Kayy, I decided to re-write this chapter. I've written too many stories that were not planned out at allll, and I decided to actually plan this one. So for that, I had to re-write this chapter. A few major changes. Hope you likey :P
There's a tradition of sorts at my school. It's unofficial and not really noted by anyone except me, but a tradition nonetheless. Every year at the beginning of September, Collins High gets a new student. The new boy or girl would be a complete introvert, anti-social, but always at the top of the class. They were always mysterious, acting as if they had a secret. And at the end of the year, the day before the last day of school, they would disappear, and no one would ever see them again. You'd think by now someone would notice this odd occurrence, but I seem like the only person to realize that the mysterious student even existed. Since they never talk to anyone, nobody ever talks to them. But this year – my junior year, on September the first, I decided to change that.
"Hi, I'm Jenny."
He stiffened and let his pencil fall from his fingers. Slowly, his head turned to face me, expressionless. That's how they always were. Expressionless. Blank. "Hi," he replied almost inaudibly.
I smiled half-heartedly at the dark-haired boy, "Welcome to Collins High School."
He nodded curtly, turning back to his work and retrieving his pencil. I hadn't expected him to talk to me , but I was still disappointed. I watched his hand fly across the paper for a minute before asking him, "What's your name?"
"Cade." His hand never stopped moving.
"Cool name," I complimented.
He didn't answer. I studied his appearance, ignoring the work I was supposed to be doing. Cade's jet black hair was gelled into disarray, a really good look for him. His attire was a simple black t-shirt and dark denim jeans with black boots. I admired his handsome face, high cheek bones and a perfect pointed nose. Cade was dark and mysterious like all the others, and I thought that made him look even more sexy.
"Mines Jenny."
"You already said that," he pointed out quietly.
I blushed, realizing that what he said was true. "Oh. Yeah." I laughed once, embarrassed.
For a split second I could have sworn I saw a flicker of amusement flash in his unusual midnight blue eyes. Staring intently into his eyes that were fixed on his paper, I noticed flecks of golden yellow in them. The bell rang suddenly, knocking me out of my trance. Cade tucked his pencil behind his ear, gathered his things and walked out of the classroom. I followed him quickly after grabbing my notebook and text.
His long strides kept him far ahead of me in the hallway as I swerved around students to reach him. Finally, he stopped at his locker. By the time I got to him, he had already stuffed his books in it and was slamming it shut.
"Hey, wait, Cade!" I grabbed his wrist before he could walk away. He jerked it out of my grasp quickly and whirled around to face me.
Startled, I apologized, "S-sorry. I just wanted to ask if you had anyone to sit with at lunch." I already knew he didn't, but I wasn't going to go up to him and say 'Hey, you can sit by me at lunch since you have no friends'. That would be kind of rude.
Cade gazed at me uncertainly. "No, I don't."
I shuffled my feet nervously. "Um, well you can sit with me if you want."
He seemed to calculate my expression, trying to figure out my intentions. "Okay," he responded, and after a moment of staring at me, he continued walking to his next class.
I sighed in relief. There was something about Cade that made me uneasy, but at the same very curious. There's a mystery surrounding this boy, and I'm going to solve it.
My stomach churned anxiously as I made my way to my usual lunch table with my tray in my hands. I never sat with anyone at lunch. Mainly because I didn't have any friends here. I've lived in this town for 10 years of my life and I could never really find friendship in any of the small-town teenagers at my school. Sure, I went to the next town over to the movies with a couple of people every once in awhile, but they were acquaintances, not my friends. I've never really fit in anywhere, but it doesn't bother me as much as it used to.
Just when I thought Cade wasn't going to show, I saw him, tray in hands, leaving the serving line. He locked eyes with me, no emotions shone in his. I could see his hesitation before he began to walk over to me. He set his tray laden with pizza and an apple across from me before sitting down warily.
"Hey." I smiled at him.
He let out a tight lipped 'hey' and nodded a greeting. I shrugged. Better than nothing, I guess. I took a thoughtful bite of my own pizza before deciding to try to start a conversation.
"So...." Yeah, I have mad conversational skills.
Cade raised one perfect eyebrow as he sipped on his water. "So."
"Uh," I wracked my brain for something to say. Anything. "How do you like school so far?" That's a pretty safe question.
He shrugged. "It's okay."
"Why did you move here?"
He stiffened. I knew I shouldn't have asked that.
"You don't have to tell me," I said quickly. There was another question I was dying to ask. "Where in town did you move to?"
Once again, his shoulders tensed. "What's with the interrogation?" He asked. His eyes were cautious.
"It's not an interrogation. I'm just trying to get to know you," I assured him. He's definitely keeping some kind of secret.
"There's nothing you need to know about me." His hands were gripping the table, his knuckles white. What had I said to make him act that way?
"Look, I'm sorry for prying. I'll stop asking questions." My curiosity was burning, a million unanswered questions buzzed around in my head, but I didn't want to scare him away.
He relaxed a little and nodded. I wondered what in the world he could be hiding. Is he an assassin? Maybe he's here for some kind of training, and my school has a secret class. Killing 101. I laughed out loud at that and Cade gave me a funny look before turning back to his pizza, causing me to blush.
