She Will Be Loved

I take back what I said about school; maybe I don’t need it. I was keeping my eyes glued to the floor to avoid the curious and judging stares of the teens in the courtyard. The moment the guys and I (Val had stayed at her parents’ due to her father having a stroke) had climbed out of the SUV everyone began to point and whisper. I could hope it was only because the guys were, apparently, famous. Since they had finally shown me a song or two, I couldn’t blame people for liking them.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly in an attempt to calm myself. It, sadly, failed me. Suddenly I felt an arm wrap around my shoulders causing me to jump. Brian laughed, giving my right arm a comforting pat. “Chill Kota. It’s nothing. We’re just here to sign you up.”

“I know, but so many people are looking,” I muttered right before we walked through the front doors. Why the guys all decided to come and do this before school started was beyond me. It was seven ten, forty-five minutes before the late bell rang.

“You’ll be fine, kiddo.” It was then I noticed Zacky’s eyes. He quickly turned his head back around without a word. I sighed softly. Ever since Brian and I have gotten close I’ve only seemed to succeed in pushing Zacky away. Maybe it was because of my abrupt stop in our ‘relationship’, if it could even be called that. All I know is when I do try to talk to him he walks away. It was starting to drive me insane, his child antics that is.

Suddenly the group halted long enough for Matt to open the glass door that read ‘Office’ in big, blue letters. As we entered my eyes roamed until they locked with a woman behind a desk. Her brown eyes were narrowed, just as her cheek bones and nose were naturally. She had shoulder length brown hair that was curled and was very thin. She was really pretty, that couldn't be denied, minus that hateful glare she wore.

“Aren’t you five a sight for sore eyes? I thought you all graduated years ago, why are you back?”

“It’s nice to see you too Mrs. Torelli. You haven’t aged a day,” Brian compliment, at least I would think so, as he leaned on the desk with a wide smile. Mrs. Torelli didn’t look amused in the least.

“What are you five doing here Haner?” Brian stood to his full height, a frown set on his lips. He was probably shocked his ‘charm’ hadn’t worked on the woman who must be much older than her appearance led on. Matt took this chance to step forward with his dimple adored smile.

“We’re here because I need to enroll my niece, who was recently home schooled, into the school.” Her brown eyes flicked from Matt to my face, as if seeing me for the first time. She looked me up and down with a slight frown.

“Niece you say?” Matt nodded in confirmation. “She doesn’t really look like your family much. I remember Amy, since I assume this is her child, and you both had those dimples.”

My smile that had taken over my face the moment she look at me was quick to disappear. “Truth be told, I’m adopted ma’am. Mom - er, Amy - had been nice enough to adopt me three years back.”

“I’m terribly sorry dear.” She really did seem sincere, something that kind of surprised me. Secretaries at my old school didn’t give two shits about you or your life. “But, if you don’t mind me asking, why is she with you all? I can’t picture Brian or Jimmy being very good role models.”

“Now Mrs. Torelli, I am a grown and changed man, I swear,” Jimmy vowed. Mrs. Torelli smiled at him knowingly.

“And now you’re lying to me Jimmy? For shame.” Jimmy opened his mouth to argue, but she held up a hand. “No, my daughter, who is twelve, is completely obsessed with you guys. Only because her father has a sailor’s mouth, I let her get your stuff with the parental advisory crap. I’ve seen a few videos. You’re still completely nuts Jimmy.”

“Why thank-you Mrs. Torelli. I’m glad to know I do not disappoint,” Jimmy said, a hand on his heart with a proud smile. She chuckled, shaking her head.

“I miss having you in here once in a while Jimmy.” She grinned and then her face showed she had suddenly remembered something. “Oh yes, you need to speak to Mr. Jenkins.”

“Oh man. He’s still working here?” Johnny groaned. I looked to each face that twisted up in distaste. Their old principal I presume? I’m just kind of happy Mrs. Torelli forgot about her question from earlier.

“Sadly. I don’t like him anymore than you five,” Mrs. Torelli sighed before pressing a button on her phone and holding it to her ear. She waited a moment before excitedly saying, “Sir, you have some people who need to enroll a new student.”

A moment later she hung up, waving her hand towards a door. The guys wordless left and stepped through the door just motioned at. It led to a hallway with doors on either side. Matt turned around and stared pointedly at the guys. “If we’re all going along, no one mention shit from the past. We don’t need him jumping down our throats as full grown men too.”

“Got it,” Brian, Jimmy, and Johnny chorused. Zacky was as silent as he had been since we left the house. I rolled my eyes and was forced to walk in line behind Matt and in front of Brian. We ended up standing in front of a door and Matt knocked. A faint ‘come in’ was heard on the other side. As we all filed in the man behind a big desk sighed.

“I thought I got rid of you guys years ago,” he snapped. This man was nowhere as good in shape as Mrs. Torelli had been. His face had wrinkles all over and the only thing that still looked young was his light brown hair that was only about an inch off his head. My bet was it was fake. His black eyes were narrowed in a cold glare. I shifted uncomfortably, melting into Matt’s side.

“You did, sir,” Matt replied with a smile on his face. I could tell all the guys were trying to be nice, but I knew it was also a big strain on them. “But my niece is coming out of home schooling for public.”

His eyes trailed over to me as he talked. “Niece, huh? Is she as troublesome as you all were?”

“No sir. I’m actually pretty smart too,” I remarked, speaking up for myself. He nodded ever so slightly, almost as if it were approval.

