Chapter |6|

As usual, Eden had a restless night and didn't get enough sleep. After dragging herself out of bed and getting ready for school, she went down for breakfast with her siblings.

Even though he had asked last night, Eliot still inquired how her first day went. She repeated the same untruthful answer she had given him yesterday, while Regina didn't care when she was busy designing a new suit for a client.

By the time Eden got to school and parked her car, she found Sharpay waiting at the entrance on the steps, and Eden tried to hide a relieved smile. She knew Sharpay might report everything she did back to the school and by extension back to her mom, but something about the daintily beautiful girl said she was a friend worth having.

"You wouldn't be waiting for me, would you?" Eden asked, trying to hide an awkward reaction like staring down.

Sharpay had her arms folded across her chest as she also tried to play it cool. "Yeah, I'm waiting for you. Is that a problem?"

Eden didn't know when she also folded her own arms. "No, not at all. I just thought after yesterday, you wouldn't want to be seeing much of me." That was all the apology Eden gave her for how she'd overreacted.

Sharpay shrugged. "You seem okay, like I won't want to shoot myself in the face whenever I talk to you." Eden inwardly snorted at this. "I figured yesterday might have been overwhelming for you. So I'd like to have a do-over. Hi, I'm Sharpay Carmine."

"I really tried to ignore it," Eden sighed as if sad and out of options. "You know you're named after a dog, right?"

"Ha ha," Sharpay responded dryly. "You have High School Musical to blame for my mom's sick sense of humor, and the fact that she was just arriving in the States so every single thing seemed cute and unique to her. She thought, why not just make my daughter's life miserable and give her a name she'll be embarrassed of all her life? And my dad, newly wedded, couldn't see he was ruining my life when he agreed."

"Yikes," Eden said as they both turned to head inside. "So I was right, you're part Asian."

"Yeah. I only got their eyes because my mom's biracial even though she spent most of her life there. I take after my dad mostly. You must take after your dad, too."

"Yeah." Eden remembered Ripley also being of mixed descent, it was one of the things she could still remember about her. As if thoughts of her dead best friend attracted their attention, Eden noticed people staring as she and Sharpay walked by. "Really? We're still doing this?"

Sharpay understood without her explaining. "Don't worry, it'll blow over before next week. This school is crawling with bored, irresponsible kids with abnormally large trust funds. There's always a new scandal to steal their attention away. I heard one of those mixers is coming up too. You can trust there'll be plenty to focus on by then."

Eden felt marginally better at that and flashed her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Sharpay."

Sharpay gasped, clutching her chest in feigned shock. "Did Eden Pereira just smile at me?"

Eden rolled her eyes but was fighting back another smile. "Should've taken a picture, you won't be seeing it anytime soon." They reached her locker and as she took out her books, Sharpay leaned against the locker next to her. "Any update on our vandal?" It had been nagging at her who would go through so much trouble for her. Besides Ripley, Eden knew she had no other real friends.

"Nothing since yesterday," Sharpay said to which Eden silently sighed. "Do you need to go the office before class?"

"God, no." Eden shut her locker and they began to walk together again.

Sharpay tsked. "I get it, Alicia's cheeriness can be a bit much so early in the morning."

Eden shivered just thinking of it. "Try anytime of the day. Speaking of, she said I could speak to you if I wasn't sure what extracurriculars to sign up for. Please, give me something good, that hopefully doesn't involve too much human interaction."

Sharpay shook her head. "Sadly, that's the whole point of having them. They aim to foster positive relationships among us all as we are the future of our country," she said with feigned excitement this time.

"Ugh. Is it too late to switch schools?"

"I take it Milan Prep wasn't so anal." They rounded a corner and kept walking.

"Definitely not. I mean, it's still a school so it sucked majorly, but everyone pretty much did their own thing and kept to their respective cliques. Only sports ever brought us together."

"Are you any good at sports?"

Eden shrugged. "Fighting is a sport, and I think I'm good at that. If you mean less bloody sports, I have no idea where my interests lie."

Sharpay looked her over silently for a minute. "You don't remember what you love doing."

Eden had a feeling she was feeling sorry for her so shut that down instantly. "I remember what I need to. The rest probably didn't matter." That was what she told herself to ignore the tight weight of guilt in her chest that followed her everywhere she went.

"Okay." Thankfully, Sharpay dropped it. "In case you might be interested in any, I'm on the girls' tennis team, the robotics team and the drama club. Fair warning, I chose drama 'cause it was supposed to be easy, but turns out I now have to struggle not to shoot myself in the face. Our drama club is the worst."