Suddenly, he got up with his tray. "You done?" He gestured to my food. I nodded and he took my tray with his other hand. Shocked, I watched him carry the trays to the small window where the lunch ladies washed them and came back. Chivalry isn't dead after all.
"Now it's my turn."
"Your turn to what?" I asked, puzzled.
"To ask questions," he said simply.
"Um, okay." What could he possibly want to know about me?
"Do you like it here?"
"I guess."
His eyebrow arched, "You guess?"
"I don't really fit in," I mumbled.
He looked surprised. I bet I did, too. He was actually showing emotion. "Why not?"
I shrugged. "Just don't."
He looked around the empty table, "You have no friends at all?"
"Of course I do," I defended myself.
Doubtfully, he said, "Why don't they sit with you?"
I felt the need to change the subject. "Can I ask a question real quick?" When he nodded I continued, "Why are you talking all of a sudden?"
"I feel like I can trust you." Before I could answer he asked, "Why don't your friends sit with you?"
"They just don't, okay?"
"Fine," he said, defeated. He looked at me thoughtfully, "Why did you talk to me in the first place?"
"I don't really know," I answered honestly. I've never talked to the mystery students before, I don't know what compelled me to do it now. "Can I ask another question?" I didn't let him reply. "What's your full name?"
"Why?" He seemed suspicious.
"Just curious."
He stared at me for a second before answering. "Cade Sellenger. Yours?"
"Jenny Laverock."
I swear he about fell out of his chair in shock. He gaped at me.
"What?" I asked, startled.
He composed himself and looked around the room at all the other teenagers cautiously. "Nothing," he replied quickly. He turned back to me and I locked eyes with him. His unsettling intent stare made me avert my gaze. "Jenny." I looked up at the soft tone of his voice. I loved how my name sounded when he said it.
"Never mind," he said quickly. His eyes flicked around the room, landing on anything but me.
His demeanor had changed completely in five seconds flat. Why had he reacted that way to my name? I'm not anybody special. Jenny Laverock, born who-knows-where, adopted at 6 years old after my parent's died in some kind of accident, and living in a tiny down in North Dakota.
"Why-"
He cut me off, "How old are you?"
"Sixteen," I answered uncertainly.
His beautiful eyes bore into mine. Then he got up and left the cafeteria.
I stared after him, confused. What the hell just happened?
I didn't see Cade for the rest of the day. He had left the school entirely. In reaction to my name? Very weird. After school, I walked home in deep thought. The high school was only three blocks from my house, so I never used the car going to and from school. The afternoon was chilly and windy. I wrapped the thick jacket around my body tightly; I had never gotten used to the cold here. I must have lived in a southern state before I was adopted.
Oddly enough, I have no memory of my life before I was six years old. My foster mother told me it was because I hit my head in the car accident my parents were killed in. The worst thing about my amnesia is that I have no idea what my parents were like. I don't know what they looked like or how they treated me. But I guess it's better that way, because I don't miss them as much.
The park came into view as I turned a corner, and I decided sitting on the swings would be a good opportunity to let me think in peace.
I was getting more and more suspicious of Cade as I thought about our conversations, and how he acted throughout them. At first, he was clammed up, unwilling to talk. I was surprised he even answered me this morning when I introduced myself. Then he changed completely. I don't know what made him change his mind about me, but he actually showed emotion, and used complete sentences.
He wasn't at all open with me at first though; he got suspicious when I asked questions. Suspicious of what, I don't know. Maybe he really was an assassin and he thinks I'm some sort of undercover cop. I snorted. Me, an undercover cop. That's probably not it.
But then, after he heard my whole name, he had been shocked. By what? So my last name is Laverock. Cool. It's unique. What's so surprising about it? Maybe he knows me. Or thinks he knows me. Maybe before I was adopted. Before I could remember. Different scenarios and ideas ran through my mind, but none of them seemed plausible.
Cade was hiding something. And I intended to find out what.
The sun started to set to the right of me, painting the sky pretty shades of pink and orange. I watched as the sky ever so slowly changed colors. Pink and orange to pink and purple to just purple until it settled into a dark midnight blue, reminding me of Cade's eyes.
I yawned, my jaw popping loudly, and decided it was time to get home. David and Theresa are probably worried sick. I'm not supposed to call them by their first names, but it slips sometimes. I just can't think of them as my real parents. They're great to me though, acting as if they had been the ones who were there since I was born, raising me. I love them like I had loved my biological parents. Loving my parents was one of a few memories I hadn't lost. I remember little things from before the accident: Lullabies sung by my mother, the sound of my father's laugh, the stuffed bunny I used to carry everywhere. I wonder what happened to that bunny.
I caught sight of my watch, 5:23. I started jogging home, hoping Theresa hadn't called our tiny police force. When I reached my small two-story house, there were thankfully no cop cars parked on the curb. I caught my breath of the porch before going in.
"I'm home! No need to call the police!" I walked into the kitchen where Theresa was making dinner. I inhaled the aroma of spaghetti sauce. Mm, spaghetti, my favorite.
