Brooks Scott

It took about ten whole minutes to get to the place behind the school where we were meeting up with the rest of Callum's friends. I inspected all my surroundings the whole way there to learn it. Was I ever planning on sneaking out of here on my own? No. Still, it was nice to know the way over to the secluded, forest-like place behind the school.

One thing I learned on the way here? Callum doesn't have a mute button. There was not one moment of silence during those ten minutes. Normally, I wouldn't care. I like talking to people. But when we were about to plan a secret sneak-out in the next couple of minutes, my mind could not handle all the talking. I felt bad that I wasn't paying attention to him but it was hard to.

My heart was racing a million miles a minute. You'd think I'd never done things ten times worse than sneaking out.

Callum and I were the last two people to arrive. The air was a little bitter and I was thankful for the double jacket I had brought. "Are we ready?" Mina whispered when she noticed us. She held up her phone with the flashlight on. "Hell yeah," Callum replied, rubbing his hands together. Everyone huddled closer together as Mina explained the plan once more.

Two of us had to distract the guards that stood just outside of this rod-iron fence. Kai and Rowan offered, being the fastest out of the rest of us. They would distract them long enough for the rest of us to get by. Since they were fast, it would be easy enough for them to run away from the guards into this old bunker hidden in the deep woods.

Nearby the bunker is an old abandoned building with the bikes. After a couple of minutes, we'd take off into the town from there. We hid behind tall trees like Mina instructed while Kai and Rowan started being rowdy as they started to run in the opposite direction. Once we heard four sets of feet running instead of two, we ran for our lives toward the bunker.

My mind flashed back to that night a couple of weeks ago that had gotten me here. I ran like hell away from the cops but it wasn't enough to get away. Now I'm stuck in a delinquent school still doing delinquent shit.

Didn't I tell myself that I was going to behave?
I promised my family I would be back home in December.

It was my parents who decided to send me here though. They thought this would be a good idea. Well, jokes on them because it definitely was not a good idea if I'm still sneaking out just like I was doing at home. Who knew a bunch of teenagers could outsmart boarding school security?

By the time we arrived at the abandoned bunker, I was out of breath. All that alcohol and cigarettes weren't good for me but I didn't care. My hands rested on my knees as I caught my breath. "Oh, thank God," Mina spoke up first, sounding out of breath herself. "C'mon then, we have to leave before we get caught," Lacey demanded. Mina nodded, "Cal turn on Kai and Ro's bikes."

"Yes, queen," Callum replied, hurrying to do as he was told. A minute passed before Kai and Rowan showed up laughing. "Works every time," Rowan said. He smacked Kai's arm lightly before his gaze settled in on what I'm assuming was his bike. He raced over to it and hopped on quickly. "Who's riding with me?"

Kai and Callum hopped on their bikes as well. "Come on then, Mani. You're riding with me," Callum said to the quiet girl. I hadn't really spoken to her and this was my first time even seeing her. I noticed the way she rolled her eyes but followed Callum to his bike anyway. He slipped on his helmet and handed her one too. "I'll go with whoever," Lacey shrugged.

"Emmy, can Brooks use your bike and ride with Lacey?" Mina asked. We'd been over the fact that I knew how to drive a motorcycle. One of my friends back home has one and he'd let me borrow it whenever I wanted. Emerson looked over at me and the look on her face wasn't pleasant. "If you fuck up my bike, you owe me a new one."

She walks over to Rowan's motorcycle and grabs the extra helmet, putting it over her head and hopping on behind him. "Thanks," I said and grabbed the two helmets, handing one to the blonde. Mina joins Kai and Rowan takes off first once we're all settled. Emerson's bike roars to life, making a beautiful noise. The sound gets my heart pumping with adrenaline.

I look down when I feel arms around my waist. Adjusting my grip on the handles, I'm the last to take off after Callum. As soon as the night time air hits me, a smile spreads across my face. Riding a bike feels fucking amazing. It's also an automatic which makes it more fun for me to mess around. I do take into consideration that there's a girl behind me though.

