A/N: A modern Kel/Dom, I hope you like it.
Kel and co are about 15 just so you know. Maybe 16. It doesn't really matter, does it?
And the school is a weird hybrid of American and Australian education. It has both aspects.
So, I hope you like!
Chapter One: The New Girl
Oh, heck. Keladry Mindelan thought, staring at the gates of her new school.
She scuffed a worn sneaker on the sidewalk, sneaking a glance back at her worried mother, sitting in the car.
"Bye, Mum!" Kel called quickly, forcing calm upon herself before she chickened out and asked her mother to walk her into the school.
She waved in what she hoped was a nochalant manner and made herself begin walking down the path.
Other students chatted and laughed with each other, all walking in groups of twos or threes. Kel gulped, feeling like the odd one out... Which she probably was.
Looking furtively at the people around her, she debated who to ask about where the front office was.
Kel looked at a pack of three girls, giggling and talking loudly. All of them were wearing basically the same thing- a denim mini-skirt, a spaghetti-strap singlet and high-heeled sandals. Kel eyed her own worn, flared blue jeans, t-shirt that said "Yeah. I'm cool. What does that make you?", worn skate shoes and thick, ragged belt. ((Imagine her as a sort of urban/cool style. ))
Definitely not. Kel thought in disgust. Girls like them wouldn't mix with a girl like her.
Walking far behind the girls were a boy and a girl, walking hand in hand, heads close together. Kel looked away quickly. She couldn't ask them.
"Are you new here?" a male voice came from behind Kel and she instantly jumped, hands out in a defensive position.
"Wow, wow," the brown haired boy backed away, green eyes wide.
Kel relaxed instantly. Years of her martial arts teachers sneaking up on her when she was off-guard had gotten to her. "Sorry," she apologised quickly. "Yeah, I'm new."
The boy nodded. "Thought so. I'm Neal. Do you need any help?"
"I'm Kel. Um, yeah." Kel had never been particually good at meeting new people. "I need to find the front office... I need a timetable."
Neal nodded, grinning. "Sure. Come with me."
Kel followed him obediently, watching the students around them talking. Most of them stopped when they saw Kel- they turned to point and stare.
Kel looked at the ground, trying to hide her embarrassment. Was she really that weird?
Neal pushed open a door and held it open for Kel. She walked in quickly, observing the neat, clean office. Neal walked straight up to the front desk.
"Hi, Mrs Buri," he said perkily, smiling brightly at the woman behind the desk. ((Yes, this is Buri. Sorry, she got stuck being the secretary))
The woman rolled her eyes. "Neal, now you know you're not supposed to call me that at school." She pointed at her nametag, which Kel quickly read. It said "MRS GOLDENLAKE".
"Sorry, Mrs G," Neal said brightly. "Now, this is Kel. She's new."
"I need a timetable," Kel added swiftly, so that Mrs Goldenlake wouldn't think that she couldn't talk.
"Ah, yes," the dark eyes looked Kel up and down piercingly. "Keladry Mindelan. Of course."
Mrs Goldenlake pressed a few buttons on her computer and the printer began to whir loudly.
"Damn thing," she muttered loudly. "Should have gotten a new one years ago."
Neal grinned, and Kel wondered how he seemed to know this woman so well.
"Here you are," Mrs Goldenlake turned around and handed Kel a sheet of paper. "I hope you enjoy Tortall High, Keladry."
Kel nodded and she and Neal exited the office.
"Ahhh," Kel muttered, studying her timetable.
"What have you got?" Neal bent his head over the timetable just as the bell rung. "I have Maths, with Mr Allcott."
"Me too," Kel said unhappily. She was good at Maths, but that didn't mean she liked it.
"Cool," Neal replied. "Let's go, then. I'll show you your locker."
Kel had to jog to keep up with his long strides.
They entered a large hallway with people milling everywhere. Kel stared- her last school hadn't been anywhere near this big.
"Hey," one of the girls Kel had seen before, dressed in the identical miniskirts, stepped out in front of Kel. Kel nearly crashed into her- she hadn't been watching where she was going.
"Um, hi?" Kel answered politely, unsure of what the girl wanted.
The girl seemed to ignore Kel completely. "Hey, Joanne!" she called loudly, beckoning one of her friends over.
Kel watched and Neal, behind the girl and her friend, shook his head violently, motioning for her to follow him.
"Look what we have here," the girl who had called Joanne over pointed her middle finger at Kel. "A Lump."
Kel was honestly surprised. What kind of person judged another person the instance they saw them?
Neal stepped in. "And what do we have here?" he asked, sticking up his nose. "Oh, how silly of me. Two skanks."
Joanne glared at Neal venemously. "Stay out of this, moron."
Another person decided to butt in.
"Joanne, Liz," a smooth voice said. Kel looked up to find a blue eyed, black haired boy drape his arms around both Joanne and Liz. The two of them instantly fell silent and smiled up at the boy, practically drooling over him.
Against her will, her heart beat faster and she thought, wow.
Neal smirked at the boy. "Hello, Dom."
The boy called Dom returned the satisfied smirk. "Nealan. How nice." He looked in Kel's direction, showing off pearly white teeth. "Why, hello, darling."
Kel glared at him icily, forgetting that she had once thought wow over his looks. She knew his type- a playboy, a jock. Whatever you wanted to call it, it was the same thing. A flirt.
The girls, Neal and Dom were looking at Kel, as if expecting a reply.
"What's up, jerk?" she asked coolly, addressing Dom. "Never seen a girl that's not falling over her feet to drool over you?"
Liz's mouth actually fell open and she stepped forward until she was right in Kel's face. "You-" she began.
"What?" Kel interrupted her. "You think that's actually going to scare me? Dream on, girl."
Neal sniggered loudly, but to Kel's horror, Dom laughed. "Wow. One with spunk. I like 'em like that."
She struggled to keep her facial expression neutral, staring at Dom as he left, a girl on each arm.
"Who the heck was that?" she finally spat, looking completely disgusted.
"That," Neal answered with a dramatic sigh. "That, to my embarrassment, was my cousin. Domitan Masbolle."
A/N: TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! PLEASE!
I actually really like dwriting this!
A lot of fun!
LOL!
=)
All the other characters will be introduced later. This is just like a quick intro to Kel's life.