Brooklyn watched as the trees whizzed past as Brandon drove them to school. She was aware that Brandon was talking, but her concentration wasn't on him.
"Hey." Brandon gently poked Brooklyn and she looked at him. "You alright?"
"Fine," Brooklyn smiled.
"You sure?" Brandon frowned. "Is it to do with Harry? Why was he with you last night-"
"I'm fine," she said. "I just have a lot on my mind today."
"Do you want to talk about-" Brandon stopped talking when Brooklyn shook her head.
"I want to forget about it," Brooklyn said stiffly and Brandon nodded in understanding.
"Well, you've got the wonders of school to look forward too," he said sarcastically and Brooklyn chuckled as he drove into the school car park.
"Thanks for the lift," Brooklyn smiled.
"Do you need me to accompany you to your first class?"
"Alice said she'll meet me by my locker," Brooklyn said. "We have bio together."
"Cool," Brandon nodded and Brooklyn got out of the car. She walked into school and mentally high fived herself when she remembered the way to her locker. Alice was leaning against Brooklyn's locker, looking at her phone and chewing a piece of gum.
"Hi," Brooklyn greeted and Alice looked up with a bright smile.
"Hey, you ready to dissect some frogs?" Alice said cheerily. "I wish we got to do that, but all we really do in bio is answer questions out of text books."
"Sounds fun," Brooklyn said sarcastically.
"And the fact that my brother is in the class makes it even better," Alice said and rolled her eyes.
"I spoke to him yesterday, he doesn't seem that bad," Brooklyn said.
"Just wait," Alice said. "The toe rag will start to grate on you."
Brooklyn chuckled and the two girls made their way to their first lesson. "I spoke to Harry last night," Brooklyn said quietly and Alice's eyebrows shot up.
"Last night?" She questioned as Sasha joined the pair on their way to their class.
"Brooke was with Harry last night," Alice said immediately and Sasha looked at Brooklyn curiously.
"Last night?" She said.
"I wasn't with him," Brooklyn said. "I bumped into him. Literally."
"What happened?" Sasha asked eagerly as the three girls walked into their class and took their seats.
"I... He... He walked me home," Brooklyn said. "Well... Ran me home. I was out for a jog."
"And you just had to go and make us look bad by being active," Alice pouted and Brooklyn laughed.
"He walked you home? You mean he offered?"
"Not exactly," Brooklyn said. "He didn't give me a choice."
Sasha pursed her lips. "Interesting," she murmured. "He doesn't really bother with girls to be honest, you'd be a first."
"Well, he's not really bothering with me," Brooklyn said. "He's seems like a bit of an ass actually."
"Do you like him?" Sasha wondered.
"I just called him an ass."
"Looks wise?" Alice questioned and Brooklyn shrugged, smiling sheepishly.
"There's no denying he is a gorgeous human being, but first impressions of him personality wise aren't good, he's a bit of an ass," Brooklyn admitted and she froze when Sasha and Alice both looked up. Brooklyn followed their gazes and her eyes landed on Harry.
He was dressed in black ripped skinny jeans, a fitted dark green t-shirt and his blonde hair was pushed back messily, ends flicking out in random directions. His vibrant green eyes were staring straight at her and his face was blank.
"What's the betting he heard all that?" Alice whispered and Sasha nudged her when her whispering didn't really count considering Harry was less than two meters away.
"Rather high," Brooklyn murmured and Harry walked up to the desk the girls were sitting at and placed a pen in front of Brooklyn. Her pen.
"Really high," he said, not breaking eye contact with Brooklyn. Brooklyn held her breath when he leaned forward so his face was inches from hers and a flicker of a smirk formed in his face. "Thanks for the compliment." In a flash he was standing upright and walking across the classroom to join Greyson and Ace, not giving Brooklyn another glance.
Sasha turned to Brooklyn and couldn't help but smirk, despite her feelings towards Harry and his friends. "He is definitely bothering you."
Brooklyn frowned and sneaked a glance at Harry, only to get caught by Greyson who raised his eyebrows at her. She quickly looked back to the girls and frowned. "Why?"
*
At lunch time Brooklyn met even more people in the canteen and she was starting to feel more comfortable in the new school. Everyone seemed nice, but of course there were a few exceptions.
These exceptions were in the form of makeup caked barbies, otherwise known as Stacy and her cronies.
I.e the girls Sasha had warned Brooklyn about.
Stacy liked to think she owned the school when in reality she was a bitch who scared people into pretending to love her and worship her every move.
Stacy had taken one look at Brooklyn; who was a natural blonde, had a bubbly personality and was pretty without piling on a ridiculous amount of makeup, and decided she didn't like her. In Stacy's eyes Brooklyn was a threat, even though Brooklyn had no intention to dethrone her.
"New chick, yes?"
Brooklyn was halfway through eating a slight of pizza when Stacy strutted over and sat down opposite her, ignoring Violet who was about to sit in that very same seat.
Brooklyn nodded as she lowered her pizza to the table and wiped her hands. "Yes. Can I help you?"
"I heard your parents kicked you out of your house so you've been forced to move her with an aunt and uncle that hate you," Stacy said, her face turning into a huge overly fake, patronising smile. She wanted to intimidate Brooklyn and make her feel worthless so there would be no chance of Brooklyn standing up to her.