"Noted," Eden nodded. "I've picked one sport so far and I'm not even sure why it's called a sport."

"Don't worry, it's normal to not like the clubs you join. That's how you know the academy owns your soul."

Chuckling, they continued on in silence.

The day was surprisingly okay for Eden. She wasn't so lost during classes and she succeeded in ignoring the fact that she was now the academy's resident circus freak. Not even Sharpay's disappearance throughout the day got to her. Though Eden did have to rely on the map with her to find her way, and also went to lunch on her own.

Anyone else might have felt overtly self-conscious eating alone with so many eyes on them, but Eden took it all in stride. She chose the same table from yesterday, and enjoyed her food, grateful for no upsetting news that had to do with her.

By the end of the day, she was heading for her first practice after collecting her uniform from the school office and changing in the locker room. She had been directed to the field out by the side of the school where Eden observed the expanse space filled with students engaged in one sport or the other. She had no idea where she was supposed to be so just walked around. She expected to run into the football team as their field space was usually the largest, and where the football team was, the cheerleaders weren't too far away.

During her journey, she almost got ran down by two girls chasing down a baseball, was damn near disfigured by a flying sneaker pair, and was extremely uncomfortable in the two piece cheer uniform she wore. She'd known she would be signing up for hell, but she hadn't expected the hell to begin before she'd even met the team. Seriously, this uniform was torture of the greatest kind with its too tight black skirt and navy top that was too tight to breathe in. Just like her school uniform, the school didn't have her specific size.

She finally arrived at her destination when she saw girls in the same awful uniform standing together on one side of the field. Eden was cranky as hell and about ready to call it quits. Her sense of duty was the only thing that held her in place. Also, a woman in her late thirties who looked to be the coach spotted Eden. She came over and introduced herself with a huge, friendly smile as Bailey Freeman, before taking her to meet the rest of the team. They were now warming up, and only a few feet away, the football players were doing the same. Point for Eden.

"Eagles, meet our newest member, Eden Pereira," Bailey introduced.

All eyes were locked on the figure beside their coach, varying expressions on their face. They were mostly girls but a few guys here and there. "Hey," Eden muttered, giving a small, half-hearted wave.

Bailey made up for their lack of warmth with her friendliness. "We lost a few of our best members over the winter break, two sisters that moved, so we're looking for more members. What sort of training do you have?"

Eden blinked. "Training?"

"Have you ever cheered before?" This smooth, lilting voice came from a girl seated on the bench with long blonde hair held in a high ponytail. She was the only one not warming up like the rest.

Eden slowly turned in her direction, and couldn't say she was surprised when she saw Bette. "I can't say I have," she replied.

Murmurs followed her declaration. Even Bailey blinked in shock. "You've never cheered before?"

"Is that a deal breaker?" Eden asked dryly.

Bette chose that moment to rise to her feet oh so slowly like she had all the time in the world, and walked over. Just like Eden remembered, her walk was more like she was floating on air, effortless and graceful. And unlike Eden's uniform, hers looked moulded to her skin in a way that complemented her curvy but lithe frame. "Listen," she began, stopping directly in front of Eden's face. "I don't know what rock you crawled out of, but typically, if someone wants to be on the cheerleading squad, it's because they're cheerleaders. What we do here isn't a joke. We train hard, we put in our very best, and we participate in nationwide competitions that help promote the academy name. What we do is serious, everyone here is serious about it, and I don't think you'd be a great fit for us."

Bailey opened her mouth to step in, but Eden beat her to it. "I'm here to join the team," she said, stepping even closer to the confrontational blonde.

Bette didn't back down. Instead, two of her posse Eden remembered from yesterday came over as well to stand behind her, and Eden couldn't have stopped herself from rolling her eyes even if she had tried. "In case I wasn't clear enough, we accept people with talent. Not lost little girls looking for a sense of validation."

Because there was too much truth in her words, Eden worked extra hard to keep the emotions off her face. "I want to join the team," she repeated slowly, enunciating each word.

The coach stepped between the two girls before either could say another word, forcing them to step back. "Girls, there's a simple way to settle this. We are an accommodating bunch here at the academy. If Eden wants to try something new, we have to encourage her. There's still another spot for a more experienced cheerleader."

"With all due respect, Coach," Bette inputted but kept her eyes on Eden. "I don't want slackers on my team. She'll only weigh us down. Besides, everyone here tried out before they made the team. Why should we treat her any different because she didn't know how to swim?"

