After an officer finds an unconscious boy dressed in medieval clothing and discovers he has no memories of where he came from, she decides to take him under her wing. She realizes quickly, however, that medieval clothing is not the only thing that m...
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The four classes that followed went pretty smoothly compared to first hour. Then finally it was lunch. I followed the swarm of hungry students into the cafeteria and searched for a table to sit at. My gaze met several students at many tables, but they all seemed to say: don't even think about sitting here, freak.
It's interesting how the cycle goes around here. When you're the new kid, first you're interesting. Then everyone pretends to be your friend to get information from you. Finally, you become labeled. I was labeled a freak. Different school, same cycle. The ironic thing was that they didn't have a clue how right they really were.
My eyes eventually fell on an empty table at the very back of the cafeteria. Good and secluded. I made my way over to it and plopped down on the bench. I was about to bite into a granola bar I had packed when someone sat down across from me.
She sat there, smiling that sweet smile at me. I carefully set down my granola bar. "Uh, hi, Hannah."
Her smile grew wider. "Hello, Jake."
I tapped my fingers nervously against the table. "Um, how come you're sitting with me instead of Jim or any of your other friends?"
She laughed a high pitched laugh and waved her hand as if brushing it aside. "Because I don't want to sit with them. I want to sit with you." She leaned in closer to me, and I had to fight the urge to lean back. "I heard you and Alex Smith had a little...disagreement first hour," she said casually, but her hazel eyes gleamed in anticipation, eager for information.
Ahh...so this is why she wanted to sit with me. She wanted a first-hand account of the latest gossip. I sighed. What did I have to lose?
"Yes," I agreed reluctantly.
She raised her eyebrows questioningly and waited a moment before responding. "Well...," she finally said. "I thought you two would get along...you both seem to have a lot in common."
"Like what?" I scoffed. "An accent? So what. Believe me, we are nothing alike. Like, I'm not a git, for instance."
Hannah's expression of eagerness suddenly disappeared. She glanced over her shoulder nervously and hesitated before answering. "Don't judge Alex too harshly...he tries pretty hard to act like the other guys to be accepted, but I know he's not really like that. And you two have more in common than just an accent. He was adopted, too." Then she bit her lip like she regretted what she said.
I was a little taken aback. "Wait, he's adopted―?" I started, but then I stopped. "You know what? It doesn't matter," I said firmly. "I'm not going to start making excuses for him."
Hannah briefly shook her head before replying. It was odd to see her so serious, but I was glad to see a different side of her. "Once you get to know him, he's not that bad. He was in your position once, three years ago. The new kid. He was avoided for the longest time because he was...well, different, just like you, but now he's pretty popular. But it took him a long time to adjust. He didn't know how to act around us. I sometimes think he still doesn't."
