Eyes On Me
The inside of the school was just as mundane as the outside—like it hadn't been remodeled in years, with the lingering scent of cleaning products and age hanging in the air. Elle led Emily to the cafeteria, where they would sit until classes started. Elle was nice, and Emily was grateful to have someone to hang out with already. It made the whole first-day thing a little easier. Still, no matter what, she couldn’t shake the feeling of being out of place.
Everyone around her was dressed in blue jeans and neutral-colored sweaters, while she wore a dark The Cure T-shirt and black jeans. The eyeliner and silver jewelry probably weren’t helping her blend in either. It almost felt like she and Elle were the only ones with any type of personality. But even with all the uncertainty, Emily sat tall, making sure no one could see through her.
Elle pointed out the different groups in the cafeteria—the nerds, the jocks, the popular kids, and all the others. She and Elle were sitting with the "Artsy kids," which Emily didn’t mind. But while Elle talked, Emily barely processed a word she was saying. Only one person was on her mind.
Across the cafeteria, JJ sat with her boyfriend and a few friends. She wore a light blue sweater and black leggings, her damp hair still drying from the shower after practice, yet she still managed to look effortlessly put together. Emily watched them talk. Her friends seemed nice—an odd mix, but nice nonetheless. She didn’t like the guy who she assumed was her boyfriend, though. He looked like the type who would’ve bullied her back at her old school.
JJ glanced around the cafeteria, her gaze landing on the new girl almost instantly. Their eyes met, and for a moment, neither of them looked away. It was the second time this morning, and JJ already felt unsettled. She didn’t know why, but something about this girl screamed trouble. Maybe it was the way she held herself like she belonged here even though it was her first day.
Emily looked away first, and JJ turned to Spencer, one of her best friends.
"Who's the new girl?" she asked.
Spencer looked up from his Pop-Tart, following JJ’s gaze. "Uh, her name’s Emily, I think."
Across from them, Penelope perked up, practically vibrating with way too much energy for 8 a.m. "Emily Prentiss! She just moved here from Italy. I heard her mom's a U.S. diplomat!"
JJ raised an eyebrow, slightly intrigued by the new information. "Do I want to know how you found that out?"
"What? It wasn't that hard. I just checked the school's database! Plus, you can practically find anything on Google."
JJ gave her a look. "Yeah, Pen, because hacking into the school database is perfectly normal."
Penelope shrugged, completely unbothered. "Yes, it is. And if you're interested, princess, you and her actually have three classes together." She grinned smugly.
JJ rolled her eyes. "Three? Are you kidding me?"
Derek, who had been listening, smirked and joined the conversation. "What’s the matter, princess? You haven't even talked to her yet. Plus, she’s hanging out with Elle, so she can't be that bad."
JJ sighed. She and Elle weren’t exactly close, but they had a few mutual friends. Still, something about Emily just rubbed her the wrong way.
"I don’t know. I just don’t like her," she admitted. "I mean, look at her. And Italy? Come on. She probably thinks she’s so much better than us just because she’s from Europe."
Penelope gasped, clearly surprised by JJ's sudden hostility. "Oh, come on, Jayje, you cannot judge a book by its cover."
"She had a cigarette in the parking lot."
"She didn’t even light it!"
"Somehow, that makes it worse!"
Derek chuckled, clearly amused by the whole discussion. "Alright, ladies, settle down. I'm sure Emily and her unlit cigarette are nothing to worry about."
"You don't know that," JJ muttered.
Beside her, Will—who had been mostly quiet—finally spoke up, turning to face her. "Yeah, babe, I'm sure she’s no big deal. You could always just ignore her."
JJ huffed. "How am I supposed to do that when I have basically every class with her?"
Across the cafeteria, Emily watched as JJ turned back to her friends. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but the way JJ kept glancing over at her made it obvious she was the topic of conversation. Emily smirked, taking her time as she peeled at the cheap plastic of the cafeteria tray in front of her.
Elle noticed. "She’s been looking over here a lot," she said, tapping her fingers against the table. "You know her or something?"
Emily shook her head. "Nope."
Elle hummed, clearly unconvinced. "Then why’s she looking at you like you just ran over her dog?"
Emily grinned. This was going to be fun.
Just then, the bell rang, signaling the start of the day. JJ looked up again, only to find Emily already watching her, that same smug grin on her face.
Yeah. Emily Prentiss was definitely trouble.