The streets of London are far from empty even on a Monday night but we're able to get through traffic quickly. In front of me, the guys drive like they're trying to get arrested. It makes it hard to keep up but I do anyway, hoping this isn't how we get caught. I notice Rowan take a sharp left and prepare for it myself once I get there. We pull into another street, both sides full of cars.

This must be where the bar is. I look for the absurd name on any of the buildings, finding it at the very end. The parking lot is pretty small but we find a space to park our bikes next to each other. "Ahh, smells like heaven," Callum said, smiling up at the building. It actually smells like trash and ball sweat but I guess we all have different ideas of what heaven smells like.

"Okay, you guys know the deal. Stick with your girl all night because there are some absolute creeps here," Mina announced, wrapping her arm around Kai. "Uhm, I don't want to be with Ro all night," Emerson piped up. Rowan makes a face. "That's fine, you can be with Br-"

"I'll take Callum," Emerson added before Mina got to finish her sentence. She joined his side then and he looked confused. I saw his eyes flit over to Imani, who looked down. "Oh- okay. Uh, Imani which boy do you want?" Mina asked her. She looked back up to scout her options. Her gaze stayed on Rowan and Kai for some time before she looked over at me. "I'll take the new boy, I guess."

Everyone including me was surprised by her pick. We hadn't even said a word to each other and she picked me over two guys she's known longer. I wasn't complaining at all. Even though we may have nothing in common, I could make conversation with a trash can if I wanted to. "Ro take Mina and I'll take Lace," Kai suggested.

Lacey's eyes widened with shock when Kai pulled her and wrapped his long arm around her shoulders. "Fine by me," Ro said and went over to Mina. "Watch out for creeps, okay? Have fun but no leaving unless you tell one of us," Mina instructed and it seemed like she had done this a million times before. Everyone linked arms with their partner for the night so I did the same with Imani.

"I'm Brooks," I introduced myself more formally to her. She looked up at me and I had just realized how small she was. "Imani." As we walked past the burly guard at the door, I felt her grip on my arm tighten. He looked us up and down but just jutted his head for us to go in. Once we were inside, she loosened up again. "Sorry, I hate that part," she told me.

"Why?" I questioned curiously. As we finally walked into the bar, I realized it was more like a bar and club combined into one. The air smelled of strong alcohol and sweat. It might've not been the nicest smell but it brought back memories from home. All those nights my friends and I would spend time getting blackout drunk. I'd never been to a nightclub before though.

In America, you have to be at least twenty-one and we didn't have fake IDS. The atmosphere in here did feel a bit strange though and it put me on guard to protect the girl I'm with. Especially when I notice her getting stared down like she's fresh meat. "We're minors. We can't get caught. Also, the security guards here are sketchy," Imani explained.

That's true. The place as a whole is sketch. "Over here gals and guys," Mina waved us over to the bar and ordered drinks. Rowan kept a protective hand on her shoulder. Are we supposed to act like their boyfriends? I look over at Kai who has his arm around Lacey's shoulder still, their fingers intertwined. Then there's Callum who hugs Emmy from behind, his chin on her shoulder.

They're most likely comfortable doing that with one another because they've been friends for a while. I on the other hand just met Imani so it would be weird to do anything they're doing. Still, I let her keep her arm wrapped around mine. Mina and Ro pass around the shots with brown liquid, most likely tequila. Luckily it was cold which would make it easier to take down.

"Okay guys, here's to an amazing sixth year. No fights, no drama, and no wasted time. Let's make the most out of our time here before we're gone. Also, cheers to Brooks and his first semester at Haven. Let's try to not scare him off," Mina made the cheers before we all took down the tequila. The burn only lasted a couple of seconds before it felt natural to me. It ignited a familiar feeling in my body and I found myself ordering another drink.

