Chill - Chapter Two: A New Routine

Why couldn’t this damned school have a uniform? 1

I had pulled out all of my clothes from the closet, looking for something to wear. Suddenly, nothing seemed good enough. I tried on the black zip-up dress that I had bought a few weeks ago. Alice, my best friend, had said it made me look “sexy.” I looked at myself in the mirror and decided I’d rather not look like a hooker on my first day, if at all. 2

I glanced at the time; it was almost 8 o’clock. I’d have to leave in 15 minutes, and I hadn’t even done my make up yet. 3

I pulled off the dress, throwing it carelessly onto my bed. I fumbled through the pile of clothing, and found my favourite pair of jeans. I squeezed into them, along with a white blouse. Biting my lip, I stared at my reflection. I looked decent enough, I supposed. I slid my feet into my trusty, black Converse and tied up the laces.4

I was convinced that I didn’t look half as bad as some other girls my age. Firstly, my hair was a natural blonde, not a badly bleached one. And secondly, what little make up I did put on, actually matched my skin colour, so I didn’t end up looking like a big, hairy carrot.5

Finally, I put my sunglasses on. With that final addition, I felt secure. With my dark, impenetrable sunnies, my eyes were safe from the prying eyes of those around me. Any emotion that might flicker across my face would be hidden. Unveiled, my eyes said too much. 6

Pete rapped his knuckles on the door, and without waiting for permission, he entered my room. 7

“Do you mind?” I glared at him through the sunglasses.8

He ignored me, looking instead at the mountain of clothing heaped beside me. He raised an eyebrow, before he returned his gaze to me. “You look nice,” he assured me. 9

“Ugh.” I pulled nervously at my top. 10

“Are you sure you don’t need a lift, Katherine?” He invited. 11

“Yeah, yeah,” I answered too promptly. Nothing would have embarrassed me more.12

“Okay then, I’ll be off,” he said. “Good luck at school.”13

“See ya. Have fun at the office.” I managed a smile.14

He waved to me, leaving my room. 15

It was a long walk to the school, but I needed the time to think. 16

There were 200 kids in my year level alone, back in Melbourne. It was a stark contrast to the place I was going: a school that claimed a grand total of just 396 students. To such a small student body, I would be a curiosity, something new to gab on about, to pester. Already, I missed the anonymity of the city.17

With my foreboding sense of gloom, I walked past the lake and through the mossy trees – disgusted by its green beauty – until I arrived at the school that could have easily been a campsite. Only the sign that read, “Ferntree Gully High,” and the handful of students already striding into the front building, begged to differ. Even now, I could feel their beady eyes upon me. Tentatively, I followed them inside. 18

“Hey, you're Katherine, right? Over here, Katherine!” A lanky boy waved enthusiastically to me. He stood next to classroom 10C, with a wide grin on his face, looking like the overhelpful, library-monitor type.19

“Hi, hi.” I rushed over to him before he could make any more commotion. 20

“Hey.” He flashed his perfect teeth. They seemed so uncharacteristic on him. Braces or at least a retainer would’ve suited him much better. “The name’s Matthew. I'm your mentor!”21

“Katherine,” I reminded him, feeling stupid. 22

“But all the pretty girls get to call me Matty.” He winked at me. 23

Taken aback, I stammered, “’Kay then.” 24

“Here’s your timetable.” He passed it to me. “You’ll find that Matty’s in your maths, English and phys-ed classes. So we can get physical.” He winked again. It was an action I had come to both anticipate and dislike greatly.25

“No thank you, Matthew,” I said coolly, averting my gaze.26

The bell rang, much to my relief. I sat down in a seat at the back of the classroom, summoning all of my calm. 27

I stole a glance at my timetable. Damn, for first and second period I had maths and English. It’s not that I was bad at them; they were my best subjects, but that so far, Matthew was my worst.28

Thankfully, the lessons passed without much event. Neither of the teachers made me stand up and introduce myself. Perhaps they pitied me, read the back-off signal that I subconsciously projected. 29

Sitting next to Matthew, maths and English were punctuated by “She was really into me...”s and “I think I was too much for her...”s. But even his constant chatter was manageable, kept at bay by a string of “mmm”s and “ahh”s.30

The day ended early as the staff had a meeting. Theatrically, I assumed they were plotting ways to make our lives miserable. 31

“Wanna get lunch, Kathy?” Matthew asked, his puppy-dog eyes hopeful.32

“Sorry, got plans,” I lied. 33

I almost heard a whimper.34

“And it’s Katherine,” I told him, turning away. “See ya.”35

It’s not like there was anywhere to go for lunch, anyway, I thought bitterly. Not unless a kangaroo was going to share some of the goo from its pouch – something always sure to impress on the first date.36

Back at the house, Marie and a man were perched upon stools in the kitchen. Upon entering, I recognised him as the landscaper. He was tall and lean, with rough hands, and grey eyes that made you feel uncomfortable. His grey hair was thinning, making him appear older than he actually was.37

“Why do I need to buy all this junk?” Marie scoffed, her arms crossed tightly. 38

“I told ya, missus,” he said in his thick, American drawl. “The water ‘ere s’no good.” 39

“All the other gardens around here seem to be thriving on it,” Marie countered, turning up her pointy, little nose. 40

“S'no good, missus.” 41

“I don’t care,” Marie replied, getting frustrated. “Just get the plants in, and I’ll manage the upkeep. You do your job, and I’ll do mine.” She paused for effect. “Got it?”42

“That just ain’t gonna do.” He shook his head. “Bad for business, ya know?” 43

“Fine then.” Marie waved her hand dismissively, looking away. “You’re off the job.”44

The landscaper narrowed his eyes, and pushed back on his stool abruptly, letting it scrape noisily across the tiles. 45

Marie glared back, her nostrils flaring with anger. “Those are brand new tiles, you idiot!”46

Nothing more was said. The man left with his gear, and Marie was left seething. Before she could start whinging, I escaped to my room, shutting the door inconspicuously behind me. For all she knew, no one else was home.47

♦♦♦♦48

The next day was another school day. The previous day I had tried to get onto the school intranet. But it seemed my name wasn’t yet recognised in this place, and nor was the password that they had allocated me. How ironic. 49

Today my mission was to get it fixed. Walking to school, I felt a little more confident than I had the day before. I still noticed how people’s eyes lingered on me a little longer than they should, but I was calm. When I saw a girl with bleached hair and an orange face, I burst out into a fit of laughter, much to the mortification that was to come. When my amusement subsided, I was suddenly craving carrots – hopefully ones peeled and hairless. 50

Somehow I managed to find the office, entering through its ageing, wooden doorway. 51

I rehearsed my enquiry in my head, “Excuse me; I am unable to get onto the intranet.”52

I tiptoed self-consciously up to the front desk. “Excuse –” 53

It was then that I saw it – something that made me forget all about the stupid intranet.