Chapter 2: Signs

We shall leave Jamie and Charlene in the library for awhile, and focus our attention to one of the Chemistry classes in the Science Laboratory, located directly on top of the library. Vivian, the batch salutatorian, was once again on her 'selfish leadership mode'. Their Chemistry teacher was not around due to illness, so she was in-charge for that particular session, a thing she was more than willing to do. It was one step closer to popularity-- at least in her world. "Okay classmates, listen very carefully. Since we are in the lab, we are all expected to wear our masks and our lab gowns. Also, remem-" She was distracted by her classmates who didn't give a damn on what she was saying. "Don't you dare ignore me like this!" Vivian said with authority, but nobody still cared.

On the farthest corner of the room, a group of four students already started the experiment. "Vivian really needs a therapy. Am I right or what?" one of them said. "You're so mean, Art" Sam, the only girl in the group sarcastically said. "Guys, I think we should just ignore her. She's quite hard to understand anyway. Eric, hand over that test tube" Jeremy, the group leader, asked. It was no surprise for Jeremy to act on his own even without Vivian's instructions. He's a natural genius, though not as diligent as Vivian, making him fifth in the batch ranking last year.

"Alright! Just one drop of hot water from this test tube and we're good as done" Jeremy said, pouring the content of the glassware. It was perfectly well, until he noticed something strange with his hands. Slowly, it glowed abnormally, revealing powder-like particles scattered on them. To his surprise, smoke suddenly came out coming from the test tube he was holding. "Fire!!" Art shouted in terror. In panic, everyone ran out of the laboratory. Jeremy remained motionless due to shock. "Jeremy, let go of that thing!" Eric tackled Jeremy, who accidentally threw the test tube away. Eric pulled him with all his strength, then immediately ran for the door. A few seconds after, an explosion was heard. Thanks to Vivian's instructions, nobody from the class got hurt; however, it was not the same for Jamie.

The explosion caused the old ceiling of the library to crack. This made the chandelier fall into the ground, setting the carpeted floor into flames. "Jamie!!" Charlene cried, as she saw Jamie trapped in the fire. Luckily for Charlene, she was saved by the guard at post outside the library. "Help! Anybody!" Jamie desperately called, as she was being suffocated. Charlene was fighting so hard to be released by the guard and help Jamie, but the guard won't let her. Slowly, Charlene's voice seem to fade in Jamie's ears, as she fell into the ground. "Good Lord, is this it?" Jamie said in prayer. "If it is, could You at least get rid of my father's bad memories of me? I want him to be very proud of me. Please, oh God. That way, I could be a little help to him. That way, I could at least make him happy..." with a smile on her face, Jamie prepared herself for the worst. Just as hope was about to fade for Jamie, a young man suddenly pulled Jamie's feet upwards. "Are you an angel? Why are you coming from up above?" she uttered dreamily. "Wake up, moron!" the angel in Jamie's eyes suddenly transformed into a sight she preferred more. In his arms, she lost consciousness, but she felt safety just holding on to them.

Waking up, Jamie was greeted by a worried Charlene sitting right beside her.

"Oh thank God, you're alright!" she cried.

"Where are we, Charlene?" Jamie asked.

"At the infirmary. The doctor said you were not badly hurt or anything"

"How about my savior? Is he alright?"

"Oh, Evan? He's fine. You're so lucky that he was at the class upstairs. He saw you trapped in the fire from above the ceiling, so he destroyed the old ceiling in order to save you. You're one lucky girl"

"Really?! It was Evan?! I-I need to thank him!"

"I don't think that would be a good idea"

"Why is that?"

"Evan doesn't want that kind of treatment. He's know to be the coolest guy in school, so it follows that he doesn't entertain anyone. You know, to maintain hi status, he's trying hard to appear isolated"

"For real? Isn't that a bit sad?"

"Well, Evan is Evan"

Their conversation was cut short by the entry of a man about 33 years old. It was Jamie's father.

"Are you alright, my daughter? Does your body hurt?"

"I'm fine, dad. Thank you"

"Good evening sir. My name is Charlene. I am Jamie's friend. The doctor said that Jamie could be discharged right away"

"Alright. Thank you for taking care of my daughter"

Jamie's dad talked with the doctors, packed up, then left the infirmary with Jamie. On their way home, Jamie opened up a talk with her father. “Dad, how did you meet my mom? I really want to know”

“And why’s that?”

“Well… let’s just say that I’m in the mood for a love story right now”

“I’m not. You have a lot of explaining to do, young lady. You can’t divert my attention”

“Oh, come on dad. I was about to die awhile ago. Can you spare me the confrontation ‘til tomorrow?”

