Lost Cause

Chapter 1

"Vi is picking you up this morning right?" Mom asks as soon as I've stepped foot in the kitchen.

"Yeah she should be here any minute." I confirm.

"Don't forget your dad is going to be calling almost as soon as you get home from school so try to be on time today." She reminded me.

"Everybody knows about it. I'll be here, don't worry." I assured her.

"I'm just reminding you."

A beep interrupts before I get the chance to respond, "That's Vi, gotta go." I grab my bag from the couch and head to the door.

"Pick up Jordan on your way home please." Mom calls after me.

I gave her a thumbs through the window and hopped into Violet's car.

"Guess what?" Vi said.

"Well hello to you too." I responded.

"When have I ever said hello to you when you get in my car? Guess what." She repeats.

"You finally told Stephan how you feel."

She whips her head and stares at me with wide eyes, "No! Alex, what?"

"You told me to guess so I am. That's not it?"

"No that's not it. I don't feel anything but friends towards him." The blush on her face says otherwise.

I know she's lying but I won't push her about it, "So what's this news you have?"

She lets out a sigh of relief, "I heard that there's a new guy transferring in today."

"Who told you that?"

"Felix. Apparently the kid is moving here from Las Vegas, I guess he heard it from Brett who heard it from his dad."

"Interesting. We're already halfway through September though, he'll have to catch up on a lot." I feel bad for the guy knowing how the teachers assign projects early on.

"I know, I kinda feel bad for him." She pulls into school.

Walking into school we head to her locker where our friend Rosie is leaning against it with her phone in her hand.

"Hey what's up guys?" She looks up when she hears our footsteps.

"You heard about the new guy?" I ask her.

"There's a new guy?"

"That's what Vi told me on the way here."

"My dad said the Castillos stopped in yesterday to pick up some plants and they had an older boy with them that he's never seen before." Vi popped open her locker.

Vi's dad owns a small garden shop in the center of town, it's a store more for the locals since the nearest Home Depot is thirty minutes away.

"I overheard one of the teachers talking about how the new kid must've gotten kicked out of his last school and that's why he's starting up here." Rosie chimes in.

"Who'd you hear that from?" I asked.

"Mrs. Highwater was talking to Mr. Baker about it."

"So the teacher who likes to gossip about everything was talking about a transfer student who got kicked out of his last school? Rosie, most of the teachers don't really care about personal stories she could have made it up." I looked at her.

"I know it's a little far-fetched but it's not impossible." Her cheeks begin to turn a little red.

"It may be possible but I highly doubt it." The first bell rings pausing our conversation.