Imani asked for a diet Coke and after we got our drinks, we made our way over to an empty section near the dance floor. Most of the people here were older, probably in their thirties and forties. Only a couple of other younger folk were here including us. Deciding this was the perfect opportunity for me to get more input on what to expect here, I turned over to Imani who stared in Callum's direction over the rim of her soda can.

"So, tell me about Havenpoint. Being the new guy isn't as easy as it looks," I started the conversation. Imani turned her attention to me, setting her Coke down on the table. "Honestly it's just like an other boarding school only with more security and watchful eyes. Nothing special. Oh, but there are a bunch more pricks here than there'd be at any other school," she fakes a small smile. "You'll do fine, I think. You've already made a couple of friends by the looks of it. We don't ever invite new people to first-nights-out so they must like you."

My eyes flit over to Emerson. Callum dances in a goofy way in front of her and she's barely smiling. "Except her," I said lowly. Imani caught it though, looking over at her friends. She made a face, furrowed brows, and a frown. I don't know if it was at Emerson or Callum's horrible dancing skills. "Don't worry about Emmy. It takes a while for people to grow on her. She's very... weary. Overall, cool girl, though. I guess," Imani shrugged, picking up her Coke again.

Mina told me the same thing about Emerson earlier which proves that she was telling the truth since Imani just backed up her statement. Maybe I just have to apologize for cock blocking her and Asher earlier and she'll slowly start to like me. Usually people not liking me isn't an issue. Not trying to kiss my own ass but I'm a likable guy.

I'm not a dick.
I'm nice to people because I want to be and not because of any other reason.

And I could have a three hour conversation with a wall if possible.

Mina did mention how introverted Imani was earlier but she doesn't seem shy to me. "Tell me about her. Maybe I can get her to grow on me if we share common interests," I said, taking a big swig of my vodka grenadine mixture. "You're asking the wrong person. Emmy and I aren't that close. You'd have a better shot asking Cal or Mina," she told me.

"I thought all of you were pretty close," I said then. She shrugged. "We're all friends, yes. Some of us are closer than others. I couldn't tell you a thing about Kai either. Besides that, he's on the track and field team." Interesting. I make a note in my head that Emerson's closer to Callum and Mina. "What about you?" I asked. Imani makes eye contact with me. She's not very good at it. "Me what?"

"Who are you closest to?" I questioned. She looks around her friends. We're the only ones who are sitting down. "Cal and Mina too, I guess. Mina was the first friend I made here at HP and Callum well, I don't know. We're not that close but I know him more than the other two guys," she explained.

I'm pretty good at reading so I could tell she was more comfortable around Callum. Mina seems to be that person in the friend group that gets along with everyone.

Callum too. I'm not sure about Rowan and Kai but from what I've seen they stick around each other the most. Lacey is always around Mina as well. Emerson is quiet and reserved but she'll be around Callum and Mina a lot. This is my first time meeting Imani so I didn't quite know much about who she got along with. "Where are you from?" she asked me.

"California. A city called Oak Hill," I replied. She nodded. "Never heard of it but then again, I don't know much about America. Only that you lot have interesting accents." A smile pulled at my lips. "Making fun of my accent now, Imani?" I teased.

She actually smiled and it was the first one I'd seen from her. "No, I like an American accent. The thought of accents is just intriguing to me. When Americans say tomato instead of tomato," she said the two words differently.

"Tomato," I repeated the Americanized way and she giggled. We spent the next twenty minutes saying words in our accents and I've never seen someone so wildly entertained. It only stopped when Emerson and Callum approached us. The brunette held an open box of cigarettes in my direction, eyebrows raised. Was she offering me one? I slowly reached to grab one and she didn't stop me. "Thanks."

She pulled out the unlit cigarette between her teeth. "There's no smoking in here, American Boy. Outside," Emerson said, turning on her heels as she headed for the exit. Callum patted my shoulder for me to follow as he took a seat next to Imani. She gave me a small smile before I quickly followed behind Emerson.

