Cate had been the new girl in plenty of places over the years. It was always the same deal, no matter where she was. Coworkers came out of the woodwork to welcome her, spout their names and interests and then expect her to remember who they were the next day. It was funny to her. Did they all think they were special that they'd be the remembered ones in a sea of people? How was she supposed to keep track of Ron, the fishing enthusiast, Jackson, the guy with the green motorcycle, and Carolyn, the bath salt pyramid schemer. She wasn't. Cate didn't care about any of these people. Since leaving Frye Island, it was harder for her to make connections. She'd barely seen anyone she left behind, save for Railroad a few years ago. And it wasn't the same. They weren't her friends. She hadn't even seen Noelle in months, and it was killing her.
She was on her way back from yet another new staff meeting. The principal was welcoming her and the other two new additions to the school with some orientation packets and videos. It was all pretty boring shit, and Cate now had a cluster headache forming behind her eyes. A nice, long nap in her office with the door locked and shades drawn was just what the doctor ordered. So now, having sneaked away from the rest of the crowd, she was making a beeline toward her designated area.
She grinned when she saw the door, freshly adorned with her name. Cate Abernathy. They'd had to shorten her first name down, because the door wasn't wide enough to hold it. She didn't mind though. She still wasn't used to calling herself Catherine. Cate had a much nicer ring to it, and fulfilled her nostalgic cravings quite nicely.
"Fuck," she muttered under her breath. Someone was sitting in one of the chairs in her office. It was probably Russel coming to tell her all about his fifteen fucking cats, none of which were neutered, and who had all the roam of his (probably rank) apartment. But no. It wasn't Russel. The closer she got, the more she realized she hadn't met this one. He looked slightly familiar, in a dejavu sort of way, but she couldn't place him. Opening the door, she quirked a brow but put on a winning smile the moment he turned to look at her.
"Hello," she said, in the fakest, happiest voice she could muster.