Stoney Camp

“You could have been a little more subtle and I would've understood”

Ahead I saw Andrea waiting for me to catch up with her as she stood in front of a large door which lead who knows where. Probably to my grave. I approached her, but she didn't say a word. Is she angry with me? I actually don't care if she is, along as I make it out of this encounter alive.

She pushed the door open and beckoned me to step through. Well here goes. I walked though and I had entered a large courtyard, boxed in by the school building.

“ Welcome to the courtyard. This is where most of the school folk hang during lunch breaks.” Said Andrea as she followed in behind me.

There were only a few students for the moment in the courtyard, some were passing through, while others were sitting at the white stone tables scattered around the place. In the centre of the courtyard stood a very tall and very old Jacaranda tree. Everything seemed so peaceful, I could find myself spending a lot of time out here. Before however I could take another step forward an ear splitting siren began blaring forcing me to take a step backwards. I am actually freaking out. What is this noise?

As I planted my foot back I found myself falling over again. I reached out for what ever I could to stop me from falling. Yet again. That whatever happened to be...yeah you guessed it. Andrea.

Could this day get any worse? I wondered as I lay still on the pavement.

The alarm stopped and I could hear students emerging from the building. Great. Can a branch from the tree just fall off and end my life now. It would be greatly appreciated.

“ What on earth are you doing you foolish person!” Squealed Andrea as she lifted her head up off my body.

Freaking hell she weighed a bit. Though I should keep that one to myself for now.

“I...I Just, tripped.” I replied lifting my head up off the ground. “What was that?”

“ The school bell!”

Her reply made me feel like an idiot. Like I should've known it was. Well sorry that my old school bell didn't sound like we were all about to be nuked.

The pair of us began to get each other off the ground, when I heard a boy scream out “LESBIANS!”

I'm not sure whats worse, being known as a lesbian or clumsy. I'm going to make a lot of great friends here. I can just tell. And yes I am being sarcastic. Ugh I'm doomed. I have a feeling they are going to put me in special ed for being gender uncoordinated or something along those lines. That or counselling.

The boy's call attracted a lot of onlookers which quickly began pointing and laughing at us. I saw phones and flashes. I've always wanted to be famous. Although somebody wasn't liking all this attention. I could see the pure rage in her face as she was hiding it away from the crowd. She's going to kill me.

“ Get off me WHORE!” She screamed as she pushed me back down onto the ground hard. She quickly rose to her feet and began chasing away the crowd. They all sort of quivered with fear and scattered like field mice. I've never seen anything like it before in my life.

She turned around to face me, but had to look down as I was still on the ground. I learnt my lesson from today, I'm never getting up again. I had to hide a smile as I saw she had some dead leaves in her hair. If I know my plastics they don't like dead things in their hair. Neither do I actually.

“ I'll meet you back here at first break, ok?” Said growled at me quite harshly.

Um no get lost. “ OK” I whimpered out. Again it must be that fear thing.

“ Now I have to go to the lavatory and brush my hair.” Andrea whimpered as she felt the mess on top of her head. She then stormed off pushing people out of her way.

“ Bye.” I called out.

But really I felt a huge wave a relief. I was free from her peculiar high intensity personality. Also I didn't die. Definitely and added bonus. I began to push myself up off the ground yet again until I noticed a pair of legs right in front of me. Naturally I looked up and I quickly had to bite my lips shut so I didn't say anything embarrassing or drooled because those legs belonged to a very good looking boy. I'm not even kidding.

“ Need a hand?” He asked as he placed out his hand to me.

His voice sounded so masculine, it made me feel so warm and safe. I looked up at him again as I reached my hand out to his and he grabbed me and pulled me safely up onto my feet.

I'm being rescued by prince charming. I thought as I looked deeply into his brown eyes.

I now sort of understand how Ariel must of felt when she laid eyes on prince Eric for the first time. If I was a mermaid I would totally want to be human to so I could meet him. Heck even if it meant having periods. Isn't that a nice thing to say to a guy? I would have periods for you. I'll restrain myself from saying that however. I feel as though it might scare him away.

“ Thank you.” I replied to him trying to sound normal.

I could feel my face heating up. However I think it's more from being embarrassed then actually finding him absolutely charming. He could've witnessed me being a clumsy lesbian with the most popular girl in school. Maybe he's about to make fun of me. I saw him point over to the other side of the courtyard and we both began moving there in silence.

Alright one of us has to speak soon. He's the guy he should do it first.

“ By the way my name is Will. Well William. But my friends call me Will.” He said finally breaking the silence.

Good boy and there was that soothing voice again. Oh and I suppose I should say something back. If my voice is up to the challenge. Deep breaths Summer.

“ Well, Will. I'm Summer.”

That was all I could manage before squeaking happened. I could feel a girly grin spreading across my face.

“ Awesome name and you're new here aren't you?” He replied sounding genuine.

“ Yeah, good pick up.” I replied trying to act all cool, when in fact I am on the verge of a complete feelings meltdown.

