When I got out of the car, I rushed inside the house. Abigail was in the living room, smiling as always, and immediately asked:
"How was your first day of school, Mia?"
All I wanted in that moment was to cry and get a hug, but I held back the tears and replied:
"It was fine. I'm going to my room for a bit, I have a headache."
I hurried upstairs and, as soon as I got to my room, I threw myself onto the bed. I grabbed my phone and started looking at photos of my old school in the gallery. It was impossible not to cry. After a few minutes, I placed the phone on the vanity and ended up falling asleep.
I woke up startled with my dad calling me:
"Mia," he said as he shook my arm.
I looked at the clock. It was already 7:05 p.m.
"Hi, Dad," I mumbled sleepily.
"Sweetheart, let's have dinner."
I nodded, and he left the room saying:
"I'll be waiting for you in the dining room."
I found it strange that he had not asked about my first day of school, but I went downstairs anyway. My dad was already seated at the table while Abigail stood by his side.
"Abigail, have dinner with us," I said.
She looked embarrassed and replied:
"No, sweetie, I was just waiting to see you."
Then my dad gently took her arm and said:
"Sit with us. Mia likes your company, and that makes me happy."
She hesitated for a moment but ended up sitting down.
We ate in silence until my dad sighed and asked:
"Mia, why were you crying in the car?"
Of course the driver told him.
"It was nothing, Dad, I just missed my old school," I answered.
Abigail gently held my arm and, looking into my eyes, asked:
"Are you sure?"
I nodded.
My phone was on the table when it suddenly started ringing. I looked at the screen: Brandon.
"Why is this boy calling you?" my dad asked.
"I don't know," I replied quickly.
Without hesitation, he grabbed my phone and declined the call.
"No phones during dinner."
After we ate, we played charades. It was fun. For a moment, I forgot the terrible day I had.
When I said goodnight and went to my room, I called Brandon back.
"Hey, I thought you were avoiding me," he joked.
"No, not at all," I said shyly.
"We are going out tomorrow night," he suddenly declared.
"I… I…" I stammered.
He cut me off:
"I will pick you up at seven. I will ask your dad personally. And I will not take no for an answer."
Before I could say anything, he added:
"A big kiss."
And hung up.
I froze. "I am so screwed," I thought.
I took a shower and tried to sleep. I stared at the pink ceiling for a long time, but sleep would not come. I got up and called my mom.
"Honey, it is late. You should be sleeping by now, but I will let it slide because I miss you so much," she said.
A tear slipped down my cheek, but I tried to keep my voice steady.
I got up from the bed and went to the window. When I looked outside, I got distracted and saw, across the street, a strange man standing still, watching my house.
"Honey? Are you there?" my mom asked.
"Yes, but I am going to sleep now, I suddenly got tired," I replied quickly.
I said goodbye and hung up immediately. Scared, I closed the blinds and lay down.
"Who was that man? Why was he watching my house?"
"It must have been my imagination," I tried to convince myself.
But my mind did not stop. I thought about so many things until I finally fell asleep.
The next morning, I got ready for school. On the second day, at least I had a uniform now, which meant no one would mock my clothes.
My dad drove me again, and I stayed silent the whole way.
"Sweetheart, this school must be good for you. The tuition is absurd. If anything happens, tell me, okay?"
"Okay, Dad."
When I got out of the car and looked at the school, I sighed. Unlike the day before, I felt no excitement, quite the opposite.
"Hey, Mia. I was waiting for you," Emma said, approaching.
I smiled when I saw her, and we walked to class together.
When we walked in, we saw Katty with her little group. When I looked at her and noticed her customized uniform, I thought: It is just a uniform, what a shallow girl.
I sat down, and the History teacher entered.
"Students, form groups of three for a research assignment about the history of Florida since its founding. Organize your groups."
As soon as he finished speaking, the room became chaotic with people forming groups. Emma turned to Adam and asked:
"Do you want to work with us?"
"Yes, of course. Thanks. At least this time, I will not be left over."
We laughed together and followed the teacher to the library.
On the way, Wender glanced at Katty and mocked:
"Look at that cute trio, the slum boy, the slut, and the country girl."
Katty laughed.
We stayed silent. We knew exactly who he was talking about.
When we got to the library, I immediately looked toward the counter and saw the most gorgeous guy I had ever seen in my life. Our eyes met, and then he said:
"Good morning, students. I am Chad, the morning intern here in the library. If you need anything, ask me."
I sat with Adam and Emma, and we started the research. During the conversation, Adam said he was on a scholarship and lived in Pine Hills.
"Wow," Emma muttered.
I did not understand her reaction.
"Yes, Emma, it is the hood. That is where I am from," Adam added.
Emma looked embarrassed.
