As Dr. Fitzgerald ushered me into his office, my nerves got the best of me, and I blurted, “Am I in trouble?”

“What?” Dr. Fitzgerald replied, genuinely confused, “Why would you think that, Alice?”

“Um…” my voice trailed off, and I gestured to the air around me, “You just called me into your office; the only time that happens is when someone is in trouble or getting an award, and I am not the kind of student that gets an award.”

It was after my voice had gotten slightly higher and more defensive that I sensed that Dr. Fitzgerald and I were not alone in his office. Dr. Fitzgerald’s uncomfortable look confirmed my suspicion, and I turned around to see a boy my age sitting in a chair across from the principal’s desk.

“Hey,” the boy said, nodding at me and winking. I had to resist the urge to gag.  

“Uh, hi,” I replied, and then my head swiveled around to look at Dr. Fitzgerald. “What am I doing here?” I asked bluntly.

“Alice, this is our new student,” He replied, gesturing towards the boy, “Christian West.”

 West.

That name was as recognizable as Kardashian or Trump. William West was the founder of a billion dollar company with its finger in many pies. I’d read about him in papers, and from the pictures I’d seen, Christian was obviously his son.

“Nice to meet you, Alice,” Christian said smoothly, and he extended his hand. I, however, was feeling confused and blindsided, so I folded my arms protectively over my chest and frowned. Christian was definitely attractive, but there was this air of arrogance that surrounded him that I really didn’t like.

After a few awkward moments, Dr. Fitzgerald cleared his throat to regain my attention. “Today is Christian’s first day here, and I was hoping that you could show him around the school.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” I stated, and I could tell Dr. Fitzgerald was getting uncomfortable. “Sir, I just started this year. Why would you pick me?”

Dr. Fitzgerald sighed, and he looked over at Christian. “Mr. West, can you please go out and see my secretary? She can print your schedule and locker information.” Christian nodded, and he stood up and walked quickly out of the room. As the door shut, Dr. Fitzgerald focused his attention on me, and he pointed to the chair Christian had just vacated. “Please sit, Alice.”

I sighed and sat down, and I readied myself for what was to come. Dr. Fitzgerald let out a sound of frustration, and he slid his glasses off and placed them on his desk. “Alice, I’ve noticed that since you’ve been here, you haven’t interacted with many students.”

“So?” I replied, frowning.

“So,” Dr. Fitzgerald said, putting heavy emphasis on the word, “I want you to make friends. This is an opportunity, and I want you to take it, please! It is my job to make my students feel comfortable here at Trinity.”

I thought about voicing the offense I was feeling at the fact that he thought I needed his help to make friends, or that I didn’t have any. However, I stopped myself. “I don’t have a choice, do I?” I deadpanned, and Dr. Fitzgerald shook his head firmly.

“No, you don’t,” He stated, “So be nice.”

“Yes sir,” I replied, giving him a mock salute, and I got up out of my chair. “Can I go to class now?”

“Yes,” Dr. Fitzgerald answered tiredly, and he added, “I notified your teachers that you would probably be late to a couple of your classes.” I nodded and then walked quickly out of the office.

As I walked into the area of the main office that had Dr. Fitzgerald’s secretary, I took a moment to look Christian up and down. His dark hair was unkempt and ruffled on top of his head, and his muscular build was obvious, even in the standard white button down, tie, and slacks. However, the cockiness was definitely there in his body language.

“Oh, hey there,” Christian said, noticing my presence, and he nodded towards the secretary who was typing on her computer, “Cheryl, here, is just getting me my schedule.” I adjusted my backpack on my shoulders and scowled. Yes, I know I wasn’t being very friendly or approachable; that was the point.

Finally, Dr. Fitzgerald’s secretary handed Christian a couple papers, and he turned to me and gestured towards the door. “Shall we go?”

“Yeah, sure,” I replied gruffly, and I pushed past him and out of the office. My boots scuffed along the ground, and I glanced to the side to see Christian keeping perfect pace with me. “What do you want to see first?”

“How about my locker?” Christian suggested, and he showed me the number of his locker. I had to refrain from swearing when I saw that it was literally the locker right next to mine. I enjoyed not having to rub elbows with the person to my left, and now, that bliss was over. Christian, however, didn’t have to know that we were locker neighbors.

“Follow me,” I sighed, and I led him to the staircase. We were about halfway up the stairs when my shoelace got caught under my boot. I let out a choked up sound of surprise as I started to fall backwards, and my hands shot out for the banister of the stairs.

Suddenly, there was a hand on the small of my back, and another one was wrapped around my arm to keep me from falling. As I regained my bearings, I realized that it was Christian who was holding me up. “Careful, Alice,” he said, smirking, “Wouldn’t want you to fall down the rabbit hole.”

My stomach twisted at the reference to my favorite childhood novel, and I scowled. “I hate that book,” I growled, and I quickly regained my footing and pulled myself out of Christian’s grasp. “C’mon,” I said, continuing up the stairs, “Let’s just go find your locker.”

“Someone’s not very friendly,” Christian muttered, and I just ignored him. We reached the third floor, and I led Christian down the hall until I saw my locker. I walked over to the black metal lockers and looked back at Christian.

 “This is your locker,” I said, tapping my knuckle on the hard metal.