A blatant dig at the fact that Eden almost drowned in a very fatal accident. This girl hit hard and swift. Eden's hands balled into fists at her side. She might not remember that much, but she knew exactly where to target to knock this bitch's front teeth clean out of her mouth. Thankfully, a loud voice cut in before she did something she'd feel obligated to regret later on.

"What the hell is going on, Freeman? Why are your girls distracting my boys?"

It was then Eden realized they had attracted a little crowd, namely the football players. The man with the booming bass voice was who she assumed to be their coach, a man about six feet tall with salt and pepper hair, dressed in a navy jersey and track pants and holding a tablet.

"It's nothing," Bailey quickly responded.

Eden glanced around, taking note of a few male faces she had seen in her classes and some new ones. The four guys from Bette's group were also there, standing with all the attention of guard dogs ready to jump in and tear her to shreds at the command of their master. How lovely.

She wasn't backing down though. "If you're done throwing a tantrum, I'd like to get started," she told Bette.

The other girl showed her pearly, white teeth in what no sane person would mistake for a smile. "Sorry not sorry, sweetie, but you aren't on this team."

"Just let her try out." The suggestion came from behind Eden, and a glance showed her Chester Wentworth seated on the grass, watching the scene with a bored, exasperated expression.

Bette flashed him a glare. "She can't. She has no experience cheering."

"She looks like she dances." This voice was different, startling Eden into standing up straight. Gravelly and gruff, with mellifluous smoothness only aristocrats could ever hope to achieve. Eden immediately spun around but the guy was already walking away. She was sure he hadn't been around when she had taken a look around and now he was leaving immediately after coming to her defense.

When she saw Chester get up and follow him, she knew who the tall, broad-backed guy was. Unlike the rest of the players, he was still in his uniform, making Eden think he had just arrived only to witness this whole tedious scene.

"You heard him. Now give her something to do that will put an end to this," the coach told Bailey who in turn gave Bette a pointed look.

"Fine," Bette conceded, but pursed her lips to show she wasn't happy about it. Eden wondered what her problem was. She was acting like she hated Eden's guts, and that only happened after people spent some time with her, not on their first meeting. "Cressida, you're up. If you can keep up, we'll consider you," she said, to which Eden just rolled her eyes.

While Cressida, the one with shoulder-length honey colored hair, got to stretching, Eden took a final glance behind at the two figures walking away and watched until they rounded the corner and disappeared into what she assumed was the locker room. She turned back to the cheerleaders. "Show me what you got."

The football team coach ordered the guys to get back to training, while all the other cheerleaders moved back toward the bleachers, leaving Eden and Cressida facing each other.

Cressida, poker-faced, turned away from her to pull a scrunchie from her wrist and tie her hair up. Unsurprisingly, she was really pretty, with striking features comprising of a pointed nose, high, classical cheekbones, and almond-shaped eyes. "Try to keep up," was all she said before she broke into a series of movements that involved unnecessarily high kicks and random spins. It seemed Cressida didn't like her very much either.

Which was why Eden felt petty and smug seeing their varying expressions of shock when she imitated all the moves almost flawlessly. Even some football players jogging past stared, though that may have had more to do with the sight of two cheerleaders doing air kicks that pulled up their skirts. Again, so unnecessary.

Thankfully, ten minutes of Cressida employing move after move, each one harder than the last, Coach Bailey stepped in. "I think Eden's more than proven herself," she said, smiling widely. It was all Eden could do not to walk away; this was becoming too much work than she expected, and she wasn't even here by choice. "You're quick on your feet," the coach complimented. "I take it you are a dancer, after all?"

Eden frowned when she remembered that guy's words from earlier. It wasn't something most guys picked up on so quickly, unless they were dancers themselves. It must have been a lucky guess. "Yeah. Am I cleared now?" She directed the question at Bette, who sat silently watching her. "Or do I need to obtain a seal of approval?"

Smiling insincerely, she got up and came to Eden's front again. "Keep running your mouth. As your captain, I have power to punish you however I see fit."

"Nice. I enjoy a spanking most of all." Eden smiled back with the same level of phoniness.

All Bette did was chuckle and walk away, moving to join the rest of her team. Coach Bailey stood there, sighing. "A word, Eden." She waited for Eden to face her. "We're a team here, we respect and look out for each other. That means no antagonizing each other. Having positive relationship with your peers is what we promote best here at the academy."

Good Lord. Eden threw up a little on the inside. Who cared for all this positivity and unity shit? With a forced nod at Bailey, she joined the team near the bleachers where Bette was running through some routines. Not surprising, she hadn't waited for Eden.