Without a glance, she stepped by the large bouncer and slipped near the corner of the bar. Pulling out her lighter, she lit her cigarette, immediately blowing out a puff. She handed me the lighter and I lit my own. The warmth of the deadly product in between my lips calmed me. This place was for sure sketchy. Emerson wrapped an arm around herself as she stared off into the distance.

We didn't say a word to each other for a long time. Just smoked in silence.

That was until I noticed a chill rack through her body. She was cold. I pulled off my letterman jacket immediately and held it out for her. "Here, take it," I said. She looked at me like I just offered her something revolting. "No, thanks." Emerson turned away again and my eyes scanned her outfit.

She wore a tight, black mini skirt with some see-through leggings underneath and a tiny white top. Her long boots may have warmed her calves but there wasn't much warmth to her outfit. Getting her alone was the perfect opportunity to apologize to her, I realized. Her body was faced away from me so with one more large inhale of smoke, I blew it out in the air and stepped in front of her.

The girl looked me up and down like she was confused by what I was doing. I was taller than her but she wasn't too short like Imani or Lacey. Still, she had to look up at me as she stepped back. "I'm sorry for earlier," I apologized again. "I'll make sure I know when Asher has company next time. Trust me, I don't want to see that as much as you don't want me to see it," I assured.

This had been the first chance I had the opportunity to fully look at the girl.

I'd only gotten a small glimpse earlier as she quietly escaped my dorm room. Her hair was a darker brown than mine but her eyes were a couple of shades lighter blue. She had almond eyes, a button nose, and plump lips that were currently painted red. Attractive girl, I'll give her that.

"There was nothing to see," she muttered, turning away from me again. She was hard headed but it didn't make me want to try any less. I took another puff from my cigarette before throwing it on the ground and putting it out with my foot. I stepped in front of her again and stuck my hand out in front of me. "Nice to meet you, I'm Brooks."

"What are you doing?"
"What's your name?"

Emerson looked at me dumbfounded. "I don't know what you're trying to do but it's not going to work." I've always liked a challenge. "Emerson? Cool name. Can I call you Emmy?" I asked. She scoffed into a chuckle. "Absolutely not." My brows furrowed. "All your friends call you Emmy." The brunette inhaled the cigarette once more before putting it out on the brick wall next to us. "You're not my friend."

Her voice came out in almost a whisper but it sounded definite. Like she wouldn't change her mind on the words she just spoke. Without another word, she walked back inside the bar. It took me about five seconds to react and follow behind her. Despite her resentment towards me, I didn't want to leave her by herself. Not even five feet into the bar, a body was pushed into mine causing me to stumble back but catch the smaller body nevertheless.

It was Emerson. She quickly pulled herself up and while I wanted to check on her, the yelling in front of us caught my attention more. Rowan was getting in someone's face while Mina stood behind him, holding onto his arm. She wasn't trying to stop him though. She looked scared. Emerson's eyes were wide as she watched and her focus was on Mina.

Shit.

The others were nowhere to be found so I stepped into the conflict. "Let's go, big man," I told Rowan, putting my hand in between his and the beefy, blonde guy's chest. "Don't even look at her again or I'll pull your eyes out of their sockets and shove them up your fat arse," Ro seethed and the asshole in front of him laughed. "Mina," Emerson shouted and I realized that the little blonde was running off. "Ro!" Kai finally shouted.

He pushed me back and stepped in front of Rowan. "Let's get the fuck out of here," he told him. Rowan never once moved his eyes from the prick in front of him though. "He touched Mina," he said through clenched teeth. Kai didn't even hesitate to turn on his heels and throw a punch. Rowan smirked like a proud father as the asshole fell to the ground.

Damn, Kai's strong as fuck. Remind me not to fuck with him.