"But you are smart, you earned a scholarship," I said.
"Your parents must be really proud of you," Emma added.
Adam lowered his head and simply replied:
"Yeah."
I did not understand his reaction. Still, that time with both of them in the library was good. Adam, just like Emma, was so nice. He was a handsome guy with black hair and eyes, tall, light skinned. His style was completely his own.
When the bell rang signaling the end of class, I decided to pick a book to borrow. As the students left the library, I went to the shelf and saw The Great Gatsby. I had never read it. I grabbed the book and went to the counter to register it.
"Excellent choice. You will like it," Chad said, smiling.
I smiled back.
While he was filling in my info, the lights suddenly turned off, and we heard the sound of the door slamming.
We ran to the exit. Chad got there first, tried to open it, and cursed:
"Damn, locked."
I froze, terrified. My phone was in my locker. I looked around. Even though it was daytime, the room was dark because of the curtains.
"Call the office," I suggested.
"The phone needs power," Chad replied.
"And your phone?"
"In my locker. They do not let staff keep their phones."
I started having trouble breathing. My chest tightened. Tears streamed down uncontrollably.
"Calm down, calm down," Chad tried to soothe me. "If I hit the emergency button, the whole school will be evacuated. Do not worry, they will find us here."
His voice started sounding distant. My body got heavy. Everything went black.
The next moments were blurry. I heard sirens. A bright light hit my eyes. My head was resting on Chad's lap.
Then the door opened.
"What happened here?" someone asked.
"I do not know. She fainted. Someone locked us inside," Chad said, moving aside.
My voice came out weak:
"Dad, call my dad."
After that, I do not remember anything.
When I woke up, I was in the school clinic. From a distance, I heard my dad yelling:
"Where is my daughter? Where is she?"
He rushed in, hugged me tightly, and said:
"It is okay now."
I took a deep breath and answered:
"It is now."
When I recovered, the principal asked us to go to her office. On the way there, my dad kept muttering:
"I hope you have a good explanation for this."
"Mr. Luck Hollis, we apologize. We will clarify everything," the principal replied.
Arriving at her office, I saw Chad sitting there. He turned to me, clearly worried.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, I am fine now," I answered.
The principal cleared her throat and said sternly:
"Chad, you will be punished. There was no need to trigger the school alarm."
He interrupted her, outraged:
"She was passing out, she fainted."
My father frowned and said:
"He did the right thing. Who should be punished here is not him or my daughter. You should be asking how they ended up locked in the library."
The principal hesitated for a moment before responding:
"It seems that one of the students played a prank. When the library closes, we turn off the lights to save energy, and she locked the door from the outside."
My dad shouted:
"Which student?"
The principal, embarrassed, replied:
"Miss Ashford. She will be punished tomorrow. Due to the evacuation, all students have already been dismissed."
My dad glared at her and said:
"If this happens again, I will sue this school. Now let us go, Mia, you need rest."
I looked at the time. It was already 2:20 p.m. I was confused. It seemed like everything had happened so fast.
He pulled me toward the exit. Before we left, he turned to Chad and said:
"Thank you, son."
Chad just nodded and smiled.
"Bye, Mia. Take care, okay?"
I smiled back.
In the school parking lot, I saw Emma and Adam. As soon as they saw me, Emma ran and hugged me tightly. I felt so safe.
"Mia, we were so worried."
Adam smiled and added:
"I am glad you are okay."
My dad watched them for a moment before asking:
"You two stayed here all this time waiting?"
"Yes," Emma replied.
He nodded.
"I will take you home. Get in the car."
Emma shook her head.
"No need, sir. I came by car, but thank you."
My dad turned to Adam.
"And you, young man?"
"I take the bus, do not worry," he replied.
My dad frowned.
"No way. I will take you."
Emma hesitated before saying:
"He lives far."
"Far where?" my dad asked.
"Pine Hills," Adam replied.
My dad's eyes widened. Without hesitation, he took his wallet and handed Adam a hundred dollar bill.
"It is far and dangerous. Take a taxi."
Adam tried to give the money back, but my dad refused.
"No arguments. Take it. I do not like being contradicted."
I got into the car and, before closing the door, I whispered a thank you to Emma and Adam. They smiled.
On the way home, my mind replayed everything that had happened. But in the middle of the chaos, something good came out of it. I had met Chad. And now I knew I had real friends: Emma and Adam.
Maybe there was a bright side to all this.
I closed my eyes tightly and imagined myself horseback riding, feeling the wind on my face, the flowery fields stretching around me. How could people prefer big city life?
I remembered something my grandfather always used to say. There are bad people in the world, but for every bad person, there are five good ones. Believe it, life will also show you the good ones.
And at that moment, I agreed with him completely.