Andrea and Damyn, Anya [popular novels txt] 📗

As I looked around the main grounds of my new school, I couldn’t help but think
This

is my new school? You’re kidding me, right?

StoneCrest School teaches all grades, Kindergarten through twelfth. The campus was huge with four rooms for each class; each classroom labeled either A, B, C or D and each building has three floors for four graduating classes on each. The PE building was to the south of where I stand, the administration and such to my west, the cafeteria to the east and the learning buildings were dead north. The pavilion, complete with a massive stage for lunchtime activities, was mostly grass with two downhill grates. It looked like they didn’t lead to anything, so I dismissed them from my mind.

“ID please.” The guard beside me ordered. I showed him my ID card, the one claiming I am a Junior. He looked at it for a minute, and then rummaged in his box. A moment later, he pulled out a packet of paper and handed the packet to me.
”You’re schedule, school rules, school day planner, school map and the schedule and requirements of all pep rallies. Go Wolves!” He said with no emotion.
I walked past him and entered StoneCrest for the first time. Nervous, I walked to an empty stone bench, pulled off my backpack and tried to locate my first class on the map as well as write out my classes in my agenda.
A few minutes before the bell was supposed to ring, I turned my cell phone off and prepared to pack up my backpack.
“You’re new.”
I turned around and came face-to-face with a boy. He looked about my age, maybe a Senior. His pale skin was blemish free, except for a scar on his right cheek. His hair, jet black, was shining in the sunlight and looked like it needed to see a comb’s tooth. He was wearing a black T-shirt and grey skinny jeans, two garments that accentuated his build, muscles, legs and arms. His face was triangular, all childish fat removed. This gave his face a quality that made many girls go nuts and squealish over. But the feature that made me lose my breath was his eyes. They were a deep gold with a fiery attitude. Around the edges, they were black, but as they traveled toward the pupil, they gently transitioned from black to fool’s gold brown.
When he addressed me again, I shook my head and blinked. That was when I realized I had been staring.
“I’m sorry? Could you repeat?” I said, blushing and avoiding those hypnotic eyes.
“I said ‘You are new.’” It was not a question, but a statement of fact.
“Yes, I am. My name is Andrea Peters, class of twenty ninety. May I help you?”
“Hello, Andrea. I’m Damyn, same class.”
“Nice to meet you, Damyn.”
“I’m here to escort you to and from each class for the remainder of the week, as well as give you tours of the campus. What classroom?”
“Classroom…” I looked at my schedule “11D.”
“Follow me.” He said before turning around and walking away. I grabbed my stuff and hurried to catch up.
“So…” I start to say, but Damyn just cuts me off by stopping dead, twisting around, looking me in the eyes and pointing a finger in my face. I stop and back up to avoid hitting him. “Just because we have every class together doesn’t mean we’re gonna be best friends. Personally, I much prefer being alone with no one to talk to as opposed to being forced to endure your girly, self-centered, ‘it’s all about me’ attitude. So why don’t you save us both some trouble and don’t talk to me at all.”
He turned around again and stalked off, leaving me, shocked, trying to figure out what the hell just happened before running to catch up.
We were silent as Damyn led me down the top floor of the third building and pointed out each appliance in the hallway. A pair of restrooms, two water fountains, sixteen classrooms, multiple shelves for students’ work and some windows looking out over the valley.
Damyn held the door for our classroom open for me. Realizing this, I turned around and landmarked where it lay before stepping inside to greet my new teacher.
“Good morning. Who might you be?” Called the teacher, whom looked to be in his late fifties.
“Andrea Peters. I’m new this year, sir.”
“Welcome, Andrea. I’m Mr. Jasper.” He stood up from his chair and walked to me to shake my hand. “I’m sure you’re going to like it at StoneCrest. We have a very good education program and extracurricular activities.”
“Yes, I saw it on the school district's website. In fact, I was wondering how I might find out about community service opportunities.”
“I will hand out a pamphlet every month. That pamphlet lists all services and suggestions for that month.”
“Oh, good.”
Mr. Jasper’s gaze went from me to Damyn, who stood at the wall behind me. Mr. Jasper’s eyes changed…texture and his voice grew guarded. “Oh. Hello, Damyn.”
“Hello, Mr. Jasper.” Damyn replied.
“You two know each other?”
“Quite. He’s been in my class for the last two years now, last year as my Expository English student and again this year.”
“Oh. Well, I think that’s exciting. Having the same teacher two or more years in a row can make things easier when you know how that teacher does things.” i piped in, trying to keep the atmosphere at least somewhat positive.
“Yes, I suppose you‘re right. You know, most people would have groaned at having the same teacher over and over again. You have a bright outlook on life, don’t you, Ms. Peters?”
“Well, I try. Why should we go through life focusing on the negatives and never the positives?”
“A good question, indeed. My wife just seems absolutely intent on seeing nothing but