“Fine, but you’ll spare me my love story as well”

“Oh, daddy! You’re so mean! I’ve been waiting for that story since I was a kid”

“Just fasten your seatbelt and don’t be too stubborn. We’ll be home soon”

Back at their house, Jamie immediately ran to her room. She was so relieved to actually feel the warmth of her bed that night. Jamie was so ready to die during the fire in the library. Still, she couldn't deny the fact that she became more attracted to Evan after what happened. Good looks, high popularity, and now her personal hero - what more can she ask for?

Just as she was about to close her eyes to sleep to dream about him, Jamie felt an uneasy sensation in her back. Little by little, her room seem to be hotter for her, too hot that perspiration suddenly ran freely all over her body. Slowly, her back hurt more and more until she couldn't bear with the pain that she shouted as loud as her voice could carry. Her dad rushed to her room. "What's happening to you Jamie?! Answer me!" he asked her worriedly. "My back! I-It's hurting so much, it feels like burning!" she answered in pain. Jamie's father tried to look on her back, but there wasn't anything to be found there, not even a bruise. In a matter of seconds, Jamie suddenly stopped screaming. "What is happening to you? We'll see a doctor tomorrow, okay?" her dad said, hugging her tightly.

The next day, at the principal's office, one can feel the height of emotions inside the hollowed room. "But Principal Cith, I really saw smoke coming from the test tube!" Art tried to explain himself. "Smoke! Not fire! If I wasn't too careful in leading our classmates, we are all toast!" Vivian said angrily. Art became speechless. "It was my fault" Jeremy interrupted. Sam, Vivian, Art, Eric, and Principal Cith were surprised by his sudden speech. They've been there for about an hour and it was the very first time that Jeremy spoke. "If you guys will excuse us, I would want to be alone with Jeremy. Please wait outside" the principal asked nicely and the students immediately followed his order.

"What is up with him?" Art suddenly uttered.

"What do you mean?" Sam was confused.

"Well, normally Jeremy is not like that, but since the fire I noticed that he's a bit different. I've never seen him so sure about something wrong he did in the last six years that I've known him. Usually, he'll let others talk on his behalf whenever things go wrong"

Eric was just silently listening to their conversation.

"Looks like he's going to be punished and he's going to be punished big!" Vivian butted in.

"Oh shut up, you old fag! We're not even talking to you!" Art answered back.

"You don't have the right to call me that, you lowlife!"

Just before Art could say another word, Jeremy suddenly came out of the principal's office, facing the floor. "What happened?" Eric asked. Jeremy stared with a blank face. "What now Jeremy? What happened? Tell us already! The suspense is killing me!" Art eagerly asked. "I-I'm dropping out of school for awhile..."

His last statement totally shocked the world of Eric, Art, Sam, and even Vivian who thought that if Jeremy was out, it'll mean less competition for her. But another shocker for that day was what Jamie shared to Charlene.

"WHAT?!!" was the only word that came out of Charlene's mouth.

"Yep! You heard that right! From now on, I'm going to do whatever it takes to become closer to Evan, even if it means I have to become his slave!"

"Are you out of your mind, Jamie? Don't you remember what you did before just to do that? You haven't even finished your job at the library"

"It's postponed due to the fire, remember? But, I... guess you're right. I should have a little respect for myself"

"That's more like it"

Just then and there, Jamie saw a boy wearing shades and leather coat, seemingly hiding his identity from the people. Looking closely at him, she noticed the watch he was wearing.

"Charlene! It's Evan!" Jamie immediately followed him secretly, trying to see what he was up to.

"Oh, she never changes" Charlene tells to herself.

The following week, the very first club activity meeting was held for everyone. All students in the school are required to attend clubs of their choice, as stated in their student manual. Everyone was looking forward to it, especially because it means that class hours are cut for the club meetings. In one of the smallest club in the campus, the Campers' Club, half of the members was pleased to attend the first ever meeting, the other half was the opposite. It was because of their newest member who is none other than Evan Mcgulligen. Half of the population of the club was girls so you probably know now why they're very delighted.

"Okay, let me check your attendance now, guys. This is a requirement for your academic completion after all, doesn't it?" the club adviser stated. "Wait!" All of the members' attention was diverted to the young lady who was rushing her way to the club room, gasping for air. "Is this the Clampers' Club? I've been so dizzy looking for the club room" It was the most unpredictable lady to ever grace the school, Jamie. "It's Campers' Club, dummy" Evan commented, making the guys laugh and the girls go crazy for his coolness. Jamie answered it with a sweet smile.

