Chpter 001

"Ow!"

I opened the paperball - the one which was flung dileberately at my head - & rolled my eyes at the rather pathetic insult scribbled on it (I really thought they could've done better than Did u use ur conditioner this mornin' or grabbed ur mom's laundry soap by accident?).

As soon as Mr Greg, our Geography teacher, faced the blackboard to write more notes, I turned around & gave a mock act of being punctured in the heart to Leia & her clones.
Hard to believe that two months ago, Leia was my best friend ever since grade one.
L&C (Leia & Clones) gave smirks of satisfaction with their vain attempt to destroy my self-ego or whatever it is they're trying to do.

"Excuse me, Miss Hally, but I do believe that the blackboard is the other way around." a voice said behind me.
I slowly turned around & felt my face turning red with dying embarrassment - the suicidal kind.

"Now, it seems that you have disobeyed a rule. What should you do?" Mr Greg said as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Hanging my head, I stood up at the same pace as I did just now & had suddenly developed an interest in my nails - not very clean nails either, like L&C's.
I have this habit of biting them.
My nails, I mean.

The minute my punisher turned his back to me, I glared at Leia & her drones.
I honestly don't know how I could resist that huge urge of going over there & giving each one of them a big, fat punch.





"Woah. They did that?" Chaz said.
If you're wondering who's Chaz, he's my boyfriend - well, not officially but he is. He's also the reason why my ex-best friend hates my guts.
"Yes, they did. I had to stand there for 2 hours while Mr G was going on & on about how to read a compass." I said as I took out my anger by slamming my locker door - with unneccessary force.
"Well, at least you didn't have to go sing the National Anthem outside or something." Chaz said & gave a small smile.

He loves to tease me about singing. Chaz thinks I "sing like an angel".
Hah. Tell that to my chorus teacher who forgot my name.

"Don't worry. The next time they attack, I'll defend."
This time I gave him a big smile & gave a squeeze at his arm.

A (too) familiar voice snorted behind us & said, "Oh God. Is that what you two do? How gross. Ew. Like, get a room or something."
You must be wondering why Leia's so bitter at Chaz & I.
Remember when I said that Leia used to be my best friend two months ago?
Yeah, we stopped continuing that relationship after her crush - yup, Chaz - admitted that he secretly liked me.

I know you're thinking "so if the dude likes you, why's the girl mad at YOU instead of him?".
Unfortunately, I can't answer that because I'm not too sure myself.
But it could be most likely along the lines of "How could she do this to me?" when she saw me getting a little too friendly - her words - with Chaz.

Whatever.
Chaz isn't that bad too. He's totally nice & sweet & easy on the eyes too. He's no Quasimodo.
I mean, was Quasimodo tall & buff (buff from playing basketball with those people in the wheelchairs) & have auburn hair & green eyes with this totally cute smile?
No. No, he does not.


We walked into the canteen quietly & coolly, like we usually do. It's sort of a routine.
He carries my books, WITH his bag & mine, while I reward him by clinging on to his arm.
Oh wait... That's not helping, is it? Well, I'm not that heavy.

Chaz automatically headed to the table at the right side of the canteen & left our stuff there.
When we got in line, I took my usual chicken rice meal while he took his heavy steak lunch.

Like I said... It's sort of a routine.

When we sat down, I took out my bottle of water - yes, I'm hygenic - & drank a big gulp out of it. I put down my bottle & found this pink rose in my face.
"Oh, Chaz! That's so swee- ah, ah, ATCHOO!"
I sneezed & took out a piece of tissue from my bag.
Great, that killed the romance there.

My unofficial boyfriend gave me a rose - the symbol of LOVE - & I sneezed.
Is Shakespeare going to love that or what?

"Oh crap. I forgot your allergies with roses. I'm so sorry, Kat. Let me get you more tissue, okay? Wait right here..." He said & took off for tissue as if he went off for a cure of poison or something equally important.

Well, that's sweet of my boyfriend.
He gave me a rose & went to get tissue for my allergies.
What more could a girl want?






"Okay, class. One announcement! Today, we have a new student. Come, introduce yourself. Don't worry. We don't bite." Mrs Low, my Maths teacher, said.
A guy stepped forward from the shadows - I mean, for real. As if he was Darth Vader or something.
He was okay-looking. Stats? Spiky brown hair, blue eyes. & there was something... Confident about him.
Was it the way he was standing? The way he was calmly standing by the teacher, infront of the class which he's going to be in for the rest of this year? What?
"I'm Grant Fend. Honoured to be here."

I coughed out loud. Nice. This kid's got humour.
Mrs. Low glared at me & said in a voice which could chill you, "Is there something amusing, Ms Hally?"
I sunk in my chair lowly beneath Mrs Low's uncomfortable stare & shook my head.

Another person coughed & it seemed that the new kid was laughing.
Nice. I'm having the newbie to laugh at me.
I was smiling & waiting for Mrs. Low's yell at the guy, about how this is the first time & how he's off the hook for now.

But she left me disappointed. Instead of the awaited scream, Mrs Low said, "Oh dear. It seems that you have a cough. Well, you better take some medicine, now we don't want our new student to get a cold on their first day, now do we?"
He shook his head & took his seat behind me with a grin, which made me hold this urge to slap the smirk off of his face.




After class, someone cleared their throat behind me.
I turned around & saw Mrs Low sitting behind her desk, Mr Smirking Grant standing next to her.
At that moment, I had sense something called "trouble", him just smirking gives me the creeps.

"It seems, Ms Hally, that you had made your new classmate feel very uncomfortable. Didn't she, Mr Grant?" Mrs Low asked to him, sounding like she was asking a kindargartener whether he stole the other kid's peanut butter jelly sandwich instead of questioning a (guilty) 16 year-old whether I may have "hurt his feelings".

Right.

But he seemed like a mature dude. He'd never do something so childish like-

"Yes. Yes, she did, Mrs Low. I felt so embarassed at that awkward moment." he said & put his hand over his heart like I'd did to L&C.

Okay, scratch that mature comment. It seems that he too has not grown up.

The first thing that came in my head was, Why is it that that teacher can never sense sarcasm in the new kids? Why?

"You see, Ms Hally. Obviously you have hurt the poor boy. Now apologize to him."

Ugh. I forced a smile to Grant & said stiffly, "I'm. Sorry. Grant."

I turned around & headed to the door but Mrs Low wasn't satisfied enough.
"You' are not let off easily, Ms Hally. I am now going to make you the official, what was the term again? Tour guide of our school for Mr Grant here. Do make him comfortable. Carry on." she said & gave me a smile.

As soon as Grant & I left the room, he coughed & tried to hide a smile.
"It seems that you're stuck with me, kid."

& that was how Grant Fender entered my life.