“You there?”

“I’m sorry?” I asked, confused and blushing. I was probably staring at her like she was some kind of divine appearance. Well, she was… but it still must have looked weired. And since when are holy appearances half-black? Actually, that was weird. Those bible-people lived in Israel, they can’t have been as milky white as I am…

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah!” I shake my head again. She probably thought I ran away from some kind of mental institution. “Well… no… my car broke down, you see, and I forgot my cellphone at home so I can’t call for a tow truck and I actually have to be at school and I’m gonna be late and it’s my first day here and I’ll be late already and holy fucking shit this is so, SO typically me, you see these things always happen to me and I don’t know why, because you know I wasn’t this bad child or something but trouble just finds me and we just moved to LA and I’m gonna be late and holy fuck, I’m rambling, aren’t I?”

The Divine Appearance flashed me that smile again and cocked her head, as if I was some kind of animal and she was studying my awkward behaviour. “Kinda,” she finally said. “What school is it that you’re attending?”

“L…L.A… H-High,” I stumble over my two words. First that whole rambling thing and now this? Way to go, Kennard!

“Well, that’s convenient. I brought my cellphone and LA High is exactly where I have to be. You can drive with me?”

“Oh… uhm… thanks!”

Bette took out her cellphone and dialed a number. She listened, said her name, gave the road and then asked my name.

“Christina Kennard,” I whispered. I was probably so beet red it wasn’t funny anymore, so I ducked inside my car to grab my bag.

Bette talked some more and then hung up. “They’ll be here any minute. Nice to meet you, Christina. I’m Elizabeth Porter.”

She offered me her hand and when I took it, the electricity was filling up the air and taking my breath away. “P-people call me Tina.”

“People call me Bette.”

A truck came around the corner of the street. “Wow, that’s fast!” I say in wonderment. Would everything in LA go this fast? I smiled – that was such a delightful promise for the fast food restaurants that would welcome my presence very soon.