First Hater...

~Adeline~

"Adeline! Open the door. We are going to be late!"

Josie’s voice sounded through my bedroom door, accompanied by two quick knocks.

"I am coming, just give me one second!" I yelled back, grabbing my backpack off the floor and stuffing my notes into it.

"You said that five minutes ago!" Josie argued from the hallway. "Dylan is going to leave us behind if you don’t hurry up!"

"I am grabbing my books right now. Hold on!"

Taking a final look to check my reflection in the mirror, I adjusted the collar of the Wolfebrooke Crest Academy uniform Miranda had left on my bed two days ago.

It consisted of a pleated black short skirt, a white blouse, and blazer. It felt foreign compared to the casual clothes everyone wore back at my old public school.

Figuring out what to wear every morning used to bring me anxiety sometimes. Kids would quickly judge your worth from the quality of clothes you wore to school, but here, with this uniform, it would be different.

I slipped on the blazer with its golden crest badge attached, feeling relieved. With this on, I would be just another face in the crowd.

I rushed out into the clear morning air. My skirt swished around my legs as I climbed into the green Jeep.

Sitting in the front seats, the twins paused their conversation the moment the door clicked shut.

Caleb turned around to look at me, staring for a moment. A deep flush of red crept up his neck before he quickly faced forward.

"Took you long enough," Dylan grumbled, shifting the jeep into gear. "Girls always find a way to drag their feet…"

"Oh, shut up, Dylan," Josie snapped from the seat next to me. "She is new. Soon she’ll get used to the routine. It’s no biggie."

"We are going to miss the first bell because she needed to stare at a mirror?" he shot back, steering the car down the driveway.

"Why do guys always find a way to complain about absolutely nothing!" Josie countered. "Just drive the car before you actually make us late."

Josie rolled her eyes toward the front seat, then turned to me.

"Don’t worry about them. Are you nervous?"

"A little bit," I admitted, keeping my voice down. "I just want to get the first day over with."

"You’ll be fine," she promised, bumping her shoulder into mine.

"The teachers are no problem, but you have to watch out for the students. Just remember to stick by me always, especially during lunch."

"I will try to find you," I said, turning my gaze toward the window.

The road carved through Wolfebrooke Forest, where trees created a natural shield to block out the morning sun.

Soon, the tree line cleared to reveal the academy resting on a hill. The campus had manicured trees and flowers with tall iron gates surrounding the building.

Stepping out of the Jeep, the noise of students filled everywhere… conversations died down as heads turned in my direction. I walked up the stairs, passing a group of students leaning on the wall.

One of the guys stopped talking, tilted his head back, sniffed the air, and then locked his eyes on me.

"Why is everyone staring at me?" I whispered, pulling my bag tighter over my shoulders.

"It is just the new kid thing," Josie brushed off. She slid her arm through mine to pull me through the doors.

"People around here are not used to outsiders. Just ignore them."

"They look like they want to see through me," I whispered, keeping my head down as we moved past the crowded hallway. "Did that guy outside just sniff the air when I walked past?"

"What? No, don’t be weird," Josie laughed, but her eyes glanced around the corridor.

"He probably just has a cold. Come on, let’s check your schedule so you do not get lost."

We stopped by a row of lockers. I pulled the folded piece of paper Miranda had dropped off with my uniform from my pocket.

"Okay, I have Literature first."

"Perfect. That is right down this hall," Josie said, pointing toward the end of the corridor. "I have Chemistry on the opposite side of the building, so I need to run. Meet me at the cafeteria right after fourth period, okay?"

"Got it. Thank you, Josie."

Finding the correct classroom, I pushed the door open, only to see that I was late.

A woman with blonde hair tied back paused her marker on the whiteboard. The entire class stopped murmuring instantly. Everywhere fell quiet… somewhere in the back row, a low sound rumbled through the classroom, sounding like a growl.

"Quiet," the teacher commanded.

She turned her face to me. "You must be the new transfer student."

