Conflictions

Starting school is never easy; you're taken from a routine and structure that you had just gotten comfortable with after a number of years and finally understand your position on the social hierarchy, when they take you and put you on a whole new planet. Everything needs to be relearned. It's especially hard when you're in a completely different state transferring in to a private highs school halfway through your junior year.

Yet here I was, seated in the main office as I waited for my registration to be verified. I ran my hands down the navy blue pleated skirt, uncomfortable with the material. I really, really didn't want to be here. Sure, I was happy to move back to California, but I didn't sign up for uniform business. Then again, it takes a bit of the pressure off meeting new people.

Moving altogether was one transaction I was getting used to. My memories of California were something of a paradise compared to the hot and humid Texan evenings. Either the climate changed or I had a warped sense of recollection, though, because even for mid-January it was warm. Still, this was my home, and despite leaving the last five years of my life behind, I was glad to be back.

Being here still made me nervous. It wasn’t the fact that I was attending a private school; as the daughter of a neurosurgeon and a former socialite, I had attended those all my life and dealt with the itchy skirts and uniforms. What scared me was that I knew how selective and cliquey the students could be. The difference was that before, everyone was just as new as I was. I joined middle school with everyone, formed my web of friends, then did the same as a freshman in high school. Now, I was entering halfway through my junior year, and I would be seen as the outcast girl not pretty, rich, posh, athletic, or perfect enough to wedge my way through the walls that had been cemented the first week.

“Miss Jackson?”

I looked up at the older man in front of me as he interrupted my train of thought and accepted his warm smile and outstretched hand. I could tell he was a man of power around here; his expensive suit, shiny black shoes and lace tie and handkerchief.

“I’m Mr. Peterman, principal of Thomas Moore.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” I replied.

Mr. Peterman then brought me into his office, where we went over the rest of my paperwork and he handed me my schedule. “I wouldn’t worry about being too far behind,” He reassured as my eyes showed a hint of terror. “We’re only a week in, so classwork shouldn’t be too extensive. Plus, your transcripts show you to be a bright young woman,” This guy didn’t seem as bad as I imagined the principal of an academy would be. His smile was kind and his posture was welcoming. I could only hope that everyone else would be the same.

“Now, the only thing you need is your student ID card, but that can be done at any time and isn’t an urgent matter. Do you have any questions?”

“Um…” I shifted uncomfortably, “do you have a map?”

He gave a soft chuckle as he rose, “Unfortunately no, but I’m sure I can recruit a student to give you a tour. Ah, here we go. Wilfred, come here.”

My head turned as the door opened and a boy walked in. He looked at the principal first before his attention was directed to me, and he smiled. He had blonde, wispy hair and warm hazel eyes set atop a handsome face and he wore a pristine, creaseless uniform. Seriously, this guy almost looked like he had stepped of a runway.

“This is Wilfred, our student body president. Wilson, this is Kobi Jackson, she’s a new transfer student.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” He greeted as I took his hand, and I couldn’t help but broadly grin back. Something about his warmth was infectious.

“Will, I know you’re a busy young man, but you wouldn’t happen to have time to show her around, would you?”

“Of course, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Excellent,” He then again directed his attention to me, “Well, Miss Jackson, here’s everything you need, and I wish you the best of luck here.”

“Thank you,” I bowed my head respectfully before following Wilfred out the door.

“So, what year are you transferring into?” He asked as we walked out of the office.

“This is my junior year.”

“Really? Same as me then. “

“Well, it’s nice to meet a classmate.” I looked back up at him. Class president and only a junior? He must be well known among the student body. Then again, I could see why; I’d only known him five minutes and his charisma and warm smile made him likeable.

“So, where are you from?” He asked in between showing her various classrooms.

“Well I moved here from Texas, but I was actually born and raised in California.”

“Really? So then what brings you here, to this school? Not saying that you’re an outsider, but it’s a bit unheard of outside of certain circles. We don’t get very many transfer students.”

