I could catch up on the homework and the chapters I’d missed, but choir? There was only so much you could do when you were musically inept.
Hmm…maybe I’d have to take a trip to the office and ask them to switch it up, put me in some other elective, because me taking choir could only end badly. I didn’t know if Midpark had its choir perform at its rallies, but my old school did. I would annihilate every set of eardrums nearby if I had to get in front of the whole school and belt out the Star-Spangled Banner or some shit.
I sat by myself in the corner of the room, most of the other girls and boys in the class having their chosen group of friends. No one really spoke to me, though they did toss curious glances my way as they whispered to each other, probably about who I was or what I was wearing. Class was halfway over when a girl walked up to me and plopped herself in the seat beside mine.
She wore high-rise jeans that hugged her slender frame well, a red shirt that made her seem plain giddy. Or maybe that was the smile on her face. Her brown hair held highlights and gentle waves, waves that put mine to shame.
“Hi,” she said. “I’m Bobbi. Ms. Haber wants me to help catch you up with the rest of the class.” Her voice came out quiet; she was a giddy but soft-spoken girl, the complete opposite of me.
“I don’t know if I’ll be staying in the class,” I started.
“Why?”
I could’ve gone on and on about how weird it was to ‘warm up’ my cat-wailing voice, how strange it was to try to sing along to a song written in Italian—and I didn’t know any Italian or how to pronounce any of the words—but all I ended up saying was, “It’s not really my thing.”
“Singing is everyone’s thing,” she said, still smiling. Did she always smile, or was my budding personality just bringing it out of her? “Come on, just give it a shot. Once you get in the groove, I’m sure you’ll love it.”
I held back a frown, pretty damn sure I wouldn’t.
“Today’s your first day here, isn’t it?” Bobbi spoke, running her hand through her hair and tucking some of it behind her ear. The rest of the class had broken off into their own groups, the teacher locked away in her office, doing God knew what.
I mean, if this was how class would normally go…it could sort of be viewed as a study hall. My eyes glanced to the notebook in my lap.
“Yeah,” I eventually said. “Is it that obvious?”
Bobbi studied me. “We don’t really get many new faces. Most of us grew up around here. We never get transfer students. Did you just move to Midpark?”
It wasn’t like I wanted to advertise I was living with Oliver Fitzpatrick because my mother was his live-in maid, and he allowed us both to stay there because he had plenty of room. Then again, maybe I’d find out about what happened to his wife and his kids…was the ridicule worth the risk?
I settled for saying, “Yeah. Me and my mom.”
“I’m with my dad,” she said, as if that somehow cemented the bond between us.
God, listen to me. I sounded like a bitch, and I wasn’t. Not really. I was actually kind of nice—I think—but today my walls were up. I was a bit prickly because it was my first day here, with new people in a new place. Once I relaxed, once I lowered my guard a bit, everything would be fine.
Wasn’t too sure about making friends at this point, but that was okay.
“It’s not too bad here,” Bobbi went on, glancing around the room. “Everyone is nice…mostly.”
I let out a laugh. “You don’t sound too sure.” And she really didn’t.
She shrugged. “I’m sure you had mean girls at your old school, too. The principal has tried to cut down on the bullying though, after what happened a few years ago.”
That piqued my interest. “What happened a few years ago?”
Her eyes fell to her lap, and I watched her nibble her bottom lip in unease. Whatever happened a few years ago must’ve been bad. I didn’t get any strange vibes from this chick; she seemed like a decent enough girl who was just given a job by the teacher. I doubted she’d purposefully come over here to gossip about years past.
But then again, you never knew.
“Have you heard of Celeste Chambers?” she asked, hedging before telling me any information.
The name rung a few bells, but I wasn’t certain what bells they were. The name was recognizable, but I couldn’t say when or why I’d heard it. “I’ve heard of her, but I don’t remember why.”
“She was kidnapped a long time ago, came back after five years.” Bobbi shifted in her seat, looking uneasy as she whispered, “Things happened—”
“What happened?”
“Bad things. Rumor has it Celeste was involved somehow, and after fingers started pointing at her, she just…left.”
I had no idea how a high schooler could just leave. “She moved away?”
“I guess, although her stepdad didn’t. He’s still around. I think the community would go nuts if Oliver Fitzpatrick were to move away—this place might look shiny and clean, but it’s got a black underbelly, as long as you know where to look—”
My mind zoned out, even though she continued talking.
Hold the fuck up. This story wasn’t making any sense.
It was a good thing the bell rang right then, because otherwise I would have let my wandering mind get the better of me. When my mind wandered, it tended to come up with dozens of scenarios that were probably unlikely. I knew though that just because something was improbable didn’t mean it was impossible.
As everyone else got up and scurried out of the room, practically pushing past each other to be the first ones out, Bobbie switched tracks, telling me, “Look at the sheet music tonight, okay? We’ll figure out times to meet outside of class later to catch you up.” With a smile, she was gone, leaving me sitting there for a few moments, wondering what the hell just happened.
A black underbelly to Midpark, and then she brought up Ollie…
I could totally see it, but maybe that was just because I loved all of the shows on the CW. Small-town people, rich people—they got into shit. This was life, and life tended to be messy.
I was one of the last stragglers to walk out of the room and into the bright hall. My feet drew me through the crowded halls and to my locker, where I shoved my books and notebooks in. Mom had packed me a lunch today, but I didn’t know if I wanted to eat it. I knew my body needed replenishing, but actually sitting down and eating felt like the last thing I wanted to do.
Or maybe that was simply because I was nervous about finding a seat. It wasn’t like I’d spoken to many people today. I got countless stares and questioning looks from the other students who wondered what rock I’d crawled out of, but no instantaneous offers of friendship.
Bobbi seemed nice, but I didn’t really know her. If she had lunch the same period as me, I didn’t want to put pressure on her or annoy her by asking if I could sit with her.
Hmm. Decisions, decisions.
Steeling my nerves, I grabbed my small bagged lunch and straightened my shoulders. Surely there had to be an empty table in the cafeteria. Surely. I’d just be the weird chick who transferred in the middle of the school year and sat alone at lunch. Not who I wanted to be, but at this point, I wasn’t feeling very outgoing or friendly.