Brooklyn was slightly taken aback by Stacy's rudeness, but she recovered quickly and matched Stacy's smile. "I think you may be mistaken, hun. Maybe if you get your head out of the clouds, focus on something other than yourself and magazines and tear your gaze away from your reflection then you might get your facts right," Brooklyn said sweetly. "You don't know me or my family so please refrain from making any further comments about them."
Stacy raised her eyebrows in shock, not expecting Brooklyn to have a backbone. "Who do you think you are, you bitch," Stacy scowled.
"According to you I'm someone who has been kicked out and is now living with people that hate her," Brooklyn said with a shrug. "But just so you know for future reference, I'm Brooke, it's been lovely to meet you, but you my pizza is more important than you and currently it's going cold." Brooklyn smiled brightly and took a bite of her pizza. "Also, I think Violet wants her seat. So can you move along?"
Stacy looked from Brooklyn, who was smiling innocently, to Alice and Sasha who were trying to contain their laughter and she glared at Brooklyn. "Watch your back," Stacy snarled and abruptly stood up. She walked away in a huff and narrowly avoided barging Violet's shoulder who sat down opposite Brooklyn.
"That was amazing!" Alice whispered and grinned like a Cheshire Cat.
"Brooke, I haven't known you for that long, but do you mind if I confess my love for you?" Sasha said dramatically.
"Did I just witness somebody standing up to Stacy?" Violet wondered, raising her eyebrows impressively at Brooklyn.
"I believe you did," Brooklyn nodded. "How rude was she saying that about my family?"
"She's a bitch," Sasha said and grinned. "And you completely owned her."
Brooklyn smiled. "I've always hated girls like her."
"You better keep an eye out though," Violet warned. "She doesn't like competition."
"Competition?" Brooklyn said and shook her head. "I'm happy as long as she leaves me alone so I can eat my pizza in peace."
*
Brooklyn was sitting at the back of the French class waiting for Sasha who had gone to the toilet before class started.
Brooklyn hated French with a passion and she glared at her book as she slammed it onto her desk.
"What did that book ever do to you, Brooklyn?"
Brooklyn gasped and looked up as Harry slid into the seat next to her. She immediately pulled away from him, not wanting to feel him or the strange sparks. Harry noted Brooklyn's retreat and raised his eyebrows.
"What do you want, Harry?" Brooklyn asked.
"Nothing," he shrugged.
"Then why are you sitting next to me?"
"Because you have something to tell me," he said and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I think you're mistaken," Brooklyn said and looked down at her book, trying to rack her brain for the French words that made up today's date.
"I'm never mistaken."
Brooklyn snorted. "Someone is confident."
Harry nodded and Brooklyn gasped when he reached over and snatched her pen out of her hands.
"Hey!" She snapped. "Give me my pen, Harry!"
Harry ignored her and grabbed her book. He took his time as he wrote the date in perfect French and then returned the book and pen to Brooklyn.
"Oh," she murmured and and rubbed her hand where Harry's skin had brushed hers. He had left a small buzz of tingles in his wake.
"You're welcome," he said as Brooklyn spotted Sasha walk into the classroom.
"You're in my friends seat, Harry," Brooklyn said. "I would very much appreciate it if she could sit here."
Harry arched an eyebrow at Brooklyn. "I wouldn't."
"Harry," Brooklyn frowned. "Please?"
Harry made no signs of moving and Brooklyn sighed. Just as she stood from her seat Mrs Mental strode into the room and clapped her hands.
"Bonjour!" She said merrily. "Everyone sit, books out!"
Sasha glanced at Harry and narrowed her eyes slightly, but took a seat in the middle of the room.
"Looks like she has a seat," Harry shrugged and Brooklyn slumped back into her seat. " So, about yesterday."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Brooklyn said dismissively.
"I don't like liars, Brooklyn."
"And I don't like you, Harry," Brooklyn shrugged. "The world is a cruel place."
Harry arched an eyebrow and chuckled slightly. "You're quite the rude one, aren't you?"
"Only around people I don't particularly like," Brooklyn said. "You've given me no reason to like you."
"But I've given you reason to hate me?" Harry wondered.
"You've acted very strange," Brooklyn said. "It's unsettling."
"People feel that way around me."
"I don't like it."
"Do I make you uncomfortable, Brooklyn?" Harry asked lowly and Brooklyn glanced at him, arching a perfectly plucked eyebrow at him.
"After last night?" She said. "Very."
"Then you shouldn't lie."
"You shouldn't pry," Brooklyn countered and Harry pursed his lips.
"You're going to be difficult," he murmured.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Brooklyn asked and jumped in shock when Mrs Mental appeared by her and Harry's desk and dropped a text book in front of them.
"Page soixante-quinze," Mrs Mental smiled. "Answer questions."
Brooklyn stared at the book on the table as Mrs Mental walked away and Harry rolled his eyes at her confused expression. "Page 75," he translated.
Brooklyn nodded slightly and reached for the text book at the same time as Harry. Their hands clashed and Brooklyn tensed, feeling the explosion of sparks at his touch. She immediately drew her hand back and placed it in her lap, staring intently at the desk and avoiding Harry's gaze.
Harry sighed and flipped the book open to the right page. Brooklyn found herself looking at his hands and wondering how his touch could make her feel something so strong. She hated it, she hated touching a male, but the sparks... It was like a small buzz of electricity running through her that made butterflies form in her stomach.
She didn't hate the feeling.