Simone de Beauvoir said, "There is something in the New York air that makes sleep useless." Honestly, I couldn't relate to that quote. Because for the last half an hour, I have been yawning continuously. Even the "Interesting" facts about New York that the driver was telling us couldn't activate my hazy mind.

"Just five more minutes." dad said. It didn't offer any relief because that's exactly what he said twenty minutes earlier.

My eyelids were growing heavier with each passing second. I looked through the window glass towards the sky. The clouds were dispersed against the dark background like cotton candy. I chuckled at my own weird imagination. Leaning back into my seat, I closed my eyes for a moment and the next thing I knew, someone was tapping my shoulder lightly.

"Mmmm." I emitted an exhausted yawn. Opening my eyes to small slits, I looked at my father who was sliding out of the car. Stretching my arms, I hopped out from my side. My eyes met with a two-storey house which looked a lot smaller then our house in Florida. The maroon walls were dusted with dirt particles and the condition of the gate didn't look well-maintained either.

"Not this one, Ali." Dad called and I turned around, only to find a beautiful amd cozy looking house standing in all its glory in front of me. The walls appeared beige under the moonlight, a grey metallic gate was separating the house from the street.

Dad unlocked the gate, revealing a small yet beautiful lawn surrounding the house. I followed him to the inside of the house. A small hallway led us to a TV lounge. Three of its walls were mahogany colored while the one against the LCD screen was painted in white. A seven seater sofa was occupying most of the space inside the lounge.

"There are three en suite bedrooms, one at each floor. Which one do you want?" Dad asked, placing his suit case on the sofa and slouched down beside it.

"I'll take the one on second floor." I said and exited the lounge. Climbing the stairs, I stopped in front of a beige door and pushed it open. The room was drowned in darkness. I pulled my phone out of my jeans pocket and started the torch. The dim light helped me to locate the switchboard.

As soon as I sitched on the lights, a small gasp escaped my lips. The room was like those rooms photographed in an architectural magazine. The walls were deep violet, contrasting perfectly with the white furniture. A white upholstered bed was set in the middle, with one chaise couch on its right and a wardrobe with attached dressing table at its left.

There was a small window beside the wardrobe, covered with white silk curtain. With small steps, I reached the window and slided the curtain away. There was haunting silence prevailed in the street, not even a bird was chirping.

I was about to close the curtains again when something caught my attention,or rather someone in the window of that maroon house. There was a man, or a boy maybe. I couldn't see clearly because his back was facing me.

My mouth gaped open at the sight of his flexing muscles as he punched the punching bag hanging from the ceiling. Every dip and crevice of his muscled back was visible under the moonlight. He paused for a minute and stretched his arms, his biceps bulged out as he ran his fingers through his brown hair.

Damn.

"Ali." I heard Dad's voice and I felt like I was caught stealing my favourite candy. I turned around swiftly, my eyes still wide open.

"Y.. Yes." my throat felt dry.

"Do you like your room?" he asked.

"Yes. It.. It's beautiful." I managed to say.

He assessed my face for a moment, trying to find the reason behind my flustered state. "Ok. Good night." he said, looking around.

"Good night dad." I passed him a small smile.

After he left, I turned around and looked through the window again. To my disappointment, the window was now closed and a brown curtain was covering it from inside. Letting out a low groan, I closed the window and jumped into my bed.

It was Saturday night and I'll be starting my new school from Monday. Just one more day of freedom. With that thought in mind, I buried myself under the duvet and started making plans about my new life in New York.

...

Next day, we settled for cereals in the breakfast because this was the only food stored in the refrigerator. After cleaning the house, Dad and I went for grocery shopping for our new home. It took us our whole afternoon to stock the kitchen and prepare food to feed our growling stomachs. Dad baked beef casserole while I made salad.

After we had eaten to our maximum limit, dad cleaned the dishes while I sprawled on the couch and switched the LCD on.

"Ok sweety, I have some work. I'll be back before midnight." he said and kissed my head.

"Bye dad." I answered without averting my eyes from the screen.

By the time I finished watching second season of "Modern Family", it was almost midnight. Switching the TV off, I made my way back to my room and changed into my PJs. As I stepped out of the bathroom, my eyes involuntarily moved to the window.

A strange wave of disappointment rushed through my body when I opened the window and and my eyes met with an empty room. Pouting, I lay down and waited for the sleep to envelop me.

...

"I must say Mr. King, your daughter is an excellent addition to our school. We are lucky to have her." the principal Mr. Brown said. He looked like he was in his fifties. With his serious face and professional tone, I could say he was a man of strict principles.

Dad looked at me and smiled. I could see the pride swirling inside his grey eyes.

"So Alicia, are you ready to start your senior year at Redwood high?" he asked me.

"Yes sir." I replied in a confident voice.

He nodded and handed me over a piece of paper. "This is your schedule. You are starting this year a little late so I'll ask the teachers to provide you all the help you need."

I nodded and looked at the schedule. My first class is English Literatire and Composition and it will be starting in fifteen minutes.

"You should go and find your way to your class. I have to discuss some things with your principal." Dad said and I stood up to leave.

I didn't have to look around much as the Literature class was on the same floor as the principal office. To my relief, nobody cast a glance towards me. I sat down in the first row beside a redhead girl who was reading what looked like a novel.

"Hi." I said in a low voice to the girl.

