Angel's Bend Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The idea of starting a new school at the age of seventeen wasn’t something Lacey relished but here she was, on the first day of term, standing at the steps of Angel’s Bend High.  If she thought about it in real terms, it was only another nine months of her life, then it would be over.  She supposed she could handle that.  Hell, it couldn’t be any worse than what she’d had to deal with in the past year.

Taking a deep breath, she headed towards the tall glass front doors that announced the reception.  All she had to do was sign in, fill in a few more forms, get her timetable and find out where the hell she was meant to be.  Not to mention find some people who didn’t look at her like she had two heads.  Easy.  She could do it with her eyes shut.  Not.

“Hey, you must be Lacey.”  A slight, auburn haired girl tapped her on the shoulder, making Lacey start.  Her long ponytail swung around her face like a sheath as she moved and she brushed it aside with a swish of her hand.  She gave Lacey a tentative smile.

“Um. Yeah.  And you are?” She hadn’t meant that to sound abrupt but sometimes words seemed to fly out of her mouth of their own accord.

“Oh. Sorry.  I’m Abbie.  Abbie Mason.  My Mum is a friend of your Aunt Beth.  She told me you were starting today and I should look out for you ‘cause you didn’t know anyone. I figured it must be you when I saw you at the gate. You looked new.”

Lacey returned the smile.  “You mean I looked like the idiot who tried to walk ‘in’ through the ‘exit’ gate?”  Ploughing hip first into the gate and almost flying headlong over it as a result hadn’t been a good way to start the morning but how was she meant to know which way it swung if the stupid gate had no signs? 

“Ah, no.  ‘Cause you looked a bit lost.  Plus, I’ve never seen you before. Angel’s Bend’s a small place.”

That figured. 

“Right. So, where’s Reception? I have to check in.”

“Come on, it’s this way,” Abbie said, leading her though the crush of students.  She pointed to another glass door.  “Through there.”

“Cool. And thanks, Abbie. Again.”

Abbie turned to go. “Pleasure. Hey, I have to get to Chemistry now but if you’re looking for someone to eat lunch with I usually sit on the steps that lead down to the oval.  There’s a big tree there.”

“That’d be nice. I’ll see you then.”

“Good luck.”

Lacey took a breath and headed into Reception. “Thanks.  Let’s hope I don’t need it.”

*****

Despite the fact that Lacey was in a new environment and everything should have been exciting and shiny, the morning dragged.  She was late for every one of her classes, causing disapproving looks from some of her new teachers and the kids didn’t seem much better either.  They stared at her as if she were an alien.  After arriving late for fourth period, and discovering that the map she’d been so blithely following that morning had been printed upside down and she hadn’t had the sense to see it, she was in no mood for any more crap.

With another apology to the teacher and a huff, she took her place at the front of the English class, sitting down next to a boy who seemed more intent on making music with his pen on the lip of the desk than making introductions.  His face was hidden by a swathe of dark, straight, product styled hair and though his eyes stayed resolutely focussed on the whiteboard at the front of the room she could tell he was watching her from the corner of his eye.

As the teacher walked down the aisle between the desks, handing out copies of the text, the boy ceased his rhythmical tapping.  His eyes still trained to the distance, he leant towards her, sending a rush of air in her direction. He smelled of incense, heady and sweet, like cinnamon. It reminded her of her mother.

“So you’re Lacey.”

“What of it?”

He may have been cute-ish but she had no time for cute. She had exams to blitz, university entrance to concentrate on.

The boy turned.  Lacey noted the friendliness of his dark eyes.

“Nothing. Just sayin’. I’m Zac, by the way.  Zac Egan.” He opened the book they were to share and flipped to the correct page.  Head down, he began to read.

As his finger paused to turn the page, Lacey put her hand over the book.  Her voice was low. “How did you know my name?  I’ve only been here two hours.

Zac’s head was still bent to the book. “Everyone knows your name, Lacey.  We knew you were coming. We’ve been waiting.”

What the? Had there been an ad in the Angel’s Bend Times or something? And who was ‘they’?

“I beg your pardon?”

“Your aunt - Beth - she’s been telling the world that her beautiful niece was on the way for weeks.  I know so much about you, I could write a book.” He lifted his head and looked at her. The smirk broadened into a full-blown smile that was mesmerising. It travelled up his face, exposing a dimple in his left cheek and lighting up his eyes.

Lacey reddened.  Aunt Beth.  She should have known.  “What else did she say?”

“Nothing. Just that you’re gifted at art and stuff. Hey, listen… a group of us are having lunch down on the hill by the oval if you want to come.”

Lacey bit her lip.  She was meant to be having lunch with that girl, Abbie. “Well, um…”

“It’s okay.  Abbie will be there, too.  She’s always around somewhere. You won’t have to ditch her or anything.”

Lacey froze.  Was he reading her thoughts or something?

Zac chuckled. “I overheard her talking to you on my way past Reception this morning.  She’s a cool chick.  Bit quiet, but cool.”

He’d heard them talking.  He wasn’t some weird telepathic or something.  Thank freaking God for that. Not that she believed in any of that rubbish.  Everyone knew that the paranormal was only something you watched on T.V.

“Okay. Lunch. Cool.”

Now, all she had to do was figure out how to find the oval in an hour’s time. She’d tossed that useless map in the bin.

