Eden High: Series 1 (Eden High 1-6)

***

“So how are things at school princess? You get the results back from the state finals yet?”

“No that’s next week dad.”

“How do you think you did?”

“Dad you ask me that every night.”

“I know kiddo it’s because I’m so proud of you.”

“I’m proud of you too.” I kissed his head, feeling so lucky to have such a loving family. It makes me wonder how one’s life could be so vastly different.

Here, I’m the beloved daughter, cherished and protected. At school where I’m supposed to be protected, the place where I spend most of the hours of my young life, I’m subjected to terror.

There’s something disturbingly wrong with this picture.

Upstairs alone in my room, the room that I had decorated myself because mom decided I was old enough to do it, I put on my iPod and did my homework. To the strains of sixties music I studied and let my mind wander every once in a while, to Shane.

Chapter 7

SIAN

I barely made it through the rest of practice, my mind kept wandering to him and I spent more time gazing off onto the football field to catch a glimpse than I did paying attention.

It was a good thing that all we were doing was exercise for now because I was afraid if I had to fly I’d land on my ass or break my neck.

I wasn’t sure if anyone noticed my distracted state, but I tried to keep it on the down low. There was a better than great chance that he belonged to one of these girls. There’s no way that someone who looked like that wasn’t already taken.

Though very averse to poaching, I found my mind straying to just such a thought. I felt suddenly bereft and melancholy, and my usual zest for contorting myself into inhuman positions was now gone. You could say there was a cloud in my stone.

“I saw you looking, don’t even think about it, he’s taken.” Mandy came out of nowhere when I was leaving the locker room. I saw her posse off to the side watching us.

I knew it, but why did it have to be her? I had found with the more time spent in her presence I had a total dislike for this sub human. She was such a cliché as to be laughable.

Still, good morals dictate that I leave that shit alone, though my body, as yet untried had other ideas.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about; by the way you need to work on your one man you’re a little weak in the knees, someone could get hurt.” I walked away and left her fuming.

For some reason I found myself royally pissed at the unknown jackass that had the bad taste to date that twit.

None of your business Sian, I’m sure there are other worthy applicants roaming these halls.

But not once since mom and dad had lifted the seal had I had that reaction to anyone.

Before, when I couldn’t date, I didn’t even let myself look over the menu, why bother? It’s like being on a diet and heading to the bakery. Though there had been a few guys that had sparked a slight interest, but nothing to write home about.

Then afterwards when they gave the all clear, there hadn’t been enough time between then and the move.

Now my first real eye opener was out of my reach. I had no doubt that she wolf would hunt me down and eat my young if I even breathed in his direction.

I had to wait for Jared to finish with his stupid practice to take me home, so I decided to not tempt fate any farther and go wait by the car instead of heading to the field where ‘he’ was. Though I wanted to so badly.

It didn’t matter that I didn’t like her I live by a certain creed. If I wouldn’t like something for myself I can’t do it to others. Bummer.

Fifteen minutes later I saw them coming. My heart started to race and I got that feeling like I was falling again. My limbs got heavy and my head grew light.

He was looking at me like he knew me. You know that look, like he could see right through me. I caught myself staring and salivating and looked away.

How dare he? I hate guys like that. He has a girl, so why was he looking at me like I was his next meal?

I dropped into my seat studiously ignoring him as my brother finished talking before joining me. I barely restrained myself from asking about the dreamboat, and I still didn’t know his name.

When he walked over to the Phantom and got in, all I could do was shake my head. It figures. Now I was sullen and out of sorts for the rest of the ride home.

Jared didn’t seem to notice he just kept going on and on about how much fun he was going to have here.

***

Mom and dad had a million and one questions. You’d think Jared and I had attended kindergarten for the first time. I guess the first day in a new school worked out to about the same thing for them.

Maggie was happy enough, full of chatter about her new school and her new friends and all the exciting things she was going to be doing this year.

I reminded myself to grill her later and make sure all was really well and that no one was bothering her.

It had been a while since I’d been faced with the perils of school politics, but after all that I’d seen today, and that look on little Cassandra’s face, my eyes were reopened.

Maggie is an introvert; she holds things in a lot, so if I wanted to know anything I’d have to pry.

Where I might’ve been a bit reticent to stick my foot in where my own situation was concerned, I wouldn’t be too accepting if I found that my little sister was at the receiving end of that crap.

Jared, when it was his turn, went on and on about the new team and what he hoped for this year. I turned my nose up a couple times but I was secretly proud of him. He really excelled at that stupid game.