Kai was about to get on top of him but Rowan pulled his arm. "Let's go," Rowan told me as he pulled Kai away. Kai's deadly brown eyes never moved from the guy as we were kicked out of the bar. Emerson and Mina were over by the corner of the bar where we had been smoking earlier. "Callum and Imani are still inside," I probed. Lacey had been behind Kai the entire time but stayed back from the brawl.

"Text them," Lacey said as she walked over to Emerson and Mina. Rowan was the one trying to calm Kai now but Kai shrugged his friend's arms away and pushed past him towards Mina. I did as Lacey said and texted in the group chat.

Brooks: Callum, Imani, we're outside the bar ready to go. Got kicked out.

While everyone else is hovering around Mina, I watch the door and the beefy bouncer who stares me and the friend group down. Asshole. Callum and Imani come out of the bar two minutes later looking confused until they spot me. "What happened?" Imani asked first. "I don't exactly know. Emerson and I were outside and walked back into a fight. I think some guy was trying to mess with Mina," I told them.

Without another word, Imani leaves Callum's side and joins the rest of her friends. Callum stays in front of me but I can tell he's worried. "Did you tell Kai?" he asked, still looking over in the direction of his friends. "Rowan was all up on the guy until Kai came and punched the shit out of him," I told him. A small smile lifts his lips and I've never seen a smaller smile from this guy. "Good."

We join the rest of them a couple of minutes later and I can tell Mina's upset. Kai leads her over to his bike and the rest of us follow along. We all return to the abandoned building and store the bikes away. It wasn't fun riding home knowing that something like that had ruined the night out. I was worried about Mina. She wasn't her usual cheery self.

Callum showed me the way back to campus. There was no worrying about getting past the guards this time around since they weren't in the area we were going through. The girls walked in front of us as they all suggested staying with Mina tonight. Kai was still pissed off and no one could calm him down so we didn't try to. Rowan walked back with Kai to his dorm while Callum joined me on the way to mine.

"Is Mina going to be alright?" I asked Callum once those two were gone. I didn't want to trigger Kai anymore by talking about the situation. He seemed protective over his girlfriend. "I'm sure the gals will try and lift her spirits. She'll be good in no time," Callum replied but his usual cheekiness didn't reach his voice. "Anyway, how was the smoke with Emmy? She grow on ya, lad?"

His words take me back to that moment at the stupid bar. I tried with the girl and she didn't budge. Mina and Imani were right when they said she doesn't like new people. She damn near loathes me and we barely know one another. "Not exactly. She's a tough shell to crack, huh?" I questioned as we stopped in front of my dorm. Callum nodded with his hands on his hips. "I told her to give you a chance which is why she asked you for a smoke. Girl never listens."

It shouldn't be forced. If Emerson wants to be my friend, I want it to be in her own manner, not someone else's.

"Thanks, man. I'll try again another day," I joked. A boyish grin touched his face and he smacked my shoulder lightly. "I'll see ya tomorrow, lad. Get some sleep, yeah?" I returned the words before unlocking my dorm to get in. Asher was passed out luckily and didn't seem to budge as I came back in. It was a bit late and I thought I would sleep until my phone buzzed.

Miles Dempsey: Hey, B. How was your first day? Let me know. Nola's really busy but she'll give you that call soon. You're probably passed out but I just wanted to see how you were doing. We miss you here, kid.

My eyes roll at the message. They all dumped me off here. I was still bitter about the fact. Without replying, I turned my phone back off.

I had survived one day at Havenpoint but who knew what was to come? All I know is that I want out of here by December. Just because today was an alright day didn't mean I liked it here. Oak Hill was my home, not fucking London. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours and I already felt lonely.

Being here didn't even feel right. I had no purpose here. Once my time came to go back home, it would be so easy. Cause Havenpoint would never be anything to me. Not like Oak Hill. This was just the situation I was in for the time being.

Surviving these next couple of months was all I had to do.
Then, I would never have to look back here again.