through the courtyard when a shrill voice cut through the air. “Diana!”
Diana stilled first and I copied her, turning around to see who recognized my best friend.
It was a girl with curly brown hair that bounced around as she jogged towards us. When she got close to us, I realised her eyes were a bright Hazel and they sparkled.
She launched herself into Diana’s arms then gave her a peck on her cheeks.
“Ewww, Chloe. You know I hate it when you do that.” Diana grimaced with disgust that I could tell she didn’t feel.
The girl chuckled but went ahead to peck her again, “I missed you too.”
“Oh perfect!” Diana said a couple of minutes later, lighting up as though she hadn’t just grimaced. She grabbed my wrist and pulled me forward. “Nancy, this is Chloe.”
“Chloe, meet Nancy.”
The girl named Chloe smiled warmly at me before I even met her eyes. “So you’re the famous best friend.”
My brows lifted a little. “Famous?”
I sent an enquiring gaze to Diana who waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t mind Chloe.”
“Please mind me,” Chloe laughed. Her laughter tinkled, like a toddler’s giggle and it was very pleasant to listen too.
“She talks about you all the time. Any chance she gets, she inserts you into conversation. A lot of our friends can testify to that.”
Heat crept into my cheeks despite myself.
“That’s mildly embarrassing,” I admitted.
Chloe grinned at me. “Don’t worry, she mostly had good things to say about you..”
“Mostly?” I repeated. My gaze snapped towards Diana who looked away guiltily then elbowed Chloe. “Behave.”
I couldn’t help smiling a little.
Okay…Chloe seemed nice, just like Diana described.
We chatted for a few minutes. It was mostly Diana and Chloe teasing each other then filling me in on random school gossip. It was surprisingly easy to relax a little.
Maybe Diana was right.
Maybe I would be fine here.