“You’ll see. Anyways, what class is next?” he asks.
“Gym for two hours, then lunch. I only have art left in the afternoon,” I say.
“Ah, well gym is this way. They split the gym into all girls and all boys classes on different days. So, there will be no Maxx,” he says, grinning at me.
“Small bonus then,” I say, feeling somewhat relieved and disappointed at the same time. I bet Maxx working out is a pretty awesome sight.
“But that means Iris and her sister are in the class. I’m going to apologise in advance for any shit they pull,” he says, patting my shoulder.
“Right, well that’s worse,” I say, knowing that I’d rather avoid her if possible.
“Yeah, I can’t disagree with you on that. Just avoid anything she throws at you,” he says, offering worrying advice before tugging me down another corridor. I keep an eye on the other students and notice they all give Landon a fearful look. Why is everyone scared of the brothers?
Chapter Five
I walk into the busy changing rooms, full of girls getting ready, and I don’t miss how they are all staring at me as I walk in, or how quiet it has gone since I walked in here. I make myself stay calm and find an empty locker with a bench opposite it. I open the locker, place my bag inside it, and pull out my gym shorts and a cami top to wear. I hate gym, always have done. I would much prefer to swim for the entire lesson, but I know that isn’t an option. I glance around, seeing how the girls are still whispering and looking over at me as I slide my shoes off.
“Why are you here?” an irritated voice snaps from behind me, and I recognize it as Iris before I even spin around to face her. Iris is already changed into her gym clothes, and she looks perfect. So annoyingly perfect. Her gym clothes—if you can even call them that—are so tiny that it is like she is wearing nothing, showing off her toned body. I try not to feel jealous and threatened, but it’s hard not to compare yourself to other girls. Especially model-type girls who are looking at you like you are crap under their shoes.
“Really? I can’t deal with the crap that’s about to come out of your mouth. So why don’t you tell me what your problem with me is, and we can go on our way,” I say, crossing my arms.
“She doesn’t have a single clue, does she?” another girl says, walking over and stopping by Iris’s side. It’s clear this is her sister, they look very alike with their long dark blonde hair and green eyes. This girl is a little shorter, with narrower eyes and curlier hair. Both of them standing next to each other make me feel like an ugly duckling with damn pink hair. I miss my blonde hair.
“Nope, Abby,” Iris says, making the ‘p’ pop out more and dragging the one word out.
“Poor thing. We should leave her, she isn’t a threat to you and Maxx,” Abby replies, sighing deeply and winking at me when her sister isn’t looking.
“Ah, I see. You are dating Maxx?” I ask, ignoring the sharp pain I feel when she nods.
“We are promised,” she states, crossing her arms as defensively as her statement comes out.
“What does that mean? Like arranged marriage?” I ask, shocked. I didn’t even know that was a thing in England anymore.
“It doesn’t matter, someone like you would never understand. Come on, sis, we can find another spot to get changed. Somewhere she isn’t,” Iris says, sticking her chin out and somehow managing to make me feel small.
“Bye then! And I’m no threat by the way,” I shout a little too loudly as all the girls turn to stare at us. Iris stops and spins around to face me, her sister walking ahead, chuckling under her breath. Iris’s eyes lock on mine, and she mouths two sentences.
“You better not be a threat to me. Stay away from Maxx.”
I ignore her threatening and downright creepy statement, watching her walk away until she is out of sight, and then focus on getting dressed for gym while I ignore the whispers. After putting my trainers on, I walk out of the changing rooms and come out right behind some girls also going into the massive gym. There is a man stood in the middle—the teacher I assume—clapping his hands. We all run towards him and make a circle, and somehow, I’m in my own space with no one standing next to me. One girl nearly trips over herself to move away from me. So odd. Iris and Abby are sitting on the benches at the side, making no effort to walk over to us, and the teacher doesn’t even seem to notice them. I bet he is used to them doing whatever they want. I look back to the teacher, who is wearing a white sports kit and a baseball cap on backwards. He looks super young to be a teacher though with his brown hair, smooth face and big grin as he looks around the group.
“Right, welcome back, everyone!” he says, and everyone mumbles ‘hello coach’ as he spots me. “Ah, the new student. Miss Scott?”
“Yep,” I say, feeling awkward as hell.
“Well, you call me coach,” he says and claps his hands as he runs his eyes around the crowd. “I believe ten laps around the gym will warm us up, and then we can have a friendly game of dodgers to welcome Miss Scott to the school.”
“Yes, coach,” everyone mutters, and there are a few groans as the group splits up and starts running. I stay near the back as I follow the main part of the crowd around the gym. I jump, nearly tripping over my own feet when someone bumps into me. I look over just as Iris runs past me, deliberately bumping my arm as she goes. Bitch. I watch Iris look back, smirk at me, and keep running, her head held high. Then I look over at the benches where Abby is talking to the coach, her hand resting on his arm. So that’s how she gets out of running then. I shake my head and keep jogging, ignoring the world as I try not to run out of breath. By the time the ten laps are over, I’m sweating buckets, and I rest my hands on my knees as I catch my breath back.
“Right, time for a game! I want no hits anywhere above the neck,” the coach shouts, standing on the benches. “That means you, Doris,” the coach says as I straighten up. I follow his gaze to a girl with massive arms and a mean scowl on her face that is directed at the coach. Gotta avoid that girl then. Some of the students start pulling out benches and no doubt setting the room up. Considering I don’t have a clue how to play this game or where anything is, I just step away from them and awkwardly stand watching so I know how to help next time.
“Miss Scott, may I have a word while they set up?” the coach asks from a little distance away, nodding his head over to a quieter part of the gym by the doors.
“Sure,” I say, crossing my arms and following him over. He pulls a letter out of the back of his pocket and hands it to me. I quickly scan the letter, which is from my old swim coach, before handing it back to him.
“Your old coach suggests you were the best swimmer they ever had and that it would be a shame if you didn’t continue it here,” he explains, basically summarizing what the letter says.
“I have applied for the swimming lessons online,” I explain. “It said there is a waiting list and the class is currently full.”
“Well, after reading this, I went ahead and got you signed up. We have a swim meet in two months against the other schools, and we have never won one before,” he tells me.
“We won a lot of them at my old school,” I say, and he laughs. I might as well try my best to get on the team.
“I like your spirit. Now the lessons are every Tuesday and Thursday with Coach Dale. She is a brilliant swim coach and also teaches art,” he explains.
“I can’t wait. Thank you,” I reply.
“No problem. It’s not always easy being the new kid. My parents moved me when I was eleven, and it was difficult to fit in. Now if you help the students win in the swim meet, well that might make you some new friends,” he says and walks away back to the students. Maybe this school and new town aren’t all bad.
Chapter Six
“What the fuck happened to your arm?” Maxx demands as I walk out the nurse’s office and see him leaning next to the wall. I nearly jump at his harsh tone and turn to face him with a confused look. Maxx looks stressed, his hair is messy like his hands have run through it a dozen times and his hands are in fists at his sides. I don’t get his anger, or why he would be here at all.
“Why are you here?” I ask, folding my arms as Maxx scans my body. The door to the nurse’s office slams shut behind me, the noise making Maxx snap out of whatever he was thinking.
