Chapter 2 - Josette

I sat under the bleachers with Vanessa, watching the cheerleaders practice their routine for the upcoming game.

On the opposite side of the field, the football players ran laps around the field, their exhaustion evident. We were waiting for Riley, a cheerleader, to finish practice. She'd tried to recruit me to join the squad, but I was hardly athletic; cheerleading was not my forte.

Vanessa leaned against the railing, munching on chips, reading about history or something. I, on the other hand, was eyeing the best way to snatch the bag of chips from her and as I made my move, her head snapped up, and she clutched the bag to her chest. "Don't even think about it!" she warned.

Caught red-handed, I raised my hands in defeat, laughing. "Okay, okay, you caught me

But can I have some, Pretty please?" I begged, making puppy eyes at her.

She huffed, then handed over the bag. I grinned, triumphant, and dug in.

As I gazed out at the field, my eyes landed on him – Evander, the football team captain. His presence commanded attention as he instructed his teammates. Memories of what transpired earlier flooded back, and I turned to Vanessa, who was once again lost in her book.

"Vanessa, can I ask you something?" I said, interrupting her reading once more. She looked up, curious. "What's the deal with Evander?" I asked, lowering my voice. "Why does everyone seem so... intimidated by him?"

Vanessa shrugged, focusing on her book again. "I don't know what you're talking about. Evander's just a guy on the football team."

I raised an eyebrow, sensing that Vanessa was hiding something. "Just a guy?" I repeated, trying to keep my tone light. "Come on, Vanessa. Everyone seems to treat him like he's... I don't know, royalty or something."

Vanessa's expression remained neutral, but I caught a flicker of something in her eyes before she looked away. "You're just being paranoid," she said, casually.

Yet she avoided meeting my eyes, her gaze drifting back to her book suspiciously. I could tell she was trying to escape the conversation. I studied her face wondering why she was evading my question.

Her eyes scanned the page, but I knew she wasn't really reading. Her brow was furrowed, and her lips were pressed together in a thin line. I sensed a defensiveness in her.

As my eyes drifted back to Evander, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to him than met the eye. His confidence bordered on arrogance, and the way Mr. Charleson seemed to give him a free pass only added to the mystery surrounding him.

I whispered to Vanessa, my eyes fixed on Evander, "Is he dangerous? Like a mafia boss or something?" As soon as the words left my lips, Evander's head snapped up, his gaze locking onto mine. Startled, I missed Vanessa's reaction, transfixed by the laughter that burst out of him.

His body shook as he barked out laughter, his eyes never leaving mine. Caught off guard, I found myself smiling. When he laughed, his whole demeanor changed.

As his laughter subsided, Evander ran his hands through his hair, his eyes still fixed on me. He whispered something to his teammate, who turned to look at me, a grin spreading across his face. My heart skipped a beat as I panicked, thinking Evander might have overheard me. But then I realized that it was impossible from this distance.

Yet, as our eyes met, I couldn't shake off the feeling that Evander knew exactly what I'd said.

Not long after the weird incident, the cheerleaders rounded up for the day, and Riley joined us. As we exchanged goodbyes, Vanessa's refusal to meet my gaze created an awkward tension between us. If Riley sensed the unease, she didn't let on, and we all parted ways.

As I walked through the front door, the familiar comforts of home enveloped me. I slipped off my shoes, dropping my bag with a soft thud and headed to the kitchen to grab a snack. The house was quiet, except for the faint hum of the refrigerator.

My parents, Mum and Dad, were likely still at work. My mum works as a gynecologist in the local hospital in cederville and often has long and irregular shifts, while My dad, an insurance manager, was probably still at the office

I poured myself a glass of water and leaned against the counter, feeling exhausted. I grabbed an Apple and hauled my bag up the stairs to my room.

After changing into comfortable clothes, I settled onto my desk by the window and pulled out a book to study. But as I gazed out at the setting sun, my mind began to wander, and I couldn't stop my thoughts from drifting.

Over the past couple of weeks I've noticed the subtle dynamics at play. The way certain students seem to have power over others, surprisingly even the teachers. And Evander appeared to be in charge of it all.

As I read, the words blurred together with my thoughts, and before I knew it, I drifted off to sleep, face down on my desk.

As I woke up slowly, becoming aware of my surroundings. I heard the sound of the front door opening and the murmur of my parents' voices downstairs. Groggily, I wiped my eyes and made my way downstairs.

As soon as my mom saw me, she said with concern, "Oh, honey, did we wake you?" I gave her a quick peck on the cheek and waved off her worry. "It's nothing, I'm starving anyway."

My dad chimed in, holding up a large box of pepperoni pizza. "Good thing we picked up dinner!" I laughed and kissed his cheek, and he swept me into one of his signature bear hugs. Those hugs had a way of melting away all my troubles.

"How was school, Pumpkin?" he asked, using the nickname he'd had for me since forever.

I smiled, feeling a warmth spread through me. "It was fine, Dad."

My mom smiled and said, "Would you two quit cuddling and help me set the table?"

"Coming, honey." he says, then he whispers to me, but we can all ear it. "She's just jealous of us, pumpkin."

We all burst out laughing at his words. Its always been like this between us, loving and carefree. They were madly in love with eachother and I knew they loved me too.

But I always wondered why we had to move every couple of months. We never stayed in a place for too long, always on the move and it was exhausting. I tried to not complain each time we moved, but they knew I hated to move.

I'd lost count of the schools I'd attended and the friends I'd left behind. Now, as a junior in high school, I desperately wanted to stay untill graduation. Cederville had been our home for a few weeks, and I'd finally started to settle in. Vanessa and Riley had become my friends, and the thought of starting over again was daunting.

It's always felt like we're running from something. But every time I ask, Mom just says it's for our own good. What good is it to leave behind everything I've built, every couple of months?

I'd been moving from place to place for as long as I could remember, and I'd long given up on trying to convince them otherwise.

After dinner, I kissed them both goodnight and headed to my room, ready to collapse. I fell into a deep sleep the moment I lay down, so exhausted that I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow.

In the moments before I fell asleep, I couldn't shake the feeling that my parents were hiding something from me.