Page 3 of The Boy I Once Loved

“Actually, I kind of know my way around.” She looks at me puzzled. “I used to go here.”

“Oh, wow, really? Well, that will make settling in easier for you.” She grins warmly. “I used to go to Pennington High, but they didn’t have a decent sixth form, so I came here.”

I take in her clothes. We are like chalk and cheese. She wears a pink jumper with a white collar and fitted ice blue denim skinnies. It contrasts starkly with my all-black outfit. Black ripped jeans, black biker style boots and a long-sleeved fitted black t-shirt. My only colour was the maroon lipstick on my lips that matched the colour of my faux leather biker jacket.

“Look Amber, I appreciate the hospitality, but I can find my own way there.”

She smiles and shakes her head. “Oh, it’s no trouble. Besides, we are in history together. You can sit by me.”

It is clear the girl will not take no for an answer. So, I simply smile and decide it’s best to let her escort me to class. We arrive with a few minutes to spare. Amber directs me to the seat beside her. “You’ll love Alaric. He’s a brilliant teacher.”

She says it in a dreamy way that makes me think it isn't just Alaric's teaching style that she likes. The class fills up and I'm lost in my own world when Connor Hart walks through the door. I mean, he isn't the Connor Hart I remember; he is taller and bulkier, but he has the same hazel eyes and mop of brown hair. I avert my gaze down to my phone as he rushes past me and takes his seat in one of the rows behind me. There had been a small part of me that had hoped that Dylan had gone to a different sixth form, but if Connor is still attending here, then that means that he is still here. Our history teacher Alaric arrives and now I can understand why Amber went a little gooey eyed. He is handsome for an older guy. He looks about his late twenties and has short blonde hair. From the looks of how well his shirt clings to him, I think it's safe to say he spends a fair amount of time at the gym.

Alaric takes the register and when he reads out my name, he looks up and smiles. “Ah yes, our new student. Welcome to Lilford, Ella. Hopefully, we are at a similar point to your old college class.”

I nod and offer him a quick smile. I can feel my fellow classmates staring at me and I catch one guy with coppery brown hair studying me. I meet his gaze and he gives me a lazy, confident smile and winks. Rolling my eyes, I avert my attention back to our teacher.

Class passes quickly. I find the class is slightly ahead of my old college, but I have no worries I will catch up. I’m packing up my bag when I feel a tap on my shoulder.

"Hey, Ella." I turn to find Connor Hart standing beside me.

"Hey, Connor."

“Wow, I don’t think I would have recognised you if it hadn’t been for your name being read out.” He looks at me with a look of surprise. He is right, I have changed. My hair had always been a honey blonde, but I now dyed it an ash colour. I have also lost weight in three years and I am a slim size eight. I’ve also had a growth spurt over the last three years hormonally and now had ample boobs. I lifted weights, so I have sculpted the curvy body my hormones had blessed me with. “So, you’re back?”

"Looks that way," I reply as I pull out my phone and check for any messages.

“You just disappeared. You were here one day, gone the next.” He looks at me with a bewildered look on his face.

“I guess I did. Look, I gotta go make a call. Nice seeing you, Connor.” I sling my bag over my shoulder and leave him standing there, his eyes following me out of the room. I am stopped from going any farther by Amber, who comes up in front of me.

“You know Connor then?”

I nod. “Yeah, I know of him, but not really well.” I continue to scroll on my phone, hoping she’ll stop with the questions.

“So, if you know Connor, you’ll know Dylan James then?”

I keep my eyes on my phone, hoping the hatred that rears its head doesn’t show on my face. “Yeah, I remember Dylan James.”

She fans herself with her hand. “Now that boy is gorgeous. Tell me was he that good looking before puberty hit?”

I scoff. “You think he’s good looking?”

She looks at me like I have suggested the earth is flat. “Well yes, me and every other girl in this sixth form and the school! You don’t think he is?”

I shrug again. “Well, I haven’t seen him for over three years, but back then I thought he was too pretty looking. I like my guys a bit more rough and ready.”

She grins and gives me a confident smile. “Well, three years is a long time, let’s wait until you get a glance of seventeen-year-old Dylan.”

"Three years isn't long enough," I mutter under my breath.

My next class is English Lit. As soon as I walk into the class, I hear her voice. A voice that hasn’t changed one bit in the three years I have been absent. She is sitting on her desk chatting with two girls and she twirls her hair around her finger. Her hair is the same brunette colour but is longer than it used to be and falls way down her back. One of her friends says something to her, and then all three sets of eyes turn to me as I take a seat near the back.

“Ella Harrison?! Wow, you’re back.” She looks genuinely floored.

I lean casually in my seat. "Hey, Beth."

She stands and saunters over to my desk. Beth still walks with that confident swagger and ease I remember. She leans on my desk and looks down at me.

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