POV: Caleb
Moving to a new school in my last year of high school was not something I expected yet there I was pulling up to McKinley High School. The past few weeks felt like a fever dream. My family and I had moved from Berkshire, England to Sedona, Arizona. It was the town that my father grew up in and where he'd apparently always wanted to retire to. The move was rather unexpected but there is nothing I could do about it.
I could see myself being happy there. The weather was nice and warm compared to the constant gloom in England, the people were really nice and over the weekend, I had the best barbecue I had ever tasted. My little brother Eric, on the other hand, was having a hard time adjusting to our new home. He missed his old friends and the familiarity of our home in Berkshire. I couldn’t blame him. The thought of having to start a new one was nerve-wracking.
"How are you feeling? Nervous?" my dad asked me.
I shrugged and replied, "No, not really." He turned to look at me clearly not buying any of my drivel.
"McKinley High is a great school. I made some of the best memories of my life in these halls. Maybe you'll do the same. I am sure that you will fit right in," he tried to sound reassuring.
I highly doubted that. My features ensured that I always stuck out like a sore thumb. I was six three', and had dirty blonde hair and grey eyes. I always
attracted attention though I can't say that I minded.We finally came to a stop and I jumped out of the car. "Do you need me to go in with you?" my dad asked.
"Naah! No need. I'm sure I can manage. I'll see you at home."
I waved him off and watched as he drove off. I turned and followed the throng of students walking toward the school entrance. Most of them were in small groups, talking about one thing or the other.
I went into the building and took in the scene before me. It was interesting how despite the fact that McKinley High was thousands of miles away from my school, they looked almost identical. They both had the same dull cream-coloured walls and grey lockers. It's almost like they were designed to drain the life out of you.
A short curly haired girl popped up in front of me. "Hi! You must be Caleb. I'm Arlene. I am a part of the welcoming committee and I'm supposed to show you around, help you out and basically ensure that your first day goes well. How do you like it so far?"
"Ummm…I just got here." I answered.
"Oh yeah! That slipped my mind, sorry. I guess we better get you situated then. Come with me. We'll go get your schedule. I'm so excited for you. You're gonna love it here!" she said excitedly. I don't think I'd ever met anyone so happy about being in school.
She started walking and I caught up with her. We found our way to the Principal's office and got my schedule from the secretary. My first class was history. I turned to leave the reception area when I heard, "Caleb! Nice to see you here. I'm glad you made it!"
I turned around and met the Principal, Mr. Gilligan smiled at me. He held his hand out in greeting and I shook it.
"How are you? How is your old man?" Mr Giligan and my father went to high school together.
"He's alright. Thanks for asking."
"I see Arlene was showing you around. Why don't you go on to class Arlene. I'll show Mr Stallone to his class." Arlene wished me good luck and left us.
"So, Caleb, your father told me you like you like go play football."
"Yes sir, I've played rugby since I was in junior year."
We continued to make small talk as we walked towards my classroom. It felt odd talking so casually with the principal but I went along with it. We came to a stop in front of a classroom.
"Here you are. Your first class of the day is History taught by Mr. Finkle."
He opened the door slightly and poked his head in. "Pardon me for interrupting your class but I have brought a new student.”
He opened the door wider and ushered me into the classroom. Everyone in the room turned their attention to me, sizing me up with curious expressions in their eyes.
“Welcome Caleb. You’ve come just in time. Miss Johnson here was just about to give us a presentation on the British Colonisation of the Americas. Victoria, the floor is yours," Mr Finkle said. I walked into the room and took a seat at the front of the class where there was an empty seat.
I settled and turned my attention to the girl at the front of the class. Victoria, I think. She looked nervous. The piece of paper in her hand was shaking so hard, I'm was surprised she could read off of it.
“Is she ever going to say anything?” one guy said and the other kids snickered. I felt a surge of anger go through me. They needed to give the poor girl a break. She was obvious struggling.
She cleared her throat and started talking. “Today I will be presenting a report on the British colonisation of the Americas. In April 1607 three ships sent out by the London Company sailed into Chesapeake Bay. They continued up a broad waterway, which they named the James river in honour…”she went silent. Her complexion turned a little green. She was obviously going to throw up. She put her hand over her mouth and bolted out of the class. Everyone started laughing. I was confused by this response. I waited for someone to go after her but no one did. Wasn't anyone going to check up on her?
"Is she going to be okay?" I asked the guy seated beside me. He just shrugged nonchalantly. I was getting annoyed. I made a mental note to make sure I check on the girl after class.
The bell rang and we all stood up to go to our next class. I looked around for Victoria but I couldn’t see her. She probably ran out of class the first chance she got. I walked towards the door, meaning to look for her when a blonde bombshell stood in my path.
"You're new here. Caleb right?"
"Yes , I am. And you are?" I asked her.
"Oooh! British! I like. I'm Brianna but everybody calls me Bree. I'd love to show you around."
I knew that I should seek Victoria out but when a girl as pretty as Brianna asked to spend time with you, the only logical answer was yes.
