Chapter THREE            

I was walking, looking down at my phone, when I bumped right into someone, on my way home that day.

I assume he had been looking at his phone too. Teenagers.

    "Sorry," I said quickly.

    "Oh no, I'm sorry. I wasn't..."

      He stopped talking, but kept his eyes on me. I kept walking, after barely glancing at him. I did notice that he was tall. And he was wearing a green hoodie.

    "Hey," he called out.

    "Uh, yeah?" I stopped.

    "You go to Renaissance?"

    "It was my first day today," I told him, for some reason.

    "Ahh."

    "I gotta get home," I finished, then continued on my way, not looking back.

Caleb wasn't home when I got back, which didn't surprise me. I had already decided I was going to take a bath - his tub had jets - and relax for the evening.

I was eating a banana and flipping through Netflix when he came in, two brown bags in his hands.

"I got dinner. How was your first day?" he asked right away, dropping the bags onto the island, in the kitchen.

"It was... good. I think," I answered, moving into the kitchen.

"Good? Wow."

"What?"

"Well, I guess I was expecting fine, or okay. Good is... good!" he laughed.

"It's familiar. My last two school years were really rough, so this one has to be good," I smiled back.

He pulled out the burgers, onion rings and fries. My stomach growled.

"Sorry. I hate that we lost touch," he told me, already biting into his burger.

"It's not your fault. My family kind of... dissipated." I look down at the food in front of me.

"Yeah..."

"So," I just wanted to change the subject. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

He cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah. Sort of."

"Sort of? It's yes or no." I laughed, shoving a fry into my mouth.

"Well, yes. But we are on a break," he answered.

"Oh. Sorry." I felt stupid for asking.

"No, don't be. It's a bit complicated." He forced a smile.

I finished my dinner and thanked him, then packed some food for lunch the next day. It was strange how comfortable I was there, in my Uncle's apartment. It actually felt like home, more so than anywhere I had been since I lived in Bellport.

The guy that I had bumped into the previous day, after school, was standing in the same spot - in front of a coffee shop - the next morning. It was fifteen minutes before first bell. I noticed him there, but kept walking. He looked up as I passed.

    "Hey, new girl."

       I looked back but didn't stop. He hurried his pace to walk beside me. Today he was wearing a blue hoodie that zipped up.  And white sneakers.

    "Sorry," he said.

    "For?" I asked.

  "Calling you new girl."

    "Okay. Are you stalking me?"

    "Stalking?" he laughed, and I saw his very white teeth.

"Oh you just happened to be here in the same     spot -"

    "Oh, I get coffee here... every morning." He pointed back to the coffee shop.

"So, where's your coffee?" I wanted to know.

"Uh, oh I must have left it on the counter..."

"Right."

    "I'm Bennett."

  "Okay?"

    "Do you have a name?" he asked, then laughed again.

    "Oh, sure. It's new girl," I told him, not even breaking a smile.

    We were on campus now, so I cut through the field and left him behind.

Having a "friend" in first period was nice. Polly seemed hesitant to really let me in, but I understood. I didn't need a best friend or a clique. I just needed to not be alone. We had been friends, but it was a long time ago. And a lot of had changed. Plus, I realized quickly that Josie was still the boss of the group, so all decisions went through her. But at least I had someone to sit with in class.

At lunch, they called me over to sit with them again. I sat, ate, and listened to them gossip about other girls. They hadn't changed much, it seemed. Back then, I had wanted to be more like them. Now, I only wanted to be the opposite.

"Iris, I love your hair today!" Josie gushed, out of no where.

I had brushed it into a bun and wrapped a few hair ties around it - nothing fancy.

"Thanks," I smiled.

"Also, your bag is so on point," Carley agreed, picking it up.

It was an old, beaded book bag that my dad bought for me, just before I started Junior year. I loved it, but it wasn't really anything special. I wondered if they were testing me.

"Oh, that?" I asked. "My dad got it for me."

"So, where do you live now?" Polly asked, like she'd been waiting all day for this moment.

"My uncle... he lives in the Waldoff Condos, down the street -"

"Oh my god," Josie said, under her breath. "Really?"

I nodded.

"That's where Kelly Drake lives," Carley spat out, like I was supposed to know who she was.

Again, I couldn't tell if this was good or bad information.

"Ugh, hopefully you never run into that bitch," Polly went on.

They didn't elaborate, and I was glad for that. Finally the bell rang and I headed out to third period, leaving them in the cafeteria.

Caleb texted me at some point, but I didn't see it until the end of the day, when I checked my phone, at my locker.

I'LL BE DONE BY 230. ILL PICK YOU UP. I WANT TO TAKE YOU SOMEWHERE.

I smiled, putting my books away. It was almost 2:45P.M.  As I stepped outside, I didn't see his truck, so I went down the main staircase and started walking. Just as I approached the coffee shop - half way between school and the condo - Caleb's truck pulled up.

"Hey, get in," he called, after rolling down the window.

I opened the passenger door and was about to get in.

"Hey!" I heard a familiar voice behind me.  I turned slightly to see Bennett, from that morning and the previous afternoon.

"Uh, hi," I said, then shook my head at him and turned to get into Caleb's truck.

Bennett looked confused as we drove away.

"Who was that?" Caleb asked, changing lanes.

"No one," I said.

"You know him?"

"No, not really."

"How was your day? Good, again?" he changed the subject.

"Are you going to ask me that every day?" I let out a laugh.

He smiled. "Yeah, I might."

"It was good," I said, to please him.

"Good," he repeated.