Shy

“You’ll be fine,” her mother said dismissively, waving her hand at her. “Just be social and make friends!”

“Social,” Indianna muttered and grabbed her bag from the back seat. “Sure.” She climbed out of the car, ignoring her mother’s happy wave goodbye. She slammed the door behind her and looked up at the brick building in front of her. It was simple. Large stone steps led up to large double doors that were flooded with students laughing and talking to their friends.

The students noticed Indianna.

She groaned quietly and swung her backpack over her shoulder. She lowered her gaze as she walked up the steps that led to the school and didn’t look up as she walked through the bustling corridors. She thought that if she couldn’t see anyone, maybe they couldn’t see her either.

She knew she was being stupid.

The town she and her mother had moved to wasn’t small, but it wasn’t big either. Not everyone knew each other personally, but they would recognize a new face from a mile away. This made Indianna’s anxiety rise. She hated being noticed. She was most definitely an introvert.

Indianna clutched her hands tighter around the strap of her backpack and carried on down the corridor. She had come to the school a few days before, and the Principal had shown her around, but she could only remember how to get to her locker. She fumbled with the lock and hurriedly grabbed the textbooks that were stacked neatly inside, stuffing them into her backpack.

Indianna hated that she could feel everyone’s curious stares at her. She hated that she stood out. She swallowed nervously and looked at the crumpled piece of paper in her hands. She scanned the timetable and saw that her first lesson was history. After stuffing her timetable back into her pocket, she braced herself and walked down the busy corridors, hoping to find her class.

Indianna let out a sigh of relief when she found the classroom. It was relatively empty, so she made a beeline straight to the back of the class. Now, there were no eyes on her, so she let her shoulders relax and leaned back in her chair.

One year, she told herself. She had to survive for one year in this new town, and then she was free. She would graduate and be able to go wherever she pleased.

“Hi!” Indianna’s heart jumped in her chest when a blonde, curly-haired girl appeared next to her. She was smiling brightly and had kind eyes. “You’re Indianna, aren’t you? Indianna Hughs? You’ve moved to town with your mother, right?”

Indianna stared at the blonde girl with wide eyes. She wanted to go unnoticed, but this girl definitely seemed to know her. Indianna didn’t know how to respond.

“Sorry,” the girl apologized and sat down next to Indianna. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I just thought I’d introduce myself. I know everyone in town. I’m Brooke!”

Indianna nodded and looked at her hands, which were resting on the desk. She picked at her chipped black nail varnish and hoped this girl would go away. She wasn’t good with people; she’d rather be left alone.

Brooke blinked and waited for Indianna to respond. She frowned when Indianna said nothing. “Not a people person?” she wondered. “That’s okay. People would argue that I can talk enough for two people.”

Indianna’s eyes flickered to Brooke and back to her hands.

“You can talk to me. I promise I don’t bite,” Brooke said kindly.

Indianna stiffened and shook her head. “No,” she whispered. Her voice was gentle and soft.

Brooke frowned. “No?”

“Don’t talk about that, please,” Indianna said.

“Talk about what?” Brooke asked, cocking her head to the side.

“Biting,” Indianna muttered.

Brooke noticed how she grabbed her wrist, her eyes flashing with panic.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—I’ll shut up now,” Brooke said quickly, and she looked up when a guy walked up to them. He had the same blond curly hair as Brooke and matching brown eyes.

“Brooke, you’re not terrorizing the new girl, are you?” he teased, smiling at Brooke.

“No!” Brooke gasped and hit his arm. “Well, not purposely. Indianna, this is Brandon, my cousin. Bran, meet Indianna Hughs.”

“Hi,” Brandon said warmly. “It’s nice to meet you, Indianna.”

Indianna swallowed and looked up at him, forcing a smile. “Hello.”

“She’s a little shy,” Brooke said.

“After a few minutes with you, I’m sure that’ll change,” Brandon laughed.

Indianna looked up at the clock on the wall and groaned internally. Less than ten minutes of the lesson had passed. If the year was going to pass as slowly as this, she didn’t know how she was going to survive.

Indianna frowned when Brooke sighed. “Oh, great,” she said as the classroom door opened and three guys walked in. Brooke made an effort to slouch down in her seat and avoid eye contact. Brandon glared at them.

The two boys at the front were talking to one another. One was joking around, with ginger hair and a carefree demeanor. The brown-haired one was smiling, showing off his dimples. He seemed kind. Both of them were very attractive.

The last guy made Indianna’s heart race. His face was blank, his eyes dark and frightening. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his jeans, and she noticed tattoos covering his arms, the rest hidden by his white T-shirt.

Indianna forced herself to look away. He was so incredibly gorgeous but so incredibly frightening. The rest of the class seemed to agree as they were all staring at him with wide eyes. Indianna couldn’t tell if the looks he was receiving were lust or fear.

The guy, who now looked irritable, ran his fingers through his dark hair, pushing it away from his chiseled face. “What?” he snapped. His voice was deep and stern, and it projected throughout the classroom even though he barely raised it. One word from his mouth made Indianna’s stomach fill with butterflies.

“Who are they?” Indianna asked quietly, eyeing the guy as he sat down on the opposite side of the classroom. He propped his feet up on the desk and crossed his arms over his chest, turning to his two friends and joining in their conversation.

“The ginger one is Kal, and Ace is the brown-haired one,” Brooke said.

“The guy at the back is Greyson Evans,” Brandon muttered.

“Stay away from him,” Brooke said firmly to Indianna. “He’s fucked about half the school, and I’m pretty sure he has like a billion STDs. He’s also a dick.”

“I can hear you, Brooke.” Indianna’s eyes widened when Greyson turned in his seat and raised his eyebrows at Brooke. “Not gossiping again, are we?”

“I’m just telling the truth,” Brooke shrugged and smiled sweetly.

“I’m very interested to hear what you have to say,” Greyson remarked, smirking.

“I highly doubt you would enjoy hearing what I had to say,” Brooke shrugged.

Greyson sighed, and his eyes flickered to Brandon, who hadn’t stopped glaring at the three guys since they entered the room. “Brandon, stop with the glaring. I will punch you, and considering you’re Brooke’s cousin, I know I shouldn’t,” he paused, his eyes glittering with dangerous amusement, “but you very well know I will.”

“Greyson,” Brooke sighed. Indianna noticed that she seemed to be the only person in the room who wasn’t looking at Greyson with fear-filled eyes. “You will not punch Brandon.”

“Like you’d be able to stop me, Brooke. You may be surprisingly high up on the school social ladder, but I know a guy who can keep you on your leash.” Greyson’s two friends both laughed, and he smirked when Brooke pursed her lips, her cheeks going a light shade of pink. “Don’t try and tell me what I can and can’t do, Brooke. You will always lose.”

“Speaking of Harry, where is he?” Kal wondered, and Greyson shrugged, looking questioningly at Brooke.