All Monsters

Effy woke up reluctantly, eying the traitorous alarm clock that jolted her from blissful, dreamless sleep. She sat up tiredly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes before heaving a sigh.

“Fucking hell.” Effy ran her fingers through her messy hair, dropping her head low in defeat. Today would be her first day at Westfield High and she was uncharacteristically nervous. When Panda called her the night before, she assured her that American teenagers aren't horrible people. But then again, Pandora got into freaking Harvard University, whereas Effy failed her A-levels. She had no idea how or where she'd end up after this year ended, but she desperately hoped it was back home.

Effy got up to the sound of Anthea shouting, “Have a great day, darling!” and then slamming the door behind her.

“You too mum...” she mumbled, rummaging through her closet. After half and hour of sifting through her clothes, Effy decided on a short, tattered, black sweater dress, knee high black socks, and black combat boots. She threw on a few rings which complimented her matte, blood red nails, and put on black eyeliner.

“Good enough,” Effy shrugged, before walking towards the school her mother had driven past many times on the way back from the grocery store. It was only a twenty minute walk, and the weather had begun cooling down a bit, so she didn't mind it. I've walked longer, she recalled, thinking on the day of Panda's pajama party over a year ago. Effy shook off the thought before she got any more upset. As she approached the building, she realized she hadn't brought anything with her – no bag or pencils or paper. Oh, whatever. Not like I cared about that before.

Effy braced herself, wondering what exactly American kids were like. Despite being extremely nervous, she defaulted back to her cold, bored exterior. She sauntered through the halls, taking note of the curious stares of the students. They dressed pretty similar to kids from back home, and that was something she appreciated. If she closed her eyes she could almost imagine herself back at Roundview. Not like it was the greatest school in the world, but it was hers. Get fucking over it. She rolled her eyes, annoyed at herself. WEAK.

Once she reached the office, the secretary greeted her, telling her to take a seat until she could meet with her guidance counselor. The secretary's name was Darla; a cheerful, and very old woman that had red, curly hair. Effy took an instant liking to her, smiling at her as she waited. After a few minutes of idly playing with her phone, a door opened on the far left end of the office.

“I'm disappointed that we need to have these conversations every year. You're graduating this year, Jackson. You need to clean up your act. You do understand that if you mess this year up, college may not be an option for you.” A tall, lanky woman in a bright blue pantsuit walked out first, talking over her shoulder to a boy that piqued Effy's interest. He was insanely attractive and obviously trouble. He had short, stylish, brown hair – in that old 50's movie star kind of way. He smirked at the back of the woman's head, thoroughly enjoying himself.

“But then we wouldn't get to have this alone time, Mrs. Lyle.” The woman turned sharply on her heel, startling him.

“Cut the shit, Jackson. I'm serious. I know you're a good kid. You're smart, resourceful...Stop fucking it up for yourself.” Effy's brows rose, watching the two eagerly. “Now get out of here, punk.” Mrs. Lyle smiled, shaking her head. She turned her gaze over at Effy.

“Ah! Are you Elizabeth?” Effy nodded, standing up. Jackson took notice of her, openly checking her out and grinning. He walked past her making eye contact. He was pleasantly surprised to find that she held his gaze, smirking right back at him. Jackson turned around to watch her walk away, but Mrs. Lyle cut him off.

“None of that. Get out of here.” He held his hands up in defense, before backing up out of the office.
Once Effy got situated, Mrs. Lyle pulled up her file and printed out her schedule; briefly explaining how to navigate the school with a hand held map.

“Now we'll give you a week to get your schedule down. I've already informed your teachers that you're an international transfer student, so they'll allow you that time period to be tardy. Just don't abuse that, obviously. This is your locker number and combination. It's on the first floor just by the front entrance and the girl's bathroom, so that should be convenient for you. If you happen to get lost, don't be afraid to ask any staff member or student, even. That's pretty much all I have for you today. If you want to talk about anything else, just drop on by after class, okay?” She smiled sincerely. “Have a wonderful first day, Elizabeth.”

“Thank you, madam.” Effy got up and shook her hand, noting how firmly she held her hand. Once she exited the office, she was met by a grinning face, leaning on the lockers by the door. Effy continued walking, smirking to herself as he jogged to catch up. His steps were much larger than Effy's, making her take in his height. He was a few inches taller than Tate, almost a foot taller than her. Freddie's face flashed through her mind briefly, but she ignored it, desperately attempting to be present.

“You're name's Elizabeth right?” Jackson questioned, his voice deep and smooth. She felt her stomach doing flips as he spoke. She nodded. “My name's Jackson.” Effy turned her head to answer him.
“I know.” Jackson's smile widened. She waited for him to ask, “You're British?” But he didn't. He just nodded in appreciation and replied, “Cool.” They walked in silence for the longest thirty seconds they've ever experienced. They waited patiently, expectantly, for the other to talk, to say something. Jackson was never one for awkward silences, so he quickly snatched the schedule Effy was holding out of her hands and walked backwards, facing her.

“Wilkenson, huh? Guy's brutal with the workload. Prepare yourself for a lot of sleepless nights.” Effy chuckled softly.

“Already have those...”she mumbled. Jackson grinned at her, brows raised and curious.

“You do, do you?” Good going, idiot. Effy chastised herself silently while he continued to ramble on about the teachers on her schedule, noting peculiarly meticulous observations of them. He paid attention even though he goofed off constantly. Like Freddie and Cook in one person.

“...And Scipher? Hah!” Jackson chortled. “Guess we'll be seeing each other than you hoped we would.” He watched her and waited for a scoff, a look of disbelief or something. “What? You're not even gonna ask me how I managed to get myself into AP Lit?” Effy stopped, gently taking her schedule back and noticing that Jackson had led her to her first class.

“No. I don't believe it's wise to judge someone's intelligence by their appearance. Do you?” She smiled genuinely before opening the door to her homeroom and disappearing from view. Jackson contained his smile, licking his lips and staring at the space she took moments before.

“That girl will be the death of me.”