Finally, I was off to school. I wasn't too excited but at least I would spend my time doing something profitable. Brockwood High School. It was just any typical high school. I had been to a few of those and my experiences were not pleasant at all. I was determined to just lay low, not get in any trouble and not partake in any extracurricular activities.

The day passed by uneventfully- almost. As I was looking for a place to sit at the cafeteria, I saw the girl I had met earlier. What was her name again? Eleanor, yeah, Eleanor. Please don't let her recognise her. Please don't let her see me, I silently pleaded as I tried to cover my face with my tray. All my attempts proved futile. She saw me and recognised me.

"Courtney! Hi. Come and sit with us" , Eleanor said.

I took a seat next to two other girls.

"Were you able to find Bessie?" Eleanor asked.

"No", I replied.

Eleanor introduced me to the two other girls who were Amanda and Barbara. For the next few days, I always sat with these three. I didn't want to get especially close to anyone, but they broke down the wall I had built around myself and soon enough, they became my friends.

Over the course of time, I realised that they were bad company. All my instincts told me to stop hanging out with them but I didn't listen. They were fun to hang out with. They were cool, up to date on all the latest things and were friendly. I wanted to keep them as friends for a long time.

I entered the school library and took a seat. One of my secret pleasures was reading. I could read for hours on end. Today, I was doing some research for a project I was working on. I found some books and made myself comfortable at a desk. After finishing my research, I was about to leave when I heard someone addressing me.

"Hey. Are you new?" a girl asked me.

She had short brown hair and emerald green eyes. She wore glasses as well.

"Yeah", I said, making an attempt to leave. I was not ready to make any conversation with anyone.

"I'm Liv. It's nice to meet you", she said.

"I'm Courtney. I really gotta go now. It was nice meeting you", I said and walked out of the library.

Eleanor, Amanda, Barbara and I were on our way to the mall. Eleanor pulled me aside and I was surprised by what she said.

"Do you know Liv?" she asked me.

"No, not really. She spoke to me yesterday", I said.

"Stay away from her. This is a free piece of advice I'm giving you. She is just going to brainwash you with her silly ideas and beliefs", Eleanor told me.

"Okay", I said.

"Good. I'm glad you understand."