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"Here it is," she suddenly says, pulling out a wad of paper.
"So tell me about your last school, so we can figure out what the best fit will be. I know you were held behind, but how have things been since?"
"Well…." I begin before explaining all about what I've been doing these last few years.
After discussing everything school related that has happened over the last few years. We decided that I would start school as a Senior and attend during the day; rather than doing night school to get my G.E.D. She believes the structure will be better for me and give me a better chance of getting my qualifications and diploma. Which, if I'm honest, I'm pleased about. She explains that they have many advanced classes where juniors take senior classes, so my class shouldn't be too surprised that I'm almost a year older than them.
Throughout the walk, Gabe looks around anxiously. I don't know what's wrong with him. I assume it's just old memories. Although, if I'm honest, he was hardly ever here anyway because of Dad, so I don't understand why he's acting so weird. The tour ends, and Gabe tries to convince me to leave again. I reluctantly agree and tell him I need to go into town, but he insists that he'll accompany me. So I tell him that I have plans to meet a girl for coffee. This seems to satisfy him, and he agrees to leave me alone and go on his way. I start walking towards town, but as soon as I see his bike go by, I turn around and head straight back to school. Part of me feels guilty for purposefully tricking Gabe, but I wasn't exactly lying when I said I intended to meet a girl. I just forgot to mention which girl and the fact that SHE currently has absolutely no idea she's meeting ME.
I walk through the carnival, which is set up on the school grounds. I gaze at every girl I encounter for almost an hour, with no luck at finding the one girl I'm looking for. A few women look at me, batting their eyelashes; a couple even try to flirt with me. They’re nice enough, I guess, but none of them are HER. The one I’ve been dreaming of, my beautiful Bella.
The weight on my chest gets heavier, and I'm beginning to give up hope that she's even here.. I contemplate calling it a day until I got the bright idea to ride the Ferris wheel.If she's around here somewhere, I'll hopefully be able to see her from the top."One ticket, please," I say to the man in the booth.
"Here's your ticket, but you need a minimum of two and a maximum of six people to ride," the attendant informs me, not even bothering to look up as he takes my cash.Why is God so against me?I rub my eyes in annoyance, cursing him under my breath.
I’m just about to leave the line when I feel a pat on my shoulder. "Hey buddy, there's only three of us. You're welcome to join our group if you'd like," the guy says to me. Looking the guy in the eye, I quickly assess him. I'm not usually great at making friends or trusting people in general, but this guy seems genuine and harmless. He's a similar height to me, 6 '2 or 6' 3 and it seems like he works out. Normally, my first instinct would be to walk away and ignore this kid, but right now, I'm desperate. I look him over one last time, noticing his floppy blond hair and goofy smile. He doesn't appear to be much of a threat. I guess for now, at least I'll put my faith in him and his friends.
"Thanks man, my name’s Nate."
"Hey, Nate, I'm Tucker." The boy begins before being interrupted by the redhead gripping his arm." And I'm his girlfriend, Ava, That's Harper." the girl continues, pointing to the girl beside her.
"So are we getting on or not? I'm not standing here all day" she whines.
"Yes, baby. We're right behind you." Tucker smiles, encouraging his girlfriend to walk ahead, before turning back to me and rolling his eyes slightly.
I look at the two girls. Harper looks kind of shy, or maybe she’s just quiet; either way, she's not really giving too much away. The other one, his girlfriend, well, there's no doubt she’s the boss in their relationship. She has long, bright red hair and freckles, plus she's not bad to look at either. She's curvy yet short, easily a foot smaller than me and Tucker, but I can already tell what she lacks in height she makes up for in attitude. I watch as she huffs and stomps, flicking her hair from side to side, getting impatient as she waits for the ride to fill up and start.
"Nice to meet you," I reply sincerely, giving them all a small smile.
"Thanks, man, you're doing me a big favor. I’ve somehow become the third wheel on my own date," Tucker whispers to me when the girls aren't looking.
We all ride the Ferris wheel together and get chatting.
"So I've not seen you around before; you new or something?" Tucker probes.
"Yeah, I just moved back a few days ago, just finished my enrollment here with…" I stop to think for a moment, trying to recall the old woman's name. "Mrs. Cross, I think her name was."
"Yeah, Mrs. C, she’s alright, for a principal," Harper replies with a smile.
"She wasn't alright when she gave me detention last week," Ava pipes up as she crosses her arms and pouts.
"Providing you don't get caught making out with your boyfriend in the boys' locker rooms, she's alright," Harper amends.
Tucker smirks and throws his arm around his girlfriend's shoulders." You can't help that you're dating the hottest guy on campus, can you? '' he teases, sounding like he's reassuring a small child.
I laugh with the group as they all begin teasing each other before zoning them out and focusing my attention on the view. I continue to look around as the group tells me more details about the school.
"You seem to be lost in a world of your own," I hear one of the girls say.
"I'm just looking for someone," I reply absentmindedly, not even looking to see which of them spoke.
"Good luck with that, dude. There are hundreds of people here," Tucker replies, laughing and hitting me on the shoulder. My natural instinct is to snap or hit back, but it's clear he’s only being playful, so I let it slide.
When the ride finally comes to a stop, the group invites me to tag along. Part of me is tempted to refuse and go our separate ways. I'm grateful for the invite, though, because I've never really been part of a group like this before. I'm usually more of a loner, but these three seem so genuine and welcoming that I decide to go against my usual instincts and take them up on their offer. I've got nothing to lose after all.
"My sister has just texted me to say they're going on a carousel next. Should we go?" squeals Harper to Ava.
"You girls can go, but we'll just stand and watch." Tucker laughs, looking at me silently, begging me with his eyes to back him up.