the negative. She sees everybody’s flaws and focuses on the flaws alone. She even criticizes our kids!”
“Wow. I feel sorry for her. To never know the subtle joys of life…” I sympathized, tsking.
“Tell me about it. Oh, the bell’s about to ring. You’d better get against the wall. The rooms tend to fill up real quick once the bell has rung.”
I nodded, knowing that with an overcrowded school like StoneCrest, it would. I picked a spot by the whiteboard and gripped onto the railing when the flood started.
It was pandemonium pretty damn fast. I found myself without room to breathe within two minutes! Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Damyn in the corner, not a single soul near him, standing perfectly calm and inattentive. I made my way towards him for a breath of air and to get away from the deafening noise of three females squealing over some guy.
When I got to him, the relief was so great that I actually lost my footing and had to grapple for his arm to regain my balance. However, as soon as my hand touched his arm, he jerked away and left me to scramble to regain my footing.
“Don’t touch me.” He growled, his voice low and deadly in my ear.
“I lost my balance. You were the closest thing.” I explained, automatically going on the defensive.
“Please! Do you expect me to believe that?”
“It’s the truth!”
Then, Mr. Jasper blew his whistle. Immediately, every soul was dead silent. It went from an unorganized triple choir concert to a cemetery so fast that it left me reeling to adjust.
“Most of you have been here long enough to know who I am. Therefore, I’m going to skip the whole ‘I’m going to talk about myself’ rant you are treated to every year by every teacher. Instead, I’m going to hand out a packet with everything you’ll need for the semester. Do not lose this because I do not have spares. I’m also going to assign your seats for the next few weeks.” Then, he started calling off names. One by one, the crowd dissipated to their designated seats. I was among those in the middle. I was placed in the last row, second to last on Mr. Jasper’s left hand side, directly in front of the window that overlooked a giant cloud of smog. Incidentally, Damyn was placed on my right hand side.
After each student was seated, Mr. Jasper handed out this semester’s paperwork. Before he could get to me, I had my English folder out and ready to accept the papers. I also pulled out a pencil, sharpener and eraser. People started snickering and pointing but I paid them no mind, although I did start to feel a little self-conscious.
The whole two hours were mostly just passing out paperwork, signing agreement contracts and setting up the rules and requirements of the class.
Before long, the bell was ringing to let one third of the school out to break. The other two thirds continue on to second period.
“Where do I go next?” I asked Damyn, putting my stuff away in its designated compartments.
“You and I go to First Break. Then, we go to second period.”
“Okay. Can you show me around?”
“That’s my job, remember? Keep up.” He stated, shouldering his pack and joining the line bound for the door. Quickly, I finished packing and joined him, cutting in front of a few people to claim the space behind Damyn. It was the only way to lessen the chances of us getting separated. If this school is has as big a population as the brochure bragged, then staying near Damyn was going to be a real chore.
“Umm, Damyn. I know that you don’t like being touched, but may I hold on to your elbow? Its only to make sure we aren’t separated. I could still get very lost.” I asked, using my sweetest tone. I threw in the whys because I knew he would object if I didn’t give a valid reason.
Surprised by my audacity, he turned his head to look at me out of one eye, then nodded. Tentatively, I gripped his jacket’s elbow in a pinch. It was too small to leave wrinkles, but it wasn’t strong enough to make me look like I was throwing myself all over him and trying to find a good excuse.
It worked! We made it outside, after fighting a huge crowd and nearly getting separated with every step. As soon as we were on the grass, I let go of Damyn’s jacket, giving him the space of his personal bubble.
“No more grabbing onto me. From now on, until your tutorial week is up, we will meet here before school, break, lunch and after school. Once Monday of next week comes, no more meetings, no more communication between us. You will be out of my life, out of my hair and I will forget about ever meeting you. Understood?”
“Yeah. Umm, can I ask a question?”
“I guess.” He replied, setting down his backpack.
“Why are you so reclusive? You snapped at me when I tried to talk to you this morning, you’re totally rude and I have to ask you if I can sit next to you! What happened to make you like this? Or is this natural for you? And why did you accuse me of being a self-absorbed bitch? You don't even know me! ” I demanded, royally pissed off that he saw things in me that I just don’t have the bones to do.
“First, you said one question, and you asked me four. Second, I’m just building