“Thanks,” Christian replied, and I moved to the side as he tested his combination and opened the locker. I tapped my foot impatiently against the floor as Christian placed his stuff in the locker, and I blew a strand of hair out of my face.

Suddenly, the bell rang, and the doors of nearby classrooms all swung open. Students started to mob the hallway, shoving their way through the sea of classmates to get to their next class. “Can you hurry up?” I asked, glancing over at Christian, “I don’t want to be late for class.” I didn’t actually care, but I was still annoyed with having the task of being a tour guide.

“Yeah, I’ll be done in a minute,” he stated, and he shoved a notebook into his backpack. Just as Christian swung his locker shut, one of the many people I couldn’t stand here at Trinity materialized in front of us.

Bianca Gold, along with her sidekicks, Jenna and Alexis, was the royalty of Trinity. Her parents were really good and sought after lawyers, and her family was loaded. The silver spoon she’d grown up having shoved in her mouth was evident, especially by the way she treated others who weren’t in her class.

Namely, me.

“Hey there, Amber,” Bianca said, giving me a smile so overly sweet, it made my molars hurt. 

“Alice,” I corrected, but she knew that. I couldn’t help but wonder what she was doing here, talking to me, since as far as I knew, scholarship kids were like shit on the bottom of her Prada boot.

“Right!” Bianca replied, putting her hand to her temple, “I totes knew that! It was just an honest mistake.”

“Sure it was,” I muttered under my breath, and I could feel Christian’s eyes burning into the side of my face, but I ignored him.

“So, Alice,” Bianca said, stressing my name, “Who’s your friend?”

“I’m Christian West,” Christian said, extending his hand.

“Son of William West?” Bianca asked, and when Christian nodded confidently, I could see the dollar signs flashing in her gold digging eyes.

Oh, now it all made sense. Bianca was getting ready sink her claws into Christian, and I was just the vessel she was using to get his name. I thought about telling her to screw off, but then I realized that maybe we could both help each other. 

“Bianca, can I ask you a favor?” I said, my voice mimicking the fake, friendly voice she’d been using on me moments ago.

“Excuse me?” Bianca demanded, and I noticed how she forgot to be nice this time. I know; it must shock her that some low life like me was asking her to do something. She should be nicer, since I was giving her an opportunity to secure her future.

“Well,” I drawled, and I hesitantly put a hand on Christian’s shoulder. “I’m supposed to show Christian, here, around school, since it’s his first day. However, I’m sure that you know much more about Trinity then I do.”

“That’s true,” Bianca purred, and she raked her eyes over Christian once.

“Right,” I replied, “So do you mind showing him around?”

“I guess I could take the job off your hands,” Bianca said slowly, after a minute of “thinking”.  Jenna and Alexis snickered from behind Bianca, and I clenched my fist behind my back.

“Thanks so much!” I gushed, and my smile was so big it hurt. I looked over at Christian, and I could tell that he knew I was just getting rid of him. He almost looked offended. “I’ll see you around,” I said, and then I turned on my heel and hurried down the hall towards my history class.

*

The bell rang, signaling the end of my final class of the day. At the fastest I’d moved all day, I scooped my notebook and binder up into my arms and grabbed my backpack. I walked quickly out of the room, and I let the sea of students push me towards my locker.

As I twisted my combo into the lock on my locker, I pulled my cell phone out of my back pocket and sent Phoebe a quick text, telling her to call me if she needed me while she was at Miranda’s. Then, I grabbed the folders I would need for my homework tonight.

I slammed my locker shut only to come face to face with Christian.

I jumped in surprise, and my hand flew up to my heart. “Jesus,” I breathed, taking a step back as my heart slowed down from heart attack speed, “You scared the shit out of me!”

“I just want you to know,” Christian said, smirking, “I felt ditched this morning.”

I rolled my eyes and stepped around him. “Your poor heart will heal,” I called over my shoulder, but as I started to walk towards the front of the school, I turned my head slightly to see Christian hurrying to catch up with me.

“That Bianca chick wasn’t very helpful,” Christian said, and despite the fact that he was a good six inches taller than me, he had to walk briskly to keep up with me. “You would’ve probably been a better tour guide, seeing as all she did was ask me about my dad.”

“This is my first year at this school,” I replied stiffly, “I’m sure you got more out of her guidance than you would’ve out of mine.”

“Oh, so you’re new, too?” Christian asked, and I sighed and nodded my head. “Where’d you go to school before this?” He questioned as I pushed out into the crisp afternoon air. “How long have you been here?”

“Look,” I said, turning and glaring at Christian. “That’s my business, okay? If you didn’t catch the hint earlier, I don’t want, or need, to be your friend.” I took a step back from him and added, “Now, if you don’t mind, I have to leave.”

I hopped quickly down the steps and walked towards the front gates. Despite my best attempts at will power, I glanced over my shoulder. Christian hadn’t moved from his spot, but he looked annoyed. I felt a pang of guilt in my stomach, but I quickly swallowed it away.

As I shoved through the gaggle of girls, I noticed Tray leaning against a parked car. “Hey,” I said, frowning in confusion, “What are you doing here?”

I was expecting a playful answer, but Tray didn’t crack a smile. “Dominic asked me to come get you.”

“Why?”

“We have a job.”

~~~~~

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