However, despite her cold welcome, Eden didn't half-ass anything. She put in as much effort as everyone else, and once they were done a couple of hours later, Eden collapsed atop the grass, breathing in and out heavily. Several others did the same, Bette's routines amazing but exhausting. Eden was also relieved the physical workout hadn't been too much for her. Her doctor had said as long as she didn't overwork herself.

A few minutes later, most people had cleared the field, including the football team, and that meant the locker rooms would be crowded. So Eden bid her time, moving to get more comfortable, and shut her eyes.

Peace and quiet. For some reason, despite being on her own most of the time, this was the first time in a long time she felt truly at peace. She soaked it up for as long as she could, until she was sure most people if not all would be gone. She wasn't in any hurry, no one was home waiting for her.

In the end, it was the chilly wind and rapidly darkening sky that drove her to her feet. As she stood, she grew lightheaded for a minute, her knees buckling and swaying forward. She would have fallen flat on her face if not for the pair of strong hands that caught her by her arms and held her up.

She struggled to clear her vision, and while she did, she felt whoever it was run a gentle hand down her cheek. The feel of it was warm and had other nerves lighting up just by the touch on her face. In all her life, Eden could not remember any other person touching her tenderly and protectively in the way this faceless stranger did. It made her uncomfortable.

"If you wanted to get me to keep my word, falling at my feet seems a bit extreme."

She knew that voice. Granted she had only ever heard him say a handful of words, she still recognized the gorgeous, hypnotic texture. Blinking rapidly, she waited for her vision to clear and felt her heart skip a beat when it did. The sight before her...no amount of buildup could have readied her for the beauty that was Adonis Rosenvelt. She wished Sharpay was here so she could apologize for calling her words an exaggeration and also slap her for not preparing Eden better.

Towering over her with only a few inches of space between them, she finally had an uninterrupted view of the most handsome face she had ever seen. He was almost perfectly sculpted; he had full brows and lashes that drew more attention to sloe-shaped, azure blue eyes, an aquiline nose that reminded her of aristocracy, against prominent cheekbones, and a sharply defined jawline. All accentuated by his bronze-like skin and golden brown hair, which fell across his forehead in casually messy curls parted to the side. The look gave an otherwise harshly handsome face a youthful quality.

It didn't stop there though. If anyone could get past that alarmingly gorgeous face, his physique was something else unable to be ignored. He truly towered over her, by at least a foot, with big, bodybuilder shoulders and ripped arms his uniform couldn't hide.

A deep breath to calm her nerves just led to her inhaling his scent. He had obviously just taken a shower judging by his clean scent and damp hair. But notes of his cologne lingered on his uniform—a rich, earthy smell that made Eden want to know what it was and surround herself with it from now on. Everything about him called to her, almost like she was in a trance. It took her a while to get her bearings.

When she did, she blinked furiously, pulling out of his grasp. "Sorry, I got a little dizzy." She took several steps back to put some space between them before she felt it safe enough to meet fiercely blue eyes. "Adonis, right?"

He said nothing as he peered back into her eyes. It freaked her out a bit.

"Um, sorry for almost running you down." She chuckled nervously, which wasn't at all like her, but for some reason he made her anxious. Especially with him silently staring. "I hope this doesn't sound too weird, but we know each other. Right?"

He continued to stare, so long that she thought he wouldn't answer her. But he did, and again that voice caught her by surprise with its hypnotic lure. "Are you asking me, Eden?"

She blinked. "Um, it's Eden. ED-en, not E-den. And I know it sounds weird, but my Peer Guide seems to think we hung out a few times."

"If so, you should know." He put his hands in his pants pockets and went back to observing her. She'd thought she had his attention before, but nothing prepared her for this. Much like yesterday in the cafeteria, his intent focus gave her goosebumps.

It was confirmed, it'd been him. Though if he was so blatant with the attention he paid her, why was he acting like they were strangers? They knew each other. Didn't they? "I should," she responded to his earlier words. "Unfortunately, I don't know if you heard, but there was an accident... I lost some of my memories..." She waited for it to ring a bell, but his expression never changed.

Okay, maybe they didn't know each other. She was going to kill Sharpay. This was absolutely mortifying. Hope he didn't think she was coming onto him.

"My bad. I thought you were someone else—"

"No, that was my mistake," he interrupted, before turning away from her and walking off in the direction of the parking lot.

Eden remained there, staring after him in confusion. That was one of the most bizarre interactions ever.

Shaking her head, Eden gathered her things and went to go freshen up. However, all through her shower and on the drive home, she kept replaying the short conversation in her head, trying to make sense of it.