House Trap

Chapter Two: Mrs. Toussaint's Request

The school hallways were filled with chatting students coming out of their classes. It was a typical day at Wedds High School as the students strolled to their lockers. The advanced science class, students came out a bit late. Some of them yawned, looking tired as they plodded to their lockers; among them was Rachel. She went to her locker, relieved that the exam was over and done, but she stressed about whether she passed or not.

"Rachel!" A girl approached her at the locker. She wore a russet blouse with a cerulean T-shirt that said "believe" with a drawing of a cross beneath it. Her short, amber hair cut fitted her round face. A small, silver cross necklace glistened at her chest.  

"Hey, Kristen." Rachel replied as she opened her locker and cradled her next period notebook and textbook on her left arm. 

"You looked exhausted, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly. Kristen noticed Rachel's dark circles underneath her eyes even with her glasses on. 

"I just took an exam last period. I don't think I did well," she said."I stayed up all night, studying."

"Oh, Rachel, quit worrying," she said. "You'll pass."

"Easy to say, hard to do," she said, slamming the locker shut.

"So how did you do at the science fair?" Kristen asked, changing the subject.

Rachel's heavyhearted feeling of that day rushed back again, "Not good." she veered toward Kristen. "Thanks a lot for making me feel better." Rachel said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry," she said in a sheepish tone of voice."I'll pray for you."

She rolled her eyes. "Thanks, I need it." Kristen followed Rachel to her next class; they kept on talking about other things till Kristen realized Rachel close to her next period class, so she said her goodbye. Rachel watched her friend walk off her and watched Kristen waved to a group of students. One of the students waved back, but after Kristen was out of their sight, they guffawed amongst each other which angered Rachel.

"What a loser Kristen has become." one girl said to her friends. She flung aside her long, wavy, blond hair and glanced at her friends with her alluring hazel eyes. Her uniquely gorgeous face and slender, supermodel-like body gave her popularity at school and even in town. "She used to be a cool person, but now she got all spiritual and stuff."

"I know." the comely guy in the clique said. His brawny face along with his thick shoulders displayed him as a varsity football player whether he wore his green football jacket or not.  He now had his right arm around the wavy blond-haired girl's neck,

"Remember George's party, when she got so drunk that she puked in his pool?  Man, she was such a cool chick then, but now she's like...." the chubby footballer in the clique said as he   ridiculed Kristen by acting like a saint with a halo. The group guffawed instantaneously especially the red-haired cheerleader by his side.

"Good one, man." the comely guy with the football jacket replied. The only person who wasn't laughing was a boy with dark, oily hair; Rachel had never seen him in the popular clique before, so she guessed he was a new student. He wore a leather jacket and appeared out of place as he seemed more of a rebel than a jock.

"I have to go, baby." the blond-haired girl said as she removed her boyfriend's arm around her neck and waved goodbye to her other friends.  Rachel noticed that she threw a quick glance at the boy with the leather jacket, but no one except him noticed.  This was Rachel's cue to head into the class.  Rachel was about to cross the class doorway when someone bumped into right shoulder blade. She dropped her textbook and notebook on the brownish tile floor. Rachel kneeled down to pick them up and spun around to see who jostled her.