"Hey, honey. Where have you been?" she asked, stirring the meat and sauce together in a pan on the stove.
"The park. Just needed some time to think." I straddled a bar stool by the counter in the middle of the kitchen.
"What's on your mind?"
"Nothing really. Teenage stuff."
Theresa chuckled, "I know how that is. Anything interesting happen today?"
"Nope," I lied, "boring as always."
"You know what you need?" I rolled my eyes, knowing what was coming, "A boyfriend."
"We've been over this, Mom."
She flipped the meat over, causing a sizzling sound to erupt from the pan. "I know, I know. But there's got to be some boy out there for you. You're just not looking hard enough."
Thankfully, David took this time to make an entrance. "Hey, Dad," I greeted, "how was work?"
"Stressful," he answered with a sigh. He's a teacher at my high school, he teaches History to Sophomores.
"It's high school," I pointed out.
"True." He laughed.
I jumped off the stool before Theresa could start lecturing me about getting a boyfriend again and hopped up the stairs to my room. Candles were set in various places around my room: on my desk, on top of my television, on my window sill, and on my bedside table. I've always found the smell and flickering flame to be peaceful.
Grabbing a book from the bookshelf in the corner of my room, I ungracefully plopped on my bed. Whenever my mind is full and confusing, like it is now, I always read a book to clear it. I get lost in the fictional word the author created and forget all about whatever issues I was having. Of course I remember them again by the time I'm done reading, but it's always good to have a break from reality once in awhile.
I only got to the fifth page before Theresa came upstairs to tell me dinner was ready. Not taking my eyes from the book, I hopped downstairs, grabbed my plate of spaghetti and headed up to my room telling my parents I was at a good part in my book and wanted to read. They usually let me get away with just about anything.
Eventually, I fell asleep with a full plate of spaghetti on my bedside table and an open book in my hand.
The next day, Cade didn't show up at school. I strode into English first period to see his desk empty and I had thought maybe he was late. When I didn't see him at lunch, I realized he wasn't coming at all. Could it be because of me? I shook the thought away. Of course not, I thought, why would I cause him to not come to school?
I picked at the mashed potatoes on my lunch tray, not feeling hungry. Which was odd since I hadn't eaten dinner last night either. Maybe I got that stomach flu going around? I groaned. That's all I need right now, to be sick.
As if it heard my thoughts, my stomach twisted. I wrapped my arm around it and groaned again. I must be sick. My stomach lurched and I stood up, taking my tray and then leaving the cafeteria. I headed for the bathroom, feeling like I was about to throw up at any second.
A girl stood in front of one of the mirrors applying lip gloss. I leaned against the counter shakily. I started to sweat a little. Wow, it's hot.
"Are you gonna puke?" A nasally voice asked snottily.
I turned to the girl, irritated. "Probably. So, I suggest you get out of here before I ruin that nice outfit of yours." I made puking motions toward her.
Disgusted, she hurried out of the bathroom. I felt too sick to be amused. Feeling overwhelmed by the heat coming from my body, I turned around and twisted the cold water knob on the sink and splashed it in my face. The relief was short.
A couple minutes later the uneasiness in my stomach subsided and I felt a lot better. The heat lingered awhile longer and eventually went away. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and dialed Theresa's cell phone number, just in case she out shopping or something. I decided even though I didn't feel all that sick anymore, I wanted to go home. If it happened again, I'd rather not risk throwing up in front of my classmates.
"Hello?" Theresa's familiar voice answered the phone.
"Hey... Mom, can you pick me up? I'm not feeling well."
Her maternal tone kicked in, "Of course, honey. Do you think you got that stomach flu that's been spreading?"
"Probably," I replied. Almost everyone in the school has had it so far, so I knew my time would come soon. I just wish it would have held off a little longer.
"Okay, Jenny, I'll be there in a few minutes, I'm just at the store." Totally not surprising, I thought. She almost always thinks of something to buy during the day.
We said our good-byes and hung up. I shuffled to the front of the school, feeling weary. About five minutes later Theresa's silver Saturn pulled up to the curb. I slid in the passenger's seat while she went to the main office to check me out of school. I wrapped the seatbelt around my torso mechanically and waited.
My mind drifted to Cade for the hundredth time today. I wonder where he is? What's he doing? Why in the world would he miss his second day of school? Did something happen to him? Is he okay? Am I the reason he's not here? The need to know was almost unbearable.
The driver's side door opened and slammed shut, knocking me out of my reverie.
"You feeling okay, sweetheart?" Theresa asked me, reaching to feel my forehead. "You're burning up!"
I let my head fall back against the head rest. "I just need some sleep."
When we got home I silently made my way to my room, dead tired. I fell onto my bed as soon as I was close enough and didn't bother curling up in the blankets. The heat was returning slowly. Sleep overcame me soon, and the last flickering thought in my mind was an image of Cade's face. It faded until the only thing that was left was his midnight blue and gold eyes. Like a starry night sky....
^^ I like this version much better. Reviews are appreciated. And I reply to themm, so any questions you gots, ask em.