The more I scrolled, the more I realized there wasn’t.
I set the phone in the sand and stared at it as I wrapped my arms around my legs, feeling rootless and completely untethered.
The rest of the weekend was about the same as my first day. I crept around the house like I was living in a museum, afraid to touch anything. There were hardly any pictures in the place, and almost none of my mom.
Are they really that ashamed of her?
It was almost a relief when Monday rolled around. Nervousness made my stomach twist, but no matter how bad Oak Park might be, it had to be better than the awkward, tense atmosphere of this house.
My school uniform had arrived over the weekend, and I threw it on quickly before heading downstairs. When I reached the front door, Jacqueline was waiting for me. She gave me an appraising look and nodded toward the door.
“Our car is waiting.”
The driver tossed my bag into the trunk as I slid into the seat behind my grandmother, tucking my backpack between my feet.
“We’ll get you a car of your own and have it delivered to campus sometime this week,” she said as we drove. “You can stay in your dorm over the weekends or come back home—it’s up to you.”
“Sounds good.”
I offered up a weak smile. No matter how nice the words sounded, her offer didn’t seem quite genuine.
The black gates opened, and the car pulled into the massive campus. I saw a sign for student parking, but we rolled past it, following the curving road toward the large school building. Two other buildings clustered around it, and they all looked much more imposing up close than they had from the road. Each one seemed to loom over me, and I felt a shiver crawl up my spine.
“What are you waiting for? You’re going to be late.”
I jerked. “Right. Sorry. Thanks.”
“I’ll have your things brought to your room. The registrar is expecting you.”
I snatched up my backpack and slid out of the car, forcing my feet to carry me toward the huge white building.
Breathe. It’s just a school. You’ll be fine.
The closer I got to the intricately detailed doors, the more my mantra felt like complete bullshit. But I steadied myself and pushed onward.
Chapter 3
I made my way to the registrar’s office and stood at the counter as I waited for my schedule to be printed off. The woman behind the desk handed it to me, and she must’ve noticed the slightly panicked look on my face because she glanced behind me, raising her voice.
“Leah, could you come in here a minute?”
A girl popped her head into the office, raising her eyebrows in question. “What’s up, Miss S?
“Miss Simms, Leah, please. Can you show Talia around? She’s a transfer student; this is her first day.”
“Oh. Yeah, sure.”
The girl bounced inside the room, grinning at me. Her auburn hair was cut in a sleek bob, and she wore the same uniform I did—a navy skirt with two white bands around the bottom, a white dress shirt with a red tie, and a white blazer with navy trim. There were freckles spattered across the bridge of her nose and cheeks, and her skin glowed with a soft tan. Her eyes opened wide with interest as she took me in, and she extended a slender, manicured hand.
“I’m Leah. Nice to meet you.”
“Talia.”
“Where you from?”
“Sand Valley.”
Her face scrunched up. “Umm…”