Hidden Magic

First Meeting

The next morning Rosie woke up fairly early. She managed to get all the homework done that she’d lazily skipped the night before. She still felt amazed at how much homework you could get in just one day of school. Nearly all of her classes had given her a pile of homework; insisting she catch up and do the current homework too. It had been nothing like this at her old school. Her old school in London had been slacker’s paradise. No homework, barely any work in class and no stress. This school was going to be a whole new thing.


She wandered blissfully around the kitchen. Last night she had been unpacking her duffel bag and had found a gorgeous mocha coloured lace, brown belted dress that suited her perfectly. It made her hair shine and her eyes sparkle. She felt a thousand times better today, but for what reason she had no idea. She guessed it was to do with Amber and how well things had worked out yesterday, and the sense that she could start again here and be happy. Happy again.


Weirdly, she actually looked forward to school today.


“Oh no,” Amy said as she walked into the kitchen in yet another one of her inappropriate outfits. “The world must be ending because my sister is actually smiling.”


“Ha-ha,” Rosie said dryly and thumped a cereal bowl down on the table. She also put down a spoon, a cartoon of fresh milk and a box of family-sized cornflakes.


“Uh, thanks.” Amy shot her a funny look as she sat down.


“No problem, Ames.”


Rosie wandered around the new kitchen. She still had no idea where anything was. At all. So far she’d only figured out the basics, and was having a hell of a hard time trying to find the stupid toaster. She was sure mum had stuffed it in one of the cupboards the other night. She sighed in frustration and banged open one of the cupboard doors. Empty, apart from a couple of old cooking pans that hadn’t used in about ten years. Her mind drifted off as she thought about life back home in London. She remembered her old friends – well, friend. Her name had been Gabby and the two of them had been so close. Rosie felt a stab of guilt for not having texted her yet. She’d been ignoring her phone for days, not willing to face that everything she’d ever known was gone. What am I supposed to do? She didn’t want to accept that their friendship was most likely over, given the circumstances. Plus, it would only make things harder on herself. Forgetting about it is the right thing to do, she decided silently.


Not wanting to spoil her happy mood, she popped some bread into the uncovered toaster. She’d found it stuffed in the back of the annoyingly well hidden cupboard on the other side of the big, white fridge. When it popped up, she buttered it, and then sat down next to Amy. Her sister still eyed her suspiciously.


“What’s gotten you in such a good mood then?”


Rosie took a bite of her warm, buttery toast. “I don’t know actually. I just feel... Better.”


“We’ll see how long this lasts then,” Amy mumbled through a spoonful of cornflakes.


“Amy, I’m not a Grinch.” Rosie rolled her eyes. “I think everyone would agree with me and say you’re the mardy, whiny, bitch in the family. I’m just saying.” She smiled one of Amy’s best stuck-up smiles.


“Whatever.”


She laughed. “We best get going.” Something popped into her head. “Hey, did mum leave early?”


“Um, yeah. I think she had an early start today.”


“Cool.” Too bad, she could have busted her outfit. “Anyway, I’m taking you to meet a friend.”


“Not Amber?” Amy gave her an Are you crazy? expression.


“Ames, Amber’s fine. You should know better than to listen to ignorant rumours. After all, you’re usually the one spreading them. That’s if I recall last year’s drama correctly?”


“Shut up, and that wasn’t all me!” Amy’s tone turned vicious. “And if she is dangerous, I am so blaming you!”


Rosie gave her a sarcastic sympathetic expression. “I think I can live with that.”





Amy was reluctant to be introduced to Amber to say the least, but eventually, she managed to get her to say hello.


“Hi,” Amy mumbled.


“Hey,” Amber said with the same kind and polite smile she’d used on her mum. “It’s nice to meet you, Amy. I’ve heard so many um, great things about you.”


“I’m sure you have,” Amy said smugly.


“Oh, yeah. A charmer.” Amber winked. To Rosie it seemed harmless, but to Amy it probably looked like she was mocking her. Rosie laughed at the expression on Amy’s face.


“Yeah. I guess just like you’re a psycho, right?” Amy raised her eyebrows for Amber to say something back. But when she didn’t, Amy flung an evil smile at bother of them, and walked away.


Rosie turned to Amber. “I’m so sorry about her. You okay?”


“No, it’s fine.” Amber dismissed the cruel words with a slight wave of her hands, but Rosie did notice her watch Amy walk away with a strange expression. It looked like she knew something.


“Okay. I can talk to her. But if you’re sure you’re...”


“I’m fine,” Amber reassured. She grinned as she noticed Rosie’s outfit for the first time. Her eyes got wider by the second. “Wow! You look awesome, Ro!”


“Thanks.” She did a little, shy twirl. “I thought it wasn’t much use sitting in my duffel bag not being noticed.”


“Definitely not. It looks great.” Amber looked down at her own clothes, sighed, and said, “Especially compared to me.”


Amber wore a deep purple tee with dark blue jeans and a pair of black converse. “You look nice,” she said, meaning it. “You’re really pretty. Don’t worry.”


“Aww thanks.” Amber did her own twirl, but unlike Rosie she looked confident. Sure of herself.


“No problem.”


The bell rang and sighs and tired groans spread across the courtyard. “We better get to class and let the torture of Mr Johnson’s English lesson begin again.”


“Hey, I like English,” Rosie said. She’d always been pretty good at English and she loved to read. “Well, minus the teacher anyway.”


“Yep. Possibly the angriest giant on Earth.”


The both laughed and linked arms, like they’d been best friends forever as they hastily walked to English.





The morning’s classes passed in a boring blur of angrily shouting teachers and exam preparation. Before she could even blink she was sitting with Amber at the far lunch table they’d sat at yesterday. They were in full conversation, talking about Rosie’s old life, and their embarrassingly short dating lives.


