DALLAS

I’ve never been one to yell at damned kids. It’s stupid and tiring. No one gets anywhere in an argument with the little shits. I’d rather just scare one into listening to me. So I have no idea why I, out of all people, am arguing with a child. Now, it was in fact to protect my younger sister from those lousy kids, but it’s just the fact that I don’t argue with children. Mia stayed away from trouble the best she could so she never needed anyone to protect her.

I also knew the girl from earlier. I could recognize her annoyingly squeaky voice anywhere because it ran 24/7 with no ending in sight. Her name was Eliza Hathingway. Her father was some bigshot lawyer who lived in Sacramento while she lived here in LA with her attorney mother. She was also my baby sister’s ex-best friend. Got to the eighth grade then completely ostracized her.

“Oh shut your face you lousy idiot. A complete wanker like yourself shouldn’t even be able to talk. Obviously she’s better than you, otherwise you would’ve won. If she’s such a loser, then what does that make you? Bloody hell, it’s too early for you freshmen to be running your mouths. Just shut that gaping hole in your face and move on. You’re such a bore,” says Chloe, who’s sitting next to me on my right.

“Keep speaking like that and one might think you’re trying to get closer into the family. If you know what I mean Sounds like half the losers here got competition,” said some senior to my left.

“Competition? Now that’s funny,” Chloe answers, chuckling to herself in an annoyingly British way.

“Oh so you're saying you’ve already won?” the senior says. I can’t remember his name; he’s probably not important.

“I never said anything of the sorts,” 

“And don’t ever say anything. Piss off before I make you,” I say directly to Chloe to where she can only hear. That dumb Brit. I understand what I had said earlier about allowing Chloe to pollute Mia, but I’ve realized my mistakes. Chloe can choke on a donut before she gets her hands on my baby sister.

To my kind threat, she just raises both hands in surrender and chuckles, like she knows it’s not my decision to make. While she is right about that, it will be my decision to break her nose. I guess the romantically oblivious Chloe Atley has noticed how Mia looks at her. And I can't pretend like I haven’t noticed how caring Chloe is to Mia. She’s honestly a whole better person with Mia and even stops whatever she’s doing to completely focus on Mia the very few times she initiates a conversation with her. It pisses me off.

“If you guys are finished, I would like for Ms. Atkins to join me on the stage please,” says the Headmaster.

My baby sister does the quickest walk her short legs could muster. Her face is, of course, completely bright red. Whether from the position she received or Chloe’s obvious claim, I had no idea. She was bad at hiding her feelings, but also never discussed them either.

"Since we've gone over our time thanks to your incessant talking, we will announce the Head classmen of the sophomore, junior, and senior classes later. You will find out by the end of the day, thank you," The Headmaster says. The auditorium is filled with groans from the three unannounced grades. I guess they might have wanted to know. I didn't really care, especially since I knew it wasn't me who won.

Finally, the Headmaster lets us leave the auditorium to do whatever we need. Today was just the introduction assembly, and even though it was mandatory, it technically wasn't the first day of school, so we don't have any classes. The school was still open for those who needed to look around and find out where their classes would be. I already knew my way around here and didn't really care about where my classes would be, so I plan on getting out of here with Chloe in tow. My sisters pretty much knew everyone, so they could find rides.

 But as usual, Chloe doesn't catch the memo. Honestly, what's the point of having a best friend if she can't even catch the vibes? 

"Hey Austin, my best bestest bestie in the whole wide world," she says as she walks up to me and sets her hands on my shoulders. Usually I don't like it when people touch me, but Chloe and her touchy-feely personality was an exception.

"What do you want?" I ask her.

"I just want to ask my best friend for a favor. You owe me anyway for picking up your class schedule last week. I need you to show around one of the new students,

"Why do I have to do it? What's that gotta do with me?" 

"Well I can't do it. I have a really important appointment in a second,"

Ugh this girl. For anyone who really knows Chloe, knows she hates going to appointments and she doesn't do them unless she really has to. I know she doesn't have one today because she's as organized as a psychopath and she sent me her schedule for this week last week. She writes out her schedules by the hour.

"No you don't. What are you actually doing?"

"Can't you ever just accept the lies I give you?"

"Why do you need to lie?"

"Because you wouldn't accept the actual answer," 

"Chloe, I swear to God if it has anything to do with my sister, I will burn your entire shoe collection," There wasn't anything that Chloe loved more than her shoes.

"Why so violent today? It's not like I'm screwing her. Then you'd have a real reason to want to burn my shoe collection, you evil sociopath. It's just to celebrate. AJ is just going to drop us off at my house so I can get my car and then I'm taking her to Polar Ice. I can turn on my location if you're that worried. Plus, I already told the Headmaster you'll do it because you love me,"

"I do not love you. You only ever cause me migraines,"

"Oh shut up. You absolutely adore me. You would not survive without me. If anything, I'm actually doing you a favor. The girl you're showing around is absolutely gorgeous. She's not my type, but since no one actually knows your type, I'm just going to guess and say she is,"

"So now we're in the part of our relationship where you're trying to set me up?"

"Yes. How does a gorgeous Black girl sound? Black women are the best. Take it from my personal experience. I'm black and I'm amazing. I have no doubt she's great. She's kinda short though,"

"You're the worst,"

"That's not an answer and totally off topic, but whatever. Let's go before the headmaster gets upset."

Chloe interlocks her arm with mine like we're some kind of happy middle school girls and drags me down the hall to meet the girl I'm apparently being set up with. I don't really wanna do this, especially since it seems like Chloe's trying to find me a girlfriend to make me not pay attention to her and my sister. You can only ever take whatever that girl says at about a fourth of the way. Not that she's a liar or anything; she just exaggerates heavily.

We stop in front of the Headmaster's office, before Chloe stalks off with a wave and a comment about treating my sister right and that I need to be nice to the new girl. Something about me being lonely and needing someone to "keep me company". This idiotic girl and her innuendos. I swear all she ever thinks about is money and getting laid. Typical teenagers.

I stared at the door for a second before knocking on the door. Headmaster Deladore was someone who demanded respect and you didn't need to know her to know that. One look at the gray-haired old lady and you knew she took the saying "respect your elders" seriously. That scary old lady.

"Come in please, Mr. Atkins," the old lady in question answers.

I walk in the room to meet the girl who unknowingly ruined my afternoon.