“My dad went here,” I replied, understanding his curiosity and insinuations. “back in the day. He had always hoped his children would go hear. Said he learned everything he needed here.”

“I can agree with that. People usually get the impression that we’re a bunch of snobs, thanks to the uniform, and don’t get me wrong, some of us can be, but really we’re just a bunch of teenagers.”

“Thanks for the heads up,” I replied, a bit of relief washing over me. I couldn’t deny I’d had the same fears about coming here. My dad tried to dissuade my preconceptions, but I knew how much it cost to go here. We weren’t in Los Angeles, but that didn’t mean we were out of housewife central.

“So what made you move back to California?”

“My parents got divorced a few months ago, and my dad has always wanted to move back here, so when he found a job and a house we moved back.”

“I’m sorry about your parents.” He immediately replied.

I shrugged, “It’s alright, really. I was honestly surprised it didn’t happen sooner. They’ve always had conflicting personalities about almost everything.”

“And you moved back with your dad?”

I nodded. “My mom…well she’s never really had a maternal mind, so to speak. It was always my dad who wanted to have kids, took care of me. So, when he offered to take me back and let her live her life with her new boyfriend and promises of visits, she couldn’t say no.” I could see the uncomfortable empathy play out on his face and I attempted to relieve the attention by laughing, “Seriously, it’s not a big deal. I think I’d be happier here than there anyway.”

“Well, I can honestly say that we’re happy to have you here as well.”

After that, I focused more on the tour, trying to remember every classroom, hallway, building, and name he threw my way. It was a lot; for a private school with a smaller enrollment size, the campus was huge. There were four buildings, all surrounding a vast courtyard lined with benches and tables and filled with students gathering before the beginning of class. And of course, as we walked through, I could feel the looks in our direction grow. Here I was, some girl no one had ever seen before, walking around with a guy well enough known to be elected student class president. I knew I’d get attention as the new kid on the block, but even this more than I could have predicted.

“Alright,” Wilfred announced as he led me to my assigned locker. “I think that’s about it.”

“Thank you, really. I’m sorry to have taken up your time.”

He smiled, “Hey, that’s what my job is. Now, what class do you have first? I can at least direct you in the right direction before we part ways.”

“Um…” I rustled through the handful of papers the principal had given me before finding my schedule. “Looks like calculus with Meader.”

He gave a soft laugh that seemed to dance in his eyes, “Turns out that’s my first class as well.”

I jokingly narrowed my eyes, “You seem far too excited for an 8am calculus class.”

“It’s not that bad.” He then waved his arm, “Come on, I’ll have to stop at my locker down the hall and then I can take you there.”

“Oh, no, you don’t have to.” I had already taken up the entirety of his morning; I really didn’t want to come off as an imposition.

“Really, I insist,” he then reached his hand forward, “Come on, I’m just down the hallway.”

I nodded my head, unsure of really what to say. He really was kind. As we made our way to his locker he prepped me on what they had been learning in class and assuring me again that it shouldn’t take me long to get caught up.

“Will, did you ever figure out the answer to that problem?”

I looked over to find a girl standing on Wilfred’s other side. She had brown curly hair that was pulled back, and her uniform was as pristine as Will’s.

“I think so,” He replied. “We’re on our way to the classroom now; I’ll show you once we get there.”

“We?” She then looked over and noticed me for the first time. “Oh, hi.”

“This is Kobi. She just transferred in today. I was showing her around when I found out she’s got class for us, so I thought I’d lead the way.”

“Well it’s nice to meet you,” She stuck out her hand, “I’m Melanie,”

“Melanie’s on student council with me as a class representative,” He replied, “But I know next year she’ll make a great secretary,”

She blushed fiercely under the compliment, “The votes haven’t been counted yet.”

Will just smiled at her before turning to me, “We should go.”

Once we reached the classroom and I introduced myself to the teacher, he directed me to a seat that was conveniently next to Melanie. She asked me the usual questions; where I was from, what Texas was like, how I liked it here so far. I occasionally looked up to find Will observing, and every time he would greet me with a smile.

