Hannah (The Girls of Mulberry Manor)

Chapter 2

I wake with a start. Where the hell am I? I look at the unfamiliar walls and ceiling of the room I'm in. There's a light knock on the door.

"Hannah, you need to get up soon or you'll miss the bus to school." It's Bailey. That's right...the group home. A new school. My first day of senior year. How could I forget? I slowly sit up in bed and brush my mousy brown hair out of my face. I don't take much time finding clothes to wear. I'm not trying to impress anyone at this school. I pull on a pair of jeans and a dark gray shirt, then make my way toward the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. Surprisingly there's no one in there so I don't have to wait.

I make my way downstairs and go to the kitchen. Nan is in there with the other girls. "Oh, good, you're up," Nan says, smiling. "The bus will be here in a few minutes." She hands me a plain-looking brown backpack. I peek inside and see some pencils, pens, folders, and notebooks. "I know you haven't had a chance to go school shopping yet. I keep some extras, just in case," she tells me.

"Thanks," I say, quietly.

"Okay, girls, time to go," she says quickly. "Oh, Hannah, make sure you stop at the school office for your schedule. One of the girls can show you the way."

We walk as a group to the bus stop a block away to wait for the bus. There are several other kids standing there. All the girls but Kodi are talking excitedly about the first day. She's standing apart from the rest of us. She has ear buds in her ears and she's staring down the road. As I'm watching her a beat up, black car pulls up to the curb a few feet away. I watch as Kodi walks away and gets in the car and then leaves.

"Where is she going?" I ask Bailey.

"Wow. I can't believe she's going with him again," Bailey says. "That's Jake. I think he's her ex-boyfriend or something. She spent most of the summer with him, but I haven't seen him around in a few weeks. I assumed they broke up. He's such a loser," she says, shaking her head. I was about to ask more but the bus pulls up.

The ride to school was fairly short. I'm surprised they don't just walk to school every day. We pull up to the one-story brick school. It's not much to look at. The first thing I notice when I walk in is a large commons area with lunch tables set up. There are hallways to the left and right. I have no idea which way to go. I don't see any of the other girls anywhere. I guess I'm on my own.

I decide to turn down the hallway to the right and slam into someone. Holy shit! It felt like I hit a brick wall. The person I hit turns around and looks like he's going to yell at me. I quickly apologize to him, then a slow smile appears on his face. Oh my God. I don't think I've ever seen anyone as beautiful as this guy. He has dark, slightly curly hair that flops down over his left eye. And those eyes. They're deep brown with gold flecks near the pupils. I just stand there and stare at him like an idiot. I've lost my ability to speak.

"Are you new here?" he asks me. I just keep staring at him. "Are you okay?" he says. His smile starts to disappear. I finally realize that I look like a moron, and he's been speaking to me.

"I'm sorry, what?" I ask like a dummy.

"Are you okay?" he repeats.

"Oh, yes. Sorry," I reply. "I'm looking for the office."

"Follow me," he says, grabbing my hand. "These hallways can be a little confusing for newbies. The commons in the middle is where everyone eats lunch. The hallway to the left takes you to the gym and auditorium," he continues, still holding my hand as we walk toward the office. "I'm Myles, by the way. Myles Martinez."

"Hannah. B-Benson," I sputter back.

"Nice to meet you, Hannah Benson." We continue down the hall and turn left. I see a sign above a door on the right that reads Office.

"Nice to meet you too. I see the office now. Thanks," I say, pulling my hand out of his. I walk to the office door and look back at him before walking in. He's still standing there, watching me.

"See you around Hannah Benson," he says, and turns to walk in the other direction.

I go into the office and get my schedule and a list of electives. I took extra classes my sophomore and junior years, so I only have three core classes this year. I'll have to choose an elective, but I'm not sure what class I want to take. I make my way to my first class. Algebra II...great.

I make it into the classroom just as the bell rings and choose a seat at the back of the class. The teacher walks in, writes his name on the white board-Mr. Clark, and immediately starts passing out textbooks. After all the books are passed out, he tells us to start reading the first lesson in the book. As I open my book, I hear a shuffling noise coming from the front of the room. I look up and see a boy sauntering toward me. Actually, I don't think boy is the right word. He looks like a man. He's tall, blonde, and beefy. I've never been a fan of big muscles, but he looks amazing.

"Nice of you to join us, Mr. Daniels," Mr. Clark says to him. He smiles up at our teacher as he sits in the desk next to mine.

"I would never miss your class, Mr. Clark," he replies. "You're my favorite teacher."

"I'm sure I am, that's why you'll be excited to hear that you get to spend an hour with me after school in detention on Friday." Some of kids laugh at this. The guy, Mr. Daniels, shrugs.

I go back to reading the textbook. As I'm reading, I hear the desk next to me make a loud shriek as it's being pulled over next to mine. "What are you doing?" I ask him in a hushed voice.

"I don't have a book. Can we share?" he asks me.

"I guess so," I say to him.

"I'm Vin Daniels," he says to me. "What's your name?"

"Hannah Benson," I whisper back.

"I haven't seen you before. Did you just move here?" he asks quietly.

"Yes," I reply.

"You don't talk much, do you?"

"Not in the middle of class, no," I roll my eyes and try to keep reading the lesson.

He puts his hands up, like he's surrendering. "Sorry. Just trying to be friendly. I'll be quiet now." He pretends like he's locking his lips and throwing the key behind him.

I try my hardest not to let him see, but I smile and a small giggle escapes. I look over at him and he's smiling too.