“Good. I would like it if you kept it that way. Sit Sanders, and…?”

“My name is Dakota,” I finished for him, taking one of the seats he waved to. The four others made themselves comfortable by leaning on a wall in their own places around the room.

“Well Dakota, I need your permanent record.” Matt and I looked at each other. We hadn’t really thought about that. What was a nice little lie?

“We don’t have it,” Matt said slowly. Mr. Jenkins raised an annoyed eyebrow as he leaned back in his chair.

“What do you mean 'you don’t have it'?” He snapped. “How can you come to enroll in a school without a permanent record?”

“Because my mother just sent me to him. She didn’t find it important and burned it, the only copy. She was a bit of a drunk. That’s why I was sent to live with Matt,” I interjected. Mr. Jenkins studied me for a moment before nodding and leaning back, seeming to accept this. All of us let out a soft breath I don’t think any of us noticed we were holding.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” His words seemed fake and rehearsed compared to Mrs. Torelli’s. So he was that authority figure that didn’t give a fuck that I was picturing. “Here, just fill this out as much as you can.”

He handed me a few papers with the basic information a school needed to know, having to remind myself to write Matt‘s last name instead of mine.

In the space provided I also circled classes I would enjoy which including photography, music, track, and art. I left the parent names, old schools, numbers, and addresses blank. Matt took it and scribbled in the name ‘Matthew Sanders’ on the guardian line. On the home address and contact number information he scribbled something down that I was left to assume was correct. As he handed it back to Mr. Jenkins, he frowned yet again.

“What about past schools?”

“The program my mother had didn’t give a name and she never told me, so I truly have no clue,” I ‘informed’ him.

“Alright. You will start school on Monday. That gives you Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to get your hair to an appropriate color,” Mr. Jenkins told us as Matt and I stood. He didn’t even bother to get up to show us out of his office properly. What a - wait, what?

“What do you mean?” I asked frantically.

“That red is not permitted in this school,” Mr. Jenkins replied, looking at me over the pair of reading glasses he had just placed on the bridge of his nose. I touched my hair that was tied back into a side ponytail.

“But it’s been like this for two years,” I said softly with sad eyes. He took no pity in my emotions and glared.

“Well Miss Sanders, it’s either that or go back to home schooling.” My eyes grew wide at the bitterness he directed towards me.

“Thank-you, sir,” Matt interjected, lightly pushing me out the office after the four men in front of me. I was numb as we passed back through the office, everyone wished their goodbyes to Mrs. Torelli, and left the school all together. I didn’t come out of my trance until Brian spoke up in the SUV.

“So I guess we’ll need to stop at Wal-Mart or a salon to dye Koty’s hair?”

“I don’t want to dye it. I like my red,” I whined pathetically. Johnny wrapped an arm around my shoulder since he sat next to me in the back. And since Zacky was on my other side I couldn’t expect much comfort from him.

“Sorry kiddo. Jenkins has always been an asshole to everyone,” Johnny informed as Matt pulled out of the school parking lot.

“Well with how much you guys seemed to be in the office I can’t blame him,” I remarked. Johnny waved it off as if it weren’t important. I sighed, playing with the edge of my sweatshirt. “I guess I should get a haircut while I’m at it.”

“Well let’s get it over with, okay?” I nodded to Brian in defeat. Jimmy suddenly leaned forward from the trunk, giving me a hug around the shoulders.

“It’s okay Kota! I swear it won’t be as bad as you think it will. Let’s take her to Milly’s!”

“Fine,” Matt agreed, taking a left onto the street I’ve come to know as Main Street.

Matt pulled down a few businesses before pulling into a parking lot of a place with a sign advertising “Milly’s Hair & Beauty Salon”. I climbed out with everyone, except Zacky who had decided to stay behind and sleep in the trunk. Everyone could see his sour mood and decided to not pursue him to come inside. As soon as we walked a bell dinged above our heads. A woman with deep purple hair peeked her head out from behind a doorway. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she ran out.

“Jimmy, dear!” She exclaimed, a thick Italian accent in her voice. She jumped up and hugged him tightly, wrapping her legs around his waist as he held her up around the waist. “Mio albero!”

“Did you just call him your tree?” I asked confused. Her blue eyes turned to me with amusement shining in them.

“You speak Italian?”

“My mother was a linguist,” I replied with a shrug. “I learned Italian and German when I was little.”

“I applaud you then, friend of my tree,” the girl spoke as she patted Jimmy as a signal to let her go.

“You’ve been calling me your tree all this time?” Jimmy asked, confused as all the other guys just laughed.

“I thought Zacky told you. Oh well,” the girl waved it off. “I am Milly, friend of these buttheads since high school. Jimmy is my unofficial brother. Any how, who are you Miss Rosso?”

“Not red, but Dakota.”

“Simple. I like it,” Milly told me. “Now, what can I do for you?”

“I need a hair cut and dye it black.”

“But I like the red,” Milly pouted.

“As do I, but school is being a little cagna.”

“I see,” she mused with a smile. She turned to the other men besides the one still trying to figure out why he had been called a tree. “Jenkins still there?”

“Sadly. He practically tried to kill us with his eyes,” Brian moaned dramatically. Milly smiled, patting his cheek since she was actually Johnny's height.

“You will live bambino.” I couldn't help, but chuckle with her while Brian just looked ultimately confused. She clapped her hands together excitedly. “Well, let’s do this then!”