Before I knew it, my first class at Thomas Moore had come and gone. As the bell rang, Will rose to meet me and asked where I was headed next before giving me directions. I thanked him, and he just replied with another smile. “If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to find me,” He replied before parting ways.

My next class was home economics, and I decided to forgo visiting my locker and followed Will’s directions straight from the classroom. It was such a weird experience to be walking on my own, completely unnoticed by the students that passed. For a moment I almost wished that Will could have taken me there, but I immediately shook the thought away. I was a big girl, and I could do this on my own. I had already succeeded in making one friend, and it wasn’t even noon; the rest of the day couldn’t get much worse.

Once I finally reached the classroom, I introduced myself to the teacher, a younger woman who appeared to be an aficionado for eye shadow. She handed me my needed materials and was about to point out a seat before we were interrupted.

“I’ll help her, Mrs. Baker.”

“I looked behind to find myself met with another student. “I’m Rachel,” She introduced herself. Her black hair hung over her right shoulder as it contrasted with the bright pink strap of her backpack and her green eyes seemed to glimmer with delight. “Will was showing you around earlier, right?” I nodded warily. If she had noticed, had everyone else? “Melanie told me you were here so I thought I’d offer a warm welcome!” She continued cheerily.

“It’s nice to meet you, and thanks,” I replied.

“Oh, of course. I love meeting new people.” She replied, her bubbly personality bursting through every word. “It’s so interesting to see how people are different and yet similar. Plus I can’t even imagine how awful it must be, coming to a new place without knowing anyone.”

“It hasn’t been bad so far.”

“I’m glad.” She replied, “Now come on, let’s get you in sync with the rest of us.”

As the class went on, I found myself liking Rachel more and more. She was helpful without being pushy or impatient and was not only willing to listen to me talk but wasn’t afraid to talk as well. I had started to get comfortable enough to feel like I had known her longer than 20 minutes when I realized that she was just like my best friend back in Texas. Still, I was floored with how lucky I was to run into first Will and Melanie and now her, and my opinion about how my day would go slowly began to change.

Too soon the bell rang though, and when I told Rachel what class I had next, she frowned. “I have pre-calc,” She replied. “But you’re room is on my way, I can take you there if you’d like.”

“That would be great,” I replied, and we left together.

Thanks to Rachel’s instructions I reached my English class before everyone else, and the teacher kept me up front for an introduction as the rest of the desks filled up. This time, there wasn’t a warm greeting to help me or an outstretched hand of welcoming. I sat at my desk and quietly paid attention to was happening at the front of the room, and for the first time that day, I walked out of the room alone and completely unsure of where I needed to go.

I hastily looked at my schedule, trying to remember the places Will had pointed out as he took me around earlier. I walked forward, trying to find the door to the other building but ended up standing in the middle of the courtyard, staring at the three buildings surrounding me. After turning a few times I lost my ground and forgot what building I had emerged from. I had no idea which way to go, and panic had started to settle in.

“Excuse me!” I ran up to the only figure I could see in my general area, a guy seated on the top of one of the benches. As I called out he looked up before looking back down, feigning disinterest.

“Excuse me,” I asked again, “Could you direct me to… Building C, room 224? I’m new and late and really, really lost.” I took in his appearance for the first time; Sleeves rolled up in an ununiformed style, shirt untucked, tie hanging loosely around his neck, long black hair that stopped just above his shoulders and slightly hung in his face, and dark blue eyes with light speck of green around the pupils. He was handsome, but the bad boy attitude was radiating off of him.

He raised an eyebrow as he finally glanced up to look at me, slightly bemused. “So what?”

Apparently the attitude wasn’t just supported by looks. I mirrored his expression as I replied, “Are you always this nice?”

He studied me for a few seconds before displaying a small smirk of approval, “Yeah, especially to new girls. I’m Castiel.”

