"You haven't decorated it yet..."
Emma says as she takes a look around my room once she sits on the armchair by the door.
"Yeah... I still think about it. What I want to buy."
"We can go down town on Saturday and pick up a few things. I know a place that has amazing things. I have totally changed mine."
"I'd love that. It is a bit boring like that."
"It is. You can change your comforter and sheets too if you like."
"Really? That is great! I feel like I am in the hospital with this light blue color."
I say while laughing and Emma starts laughing too.
"It is settled then. We'll go shopping on Saturday morning."
"Do you get out on the weekends?"
"If you want. I don't leave every weekend. But for missing all weekend you need an application signed from your parents. On Saturdays we can go down town for shopping. But we have to be back by 8 o'clock. On Sundays there isn't a bus to go so we stay in. We are gathering on the living room or we go out when the weather is nice and warm. But don't expect that any time soon."
"Yeah... I can tell from the weather. It hasn't stop raining all these days."
"Unfortunately."
There is an awkward silence for a few seconds and I debate with myself whether or not I should tell her about Joe.
"I saw Joe today."
"Where?"
"In the library."
"And?"
"I didn't really talk to him. I recalled the things you told me the other day and I run away."
"Look Anne. He is great but it is the people around him that you... you won't like."
"Are you talking about Charlotte? Because I have seen that you aren't that close."
"Not everything is as it seems. She is nice. But if you do something to piss her off, she can change in a second."
"But why would me and her brother hanging out piss her off?"
"The question here is, do you want to hang out with him?"
I sit there in a silence for a minute. I don't know what to answer because I don't know the answer. I don't really know if I want to.
"I don't know. He seems like a nice guy. But I just see him as a potential friend. Nothing else."
"You know what? You should do what you want. Yeah you should... Forget about Charlotte. Forget about everything. If he shows you any kind of interest that you like just... just go for it."
I smile. But the truth is that I really don't know. I don't want to make up my mind about it. It is too soon.
"Do you want to watch a movie?"
I ask her and she nods positively.
It is 10 o'clock. Emma left half an hour ago and I just got out of the shower. I changed into my pajamas and I laid on my bed. I take my phone and set an alarm for tomorrow. I have to wake up tomorrow. Today Charlotte woke me up. Again.
Is it even possible? Charlotte to be... mean. I can't imagine her like that. She seems sweet all the times. I don't know what happened between her and Emma. I take a look at my room and I remember the book Joe gave me. I get up and grab it from my shelve. I lay again in my bed and get under the warm comforter. I open it and start reading feeling my eyes closing slowly.
I wake up from my alarm. I actually did it. I woke up. I get up before I fell asleep again and go to the bathroom. I wash my face and teeth and then I do my make up and hair. It actually feels weird doing it before getting dressed. I hear a knock on my door.
"Anne?"
"Yeah?"
I respond to Charlotte.
"You woke up?"
"Yeah. Come in."
I say to her and she opens slowly the door.
"Oh... You are doing your hair."
"Yeah. I think that I am actually getting used to getting up on my own."
"That's nice. It is a matter of habit you know. My first week here I missed all my first classes. Then I got used to it. And here I am now."
I smile to her.
"I'll go get dressed. See you at breakfast?"
"Yeah sure".
I say to her before opening my closet to decide on what I am wearing. But I then open my curtains to see the weather. It is sunny. Oh my God! It is actually sunny. I open the window. A light breeze comes to my face. It feels like spring. It is weird.
I go back to my closet and decide on a pair of black jeans and a grey top. I throw on a black cardigan and for shoes I wear my Oxfords. I take my bag and head downstairs.
Emma is waiting for me along with Mark by the door.
"You actually woke up!"
"Yeah, I did! On my own."
"That is great! Good morning."
"Morning..."
Mark says and Emma hits him on the arm.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah..."
"He spent his night playing a new game online and he slept for like 3 hours."
"That explains it."
I say and give Mark a sympathetic look before we start walking towards the dining hall.
Once we have picked our food we sit on a table that is empty because Charlotte, Jack and Vanessa are coming. We talk about random stuff about the school and the classes we are into.
"I don't like at all my Geography class. The teacher is so fond of herself. She feels like she is teaching us the most important thing on the planet."