One Year LaterVictoria's POV“Annabelle, no. don’t put that flower in your mouth,” I heard Gloria’s voice shout followed by the sound of little feet running.The next thing I knew, two little figures came running into the room I was in. Annabelle who was in a beautiful blush pink poofy tulle dress had a rose stalk in her hand and my son, Liam followed right behind her with a huge smile on his face. When I saw him in his little tux, my heart melted. I couldn't believe that it had only been a year since I gave birth to him. He had gotten Caleb’s brown hair and my blue eye; the best of both worlds. Even at one year old, he had so much personality.He was the happiest baby that I knew. I didn’t know that I could love someone so little so much. Being a mom meant that you literally walked around every day with your heart outside your body. I wanted to just scoop him up and smother him with kisses.“No no no. Resist the cuteness. We have work to do,” Kathy, my makeup artist said, snapping
Victoria's POVEveryone had been acting rather strange for the past two weeks. I didn’t know exactly what was going on but I could tell that something was up. When I asked Caleb if he saw it too, he told me that it was probably in my head. My mom invited all of us to their place for dinner because she thought that it had been a while since we were all together. I didn’t mind because that meant that I got to see Caleb. He had been so busy with work for the past two weeks, that I hadn’t gotten the chance to see him.I had started getting used to the idea of being pregnant. The only people who knew were me, Caleb, Alice, and Sam. I called Sam immediately after Caleb left and she was so happy for me. She told me that she hoped that it would be a girl because her head was already bursting with ideas of all the clothes she could make for her.I was honestly excited. Sure, I was very nervous about bringing new life to the world but he or she would be a product of the love between Caleb and
Caleb's POVI rushed over to Tori’s apartment as soon as she called me. I could hear the panic in her voice and I knew something was wrong. I was already in Sedona to visit Eric, so it wasn’t too far of a drive.When I arrived, Tori was standing at the door, tears in her eyes. “Caleb, I don’t know how to say this, but I’m pregnant.”I felt a rush of emotions wash over me. I was elated, overjoyed, and terrified all at the same time. I couldn’t believe that I was finally going to have a family with the woman that I loved. This was everything that I had ever wanted, and I knew that I had to do whatever it took to make this work.I pulled her into a tight hug and hugged her really tight. She had no idea what it meant to me. Ever since Annabelle was born, I had the overwhelming desire to settle down and have a family of my own. I wanted someone to come home to every day.Someone to love and hold and grow old with. I wanted a mini version of me running around the house and making a mess. I
Victoria's POVBliss.Pure unadulterated bliss. That's what I felt every second of the day. dating Caleb was the easiest decision that I had ever made. He made me feel like the most special girl in the world and made sure that I knew I was loved.He constantly sent me sweet texts. We would talk on the phone for hours and would drive to and from Arizona to Sedona every two days just because we couldn’t bear to be apart for too long. He had sent so many flowers to my house that I was running out of counter space to keep all of it. I had only dated Caleb for a month but I immediately knew that this was what dating should feel like. I was happy and felt secure knowing that my heart was in his hands. Everyone else before him faded in comparison like a distant foggy memory. Everyone was thrilled for us. We decided to keep our relationship under wraps at first. We wanted to remain in our little love bubble but that plan quickly went to the dogs two weeks after we started dating. Gloria had
Caleb's POVI placed my phone beside me on the couch and tried to ignore it. my eyes however kept drifting back to it hoping that it would light up with a response from Tori. When I heard a chime, I basically dove for it. Just like I had hoped, it was a message from Tori.Hi Caleb!Don’t worry about me. I’m going to be okay. I think we should meet and talk about everything. Let me know when you’re available.ToriI pumped my fist up in the air. This was huge. I had absolutely no hope that she would text back let alone be open to meeting with me. If she wanted, I would get into my car and drive to Sedona right away as tired as I was, I felt a surge of energy go through my body. I had to take deep breaths to calm myself down before I responded. I didn’t want to push my luck.How about tomorrow? I could come down to Sedona.I texted back then dropped my phone like it was hot metal. I worried that maybe I sounded too eager. I was so nervous, I didn't think I was capable of playing it coo
Victoria's POVIt had been two weeks since my bakery was vandalized and I still couldn’t shake off the feeling of unease. Every time I heard a sudden noise, my heart skipped a beat and my mind instantly jumped to worst-case scenarios. I feel like I couldn't trust anyone anymore.I couldn’t believe that someone would just destroy something like that. every store next to mine was untouched which indicated that this was a targeted attack. I couldn't shake the feeling that Brianna was behind this.I always knew Brianna was trouble, but I never thought she was capable of doing something like this to me. She took away my pride and joy, the one thing that I worked so hard for. She set me back so much that I had to turn down orders because I was not in a good mental space to work. It was not just the financial loss that was weighing on me, it was the fact that Brianna took away something that was so dear to me.She took away my sense of security and left me feeling exposed. I had been staying