Keeping his secret

The bell rang out through the walls, harsh brassy tones filled my ear drums and made my heart race. I fumbled with my school map, it wasn’t very clear and had become crumpled in my bag. Students bumped into me left, right and center like I were invisible.

“Excuse me” I attempted to stop one of the passing bodies but they ignored me and carried on waking.

“I’m trying to find-” I asked another, yet no response.

“Uh, can you help?” Yet again my efforts were in vain.

I slumped up against a locker, breathing deeply as the hallways cleared into their respective classes. The first day at a new school was daunting for anyone but when you’ve transferred in from a private school it’s like entering a whole new universe entirely. I half expected to be treated like royalty simply because I was fresh meat and everybody wanted to get to know a new face. But so far nobody has shown any interest in me at all and I didn’t understand it, at my last school I was popular.

“You’re on my locker, move.”

“Excuse me?” I scoffed in disbelief. He was staring down at me with cinnamon coloured eyes and a deep frown to his face. He wore black jeans, converses and a simple plain grey hoodie that stayed rolled up to his elbows revealing a nasty scar that covered one of his arms.

“You heard me princess, get out of my way.” He waved his hands in the air as if trying to move me magically and I stepped aside but still hovered near, watching as he keyed in his combination and searched through his locker.

After that he ignored my presence but I knew he could feel me watching him by the way his jaw clenched and his gaze hardened on the books inside his locker.

“My name is Mia and I don’t think you quite know who you’re speaking to.” I stamped my foot on the floor childishly and crossed my arms. At my last school money equaled power, the more money you had the more popular you were. He slammed his locker shut and turned to face me, his lips curving up into a smile almost sardonically.

He stepped close to me, closing me in against the locker and his body. I could smell his body wash and count his eyelashes, he invaded my personal space that close. His eyes flicked down my body slowly and I stiffened, feeling ridiculously uncomfortable and exposed.

“I know who you are, the spoiled little brat from East Side. Question is, do you know who I am?” His voice was deep but soothingly calm. I could hear the threat in his tone but oddly I didn’t feel intimated by it. The kids here were powerless, they didn’t have the connections or money to destroy you like the ones at East Side.

His eyes were beautiful, I could easily get lost in them. They were an unusual colour, almost golden and oh so bewitching. He smelt strongly of peppermint and vanilla, it was a refreshing mix that just made you feel compelled to inhale more.

“A teenage boy on a power trip?” I spat out cockily. His eyebrows raised at me and he brought himself closer, pressing his body more and more against mine. Surely he’s not allowed to do that?

“Noah Scott. You should do yourself a favor and ask around.” He backed away from my body, slinging his black bag over his shoulder and started walking away.

“Oh I get” he stopped walking and turned back to face me with interest “You’re the cliche bad boy of Bell View High. You probably play on one of the sports teams, you party, you’re popular, girls wanna jump your bones and you’re probably going to claim to make my life hell but my life is already hell so good luck with that.” This time I turned to walk away, I had no idea where I was going but I wanted to make the dramatic exit regardless.

“You’ve got me all wrong princess.” He shouted back but I ignored him, irritated by the lame nickname and his rude attitude.

By some miracle I found my way to English Lit and I tried to discretely slip in unnoticed but failed miserably. The whole class turned to face me as well as the teacher.

“Um... I’m sorry I am late. I’m new and got a little lost.” Our teacher was probably the only snooty thing about this school and oddly that was comforting.

“Do you not have a map?” She asked, her grey hairline receded with the raise of her eyebrows.

“I do, it’s just hard to understand.” I replied awkwardly earning me some sniggers from the student body.

“Amelia, is it?” She looked down her nose at me and my stomach tied into a knot hearing my full name. I haven’t heard that name since we escaped, she probably called me it on purpose because I already pre-submitted my preferred name for her register.

“Mia, I go by Mia.” I answered almost too quickly.

“Take a seat Mia.” She gestured towards an empty chair at the back of the room. I sat down slowly, smiling politely at the girl I was forced to sit beside. She replied with a strong sigh of displeasure.

It was an easy lesson, the teacher literally put on a Jane Austen movie and the class sat watching it. The girl beside me doodled on her notebook with boredom and most people around the class slept. I was learning quickly that there were a lack of education in public school. It was one of the huge differences, private is all about grades and hard work, striving towards an Ivy League college that everyone was already destined to attend thanks to their legacies or just having friends in high places. And by high places I mean the country club golf course.

“What’s with the clothes?” I pulled my eyes away from the television and looked at the girl next to me. Her tone was abrupt and her face screwed up with confusion. I looked down at my outfit.

I was wearing jeans, just like everybody else. A simple cropped T-shirt, sneakers and a bag. I didn’t understand what was wrong. At my old school we wore uniforms, I didn’t need to stress over my outfit.

“My clothes?” I asked with perplexity.

“Your shoes are Christian Louboutin, your bag is Michael Kors, your jeans are Levi, your T-shirt is Chanel and I’m pretty sure under all of this you’ll be wearing Calvin Klein underwear.”

I squirmed awkwardly in my seat, how did she know what underwear I was wearing?

“Ooohh I see, you’re the transfer from that snobby school.” She laughed to herself wickedly, showing me a perfect smile. Her teeth looked very white against her tanned skin, abnormally white like she had them bleached cheaply in a salon and not done by the professionals at a dentist.

“And you think that tells you everything about me?” I complained getting irritated by each passing second, she pressed her lips together and rested her head on her hand, looking at me with interest.

“You’re a princess, everything in life comes easy to you. Probably wouldn’t know a hard days work if it came and bit you on the ass.” She flicked her brunette hair over her shoulder and laughed to herself even more.

She had no idea.

“What is with everyone calling me a princess!” I banged my fist down on the desk with annoyance “First Noah Scott and now you. I am not a princess.” I defended.

She lifted her head from her hand and scooted back in her chair, the perfect smile dropping from her face in an instant.

“You spoke to Noah Scott?” She asked slowly.

“More like argued.” I replied with a tone that told her I was pissed off.

“But Noah doesn’t speak.” She sat back in her chair quietly, I could see her mind absorbing everything.

“What do you mean Noah doesn’t speak? His voice was loud enough when it was calling me a princess and a spoiled little brat.”

“There was an accident... last year. He hasn’t spoke to anyone since then. Word has it that he went crazy, just stopped speaking, pushed everyone away. His friends, they tried for months but there were a lot of fights and in the end they gave up on him. He’s pretty messed up, I’d stay out of his way if I were you. If the rumors are true then that accident... wasn’t an accident at all and he was in fact the one who killed those people.”

“That can’t be true.” I shot her ridiculous gossip down immediately. She shrugged.

“Everyone is scared of Noah Scott, he’s capable of dark things. Don’t try and be a hero, Princess, it might just get you killed.”