He replied with a smile, I could tell by that response he was not good with small talk. It's ok now though, he doesn't have to talk anymore. I could walk beside him in silence forever getting lost in those gorgeous eyes of his.

“ So I saw you and Andrea...hanging out together?”

….What? Oh no! Here it comes. I felt the ground below me disappear for a fraction of a second but I maintained my balance. I wasn't going to make it easy for him to make fun of me.

“ Not that it's in my place to say and all but you should like stay clear from her, she's a bit of a manipulating hoe.” He continued.

Wait, you are suppose to be charming. You can't say stuff like that! But it was like music to my ears.

“ Wow!” I replied shocked. “You could have been a little more subtle and I would've understood. Like what is her deal?” Perhaps he could give me a little insight to her madness.

“ Oh I was being subtle.” He replied with a small chuckle that had me wobbling at the knees. He has the cutest dimples either side of his perfect smile. “She's the queen bee of our grade.”

And? I felt like saying, I already knew that part.

“ What! Her?” I replied pretending to be shocked. Well actually it still was shocking. “She's a little...”

“Demented!”

Ok Will stop it now, you are finishing my sentences. It's like we are on a date which he doesn't know about.

No Summer stop, control yourself you have just met the guy.

“ Yeah.” I replied totally agreeing with him.

“Is that why you were both like... on the ground?”

Hey! Did he just call me demented too?

The boy looks charming, but I'm beginning to think there's not much of that charm inside of him if he is going to say stuff like that.

“ What because we are both demented?” I asked, testing him to see where he would take this now.

It's his own fault really. I can stand up for myself just you watch.

“ No I-i didn't mean you...” He replied which made my heart sing again and all the warmness came rushing back.

“ Nah, that was actually my bad.” I quickly said and that's all I was going to say.

He didn't have to know I was clumsy. He might throw me back into the water.

“ So why did she storm off for then?” He asked and I was surprised he understood my hint.

“ She had to brush her hair. Typical female stuff. I do it sometimes myself.”

“ I wouldn't have guessed.” He replied with another chuckle.

This boy had a good sense of humour as well.

“ Where are we going?” I asked as I noticed I had just been following beside him.

We now were making our way underneath an archway underneath the school building.

“ To the gymnasium for the welcome back meet your new form class assembly thingy.” He said pointing to the large building just down the path. Beyond the building was the sporting ovals which backed onto the primary school. “ Well I'll see you around I guess.” He said to me much to my distress as he ran off into the crowd leaving me to fend for myself.

I hate him I decided. My natural instinct was to follow what everybody else was doing. So I placed my bag on the rack just outside the gym. Then I followed the crowd of students making their way through the door. Well, when I say followed I mean more like I got sucked into the vicious crowd trying to squeeze themselves through the narrow door way. I pushed my way through the crowd trying to get to the door when I heard the school bell trigger again. To my and I suppose all of the other students horror, the doors to the gymnasium began to shut close. Panic erupted and kids began running in, knocking others over just trying to get in.

I am not going to be late! I maybe clumsy but I'm not tardy. Not today! So I pushed and shoved my way finally making it through the door and on the ground yet again. I should really just crawl everywhere from now on. The floor is definitely my thing today. I looked back at the students on the other side of the door and they wore quizzical expressions upon their faces. Obviously this had never happened before. Just my luck! The fool in me got back up onto my feet before anyone noticed I was on the floor.

“ What grade are you in girl!” I heard a female teacher yell at me.

“ Year ten....I think?” I replied, I wasn't sure if grades change when you move towns. I know if I changed states I would have missed a grade..or repeated one. Or something.

“ Good, sit down right here!” She pointed at a spot on the floor not to far away from where I stood. “ Come on now we don't have all day.” She squawked at me, giving me a forceful push in the direction of my spot.

I sat down. The first time today I made it on the floor voluntarily. Perhaps things are looking up now. I turned my head to the right of me to see who I was sitting next to. Maybe I could even make a friend. I looked and ewwwwwww! A fat guy. Like this time I mean it. He is HUGE! As I looked briefly he quickly looked away.

Was he looking at me the whole time? I felt a shiver go through my spine. Goosebumps appeared on my skin and then I smelt it. GROSS!

Dude deodorant. Buy some. I felt like saying to him. I hope this assembly goes by fast. I looked to the front of the large gymnasium. A man in a brown suit approached the podium. I guess he could be the principle of school. He looked scary and spiffy enough to be.

“Good morning staff and students, before I welcome you all back I want to make an announcement of the new system we had installed during the holidays. The school bell now triggers the doors to automatically close, so those students who don’t make it in time are locked outside for five minutes. When the doors unlock themselves they are allowed in and are to be kept back at lunch time and do double time. So now hopefully this system will encourage you students not to be late for class. However since you all have had no idea of this system until now the students outside won’t incur any detentions.”

I looked back over to the door and all the students outside and I wondered where Andrea was. I couldn't imagine her being late to anything.