Starr Academy: Year Two

Starr Academy: Year Two- Chapter 16

Sixteen


    “Danielle? What do you think?” I held up a wooden cane that was carved with a tree around the handle.

    Danielle smiled. “I think Franklin would like that. You should get it for him.”

    I smiled back as I looked to the cane again. We were out shopping for Franklin as his birthday was on Monday. Now that everyone knew when his birthday was, everyone was getting him something in town this weekend.

    Well, everyone was here but Hanna. She stayed back and was going to make his present. She had talked with me about making a stone glow. To use her light element with help from a earth element to make a stone emit a light to help see in the dark. It was going to be interesting if she pulls it off.

    Ever since the open house, everyone has been gentle around me. I’ve told them I’m fine but they still feel bad for me that my mom was like that to me. I told everyone that they were my family. Zander helped in that respect. He stood up for me as he knew how it felt. His family hasn’t come to any of the open houses in all the years he’s been here and he’s a senior this year.

    I waited for Danielle to finish looking around before we left. Danielle and I had decided to wander off on our own while Marek took Franklin off to do guy stuff. They even had mischievous grins when they walked away. Who knew what they were going to get into.

    “Come on, lets go find a new outfit.” She laughed as I groaned at hearing about cloths shopping. She knew how much I didn’t like that kind of shopping but knew I endured it for her.

    My hands moved one outfit after another across the rack of cloths while Danielle was in the changing room with a sigh. She had nearly literally squealed when she found this one dress. I just shook my head at her as she rushed into the changing room.

    “Well look what we have here. Miss. I-Can’t-Battle-As-I’m-Too-Good-And-Too-Powerful.”

    My hands stopped as I closed my eyes taking a deep breathe. “Hello Kathleen.” Opening my eyes, I turned back to her. “What do I own this magnanimous pleasure of your delightful presence?” I smiled at her.

    She humphed and crossed her arms as she cocked her head to the side in that ‘I’m so better than you’ sort of way. “I just wanted to say that I loved your mother.”

    I turned away and made to pass her, but she grabbed my arm stopping me. “Oh, poor Hope. Did I touch a nerve?”

    Pulling my arm out of her grasp, I turned back to her. “Why are you so mean to me? I’ve done nothing that warrants such a dislike of myself from you.”

    She got in my face. “You took my guy from me. YOU walked into my school and took my place. YOU, who is lower than trash on the totem pole, have the audacity to be in my school around my kind. Why don’t you go back to your trash heap and die?” Kathleen flipped her hair in that preppy way some girls do as she walked away and out of the store.

    I went over to the sat down. My eyes looking at my hands as they were clasped together. Kathleen’s words cutting a bit deeper than I wanted them to. It’s something that I hadn’t thought of myself in a long time. Trash. Gutter trash as my brother Derek had loved to call me.

    “Hope?” I looked up seeing Zander. He knelt down in front of me placing his hands over mine. “You okay?” I sniffled and shook my head. Tears slipping down my cheeks unwillingly. He got out a handkerchief from his pocket and brushed my tears away. “Hey now. Why so sad?” I shrugged. “Uh-ah. You know you can tell me anything.”

    I looked down as he wiped my tears again just as Danielle came out of the changing rooms. “I’ve reduced her to tears waiting for me to get out.” She tried to cheer me up but it wasn’t working. “Oh dear.” She sat down next to me and rubbed my shoulders. “What happened?”