Noah, once again, abandoned Eli within five minutes. He stuck around long enough to point him towards the main offices and then took off before anyone saw them together. By the time the principal, a strict-looking Mr Barns, had given Eli the speech about grades and attendance, and sorted out his class schedule, school had started.
Miss Davis, his year head, showed him his locker. They had full length ones in this school. Eli didn’t even have one in his last school. The old place didn’t have enough for the number of students it held, so
“If you have any trouble with anything I’m always available during office hours.” Miss Davis said as she walked him to his first class. “And there is a tutoring system set up if you have difficulties with your studies.”
“Thanks.” Eli answered without looking up from his schedule. “I’ll let you know if I need it.”
“Noah is an excellent student.”
Eli glanced up at her, but she didn’t elaborate. They stopped outside a door that read
“I’m your new maths teacher.” She smiled at him. “If
She went into the room. Eli took in a deep breath then followed her. Everyone looked at him. He tried to spot a free desk
“Everyone, this is Eli Wallace, and he’s starting here today. A lot of you know his brother Noah, in the year above you.” Miss Davis introduced, mentioning his brother again. “Sinclair, since you’re the year’s representative I’d like to show him around for the day and help him get his
“No problem.” Sinclair answered in a flat tone.
Eli looked at her and cringed. It was the girl from the other night. Cameron’s girlfriend. She stared at him head on, with an irritated expression and a glint in her eye that promised trouble.
“Eli, why don’t you take a seat next to her?” Miss Davis turned to the board, “Everyone turn to page 53, we’ll be continuing on from last Friday.”
Eli adjusted his bag strap and made his way to the desk where Sinclair waited. She tapped her fingers over her books, seeming to think it over, before finally moving them out of his way. As he sat down, she looked him up and down and then stared at his face. Her gaze was a lot heavier than anyone else’s in the room.
“In case you were wondering, I
“I wasn’t in any doubt about that.” Eli pulled his copies out, placing them on the table. He didn’t have the guts to look at her head on, he could only study her out of the corner of his eye. He felt
“He’s got a thing for blondes.” Sinclair revealed, “Apparently a thing for dicks too.”
Across the room someone broke out in a sudden coughing fit.
“You know when you walked in—”
“Save it.” She dismissed him. “I’m not interested in any excuses for him. But, I would like to know one thing.”
Eli didn’t know if he wanted to ask or not, but he looked up from his blank notebook, waiting for her to continue. She wasn’t wearing the same irritated expression as before, but one
“Any good?” Eli couldn’t help the heat that flooded his cheeks.
“I guess that’s a yes?”
“Nothing happened.”
She gave him an incredulous look and raised an eyebrow.
“Hardly anything happened.” Eli corrected himself defensively. She
“Because I’m not crying or moping over a boy?” Sinclair snorted, “He’s not worth it.”
“Why were you in bed with him?” Sinclair asked back, as though the reason was obvious.
“I was looking for somewhere—”
“Because he’s hot.” Sinclair cut across his answer.
“Eli, Sinclair.” Miss Davis was leaning across her desk and frowning in their direction. “pay attention.”
Sinclair inclined her head towards the front of the
*
“What was the fight about?” Sinclair led Eli to a table in the middle of the cafeteria. Eli was still getting
“What fight?” Eli played coy as he set down his tray.
Sinclair shot an unimpressed glare in his direction, and he decided not to bother with the act.
“I
“Nope.” Sinclair pulled out a lunchbox from her bag. “You sure Oliver was the one who started it? Cameron’s way more hot-headed.”
“I’m sure” Eli rubbed his neck. He’d really felt like the reason had been to separate the two of them last night, but since Sinclair wasn’t behind it that didn’t really seem to be the case.
Two girls sat down at the table and pulled out lunchboxes. Eli glanced at his own meal from the cafeteria. “Something wrong with the food here?”
All three girls crinkled their noses.
“Everything tastes like grease and oil.” The girl on Eli’s right answered. She looked at his meal in disgust, then glanced at him. “I’m Phoebe. You’re Noah’s brother?”
“Eli.” he introduced.
“Oliver started the fight.” Sinclair announced.
Both the girl’s heads snapped to her. “For real? How do you know?”
“Eli,” Sinclair said, “He was there.”
“
“And anyone
The girl’s uninterested gaze shifted from confusion to understanding in half a second. Phoebe let out a small gasp, and then her face split into a smile.
“You were the guy? Ooh
“No, definitely not.” Eli
“Hmm” Sinclair popped her last bite of yogurt into her mouth. “You look closer to hitting him than jumping him.”
Eli opened his mouth to reply, but a tray packed with food being placed onto the end of the table made him pause. “He,” Cameron plonked don’t into the chair at the end of the table, “already did that.”
“Oh?” Sinclair turned to Eli with a raised eyebrow. “You didn’t mention that?”
“Yeah.” Cameron rubbed his discoloured jaw with a pout. “It’s
“Oliver left that bruise” Eli flicked his gaze over his lips, but found no mark or even any broken skin. It
“I’m sure Oliver had a good reason for it.” Sinclair remarked idly, though her gaze stayed keenly on Cameron
Cameron just shrugged and moved his attention to the lunch in front of him. Eli wouldn’t have minded hearing the reason behind that spat either. He flicked his gaze over Cameron’s down-turned head once more, then turned away, rubbing his shoulder that had
Eli focused on Phoebe and
When the bell finally went, Eli was glad. It was probably him being self-conscious, or perhaps not since he was the new kid, but it felt like everyone was staring at him. Even as he moved about from class to class, the feeling stayed with him for the rest of the day.
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