[[How's it going friends, I'm back and here ya go. part uno]]
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The credits started rolling. Darkness consumed the small screen as Hazel stood up to put her dirty dishes in the sink. She turned on the water and started rinsing out the greasy popcorn bowl when she heard crashing from outside. The tiny farmhouse walls were far from soundproof but the crashing was loud, and there were no other houses even remotely close to hers. The bowls clanked against the walls of the sink as she slipped on her old house shoes and slowly made her way to the back door.
The clanging and crashing got louder as she peeked around the corner of the worn wood. Her brown hair blew violently in the wind. She jumped out from around the corner, facing the beast in front of her. The large grey wolf growled and snarled at her, mirroring her every step. Hazel growled, clenching her teeth fixing her eyes on the wolf. She jumped to the side, trying to stay one step ahead of the large dog before her. She slowly pulled her shoe off, keeping her gaze steady on the animal. "Back!" she yelled, as she whipped the dog on the nose throwing the shoe at it. The large wolf whimpered, backing away and running off before slowly pacing in the field just beyond the small house. "Jesus Christ," Hazel whispered. Her feet slowly carried her back inside the house and next to the small sofa in the middle of the main floor. Her body collapsed on the couch and she fell asleep just like that.
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"Hazel!! Hazel! Wake up, you're going to be late!" the low British accent rang in her ears. Hazel sat up, her back sore from sleeping on the sofa. Her dad called from a few feet away, across from the counter. "Come on sleepy head, eat something." She slumped into her chair at the table, devouring the eggs on the plate in front of her.
"Dad?" her British charm reflected her father's. "Did you have any... weird dreams last night?"
Her father turned his head to meet her eyes. "No hon, I didn't. Why do you ask?"
"Oh," she paused. "No reason." Her father nodded and turned back toward the stove. Hazel stood up, placing her plate in the sink, and ran up the stairs to change her clothes. She came back downstairs in a t-shirt, jeans, and a thin jacket.
"Pumpkin, it's freezing outside. Are you sure you don't want to wear something warmer?"
She rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine, dad," she said as she pulled on her boots and headed for her backpack.
"Do you need me to drive you? I can get the truck out if you want."
"It's okay. I'll walk to the bus stop." Her dad made his way to the door behind Hazel. She turned around and hugged him
"Have fun, Cubby. Be safe okay?"
"Okay, dad." She looked up at her father and smiled, before turning around and heading out the door down the long hallway, and out of sight.
The way to the bus stop was long, and made Hazel's feet hurt just thinking about it. Her feet followed each other one step at a time until the gravel path melted away into the concrete road. The bus stop was nearby, and already the ratio of people to emptiness gradually leveled out. The bus pulled up to the stop, right on time. Hazel glanced down at her watch, the bright numbers glistening in the sharp, cold, sunlight. "6:55". She threw her backpack into the seat next to her and she sat down on the old bus bench. Her claustrophobia had already kicked in and she could feel it instantaneously. The ride was thirty minutes long, long enough for someone to go insane on the old Oregon bus. It was run down and reeked of mold. The bus came to an abrupt stop near the school and half the people on the bus flooded out the doors. Hazel followed behind them, slowly following them as she barely knew where she was going from here.
She had moved house twice in the last few years and she hadn't had a normal school experience since 4th grade. She moved from England when she was six years old and had been moving around America ever since. But this year was different. Her father had promised that he would keep his job here in Oregon for at least a year. The Seattle job had only lasted six months and her dad insisted they move, even though it would have been possible to find work somewhere else in the area. But she didn't care. This time, she knew sophomore year was going to be different. Her dad's work problems weren't going to ruin high school for her.
Hazel walked into the main building of the school, examining the old architecture and brick walls. The main office doors where directly in front of her and she knew that although she was scared to death, she had to open them. The warm air inside welcomed her as she made her way to the front desk. The stone faced woman behind the counter looked up at her with dead eyes. "Name," she demanded.
"Hazel Price." she heard keys click behind the half-wall separating the two. The woman behind the counter grabbed the phone from the desk and raised it to her ear.
"Todd?... I'm doing fine, thank you. And you?... Wonderful. Hey, can you send Jaxon Sullivan down here for me?... Thank you. Bye-bye." The phone clicked back into it's place in the holder as the keyboard clicking continued. "Sit," the woman spoke firmly as she pointed toward a small chair in the corner of the room. Hazel sat down and waited for about five minutes before someone burst through the office doors.
"Hey, Ms. Hearst. How you doing?" The boy's dark hair was slicked back and he held his head high as he spoke.
"I'm fine, thank you. Would you mind showing our new student around?" she asked as her gaze directed itself to the boy.
"No problem." He turned around and took Hazel's hand, helping her out of the uncomfortable chair. "New here?" Hazel nodded nervously, her hands barely shaking. "Do you have a name?" the boy asked sarcastically. "Mine's Jax."
"Hazel," she whispered, too nervous to speak up. Jax gave her a questioning glance. She spoke up a bit. "Hazel Price."
"Welcome to North Douglas, Hazel."
YOU ARE READING
Cub
Teen Fiction"Jaxon?" "Yes, Hazel?" "Is there something wrong with me?" He hesitated. "Of course not. You're just-" "Special?" Hazel rolled her eyes. "...Yeah," Jaxon whispered, looking into the mesmerizing golden eyes of his perfect best friend. Follow Hazel Pr...