"Yes, I am Adeline Cooper," I answered, fighting the urge to step back out through the door.

"Welcome to Wolfebrooke Crest, Adeline. I am Mrs. Bert. Please take any empty seat in the row so we can continue."

"Thank you," I mumbled, slipping down the aisle and dropping into the first empty desk I saw.

"Now, class, let us turn our attention back to the board," Mrs. Bert continued, pacing in front of the class.

"We were discussing the Salem witch trials within The Crucible. The town becomes consumed by paranoia because of concealed actions and secrets. Why does a community fear hidden truths far more than an open threat…?"

The classroom door banged open just then, cutting off her question.

A guy stepped in, filling the entire doorway with his build. He looked to be around 6'4 in height, with muscles pushing against his school blazer.

He had short dark hair, a straight nose, a chiselled jawline… he was definitely good-looking, with an arrogant aura that quickly filled the room. I snorted… guys who carried themselves with that kind of cocky energy always expected the world to hand them everything, even assuming every girl would fall at their feet.

Taking one step into the room, he froze. I watched as his body went rigid. He snapped his head up, sniffed deeply, then locked his dark eyes directly on me.

"Mr. Beckham," Mrs. Bert called out slowly.

"You are disrupting my class. You are late!"

He didn’t move to acknowledge her words yet. He just stood there, staring at me so hard my breath hitched.

I watched as his jaw clenched tight, his eyes darkened more, and his stare turned to an angry glare.

"Mr. Beckham, take your seat," she said again, sounding intimidated by a teenage boy.

"Sorry," he mumbled. His voice came out like a deep gruff when he spoke that one word.

Breaking eye contact, he shoved his hands into his pockets, walked to the back of the classroom, and dropped into an empty chair.

Mrs. Bert cleared her throat, resuming her teaching, but my concentration was gone, flipping back randomly to the hot, tall guy who had just interrupted the class.

I felt eyes burning into my back, but I tried to keep my focus on Mrs. Bert’s words. Moments later, unable to fight the urge any longer, I dropped my pen and turned my head around.

He was leaning back in his chair, arms crossed tightly over his chest, still glaring right at me. I cocked an eyebrow at him to silently ask what his problem was.

He ignored me completely, turned his head to the front with a scowl on his face.

It was off, really... I tried to focus my attention on Mrs. Bert’s words, but my mind kept going back to him. How he stared hard, and when I had looked back, he gave a scowl. I wanted to ignore it, but it unnerved me.

Were my frizzy curls sticking out? Was there a stain on the back of my jacket that I hadn’t noticed? I sniffed myself, trying to figure out if I smelled wrong.

We had never even met, and yet, he acted like I had personally insulted him the second he walked through that door.

I came to Wolfebrooke to lay low, to keep my head down, and to survive my senior year in peace. I did not need enemies. I certainly did not need the attention of a hot guy like him. His dark, brooding energy felt off. I could clearly see he’s trouble, one that I needed to avoid.

Heaven knows I have enough trouble to last me a lifetime...

"Adeline?"

The clear sound of my name snapped me back to my surroundings.

Blinking, I realised the classroom was now silent. Mrs. Bert stood near the whiteboard with her marker raised, looking at me with an expectant expression.

"I am sorry, what did you say?" I asked. My voice sounded small and fragile.

"I asked for your thoughts on Abigail Williams," she replied patiently.

"Do you believe she acted out of pure malice, or was she simply a product of her own oppressive environment?"

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. All eyes were now on me. I stared at her, feeling my cheeks burn as the seconds dragged.

I tried recollecting my thoughts. I knew the answer, but she had taken me by surprise. As I attempted to give my answer, a mocking giggle broke the silence from the row next to me.

"Wow, great first impression from the new girl," a girl with dark eyeliner whispered to the person next to her.

A few guys in the middle row snickered.

Someone coughed to cover a laugh, and a wave of whispers began to spread across desks.

Looking down at my hands, I wished the floor would just open up and swallow me whole.

A low sound ripped through the room, deep and guttural, like a wild animal.

