Journey to Love

Chapter 1

Layla was roughly shoved aside.

Though what was she to really expect? She was one of the smallest, skinniest people to walk through the school halls. They probably didn't even see her.

She stumbled over her feet, trying to gain her balance as the kid who slammed into her, gave her a dirty glare before catching up to his friends. 

Layla weaved around hundreds of parents. Some of them escorting younger children, others following the older kids to their respective classrooms. Each of them trying to get their kids to their new classrooms. 

It was the first day back and Layla already felt out of place as she walked through Riverview Primary School. Everywhere she looked, there were kids laughing and playing with each other, parents smiling down at their kids as they passed her. Layla had none of that.

She'd like to think her parents were too busy at work to come and meet her new teacher. But they were most likely too busy having sex or watching TV to really care about her. And she had no friends to greet anyways.

The young girl stared at the solid cement flooring as she walked towards her year four classroom. She was surprised to hear that she had passed year three. She'd missed half of her classes because of her recurring mistakes, hadn't even participated in half of the work while she was at school because she didn't understand the concept. And asking her teacher was a big no. That would draw attention and attention drew the wrong crowd.

But here she was, standing outside her year four classroom door. Her fingers twitched against her bag straps as she noticed an adult greeting everyone near the front of the door. Suddenly she heard more shouting causing her head to whip towards the right. She took in a couple of kids around her age who were laughing at something on their phones. Being unnecessarily loud.

Gripping the straps as tight has her little hands could, she took in a couple steady breaths, double-checking that she had the right classroom before she began walking through it.

She was able to sneak past the teacher and around a couple of parents, making it into the room without being noticed. Her eyes immediately took in the colourful classroom. Well, the majority of it was coloured. The back wall was bare, which hugely contrasted against the colorful posters, whiteboard, and supplies around the room.

Making her way slowly towards the back of the classroom, she stopped at the desk in the middle row, closest to the door. She had no intention to sit at the front of the classroom where the teacher could watch her constantly. And no intention being towards the windows where it would be harder for her to leave the class.

Making sure the students around her hadn't chosen the seat, she slowly sat down in the plastic chair. She brought her small ripped blue bag onto her lap. Opening the zipper, she pulled out a couple pieces of paper that she was able to find around her house, hoping her parents didn't find them missing. Layla put them onto the desk before pulling out a pencil that she had found in one of the school hallways a few minutes prior. Her foster parents didn't bother giving her anything for school, why would they? She's worthless.

Layla placed the bag on the floor underneath her desk and quietly observed the new teacher at the door. She had dark brown hair tied into a bun at the top of her head. She had a full-blown smile on her face as she greeted a boy's father. She seemed rather kind. Much kinder then her previous teacher who would get upset over everything. It made her just as nervous coming to school as it did going to her house. Her old teacher gave off similar vibes to her parents, she hoped this new teacher would be nicer. But maybe all adults were angry, and if they got upset enough they would hurt her. It was something she didn't want to find out.