(✔) 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙗𝙤𝙮 ↳ (𝔃.𝓭.𝓱)

two !

Everly shoved her hands deep into the pockets of her jeans, keeping her head down focused on the laces of her black boots.

Her heart beat painfully against her ribs as she made her way along the hallway of her new school. She felt her knees trembling slightly as she walked.

From her peripheral vision, she could feel dozens of pairs of eyes fixated on her. She felt her cheeks heat up and she walked faster. Nausea burned the back of her throat. She bit her lip anxiously.

The girl who was assigned to show Everly around the school for the day, Ariana, must've seen the look on her face because she smiled comfortingly at Everly and said, "Don't worry, girl. People are nice at this school, you have nothing to be nervous about," She said brightly.

Noticing the unconvinced expression on the new girl's face, she continued. "Don't sweat it, okay? I'll wait for you after every class and you can sit with me at lunch, don't worry. I'll take care of you while you're here," She giggled, and Everly smiled slightly, her shoulders relaxing a bit.

The pair stopped outside of Classroom 24A. Ariana glanced down at the piece of paper in her hand. "Alright, you're at World History now. I'll meet you outside here again, okay?"

Everly nodded. "Thanks." With that, she pulled open the classroom door and stepped inside. The nerves that had vanished earlier with Ariana, reappeared as she entered the classroom.

Oh this was going to be a long day.

✯ ✯ ✯

The bell rang loudly overhead, signalling the end of first period. Everly bolted out of her chair, like the rest of the students in the class, grabbed her backpack, and rushed out of the classroom.

She wanted out of there immediately. She realised her hands were trembling, and she stuffed them in her pockets to make them stop.

"Hey, how was World History?" Ariana greeted cheerfully, waiting outside of Everly's classroom just as she had promised.

Everly breathed in the fresh air. Being in a crowded classroom for so long had made her anxiety even worse. "It wasn't too bad. It was quite interesting actually," Everly said truthfully. Even in her old school, Everly's favourite subject was history. She just found it fascinating, how it was like to live in the past.

Ariana grinned. "That's good. Well, let me show you to the cafeteria..." On the way, Ariana chattered on and on about the school so that Everly would hopefully be more familiar with it.

"Be careful around Ms. Jackson from the math department. She can be quite nasty. But she's a good teacher really...Oh, and bring your own food from home on Thursdays. Their options...yuck," Ariana shuddered as they made their way into the cafeteria.

By that point, Everly was already beginning to warm up to her. Ariana was just so friendly and cheerful, it was impossible not to like her. She chuckled. "Okay, good to know."

The pair sat down at a table which was already occupied by a girl with fiery red hair and large green eyes. She was messing with her backpack straps. She looked up when Everly and Ariana arrived.

Upon recognising Everly as the new student, the redhead girl beamed. "Hello! You must be the new student." Everly nodded and plastered an awkward smile to her face. "Hey."

"I'm Isabel," She introduced herself. "Oh, my name is Everly," Everly replied, discreetly wiping her clammy hands on her jeans. Ariana turned to look at her. "Do you want something to eat?"

Everly shook her head politely. "Nope. I'm good, I don't really feel hungry." It was true. She was too anxious to eat. Ariana shrugged. "Suit yourself." She disappeared further into the cafeteria.

She reappeared moments later holding a tray with a cheese pizza, some fries and a juice box. She sat down with Everly and Isabel. "Look, Izzy your hair matches the tray." The three of them burst into laughter.

Isabel and Ariana were very friendly. They didn't leave Everly out of the conversation, and they asked her questions about herself. As they asked her where she was from and what she liked to do as a hobby, Everly felt herself relaxing and thinking that maybe the school year wouldn't be too bad after all.

"Well, I really like playing piano and singing. I'm kinda into music," Everly explained. She decided to leave out the part where she didn't really do it much anymore anyway because her parents would kill her if she ever made noise in the house.

"Oh that's—" Ariana began, but stopped suddenly. The smile faded from her lips. Panic gripped Everly. Did she say something wrong?

"What? Oh," Isabel looked just as confused as Everly had been for a split second before a look of realisation dawned on her face and her mouth was set into a thin line. Her eyes drifted somewhere else.

"Did I say something...?" Everly asked in a small voice. Ariana shook her head rapidly. "Of course not! It's just—" Ariana didn't finish her sentence once more and instead nodded her head towards the left side of the cafeteria.

Befuddled, Everly followed her gaze. All she saw was a teenage boy around her age with brown hair and dark eyes with his arm thrown around a girl's shoulders. The girl had luscious blonde locks that tumbled down her shoulders and bright green eyes that gazed up at the boy adoringly.

"Err...Sorry, but who's that?" Everly was bewildered. Isabel leaned towards her, her face very grim. "That's Zach Herron, and he's with another girl again. You don't wanna go near him or be involved with him in any way."

Everly lifted an eyebrow. "Why? What's up with him?" Ariana turned back around to face her. "He's a playboy. The school's resident heartbreaker. He's dated more than half the girls in the school. I heard he's even had sex with some." She said quietly.

Everly's eyes widened. Isabel nodded. "He dates them for like two weeks at most and then he moves on to the next girl just like that." She snapped her fingers for emphasis.

Ariana's eyebrows knitted together. "He's awful. Like breaking girls' hearts is some kind of game to him." She made a noise of disgust.

Isabel stared at Everly intently. "Remember, don't get involved with him at all. You might regret it."

Everly nodded. She already didn't like the sound of the guy. He was those kind of boys who used their good looks as traps for girls. Using them and then ditching them for his own entertainment. Everly felt disgusted and angry. She had fallen for boys like that one too many times and she had no desire to do it again.