Chapter 4

The wind whistled slowly into her ears, slapping her across the face. But Zoey did not seem to notice anything. She sat still beside her mother in the car like someone hypnotized.

All around her was filled with chaos. She watched the throng of school kids jumping all over the place. Some of the kids moved alone, but the majority moved in packs. Apparently, belonging to a clique was a big deal here.

A huge signboard stood in front of a massive blue building. It had the inscription ‘Milton High School’ written on it in bold white letters.

Zoey stared blankly at it, reading through the inscription for the umpteenth time. Then, it all came back to her, everything that had happened between the previous night and this morning before she agreed to be dragged down here.

Her mother had first broached the topic during dinner. Zoey was already pissed, so the discussion had pissed her even more. She’d wanted pizza, but somehow, her father had insisted that they had a sandwich for dinner instead, and it made her mad.

Still, she’d weighed her options, and she’d finally decided that having a sandwich to soothe her grumbling stomach was better than going to bed hungry. Her heart grew heavier with every bite she took from the sandwich, and when her mother brought up the topic of her resuming school the next day, she exploded like a time bomb.

It was not until her father stepped in and put her in a terrible dilemma that Zoey began to think seriously about going to school the following day.

The engine of the car was vibrating under her. It was playing music to her ears, something that caused her body to go numb but, at the same time, soothed her mind against all the chaos that surrounded her.

She snapped back to the present suddenly when her mother killed the engine. Zoey turned to look at her, an offensive look in her eyes.

“You know I wouldn’t be doing this if dad hadn’t threatened to stop my allowance, right?” Her eyes widened as she spoke. “What the hell am I doing here? No, you tell me.”

Corinne heaved a deep breath. She was just about tired of going back and forth with Zoey. No one told her that raising a teenager would be this hard.

“Listen, Zoey,” she began, “You’re only going to be a new student here for one day. Just today, and you’ll be accepted by everyone as one of them. What are you so afraid of?”

“Have you seen these kids?” Zoey countered. She returned her gaze to the window, “They look uncultured and unruly. Don’t look at me like that. You know what I mean. I don’t belong here, believe me.”

“You know what?” Corinne began to say, a small smile on her face. “Now that you mention it, I think you’ll be a celebrity here. Why don’t you go show these peeps how it’s done?”

The frown on Zoey’s face got deeper, and Corinne was beginning to look impatient. She turned on the engine of the car and placed her hands on the steering wheel. Zoey was staring adamantly at her. Corinne thought she’d tried her best to be a nice mother. It was time to do away with the nice hat.

“I’ve got a lot to do today, Zoey, and I’m sure you know that already. I can’t remain here all day.”

Zoey had a smirk on her face. “Right. I guess this is your idea of a farewell speech on my first day of school. You might as well kick me out the next moment.”

Corinne heaved a heavy sigh, too tired to trade words with a teenager who had raging hormones and could go on talking forever. Unfortunately, she no longer had that kind of luxury. Already, her nerves were tickling her.

Zoey started to open the door. She put one foot on the ground and turned back to face her mother. She had a defiant look in her eyes.

“If my day is ruined, be rest assured that I am not stepping foot here again, ever.” That was more than just a warning.

Corinne gave her a warm smile. “You’ll do just fine, Zoey. I’ll come to pick you up by 2 p.m. We have a lot of work to do together before nightfall.”

Zoey was taken aback. She halted in her steps and gave her mother a questioning look.

“Our neighbors are coming over for dinner at our house,” Corinne explained. “We have to be ready to receive them. I have no idea what I’m going to cook, but I hope I’ll come up with something before noon.”

Zoey was no longer listening. She had gone down completely from the car and was now grabbing her backpack from the passenger seat of the car. She stood idly by the door for the next couple of minutes, trying to decide within herself whether she really wanted to do this.

“Hey,” Corinne called from the front. “Time is ticking. Tick-tock, tick-tock,” she tapped her hand on the steering as she mouthed the movement of the clock. “Run along.”

Zoey rolled her eyes and began to walk away from the car, mumbling under her breath.

“I love you too, Zoey!” Corinne yelled. “Go make mommy proud.”

When Zoey turned around to tell her to stop embarrassing her, the red Sedan car was already driving away into the expressway that lay ahead. The tail lights beamed into her eyes as if taunting her for not having the final say.

Zoey stood before the tall building and allowed her eyes to hover through the entire five floors. She wondered which floor exactly her class was on. There was only one way to find out.

She heaved a frustrated sigh and began to walk towards a group of flashy-looking girls chattering aloud by the stairs. They looked like seniors.

Well, here goes nothing, Zoey thought aloud.