She raised her eyes from the book and assessed my face. I expected her to say something or introduce herself to me but she didn't bother and turned her face back to the book.

I didn't speak anything again and waited for the teacher to enter the class. After five long torturing minutes, an asian woman entered the class. She was short and petite, her black hair was pulled back in a tight bun.

"Who will tell me what homework I gave you on Friday?" she asked and nobody answered.

"Anyone?" she asked expectantly.

"Well, I asked you to write a paragraph about Jane Austen's views on marriage in Pride and Prejudice. Did anyone completed this task?" she asked again and earned silence again.

"Uh.. May I?" I raised my hand and asked.

"And you are?" she asked.

"Alicia King. I just joined today." I answered.

"Oh yeah. Mr. Brown told me about you. My name is Mrs. Seo-yun Cooper and if you need any help in my subject, I'll be there." she smiled. "Now, are you going to give the analysis."

"Yes Mrs. Cooper. In Jane Austen's mind, mutual attraction is the nost important thing in a marriage. The heroine of the novel, Elizabeth, is a loyal follower of her own affection. She encourages Jane to pursue true love with Bingley and has disagreement of Caroline's notion of marrying someone because of his wealth and fortune. She refused Mr. Collin's proposal because she knew he doesn't love her, instead just wanted to marry her because she was fit to be his wife, considering her character and appearance. Here, Elizabeth expresses Jane Austen's views about the importance of true love in a marriage." I said in a breath without any pause.

"Very well, Alicia." Mrs. Cooper smiled at me. "At least, someone takes interest in my subject." she cast an annoyed glance at the class.

I could feel glares piercing holes in my back but I was never the one to give in to peer pressure. The concept of "cool" and "nerd" always seemed very foreign to me. If I am studying regularly and preparing ever test, I don't think I have any reason to be ashamed of.

After that, Mrs. Cooper presented a brief analysis on Chapter 10-14 of the novel. She gave us homework to write a character review on Fitzwilliam Darcy within three days. After she left, I pulled out the schedule. My next class was P.E.

Ugh. Why do we have to take P. E? I don't want to be fit and active. I just want to roll into my bed, eat Nutella and watch seasons.

With small steps, I searched for the gym. Each second of the next hour felt like a torture. When the bell rang finally, I was the first person to rush out.

My next class was AP biology. Again, I had to sit in the first row as it was the only seat available. The seat beside me was also unoccupied until a cute blonde girl entered the class and stood beside me.

"Hi." I said to her. Unlike that rude girl, this one smiled in return.

"Hi." she replied meekly. "I am Emily."

"Alicia." My smile grew wider.

"I know." she answered and my brows furrowed in confusion.

"Don't get confused. I was in your English Lit class." she cleared when she noticed my confusion.

"Oh."

"You are really brave." she said after a pause. "If I were in your position, I would have never answered on my first day."

I smiled at her expressions. She looked really cute with her big, blue eyes and round face. "Well, I hope I don't get bullied for it." I joked and her smile dropped in an instant.

"I hope that too." she said softly and turned her face away.

What happened to her? Does she get bullied? To be honest, I didn't know bullying still existed. In my last school, nobody could pass any condescending remark or insult to anyone, all thanks to our strict administration.

I was about to ask her the reason of her sad face when the teacher entered the class. He introduced himself as Mr. Walter. He was rambling on and on about the parts of Stomach and nobody bothered to listen to him. I myself was trying really hard to grasp the concepts as his method of teaching was really crappy. It felt like he was just reproducing crammed material without even trying to make the class understand.

"He should get retired now." Emily said.

"I know, right." I supported.

"Don't bother listening to him. You will retain nothing. Believe me, I have tried before." she grinned.

"Excuse me miss." I was busy talking with Emily when I heard Mr. Walter's voice.

Not me. Not me. Please, not me.

I prayed silently as I turned my gaze to him. Unfortunately, his words were directed at me, so was his board marker.

"Can you tell me which surgeon is known as the father of Gastric Physiology?" he asked. "I just mentioned it few minutes earlier when you were busy chatting with Miss. Parker."

"Umm. I... Umm.." I gulped the saliva down my throat.

He shook his head in disappointment and turned his attention away from me. "Anyone else?"

Nobody said a word.

"Anyone?"

Still nothing.

"It's William Beaumont." a voice called from the back of the class. The voice was deep and sensuous, as if someone has poured chocolate in my ears, as silly as it may sound. I turned around and looked at the source of the voice. It was a guy sitting at the last bench of the corner. Half of his face was covered with the hood of his jacket. From the distance, I could only make out his thin lips and his strong jaw. A stupid urge to run my finger down his sharp jawline erupted in my mind and I scolded myself for such vile though.

"Well done, Adam." Mr. Walter said loudly. He didn't bother to reply. Instead, he just nodded slowly and lowered his face towards his book.

For a moment, I kept my gaze at him, expecting him to lift his head so that I could see his face. Too bad, a tap on my shoulder broke my concentration.

"What's your next period?" Emily asked as she stood up to leave.

"I have a free period." I replied.

"Me too." she said excitedly. "Do you want to spend it together?"

"Why not!" I followed her out of the class but not before casting a look at that hooded boy. He hadn't raised his face from his book yet though all other students were leaving the class.

"Where to?" I asked, turning my attention back to Emily.

"My favorite place in the whole school, our cafeteria." she chuckled and excitedly, made her way forwards.

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