Seven

The morning air was crisp, the sun just peeking over the horizon as I reluctantly got out of bed. Today was the day. My first day at Goldenrod High, a school notorious for its social hierarchy and cutthroat reputation.

Well, yeah. I did my research. There was no bloody way I was gonna attend a school I knew nothing about.

I glanced at the clock on my nightstand – 6:00 AM. I groaned, pulling the covers over my head. I wanted to stay in bed all day, but I knew I had to face the inevitable.

Curse Mondays! Argh, it's the slowest time of the week!

After a quick shower and a hastily thrown-together breakfast, I made my way downstairs. Rowan and Helen were already at the table, engaged in a hushed conversation.

Wondered what they were talking about.

"Morning, sweetheart," Helen greeted me with a forced smile. Nothing about her was real anymore anyways, so it didn't really matter to me.

"Morning," I mumbled, taking a seat at the table.

"Jace is waiting for you outside," Rowan informed me, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Wait. Jace? Why would he wait for me? Please tell me it's not what I'm thinking.

"What?" I exclaimed, surprised. "Why?"

"I insisted," Rowan said with a shrug. "It's the first day, and I thought it would be nice for you to have some company."

Company? Well, if having the devil give you a tour round hell was what they called company, then okay. He was the perfect fit.

"But..." I began to protest, but Rowan cut me off.

"No buts, Claire. Go on. I'll see you later."

His dismissal tone left me with no rooms for arguments. With a sigh, I grabbed my backpack and headed out the door.

Jace was leaning against a sleek black motorcycle, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked up as I approached, a smirk playing on his lips.

Annoying jerk.

"Ready for your first day of hell, Kïttên?" he asked, his voice low and husky. I just wondered if puberty was just nice enough to grant him the irresistible bass, or it's always been there.

"Not really," I muttered, climbing onto the back of the bike.

Jace revved the engine, the sound echoing through the quiet neighborhood. I gripped his waist tightly, feeling a surge of adrenaline course through my veins.

Something just told me I was gonna regret getting on that bike with....

"Ahhhhh!"a shrill scream left me the moment Jace took off with the speed of lightening.

"Easy there, Kïttên. You sure are a screamer,"he teased and I could literally hear him smirk.

I decided to keep mute and just pray instead that I got to school safely, without dying halfway.

The ride to school was exhilarating. The wind whipped through my hair as Jace sped through the streets, the city lights blurring into a kaleidoscope of colors.

As we pulled up to the school, I noticed a small crowd of students gathered around the entrance. They were all staring at us, whispering amongst themselves.

Anxiety came tugging at my shirt. The attention was massive, it almost felt like I'd suffer from a panic attack at that spot.

"Who's that with Jace?"

"Is she new?"

"She's hot."

I felt a blush creeping up my neck. I ducked my head, trying to avoid their gazes. Good thing my hoodie was on, so my attempt to hide wasn't entirely futile.

Jace chuckled, "Careful, Kitten. You never know the day your Doom begins."

He parked the bike and I hastily got myself off, following behind him since I literally knew nowhere.  As we walked towards the entrance, I felt a wave of apprehension wash over me. This was going to be a long day.

I was making sure the distance between I and Jace wasn't too much so that I didn't get lost when someone came out of nowhere and pushed me rashly. I fell down on my butt.

The slight chuckles coming from the students weren't something I missed. I looked up at Jace who smirked at me before smooching the white haired girl.

The embarrassment I felt made it hard to even get up.

"Hey,"someone stepped in front of me. He was a red haired guy.

"Hi,"I spoke, slightly recoiling backwards.

"Here, gimme your hand,"he extended his hand in an attempt to help. I looked at it and then at his face.

He looked nice, but I couldn't help but think he was one of those jerks that offered to help only to let go when I'm mid standing.

Deciding to just take chances, I grabbed his hand and he helped me up.

"Thank you,"I spoke in my usual quiet tone.

