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I never thought hell could be out matched, but my first day at Mount Dora High School set the bar pretty high. As soon as I walked into the crowded hallway, I knew it was going to be one of the worst days of my life. I swallowed the fear lacing my mouth, but it dropped into my stomach like an acid bomb. I glanced at Julia, seeing the same level of trepidation painted on her features.
Hostile eyes turned in our direction, lingering on Julia then darting to me like I was a new chew toy their momma brought home, destined to be torn apart.
I gripped Julia’s hand tighter and ventured farther into the chaotic mass, looking for the office as her aunt had instructed when she dropped us off. My gaze fell on the inscribed door halfway down the hall and I steered Julia in that direction. The minute I dropped her hand and reached for the doorknob a beefy shoulder rammed into me; knocking me down like a linebacker taking out the defensive line.
I stared up at the dark challenging eyes of a mammoth kid with tattoos snaking out of his shirtsleeves.
“Watch where you’re going punk,” he snarled and his gaze flitted to Julia, appraising her in a way that made my teeth clench.
I didn’t respond. Instead, I got to my feet, leveling my own glare back at him and took Julia’s hand in mine, silently laying claim in front of this idiot. I wasn’t about to back down, even with him towering over me by at least a foot. After all, what could he really do to me in front of the main office?
“Back off,” I said after a moment of strained silence.
His eyebrow rose and he grabbed a fistful of my shirt, slamming me against the wall. My heart jumped into my throat and I blinked as shock filtered through my body. I no longer held Julia’s hand and I swallowed hard, mentally kicking myself for underestimating the safety net of being near the office.
“What did you just say?”
“I said back off,” I growled behind a clenched jaw. I knew if I showed the fear shattering my self-confidence, I was a dead man.
Motion to my right caught my attention and I glanced at a bundle-of-nerves approaching us. He adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat as he stopped next to the hulk pressing me to the wall.
“Hey, Joe, what you got there?” he asked nodding in my direction.
Joe’s glare moved to this kid and I could almost see the boy shiver and the slight shuffle backwards. “This punk needs to learn the rules.”
“Leave him alone,” Julia said and stepped next to me.
I took advantage of the interruption to Joe’s concentration and stepped closer, yanking him off balance and executing a foot sweep that landed him on his ass. Now it was his turn to look up at me with wide eyes.
Before he could recover, I grabbed Julia’s hand and pulled her into the office, ignoring the murmurs filling the hallway. The door clanged shut behind us and I traded a sigh with Julia. We both knew the safe haven of the office would only be temporary.
“Can I help you?”
“We’re new,” I said. “We need to pick up our schedules.”
“Names?” she asked and picked up the pile of schedules in front of her.
“Dylan Ramsay and Julia Stone.”
The woman nodded and filtered through the papers like a pro, pulling out the schedules and handing them to us. “We tried to match your schedules as best we could,” she smiled at us and I nearly groaned at the pity in her gaze.
“Thanks,” Julia said and I knew from the sharp tone, she had the same read on the woman’s smile that I did.
The prospect of getting the crap beat out of me was more appealing than the pity look and I turned away from her stare. Julia joined me and we stepped back into the hall without further instruction.
Most of the students had already headed to class but the nervous kid who interrupted Joe stood near the door, shifting from foot to foot. His gaze snapped in our direction and he smiled and literally bounced across the distance.
“Hi, my name is Noah. Noah Pinto. You’re the new kids, right?”
I nodded, unsure of whether he was friend or foe.
“I’m Julia and this is Nick.” Julia waved toward me before stepping forward and extending her hand. I caught the sideways glare she sent just before she plastered a smile on her lips, the glare that screamed at me to be civil.
I followed suit and offered my hand as soon as theirs unclasped. “Hey,” I mumbled and Julia nudged me with her elbow. “Thanks for diverting that guy’s attention.”
“I’ve never seen anyone take Joe on like that,” he said and his voice gushed with admiration. “Most kids are worried about being pummeled to death after school,” he added.
I raised an eyebrow and shrugged, giving the impression that I could care less, but my stomach did a flip in response. I didn’t relish the idea of another confrontation, but I knew better. With my luck, I was going to have to deal with Joe again and next time, I wouldn’t be so lucky.