Chapter 1: Double Trouble

The clock showed 3 o’clock, but it was as if dawn took place already. The clouds were not too friendly as shown by the unending drops of drizzles they released. At one with the mourning of that afternoon, was a girl. She was about five feet tall, pressing her hands towards her chest. As raindrops splashed upon a tombstone that lied right in front of her, the girl uttered a seemingly short prayer.

“It has been four years” she spoke softly. “I used to be so childish before, especially when you were around”

As she seemingly communicated with the person lying in that tomb, the girl began to remember the series of events that made her what she is right now and what lead to her mourning over someone so dear to her.

Right now, you must be aware that the young lady’s name is Jamie. Back in high school, Jamie was your typical teenage girl. Unmatched beauty, over-confidence, superstar material, overflowing vanity – these were not the words to describe her. Wait a minute. Maybe Jamie was not so typical after all. To be honest, she’s quite an obscure type. Allow me to use the term ‘spontaneous’ to describe her personality.

Anyway, let me bring you back to the very first day of Jamie’s high school life. Technically, it was the second day of school. Jamie missed the first day due to flu she got from summer basketball clinic. As you may assume, Jamie tried really hard to excel in every single field that she could enter in grade school, be it basketball, the student council, glee club, and even the gardeners’ society. Though she might have tried everything, she missed one infamous field: love.

Jamie never felt admiration towards somebody and nobody felt that way towards her as well. Don’t get me wrong though. She was like any other girl who believes in fairy tales, princes, and happy endings. However, it was as if Jamie didn’t get her shot at love yet. She was a part of almost every organization in her elementary school, but never did she have the chance to be catapulted to popularity – the very excuse that Jamie had in mind whenever she thought of being loveless. And so, Jamie tried hard to find her place in the world of teenage life, even if it costs her big time.

That day, ‘aloof’ was the term to describe Jamie’s feelings towards her classmates. It was a really hard thing to cope up with them, especially in Jamie’s case. At that time, she was a transferee student a.k.a. the ‘new breed’. The students’ eyes were like needles pricking her with every look. She was like E.T. landing on a wrong spot on Earth, which in her case: the school.

Trying to escape from all those gazes, Jamie ran to find her way to the only place in school that she considered safe – the washroom. Running for the CR, Jamie felt star struck by the next scene she saw. In her world, time seemed to stop as a dashing young man walked from the upper right door of the cafeteria. He was about six-feet tall with a black and styled hair paired with an innocent face that implicitly tells you how many girls have cried because of it. The twenty-meter distance between Jamie and him didn’t seem to matter for his “aura of awesomeness” struck Jamie unconsciously. Yes folks, she was totally in to him right at that very moment as well as the hundreds of girls and, should I say, boys who think they’re girls, who acted as if they didn’t notice him, but were very furious with him in their wildest imagination.

If Jamie was overwhelmed by that moment, I just can’t find a word to describe what she felt during the next scene. Believe it or not, the boy was heading towards her direction. Jamie’s jaw couldn't hide the fact that it had been far away from her upper lip for a couple of minutes at that time. The guy seemingly took something from his pocket. Handing over a handkerchief to Jamie, he said in the coolest fashion:

“Here take this. It shall be useful especially with those drools on your face which are about to solidify anytime now”

Bursts of laughter roared inside the cafeteria, but Jamie didn’t seem to mind. She was too busy being mesmerized by the guy’s angelic face, as he vanished little by little from her eye sight.

After that event, Jamie became the school’s official laughing stock. News spread like lightning and the fact that Evan, the most popular guy alive in that campus, humiliated her, she was automatically brought down to the lowest level of the social ladder. However, it did not hinder Jamie from coming to school. As a matter of fact, it motivated her even more with thoughts of seeing him. Her classmates were as enthusiastic as her to come to class too, but due to a different reason.

The following day, while Jamie was about to fall in line for the morning ceremony, she had a colorful face – literally. As she made her way to the quad, a bucket-full of mixed paint splashed right to her face. “OMG!” exclaimed a lady’s voice. “Terrible!” said another. Two young ladies, whose make-up and mascara on their faces revealed their vanity, took Jamie’s arms and lead her to the washroom.

“Thank you” was the only phrase that came out of Jamie’s mouth.

“Oh don’t mention it, honey. Krest and I are not totally aliens to this kind of situation” said one of the ladies, spraying raspberry perfume all over Jamie’s body.

“Chloe’s fabulously right about that. You know, that bucket of paint was totally an accident. You should be aware that this school is totally accident-prone” said the other.

“Really? I didn't know that people in this school usually tie a bucket so that once someone stepped on its lower end; it’s going to squash the person’s face with the paint it contains. I’m new here so thanks for your concern. By the way I’m Ja—“

“Don’t you dare mention your stinky name with us, dummy!”

