“Are you new?”
Jessie looked up from the slip of paper she was reading, her new class schedule. She was finally here, at The Seahaven School of the Arts, where she had been dreaming of going for as long as she could remember.
She nodded. “I seem to be a little lost. I’m looking for Room 311B, but I can’t find it. It goes from 311 to 313, but no B.”
The girl in the long broomstick skirt and lacy purple poet’s shirt smiled. “That’s because it’s in the old building. All of the classrooms that have a “B” in them are over there.”
“Oh. How do I get to the old building?”
“Through the tunnel.”
Jessie blinked at the girl. “Tunnel?”
The girl nodded, then frowned. “Didn’t anyone give you the tour?”
Jessie shook her head.
The girl sighed dramatically. “They’re supposed to show you around at new student orientation.”
“I don’t think I had one of those.” A bell chimed, and Jessie realized that they were the last two students in the suddenly empty hall. “Oh crap! I’m so sorry I made you late.”
The girl waved her hand. “Don’t worry about it. I hadn’t decided where I was headed, anyway. I’m supposed to be in biology, but I have friends doing monologues in the black box this hour and I hear that Mr. Anthony is lecturing about Shakespeare today, too.”
Jessie gaped at the girl. “You’re allowed to just choose where you go?”
The girl grinned conspiratorially. “I don’t know about allowed, but there are a lot of cool teachers who don’t mind if extra people show up from time to time, as long as we’re there to participate and learn.”
Jessie shook her head. At South City High, if you weren’t in your assigned classroom when the bell rang, the teachers would lock the doors and you’d get detention for being caught in a hall freeze once security rounded you up with the other tardies.
“Come on. I’ll show you how to get to the old building. It’s not cool that they just dumped you here without showing you around.” The girl headed back down the hall to the staircase at the end, Jessie following along beside her. “We don’t get many new kids in the middle of the year. Did you just move to Seahaven, or something?”
Jessie shook her head. “Not exactly. I went to South City when I lived with my parents, but I moved out right before Christmas and this school let me audition mid-year since my residence changed.”
The girl led her down two flights of stairs to the main level and through the building, past the lunchroom commons where a group of students were practicing choreography without music as one of them counted to eight over and over. “Well, grats on passing the audition. They’re pretty selective. What’s your major?”
“Major?”
“What art are you studying? I’m a creative writing and theatre double. Are you, like, dance or music? Visual art? Tech theatre?”
“Oh, I’m visual art.” Jessie smiled what she hoped was a friendly smile. She was feeling a bit out of her depth here, in this new school. She had known it would be different, but not how different.
The girl led her down another staircase that let out into a narrow basement hall with a staircase on the other end. She pointed with a showman’s flourish. “The tunnel.”
Jessie’s smile widened. “Thanks! I really appreciate you helping me out.”
The girl beamed. “No problem! I’m Cat, by the way. Actually, it’s Angela, but everybody calls me Cat.”
Jessie grinned. “It’s nice to meet you, Cat. I’m Jessie.”
Cat grinned and wrapped Jessie into a hug, squeezing and letting go quickly.
Jessie stood stock still for a moment. She was not used to hugs from people she knew, much less strangers, but Cat didn’t seem phased by her lack of reciprocation.
“311B is just up three flights and down the hall on the right. I’m gonna hit the black box, I think. See you around, Jessie. Welcome to Seahaven Arts.”
Jessie watched Cat turn around and head back up the stairs, lifting her ankle-length skirt. At South City, no one would have helped. They might even have taken her somewhere to get her in trouble. But Cat had been friendly and fun. And she’d hugged her. Jessie was going to have to process that one for a little while. She hoped that Cat would be in at least some of her classes. She shouldered her backpack higher and climbed her own staircase, a grin spreading across her face. She was pretty sure she was going to like it here.
If you liked this flash, check out more free short fiction and all things Seahaven at www.aelowan.com.