“Castiel?” I repeated before placing a hand over my mouth to hide the giggle that had escaped. He made no expression, in fear for my life I continued, “I’m sorry, it’s not funny it’s just…the celestial name doesn’t really fit with the image.” It seemed to be an acceptable explanation, because the smirk returned. “I’m Kobi.”

“Colby?” He replied, amusement covering every inch of his face. “Like the cheese?”

“Yeah, my parents are huge fans of pasteurized dairy.” I could tell he didn’t get my sarcasm when he was on the verge of laughter, and I rolled my eyes, “No, of course not. Kobi, K-o-b-I, like the basketball player.”

He continued to give me a genuine smile, “I like cheese better.”

I was about to respond when I heard the sound of the bell ringing in the distance. “oh my god, I’m late,” I announced as I ran a hand through my hair on the verge of a freak out.”

“Chill out,” I turned to watch as he hopped off the bench and shoved his hands in his pockets. “It’s your first day; you practically get a free pass for everything.” He then turned around and began walking as I stood, gaping dumbfoundedly. Is this guy seriously going to leave me here?

He turned back to watch me as he continued walking, “Are you coming or not?”

“Are you serious?”

“You can either find out or stand here alone.” He then continued, forcing me to follow after him.

I walked two steps behind him, trying to analyze not only where I was going but who exactly I was entrusting my attendance with. His hands were buried in his pockets where a loose earbud was dangling and his black messenger bag appeared empty as it hung effortlessly from his shoulder. One minute he was giving me this antisocial attitude, the next a smile, and then the next a cocky brush off. He didn’t seem like a terrible person, although I had just met him and was far from making definite judgments. Still, I was intrigued, and I had to admit that for a moment there, he had made me act like myself and not the impressionable new girl. And despite his methods, he was still taking me to my class, right?

“So what brings you here?”

I was drawn out of my thoughts and forced to walk side by side as he addressed me, “What do you mean?”

“I mean what made you come here?” He threw his hands up to address the entire campus. “You don’t look like a freshman, and Thomas Moore isn’t exactly on the district roster for new residents looking for an education.”

“Well I’m not entirely a new resident, as you so put it. I was born and raised here. And my dad went to school here, so I’m following a tradition I guess.” Intrigued or not, I didn’t feel as light-tongued about my past and circumstances as I did with Wilfred.

He gave another chortle. “Aren’t we all?” He then held open the hallway door before pointing to the left, “Our classroom’s this way.”

“Our?” Did I have a class with this guy?

“Yeah,” He replied, but before I could hear or question anything else, he opened a door and stepped in.

“Mr. Sutherland, you’re late.”

“Sorry, Senor, I was bringing the new kid.” He pointed his thumb back at me before strutting over and plopping down in his seat without a second glance. I nearly rolled my eyes before realizing that there were twenty-something sets of eyes, each with a different expression, focused on me. This was a completely different atmosphere than when I walked in by myself or with Will.

“You must be Kobi,” I looked at the teacher, Senor Wilcoxon, who was now giving me a welcoming smile. “Everyone, this is Kobi, a new transfer student,” He then addressed the class.

“Hola, Kobi,” the class drawled in unison per teacher’s orders, and I suddenly wished I was still lost. This really brought the new kid attention to a whole new level.

“Go ahead and fill in an empty seat, we’re just doing roll call.”

I started a quick scan around the room, but my search didn’t have to go far before I found Rachel giving me a beaming smile and a beckon over to the vacant desk to her left. Well, at least I know somebody in this class.

“Well I’d nearly call this fate,” She replied as I sat down. “If only I would have known, I could have led you in the right direction.”

“That’s alright. I got here, that’s all that matters.”

She then looked like she was going to say something before the teacher began speaking, forcing both of us to look forward. As I turned my head, though, my eyes met with Castiel’s, who appeared to be watching me was a glimmer of a grin. He immediately looked away, and I did the same as I tried to focus on the lesson.

“So do you have lunch next?” She asked after our 45 minutes were up and the bell had rung.

“Yeah, I think so,” I replied, trying to remember what my schedule looked like. You think with how many times I had looked at it that day it would be imprinted in my foresight.