“Jack was a big mistake.” Rosie sighed. Jack had been her very first boyfriend at age fourteen. He’d been the biggest, cutest, sweetheart, but the two of them just hadn’t been right for each other. “I can’t say I loved him. I was so young. He was just more of a friend who you start dating because you either think it’s cool or you owe it to yourselves to try. I’ve never had many friends, so when I dated him and it ended badly, I only had one left.”


“Same here. And I’ve only been out with one guy as well.”


“Details!” She prompted.


“Well, I had just turned thirteen and...”


Amber’s story was interrupted by two equally big-looking guys crashing through the lunchroom doors and into the tables next to her and Amber. The students, who were sitting around those tables, quickly got up and scarpered to the other side of the lunch hall. They were shooting the two guys glares all the way.


“Whoa!” Amber watched the two boys with a grin on her face. Their fists were bared aggressively and heads were being smashed on the walls.


“Guess this isn’t a play fight then?” Rosie laughed nervously, watching them. Shouldn’t there be someone breaking them up? Her eyes widened as the one with the blonde hair pushed the other guy against the wall and punched him hard in the face. The dark-haired guy recovered quickly though and grabbed the other by the legs. They both fell, the dark-haired one on top. Rosie watched in horror as he started punching him. He looked like he’d had practice.


Rosie was about to look around for a teacher when she caught sight of the guy punching the blonde one’s face. He was hot. The heat of the sun hot. She found herself staring at him in awe. She had never seen anyone so handsome in her entire life. His hair was a dark, chocolate brown, and from what she could see, gorgeous eyes to match. He was a big guy, not in weight, but in height and muscle. He looked like he knew how to handle himself. But when she looked she saw the other guy was equally as big as he was; though the hotter guy seemed to be a little more skilled than just throwing random punches. He had the blonde jock up by the neck and pinned down on a nearby table a second later.


“Yes! Go Shane! Whoop!” Amber yelled, throwing her hands up and cheering for the guy whose name was apparently Shane.


The hot guy smiled and winked at Amber before being pulled back by the back of his black t-shirt. Rosie saw it was their grumpy, unpleasant English teacher, Mr Johnson. Shane’s face registered recognition and he stepped away from the seriously beaten up guy, throwing his hands up in surrender.


The teacher attended to the battered jock, whilst Shane sneaked over to their table. Rosie felt her heartbeat speed up and he leaned on the table right beside her. His wide grin was breathtaking.


“Hey,” he said. She felt a warm flush as Shane’s eyes brushed hers, but the warmth disappeared as soon as he looked away.


“Pretty good fight, right?” He asked Amber.


“Yeah, dude, great! Awesome actually. You owned him. But, seriously, one day you’re going to get your smug ass kicked.”


“No way. They’re all douches who can’t throw a punch.” Shane made a funny face at the other guy now holding an ice pack to his head. Rosie couldn’t help but crack a smile. “Guys like that deserve it.”


“How’d you get into this one then?”


“You might be surprised, but this one wasn’t me. I was walking down the hall and that idiot pushed this year seven kid into me, yelling his retarded head off about how he was more important than a little, and skinny dwarf. So when I tried to stick up for the poor, scared kid, lord retard over there started yelling at me.” Shane smiled. “So I settled it the way I settle things.”


“By throwing a punch.” Amber laughed and shook her head. “Nice resolving skills there, dude.”


“Shut it, Amber. I’m fine. Still here. Nothing broken. All good, as always.” Shane winked, which made him look insanely hot. “Anyway, who’s the stray?” He asked, referring to Rosie, who’d just been sitting there, observing the scene in fascination...and a little bit of jealously. He seems really into Amber.


Amber rolled her eyes. “This is my new friend, Rosie. Rosie Parker, meet my mental, impulsive, clearly brain damaged cousin, Shane White.”


Oh... Well crap.


“Nice to meet you,” she said shyly. She could feel the burning red blush building in her cheeks. Rosie smiled, hoping she didn’t look completely stupid.


Shane smiled back. It was a genuinely big, warm and utterly cute smile. The kind you wouldn’t think a totally hot and fit guy like him would be about to pull off without looking like he was faking it and in love with himself. “You too, Rosie. I hope you like it here.”


“Thank you.”


They all winced at the sound of Shane’s name being furiously shouted at a loud, deep voiced volume.


He turned to see Mr Johnson’s red, blotchy face glaring at him. “Gotta jet,” he said, and ran back to the steaming teacher.


Rosie turned to Amber and tried to sound as nonchalant as possible. “So, um... Shane’s your cousin, huh?”


“Yep. Moronic, but the best.”


“He seems... I don’t know, interesting.” It was the best word she could find without giving herself a way too much.


Amber studied her for a few short seconds, and then grinned as she realised what Rosie was doing. “Shane caught your eye, huh?” Her tone was playful and amused.


“No,” she said quickly. Too quickly. “No! I was just wondering. That’s all. Honestly.”


“Well, okay then,” Amber said, her voice still in the same tone. Her eyes looking at her in disbelief and understanding. “You wouldn’t be the first one. All the girls here have had their go at trying to be his girlfriend... or, well, his hook-up buddy. But I don’t know. He just seems uninterested in the girls around here.”


“Really?” She was shocked. Shane seemed like the type of guy to be having all the girlfriends. He definitely has the looks for it, she thought and blushed immediately.


Amber laughed. “Between me and you, I think he’s waiting for the right girl to come along.”


“That’s sweet.”


“It is.” She winked and giggled. “Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my house tonight for dinner?”


“Oh...” Rosie felt surprised by Amber’s offer. “Sure. Sounds great.”


“Cool. I’m sure my mum would love to meet you.” Rosie noticed she sounded doubtful about that.