Over the Edge

Ch.2-He's Like John Bender from the Breakfast Club

~Emmalyn~

Being the new kid anywhere sucks.

Heart High School was a freaking labyrinth, with twists and unforeseeable turns at every corner, kids streaming down the hall and shoved up against lockers; perched on the window seats and filing into classrooms. I gulped, weaving my way tentatively and cautiously to the office that, mercifully, was in the front of the school and in clear view. I hoped they provided maps and possibly GPS devices if I were to become lost.

I pushed open the door to the office and stumbled in, letting the noise of the hallways fade away. I sucked in a deep breath, cleansing the pounding in my skull.

"First day, huh? You must be Emmalyn."

My eyes snapped open to the secretary. She was smiling at me, glasses perched low on her nose. I nodded, walking over. "Yeah, that's me."

"I thought so." She popped her gum and I smelled the strawberry flavoring. She slid a folded up white sheet of paper over the desk to me. "Here's your schedule. I know it's a very confusing school but there's a map in there. It's pretty clear-cut, so you shouldn't have any problems. Any questions?"

I glanced at my first class which also happened to be my homeroom. English. "Do you think you can pity the new kid and tell her how to get to her first class?"

The secretary nodded, pointing toward the direction of the doors. "When you leave the office, go straight down this hallway here. That's the English hall. Your room will be down there."

"Thank you." My shoulders sagged with the relief of one burden off my shoulders. I stuck my schedule in my back pocket and wove my way through the crowds. I happened upon my room and pushed it open. I just about died with happiness when I saw it was empty inside. I needed a few moments to catch my breath.

"Emmalyn?"

Startled, I spun around to come face-to-face with the quirkiest teacher I had ever seen. He had flyaway grey hair and a face just starting to retain some wrinkles. His thick glasses magnified his eyes and he was tall. "U-um . . . Yeah, that's me."

He grinned a wide-tooth smile. "Excellent! I'm Mr. Matthews." He held out his hand. I shook it uncertainly. "I'll be your AP Literature teacher this year. I'm rather excited to get to know you, I must say. This school hasn't seen a new student in twenty years."

I smiled awkwardly. "I'm honored to break the lull."

He laughed. "I do suppose you are!"

What a strange man. He didn't say anything after that exclamation, just stared expressively at me. I blinked a few times before I started backing up, choosing a seat in the back-what new kid would sit in the front?-and slumping down. So my morning as the new kid wasn't terrible. I still had the whole rest of the day to go, though.

A bell blared through the intercom, signaling for the students to drudge on to class. The door whipped open and kids began filing in. It was a Monday and the first day of school, so everything I expected to see I saw; bags under the eyes, murderous glares, the occasional kid smiling and bouncing along. It was almost comical.

"Emmalyn! Hey!"

The realest smile in a long while spread across my face at the sound of a familiar voice. Rose ambled down the aisle and crashed into the seat in front of me, vibrating with excitement.

"You're in my English class? This is great! You know, I heard this guy starts every year with a project. Maybe we'll be partners!"

"Maybe," I replied, not minding her overzealous enthusiasm. I was just glad to have a friend.