“Alright, you’re coming with me then,” She replied as she literally wrapped her arm around mine and pulled me forward.

As we made our way through the hallways and into the lunch room, Rachel made it a point to continue talking about various things; how the Spanish teacher was really nice but it was in your best interest not to piss him off, how she survived her first year at Thomas Moore, or how her mom was a well-known interior decorator and she inherited a keen insight into feng shui. I listened quietly, relived that I was finally able talk about someone other than myself. Rachel seemed like a friendly person, and I didn’t mind following her.

Finally we walked into the outside courtyard food in hand and approached a table already surrounded by a group of people. “Everyone,” Rachel announced as she pulled up another chair, “This is Kobi. She’s new and she seems pretty cool so she’ll be joining us.” “She then turned to give me a smile before addressing the table’s occupants. “This is Alex, Austin, Carly, Jordan, and Melanie.”

I was met with a smile from each of them as their names were called. Alex and Austin looked exactly the same except for the fact that Austin’s dark brown hair was longer and Alex was slouched lower in his seat with his tie nearly undone. Carly had sleek strawberry blonde hair, wide blue eyes, and wrists covered with a rainbow of bangles. Finally, Jordan appeared to hide behind a pair of glasses as looked up to acknowledge me before peering back down at his book.

“We’ve meet before,” Melanie replied as I took a seat next to her. “We have calculus together.”

“I think you’re in my English class,” Alex said as he peered over at her. “Sorry I missed your intro, I was busy.”

“You were not busy,” Austin replied, “You were harassing me for my notes.”

“Exactly. Busy.” He chided the other before turning to me. “We’re brothers, it’s allowed.”

“I couldn’t tell,” I replied sarcastically.

“Really?” He then pulled his brother close. “You can’t see the resemblance?” Everyone laughed, including the seemingly annoyed Austin, before Alex continued, “Well it’s great to have you here. We’ve been itching for some good old-fashion newbie hazing.”

“He’s joking,” Carly replied as she picked a grape off her plate and threw it at him. “We’re really not that mean. Well, not all of us.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

Rachel laughed, “I take it you haven’t met Addison yet?” I shook my head, and she scanned the courtyard before pointing to a table, where a blonde girl was seated above everyone else, hair thrown back as she laughed at something said. “She thinks she owns the school, and she’s not below torturing anyone.”

“She’s terrifying,” Jordan replied as he took a moment to look up from his reading.

“I wouldn’t worry, though,” Rachel replied, “No offense, but she probably hasn’t even noticed you’re here with how self-centered she is.”

I nodded, not sure of what to say. So maybe this school wasn’t entirely devoid of their cliques. Then again, no school ever is. I was just glad I had found a group of people I could side with.

“So where are you from, Kobi?” Austin asked.

“Well I grew up here, but I just moved back from Texas.”

“Seriously?” Carly suddenly perked up. “Oh I just love cowboys. I think they’re gorgeous.”

“Me too,” Alex replied, and I nearly choked on my food, causing him to laugh, “Yes, I have the tastes of a woman. Sadly, the only man in my life is forced to love me by blood.”

“Oh stuff it,” Austin replied, but I watched a smile escape. I should have known; from the moment I met him, Alex reminded me of my friend Dan from Texas. In fact, they all had the personalities of those that I had left behind when I moved. I laughed at my luck, amazed that I had instantly found a group that I could connect with. Maybe this won’t be as bad as I thought it would be.

After a bit more idle conversation, the bell finally rang, causing everyone to groan aloud.

“I hate that sound,” Austin groaned as garbage began being collected.

“Kobi, what class do you have next?”

I suddenly looked up, surprised by the sound of my name. “Um…Chemistry.”

Melanie smiled. “So do Jordan and I. Come on, I’ll show you the way.”

“Great, thanks,” I replied. The generosity and hospitality here really was more than I could have imagined, and I followed the two of them and joined in with their words, I couldn’t help but notice that it was nice to not be alone.