Charlotte says and we all stare at her. I can see with the corner of my eye Emma wanting to talk but trying hard to keep it to herself. There is something between them. I can see Emma's expression every time Vanessa or Charlotte talks. I want to ask her but I think that it might be too soon for that.
"How about you Anne? Which is your favorite and least favorite class so far?"
Jack asks me in order to change the subject.
"Well my favorite so far is English and Literature. I think the teacher is amazing. And I love reading which makes extra fun for me. As far as my least favorite I hate Mathematics in general so I think this is the one."
"You really hate them?"
"Yeah... Since I remember myself. I really suck at it."
"I could tutor you. If you like."
Jack says and Charlotte just stares at me waiting for my answer. And because I don't want to cause drama and problems my answer is of course...
"No, it's okay. Thank you though."
"If you change your mind you know where to find me."
He says and gets up to get to class.
"Emma...Should we go?"
"Yeah. Let's go."
"See you later."
I say to everyone else who is still eating their breakfast.
"Do you think that I should have said yes?"
"To Jack?"
Emma asks me, as we walk outside.
"Yeah..."
"Do you need the tutor?"
"Badly."
"You should talk to him then. Tell him that you changed your mind."
"I don't know. I feel like..."
"Oh my God! You did it because of Charlotte!"
"How do you know?"
"I saw how she was staring at you. She is still into him!"
"Still?"
"She likes him since forever. But she hasn't seen any interest from him."
"How do you know about this? You seem to know a lot about Charlotte anyway."
"We used to be close. But not anymore."
"May I ask why?"
"It is a very long story. I don't think that I will be able to fit it in 10 minutes."
"It's okay. We got time for everything here."
I say to her as we enter our classroom and she nods before putting on a smile as she looks at our teacher saying our good mornings.
I sit on my desk and take out my notebook. I look around to find Jack. I want to apologize. It's not because I need him as a tutor but because I was a bit sharp with him. He is nowhere to be found and my hopes get down as the teacher closes the door and everyone takes their seat. I feel bad. I really do.
I get home after my last class. I need to find Jack. I searched everywhere. I get in and there he is sitting on the couch watching TV. Alone. Weird for Jack to do that. He is always with someone.
"Hey."
I say to him as I take the seat next to him.
"Hey! How are you?"
"I am good. Where were you today?"
"Were you looking for me?"
"Yes! Kind of..."
He laughs and he shows me his left upper arm. There is a band aid on it.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah. I had a blood test. That's why you couldn't find me."
"Oh. "
I respond to him.
"Why were you looking for me?"
"I wanted to apologize... For earlier. I was a bit sharp with you."
"Anne... Don't worry. I wasn't offended at all."
He says with a smile always on his face.
"I am glad."
"Anyway. I have to go. I got swimming practice. If you change your mind about the tutor thing..."
"Actually, I did."
I say and get up from the couch moving towards him standing on the base of the staircase.
"Oh... That's great. Can I come over later or you can come? Only I wouldn't prefer the latter because the boys have turned our living room into a laundry room.
He says and we laugh for a bit.
"How about the library?"
"Library it is. I'll meet you down here at 6. Bring your book and your calculator."
"Okay. See you later."
I say and go upstairs to my room. I text Emma on my way up to tell her what happened. She sends me a full text of happy emoticons.
I lay on my bed and just stare at the ceiling. It is actually pretty weird. That I am here. That I am so far away from home. I take a brand new journal that I bought just before I leave home out of my nightstand cabinet.
I grab a pen and start writing.
Dear diary,
I am here. I am in Plymouth. I never thought that I would actually get back here again. It feels good to be away. That weird freedom and sense of happiness that comes along with it makes me feel energetic and excited.
I met so many people here. I am here for like four days but I really feel in place. From all the people I've met Emma feels like the most compatible to me. From what we have talked about we have a lot of things in common. Fashion, shopping and décor are some of them. We'll go for shopping on the weekend and I can't wait.
I also met Joe. He is a senior. He seems really nice and Emma told me that he actually is. They know each other since forever. Joe is... he is like that kind of guy you see in University brochures. The guys that lay on the grass laughing around with their multicultural friends. He is handsome, athletic and he likes poetry and Jane Austen. He seems perfect. And as a matter of fact I get the feeling that he is indeed.
Summing up I am good. I am happy. And of course I try my best to forget all about Aria, Eva and most of all Alex.
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