***

The day passed slowly. Zoey had not been able to make a lot of friends. All the cliques seemed to be filled up already. So, she was the new lone wolf in Milton High School. Really nice.

It turned out that her classroom was on the fifth floor. Thankfully, her mother had been at the forefront of securing a spot for her at the school. She’d done that the previous day according to her. It was good, Zoey thought. It saved her from taking trips to the administrative block to talk with old white folks who cared nothing about knowing her but were only interested in the bucks her parents were paying to earn her a spot in the school in the middle of a school year.

She wasn’t stupid. She knew such a decision could have only been taken after her parents agreed to pay the huge sum the school demanded for the favor they were doing her. Not that she cared anyways. For all she knew, it was a ploy to get her away from their faces.

She hated being here. The whole class was filled with clowns. Earlier, the class teacher had introduced her to the entire class, and instead of the warm welcome they owed her, they threw jabs and sly comments at her. Of course, Mrs. Robinson had managed to put the class under control, but Zoey had noted their faces already. She would pay back in due time.

Recess time came, and everyone scurried away with their friends. Zoey sat by herself, looking like some cursed outcast. Recess time seemed to take longer here, so she thought to go do some sightseeing around the school surroundings.

The field was wide and green. She’d finally found something to like about Milton High School. She liked it here in the open rather than being stuffed with stupid buffalos as classmates.

There was a tennis court around the bank and a swimming pool where the girls swam in. They put a great deal of energy into swimming. Zoey learned from snatches of the conversation between some students there that they were representing the school in some swimming competition the following week.

There was nothing appealing about the sight, or so she thought. Zoey hated to be around any large body of water, so she soon left the poolside and returned to the wide green field, her newfound happy place.

The wide green field was no longer empty when she returned. There were now boys trotting around with football jerseys on them. There was a ball in the middle of the field and two goalposts on opposite sides. None of those had been there before.

Zoey was still standing by the far end, contemplating whether or not to go closer and find out from the boys whether she could join them in the game they were about to play, when the bell that signaled the end of recess time tolled. Zoey hissed in anger. Not now, she thought. Football was at least something that interested her. Who knew? If things went well with the boys, she’d finally find something to keep her here.

She was not sure how long she’d stood there mumbling to herself before a deep masculine voice spoke into her ears, drawing her back to the present.

Zoey had not heard the first thing he said. So, she looked questioningly at him.

“Are you lost?” the boy repeated, his green eyes looking into hers.

He was tall with a strong athletic build and a broad square face. Zoey thought it was attractive in a manly way. His jaws were high and hung above his perfectly carved neck that rested on strong shoulders. As she assessed his looks, his thin pink lips began to move again.

“I can show you the way out. But you can’t remain here,” the boy was saying.

“Why not?” Zoey asked, finally finding her voice.

“Because we are about to have a game here,” the boy stated impatiently. “And you’re, well… You’re kinda distracting us.”

Zoey recoiled under her skin. That sounded too close to an insult to her, but she managed to keep her cool. Eyes on the goal, she thought to herself.

“That’s okay,” she said with a thin smile. “I can join you in playing the game, can’t I?”

An amused look crossed the boy’s face. He must have thought she was joking, but when he saw that she was serious, the solid look on his face returned.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible. This is a boys’ football team, and I can see clearly that you’re a girl, so you can’t join us.”

“Oh,” Zoey said, feigning ignorance. “That’s okay. All you have to do is point me to where the girls’ football team is playing, and I’ll be out of your hair. Easy peasy.” She had a patronizing smile. It always worked on the boys. Why wasn’t this one moved by it?

The boy opened his mouth to respond but stopped short when he heard his name being yelled at by the others who were still waiting in the field. Zoey could not catch his name. She was not listening in that direction.

The boy turned and yelled back at his teammates on the field. “I’m coming, guys!”

He returned his gaze to Zoey a moment later. He looked less friendly this time.

“Look, lady, you have to leave now. There’s no girls’ football team at the moment, at least not one that functions, and as you can see, I have to get back to the field.”

Zoey looked disappointed, but it only lasted for a moment before it gave way to a more determined look.

“That’s okay,” she said with a shrug. “Where’s the changing room, and do you have a spare jersey?”

“What? Why?”

Zoey gave a cynical smile. “It appears I will be joining you boys on the field to play, and that is not a debate. And what might I call you, teammate?”

The boy’s face hardened. He looked frustrated. You’re not even ready for what’s about to come to you if you don’t step out of my way, Zoey thought.

“I’m Alexander Baker,” the boy said. He clenched his jaws and added. “And there’s no way in hell that you’re joining us on the field.”