“And stop playing dumb with us! It was no accident, stupid!”

“It was a warning piggy head! Know your place and stay away from our man!”

“My gosh, Krest! I didn’t know that she could be this greasy once you touch her. I need to see my skin doctor”

The mean gals left Jamie shocked with snaps from their newly tendered fingers. Moments after, Jamie heard a grin coming from one of the cubicles. “Who’s there?!” Jamie exclaimed, expecting yet another nasty prank.

“You must be new here. Am I right?” One of the cubicles opened, revealing a small young man with a very round head, squatting on top of a closed toilet.

“Ahh!! What are you doing in the ladies’ washroom?!” Jamie screamed.

“Oh shut up! Your chest size tells me that you’re more of a man than a woman”

Embarrassed, Jamie immediately covered the upper part of her youthful body.

“The name’s Francis. I see you’ve been dealing with an unending series of what I call ‘unfortunate events’”

“How did you know? Are you stalking me?”

A devilish laugh came out of the guy’s mouth.

“Dream on! You’re not my type! You really know how to play dumb do you? I’ve been here all the time those ‘twitches’ were dealing with you”

“Twitches?”

“Twin bitches. Krest and Chloe are like twins because they’re always together and like bitches, because you know why”

“I really don’t understand why people are making fun of me. Also, it still hasn’t sunk in to me what the heck are you doing in this place”

“Well, princess, for the first question, you have been public figure since your encounter yesterday with Evan. Seems like the love bug bit you already” A horrendous laugh was heard in the washroom.

“That’s not true!”

“Well your redness tells me otherwise”

Jamie became speechless.

“Princess, if you really want to have that guy, you have to start being ‘cool’. Do you know what I mean?”

“Well, back in my old school, I was an athlete, a singer, a performer, name it!”

“Haha! I don’t think you get what I mean. You see, you’re in a different place now which means coolness is measured in a different way here”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll know what I mean. Come see me at the quad today after class”

Jamie shocked the whole school more than ever the day after. Wearing black tights with a brown leather jacket and round shades, she was actually holding a fire extinguisher in her hands. The trembling on her feet showed her resistance to what she was about to do, but Francis’ face telling her to be cool seemed to be permanent on her subconscious. Summoning all her strength, she forcefully entered Krest and Chloe’s classroom. Inexperienced, she accidentally sprayed the extinguisher to her own face, making her look more foolish than ever. Jamie felt the world rotating incredibly fast around her, then slowly fell into the ground.

Next thing she knew, she was in the infirmary with a cute girl looking straight at her with disbelief. “Are you the Purgatory’s manager?” Jamie asked. The girl laughed gently, and then she told her: “Our principal would like to see you. Please proceed to his office once you feel better”

Worried, Jamie immediately did what the girl told her. Expulsion, suspension, shame, her dad’s monster form – these were the things that went circling around Jamie’s mind. As she was about to beg for mercy, the principal actually smiled at her.

“Welcome to Delton High, Jamie” he said calmly

“I beg your pardon?” Jamie asked, clueless.

“Don’t worry too much. I’m aware that you haven’t adjusted to the school yet. I won’t expel you or something, but I can’t just allow your actions to be tolerated”

Jamie froze.

“You will be required to serve ten hours at the school library. Charlene, over there, will be your guide” the principal said pointing out to the girl standing patiently outside.

Jamie didn’t expect such a light punishment.

“Oh thank you so much sir! I don’t know how to thank you!” Jamie, carried away by her emotions, actually hugged the principal.

“Oh you will be fine in this school. Now go with Charlene, she will guide you well”

After what she did earlier in the day, Jamie couldn’t possibly have the confidence to talk to Charlene as they made their way to the library. “Are you afraid of me?” she asked with all courage left in her. Charlene laughed softly then shook her head. “You see, it really wasn’t me who did that awhile ago. I was in total insanity. Not that I’m crazy, alright? It was just a surge of willingness that I failed to think seriously about it that much. By the way, my name is—“

“Jamie, right?” Charlene interrupted.

“Oh, I must be so notorious in this school now” Jamie said.

“Don’t worry too much. The people here will soon forget what happened, but it won’t be that fast” Charlene warned her.

“Yes, I am aware of that” Jamie said sadly.

“Hey! Smile! I’ll do my best to be with you from now on. You can count on me”

“Thank you Charlene! You’re the first person in this school to actually be genuinely kind to me”

“Don’t mention it. Now, let’s walk faster before Mrs. Schuster nags us. I tell you, it won’t be nice”

“Okay”

And so, Jamie had the worst two days of high school so far, but at least she also found someone whom she could actually trust in the campus.