"You're welcome. And sorry about what my sister did...."he spoke, trailing off with a sigh. "She probably didn't see you,"he spoke, giving a smile which had his dimple going deeper than it was.

I looked over at the girl who was still making out with Jace in the middle of the school.

Yeah, completely normal.

Anyways, I saw the resemblance between the nice guy and the rude girl. It was almost so vivid.

"Uh.... I'm Red,"he spoke when I didn't say anything.

Red? A human was named Red at birth? I gave him a weird stare.

"And uh...my sister...she uh.... She's White,"he added.

Oh, c'mon. Were they a family of colours? I wouldn't be surprised if he said his mum was pink.

"Aren't you going to say something?"he asked, giving me an amused stare.

"I... I'm Claire. Claire Rainer,"I spoke lowly, looking down at my feet.

"Cute na...."he was saying when a scream interrupted him.

"Stay away from Jace, you white headed slut!!!"

I and Red turned around simultaneously to see a girl I found familiar, charging at White.

"Uh oh. This is bad,"Red muttered.

I suddenly recalled where I'd seen her. She was the girl I'd seen back at the house. But I thought she was Jace's girlfriend?

I looked at the dramatic scene in confusion till the whole thing finally clicked.

Jace was a playboy.

The girl charged at White, and then the sound of a really good slap being given, resounded through the whole school.

"Ohhhhh,"the crowd let out as though they felt her pain.

Jace moved away from both girls and just let them fight themselves.  I glared at his back hatefully. He was a lot more jerkish than I'd initially thought.

Deciding to just head off to class, I turned to Red.

"Thank...thank you, for earlier,"I bowed my head politely before walking off hurriedly, holding the school's map in hand. The day couldn't possibly be that bad.

The first few periods were a blur. I sat at the back of the classroom, trying to remain inconspicuous. I made a few nervous attempts at conversation with the girl sitting next to me, but she seemed more interested in her phone than in talking to me.

So yeah, the whole class was pretty much boring.

During lunch, I decided to brave the cafeteria rather than find some hidden spot to eat lunch. I found an empty table and sat down, trying to make myself as invincible as possible.

Suddenly, I heard a voice. "Hey, you're new, right?"  I looked up to see two girls approaching my table.

"Hi," I said, a little nervously.

"I'm Shawty," said the first girl, extending her hand. "This is Zara."

They looked really pretty. Typical hotties. The ones that looked anything but innocent and naive. Unlike me. Made me wonder why they even approached me.

The other girl introduced herself, and I gave a forced smile, hoping I didn't flop the new opportunity I had to make new friends.

"So, what's your name?" Zara asked.

"Claire," I replied quietly, picking on my meal of veggies.

"Could we join you?"Shawty asked, giving a full smile and I couldn't help but mirror it. She looked free spirited, just like Amaya.

"Sure,"I nodded at the spare chairs around my table and they grabbed their seats.

"Hey girls,"a blond haired guy popped out of nowhere, holding a tray.

"You're here,"Zara rolled eyes at him.

"Course, I am. Now, who's this beauty?"he whistled at me and I have an awkward wave.

"Sage? This is Claire. Claire? Sage. He's part of the friend crew,"Shawty introduced and I nodded in understanding.

"So am I. Nice seeing you again, Claire,"I recognized the voice behind me as Red, so I turned.

"Hi.... again,"I beamed at him. He was literally the only one I knew the longest, so it was better with him around....I guess.

"You've met?"Zara asked curiously.

"Earlier in the morning when Whitney pushed her, yeah,"he replied, seating beside me and taking a cucumber slice from my bowl of veggies.

Ohh. So White was the abbreviation of Whitney. I didn't think it that way. Maybe his family wasn't weird after all.

"You're new, right?"Shawty asked, munching on her chips. I nodded in response.

"Welcome to Goldenrod," Red said, flashing me a smile. "It's going to be a wild ride, believe me."

Oh, I did. The little I'd seen was enough to make a madman go crazier.

I smiled back, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.