>Chapter Four

The idea of starting a new school at the age of seventeen wasn’t something Lacey relished but here she was, on the first day of term, standing at the steps of Angel’s Bend High.  If she thought about it in real terms, it was only another nine months of her life, then it would be over.  She supposed she could handle that.  Hell, it couldn’t be any worse than what she’d had to deal with in the past year.

Taking a deep breath, she headed towards the tall glass front doors that announced the reception.  All she had to do was sign in, fill in a few more forms, get her timetable and find out where the hell she was meant to be.  Not to mention find some people who didn’t look at her like she had two heads.  Easy.  She could do it with her eyes shut.  Not.

“Hey, you must be Lacey.”  A slight, auburn haired girl tapped her on the shoulder, making Lacey start.  Her long ponytail swung around her face like a sheath as she moved and she brushed it aside with a swish of her hand.  She gave Lacey a tentative smile.

“Um. Yeah.  And you are?” She hadn’t meant that to sound abrupt but sometimes words seemed to fly out of her mouth of their own accord.

“Oh. Sorry.  I’m Abbie.  Abbie Mason.  My Mum is a friend of your Aunt Beth.  She told me you were starting today and I should look out for you ‘cause you didn’t know anyone. I figured it must be you when I saw you at the gate. You looked new.”

Lacey returned the smile.  “You mean I looked like the idiot who tried to walk ‘in’ through the ‘exit’ gate?”  Ploughing hip first into the gate and almost flying headlong over it as a result hadn’t been a good way to start the morning but how was she meant to know which way it swung if the stupid gate had no signs? 

“Ah, no.  ‘Cause you looked a bit lost.  Plus, I’ve never seen you before. Angel’s Bend’s a small place.”

That figured. 

“Right. So, where’s Reception? I have to check in.”

“Come on, it’s this way,” Abbie said, leading her though the crush of students.  She pointed to another glass door.  “Through there.”

“Cool. And thanks, Abbie. Again.”

Abbie turned to go. “Pleasure. Hey, I have to get to Chemistry now but if you’re looking for someone to eat lunch with I usually sit on the steps that lead down to the oval.  There’s a big tree there.”

“That’d be nice. I’ll see you then.”

“Good luck.”

Lacey took a breath and headed into Reception. “Thanks.  Let’s hope I don’t need it.”

*****

Despite the fact that Lacey was in a new environment and everything should have been exciting and shiny, the morning dragged.  She was late for every one of her classes, causing disapproving looks from some of her new teachers and the kids didn’t seem much better either.  They stared at her as if she were an alien.  After arriving late for fourth period, and discovering that the map she’d been so blithely following that morning had been printed upside down and she hadn’t had the sense to see it, she was in no mood for any more crap.

With another apology to the teacher and a huff, she took her place at the front of the English class, sitting down next to a boy who seemed more intent on making music with his pen on the lip of the desk than making introductions.  His face was hidden by a swathe of dark, straight, product styled hair and though his eyes stayed resolutely focussed on the whiteboard at the front of the room she could tell he was watching her from the corner of his eye.

As the teacher walked down the aisle between the desks, handing out copies of the text, the boy ceased his rhythmical tapping.  His eyes still trained to the distance, he leant towards her, sending a rush of air in her direction. He smelled of incense, heady and sweet, like cinnamon. It reminded her of her mother.

“So you’re Lacey.”

“What of it?”

He may have been cute-ish but she had no time for cute. She had exams to blitz, university entrance to concentrate on.

The boy turned.  Lacey noted the friendliness of his dark eyes.

“Nothing. Just sayin’. I’m Zac, by the way.  Zac Egan.” He opened the book they were to share and flipped to the correct page.  Head down, he began to read.

As his finger paused to turn the page, Lacey put her hand over the book.  Her voice was low. “How did you know my name?  I’ve only been here two hours.

Zac’s head was still bent to the book. “Everyone knows your name, Lacey.  We knew you were coming. We’ve been waiting.”

What the? Had there been an ad in the Angel’s Bend Times or something? And who was ‘they’?

“I beg your pardon?”

“Your aunt - Beth - she’s been telling the world that her beautiful niece was on the way for weeks.  I know so much about you, I could write a book.” He lifted his head and looked at her. The smirk broadened into a full-blown smile that was mesmerising. It travelled up his face, exposing a dimple in his left cheek and lighting up his eyes.

Lacey reddened.  Aunt Beth.  She should have known.  “What else did she say?”

“Nothing. Just that you’re gifted at art and stuff. Hey, listen… a group of us are having lunch down on the hill by the oval if you want to come.”

Lacey bit her lip.  She was meant to be having lunch with that girl, Abbie. “Well, um…”

“It’s okay.  Abbie will be there, too.  She’s always around somewhere. You won’t have to ditch her or anything.”

Lacey froze.  Was he reading her thoughts or something?

Zac chuckled. “I overheard her talking to you on my way past Reception this morning.  She’s a cool chick.  Bit quiet, but cool.”

He’d heard them talking.  He wasn’t some weird telepathic or something.  Thank freaking God for that. Not that she believed in any of that rubbish.  Everyone knew that the paranormal was only something you watched on T.V.

“Okay. Lunch. Cool.”

Now, all she had to do was figure out how to find the oval in an hour’s time. She’d tossed that useless map in the bin.

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