"...Miss Kalaya Summers!"
The room was filled with gasps and murmurs as everyone stared at the pink haired girl who was dressed fashionably — wearing a cropped leather jacket, ripped jeans, and chunky white sneakers that made her stand out effortlessly.
She gave a kind smile that blew the girls away and made the boys swoon. The girl's blue eyes glistened in the sunlight as her eyelashes fluttered. Everyone was in awe of how beautiful she was.
Right now, they all had the same thoughts running through their heads, " The Kalaya Summers - Jam Kitty- is in their class!", everyone including Nova.
But Miss Melanie's voice broke everyone's train of thoughts when she said, " Kalaya, you can go sit beside Miss Lane". Kalaya nodded and smiled at the teacher.
She moved her eyes towards Nova and then the seat next to her. She held her backpack's straps in hand as she made her way towards Nova, her sneakers making little to no noise.
Meanwhile, Nova as if realizing something, quickly closed her notebook and shoved it into the deepest part of her bag. She could not let Kalaya see that, else she was doomed. Who knew what kind of temperamental princess she would be dealing with.
Kalaya pulled up the chair and sat down. Zipping open her bag, she took out a notebook and a pen, all were branded. She opened a page and then turned to listen to Miss Melanie.
Nova pretended not to notice her as she looked towards Miss Melanie. But her mind was far from listening. Instead, she was busy thinking of how to strike up a conversation with Kalaya. She thought hard as she tried not to look at the girl sitting beside her.
It was proving more difficult than expected when everyone kept on glancing in Kalaya's direction, which for some reason, was also her direction as well.
Homeroom period was almost over and she still hadn't initiated a conversation with Kalaya yet. Ugh! This was frustrating.
Just then, a melodious voice rang in her ear, "Hi, I'm Kalaya, Kalaya Summers". Nova swiftly turned to meet Kalaya's sweet smile. Unsure, she pointed at herself and Kalaya nodded, " Of course, I'm talking to you. Who else would I be talking to?"
Nova wanted to jump up and squeal and even kiss the stars. Jam Kitty - Kalaya Summers was talking to her. This was so big! But she tried to play it cool.
"Sorry, I was a bit unsure there. Um, hi, I'm Nova, Nova Lane". Kalaya smiled as she nodded. She then asked, " Is high school usually this boring?"
Nova chuckled at her question. "If only you knew the half of it" Nova thought. But nevertheless, she responded, "Not really. Probably just homeroom and a few other horrible subjects. You'll get used to it. But of course, there are times when it gets exciting because of the chaos us, students, make".
Kalaya chuckled and nodded once more. She turned her attention to Miss Melanie who was scolding Ryan for something she didn't exactly know about.
High school. What a place.
Nova then asked, "You're Jam Kitty, right?" Kalaya turned to look at her and then at her notebook. "I guess the makeup and name disguise didn't work, huh?"
Nova laughed and said, "No, actually everyone pretty much already knew you'd be coming here. Plus there's only one teen we know would be bold enough to dye their hair cotton candy pink".
Kalaya laughed. The smile slowly faded as she said, "I try not to use that name here. I just wanna be me for a few months. Not Jam Kitty. Just plain old me, plain old Kalaya Summers ".
Nova frowned but she was quick to cover it up with a smile. Kalaya turned to her and said, "So, if you don't mind, can you not call me Jam Kitty while I'm here. You can just call me Kalaya or Kallie. That's what my brother calls me".
Nova seemed surprised. " You have a brother?". She had never really heard about Jam Kitty's family or their status. She didn't even know the name Summers. So, it was quite a shock that Jam Kitty had a brother.
Kalaya laughed nervously as she said, " Not exactly. He's my cousin. But we're super close that we consider ourselves siblings". Nova nodded and made an 'ohhh" face.
Kalaya seemed hesitant to ask something as she turned away. Nova noticed this and asked what she wanted to say. Kalaya glanced at Nova before finally saying, " Well, I'm new here and I don't exactly have any friends. Even if people would like up to be my friends, I know they are just after my popularity and stuff".
" But I think you're different, Nova. So, I just wanted to ask if you'll...be my friend here?" Kalaya ended with a little weariness in her voice but Nova was over the moon.
Was it this easy? Was it so easy to befriend a celebrity? If every celebrity was like Jam Kitty, that would mean she would have a whole entourage full of them if she met them.
She tried to pull herself and her mouth together as she nodded and gave her brightest smile, "Of course. I'll totally be your friend. I will make sure that your stay here, will be a memorable one".
Memorable indeed.
Kalaya grinned. She gave Nova a thumbs up as she tried to tone down her excitement. This was great. She had a friend. And a beautiful one at that. Perfect.
'Briiiiingg!!'
The bell rang and Kalaya looked around at the students who were packing their bags, clearly confused. She looked at Nova who was doing the same and asked, " Are we all going somewhere?"
Nova blinked once and then, twice. She was confused. Did Jam Kitty not know what a bell was? What exactly has this princess been doing with her life? Oh, that's right, making a name for herself on YouTube and TikTok. Nova internally groaned.
She smiled as she explained, " The bell signifies the end of the class. It means we should go to our next class. But in this case, it's time for lunch so this bell means everyone should head to the cafeteria or wherever to have lunch".
Kalaya blinked and then laughed. "Hehe. I must've sounded so dumb. You see, I've been homeschooled all my life so I never really went to any real schools or even socialized. It was just books and home teachers ".
Kalaya then stood up as she said, " Let's go then. I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to be sticking with you for the whole day!" She grinned. But if one could see another's heart, Nova's heart had a grin that went from ear to ear.
She grinned happily as she said, "By all means!". The girls made their way out of homeroom and walked along the hallways to the cafeteria, arm in arm.
Kalaya then lightly hit Nova's arm as she said, "Oh my God, kill me. I forgot to bring lunch. What am I supposed to eat? Should I call my assistant to bring me food or something?"
Nova laughed but inwardly, she was groaning. What kind of princess was this girl? Forgot to bring lunch? Call my assistant? Sheesh!
But she still responded, "The school provides that for us. They offer food in the cafeteria. No need to worry. Its not as delicious as homemade food but it definitely does the trick!"
Kalaya let out a sigh of relief, " Thank God".
The two girls continued their conversation despite the eyes that stared at them, mostly at Kalaya. But none of them cared, maybe one in particular did.
This was it.
Get ready, world. Mama's coming!