The laughter died instantly.

Mrs. Bert cleared her throat, her eyes moving toward the back row before she quickly looked away.

"Let us maintain order in this classroom," she said.

"Adeline, if you do not know the answer, we can move on to someone else."

Pushing past my shock, I sat up straighter.

"No, I can answer it," I said, forcing my voice to stay steady.

Mrs. Bert nodded, looking relieved. "Go ahead."

"Abigail was manipulative, but she was a product of her environment," I explained, finding my normal flow back as I spoke.

"Salem did not give young girls any power or any voice, so the moment she realised she could use the town’s fear of the unknown to gain control, she took it. She was surviving the only way she knew how, even if it meant destroying everyone else to protect herself."

Mrs. Bert raised her eyebrows. She watched me with a surprised expression on her face.

"That is a brilliant analysis, Adeline," she smiled. "Fear gives terrible people an easy path to power."

Just as she finished speaking, the school bell echoed through the speakers, signalling the end of the period.

"Read chapter four for our next class, and Mr. Beckham, come meet me later," Mrs. Bert said out over the sudden noise of scraping chairs. She grabbed her bag, opened the door, and walked out into the hallway.

Letting out a sigh of relief, I slid my notebook into my backpack, exhausted, even though it was only the first period.

"Did you hear her trying to sound smart?" a voice muttered.

I paused, my hand on the zipper of my bag, to look over. It was the girl with the dark eyeliner again. She was now leaning on her desk, rolling her eyes at a tall brown-haired guy next to her.

"She spaced out for one minute and then acted like a genius? All for show?" the girl laughed, tossing her hair.

Zipping my bag shut, I decided I had zero patience for this high school drama. I stood up and faced her.

"If you want to talk about me, you do not have to whisper," I said. My voice was smooth but firm.

The girl blinked, her mouth dropping open in shock for a second, then she snapped it shut.

"Relax, new girl," the brown-haired guy scoffed, stepping closer to me with a smug grin. "She was just making a joke. No need to get all defensive and sensitive."

"It was not funny," I countered, refusing to step back or lower my gaze.

His eyes narrowed. He took a slow step into my space. "You really need to chill out, Cooper girl. You have no idea how things work here."

Suddenly, a shadow fell over my desk.

The brown-haired guy froze. I watched as his face turned pale. He looked at something behind me. I followed his gaze. My breath caught when I realised it was the guy who had been glaring at me since he came in late. He was standing right next to me.

Up close, his broad shoulders blocked out the lights above us.

"Back off, Miller," he barked.

His voice was quiet, but it carried a feeling of authority that left no room for an argument. Miller immediately stepped backward, bowing slightly.

"My bad, Jasper," he mumbled. "We were just leaving."

Jasper. So that was his first name.

Grabbing their bags, Miller and the mean girl walked out the classroom door, but I caught the dark look she gave me before closing the door on her way out.

The rest of the lingering students scattered fast.

Jasper and I were suddenly alone.

He stepped forward, resting one large hand on my desk.

"You talk a lot for someone who just got here," Jasper noted, looking down at me.

"And you scowl an awful lot for someone hiding in the back," I snapped. "I did not need your help, by the way. I can handle my own problems."

A smirk formed on his lips.

"I was not trying to help you, Adeline. Miller was just giving me a headache with his noise."

"Right," I retorted, swinging my backpack over my shoulder. "Well, your headache is gone now. Excuse me."

Jasper stayed planted in the aisle, blocking my path to the door. Standing my ground, I waited for him to move, refusing to show any sign of fear.

He stared at me a little longer, his dark eyes searching mine as if he was trying to read my thoughts. Finally, he took half a step back, giving me barely enough room to pass.

I intentionally brushed my shoulder on his arm to prove I was not intimidated by his attitude or size.

I walked into the crowded hallway, my hands shaking on my backpack straps. I stopped a bit, taking a deep breath to slow my racing heart, as I realised this school was going to be much harder to survive than I had originally thought…