“Um, yeah! You should be more careful and not run in the halls. Didn’t your parents teach you that?” she smirked, looking down at me, as I collected my things from the cold floor.
I shot her a glare, but then groaned and threw my hands up in the air. There was no point in arguing with someone who was so quick to put the whole blame on me. It would only piss me off, and I didn’t have the energy or time for this.
“Think whatever you want,” I sighed and hung my bag on my shoulder, leaving Olivia behind me.
Her icy, narrowed eyes haunted me until I went into Biology. There, Thomas was grinning stupidly when he saw me, and my worries melted away. I took a new seat on a desk near the door, not wanting to be seen as someone who came in after the bell.
My breathing incr
Lately, I was agreeing a lot to do stuff against my will. I was going on dates, throwing home parties, dressing up to someone else’s taste, and now, I was about to step in the obvious trap Olivia had set up for me. What was wrong with me? I put on my favorite black jeans and a long sleeved sweatshirt, Three days grace, happy to wear them again. My hair was in a tight ponytail and I had a little fun placing black shades on my eyes, leaving my lips pale with colorless balm. It was awkward, I had no phone to take with me and I had arranged a meeting in front of a grocery store twenty minutes before seven. Thomas wanted to drive us to the spooky place. Linda was also coming,
My blood was boiling from anger and a chill ran down my spine, seeing how much effort someone put into making me a character from a thriller. “Say that you are leaving my future boyfriend alone, or I will never let you out of this maze. I am waiting!” the message in the card ordered. I looked around for a camera, but saw none. Then I looked up to where the three-meter fake cave walls ended to the ceiling of the building. I could see a small, dark glass room from where you could observe the whole maze. “It must be some kind of control room,” I whispered under my breath. “Alice, what is going on?” Linda’s worried voice reached me from not that far. “Oh, nothing! Basically, I found a note telling me I will stay here for di
Even though I had accepted Linda’s invitation to sleepover at her place, instead of being alone in my room, I barely slept. My mind was plotting ways to release myself from Olivia’s trap, to prevent her from leaking my provocative photos and whatever else she got from my mobile. Exhausted, I got up really early and drove to my house in the morning. After a refreshing warm shower, I put on some of my old clothes and a black jacket. My reflection stared back at me with a sad look and baggy eyes, but I ignored it and went to school. Last night I had nightmares, today I got no sleep. I was feeling miserable, but somehow I was still functioning. Thomas was already in the parking lot, a worried look on his face when I parked near the school. He was nervously walking in front of the bench where Linda often waited
I gave a small smile, passing an acknowledging nod. Thomas and Steven gave each other a quick greeting, before my step-brother turned his attention back to me. “Help you with what?” he narrowed his eyebrows at me with unhidden curiosity. We never had a real talk. He had no idea what I liked or what was happening in my life. We were just like distant neighbors, forced to sometimes dine together with father and Tina. “There is one girl, Olivia. You surely know her--curly brown hair, glasses… geek-ish?” I described her with my lips lifted at the corners. “Maybe I have seen her. What about her?” Steven questioned. “You have connections. Can you dig some information about her…please,” I looked at him with pleading eyes. I cou
Surprising myself, I picked up Thomas’s phone and hung up on my best friend. An ugly feeling I never had, took over my mind. Was there an option she liked him, or he liked her? No, this was silly. I was a moron. She was into girls. She never liked a single guy, I showed her as attractive. Now though, it was too late to do anything, I couldn’t turn back the time and leave the phone ringing or even pick it up myself. I bet she was wondering why he hung up on her. Damn, I am stupid sometimes. I shot an apologetic look to the guy who was still singing a song for me on stage. He ignored my facial expression and winked at me. Maybe he thought I was emot
Thomas and I didn’t talk much on our way back to my house. We were in some quiet understanding of my situation, while I was thinking of what I was going to say to my father, he was probably trying not to trouble me any further. Instead of chatting, we listened to some radio, while the heater of his car created a cozy feeling. Streetlights were mashing around us, as Thomas hastily drove in the sleepy town. It wasn’t that late, but the cold weather had chased away the people, and they were probably resting in their warm homes, watching television, or making yummy dinner. I loved how in movies, families gathered together for a homemade meal, looking happy and loved. I never had that feeling in the rare times when I had to dine with my father and the twins. It was forced and no one really cared much about the others. Well, maybe dad did, but his plans to unite us
“It seems like she got in some big trouble and was called for questioning in the Police station after school.” My mother whispered with a gossiping expression. “So?” I opposed her. “After that, she could have been angry and slashing my tires for revenge.” “No. You don’t understand. She was there for hours and until late. When you saw your car, she probably was still in the station. Her parents called to inform me, she will not be at school for a few days because I was the one who escorted her out of school today.” My mother was hastily explaining, her eyes concentrated on my face. “I had just found her, she was skipping classes, hiding. I made her give me her mother’s number and when I called, they came to take her. Later, they called me right after the questioning and this was about an hour ago. You must have be
Lately, I was picking a time when others would not be at school, to paint on the wall project. Now, I wanted to be the only one painting again, but I didn’t want to be alone. It was the perfect place to plan my payback with Thomas, Linda and Tina. Leaving my mobile in my locker for the rest of the day, I decided to do things the old-fashioned way and arrange my meeting using only the clock and my mouth. It was still school hours and students were in their classes, but not us. I was waiting for my people, painting the last wall picture where the pool was with the phone again in my pocket. “You should have an exhibition in some gallery, Alice!” Tina complimented me when she came with Linda. “I never knew you were that good,” she continued with her eyes wide open, inspecting my creation. “Well, you never paid attent
I couldn’t help but gawk at her.What did I do to deserve that? This was our first time talking, after all.“I am not going to listen to your mean threats any longer. You better move away from my car and me.” I furrowed my brows at the demon in front of me and reached for my keys.“Stop right there, Alice! This should be enough. Do not unlock or enter the car!” Thomas ordered me, hastily approaching us with a worried expression.I took a step away from my Honda and smiled at him.Yeah, we had enough!“Hi there, stalker.” He said to the surprised girl, gazing at his features like he was her God.
Professor Mark Anderson was very excited to finally see some of my drawings. We talked and agreed I would start seeing him, so he could shape me into a diamond before I even started college, assuring me there wasn’t much to do because I really did breathe through my art. I had some sweet red tea in old expensive china with the wrinkled bald man, as we discussed what I could do and what painting materials would fit better to my style. He showed me his favorite teaching art books and some painting techniques, I was eager to try as soon as I could. I left his home feeling good about myself and proud of what I had in me without any special lessons. The professor was so kind and friendly, it made our meeting very pleasant. As soon as I had my life in line after the move, I was going to visit this old man and trust his skills to help me go to a great college.
With widened eyes, our group listened at the offensive mad girl. I had a feeling this was the key to figuring out my problem. “Chill, Sarah! You can’t control everybody. You tried, maybe you just need to give up.” I recognized Olivia’s voice. “Chill?! Give up?! You are retarded, aren’t you!” The angry one screamed and there were some rustling sounds. “Don’t push me! It’s not my fault they got together.” Olivia complained. “Oh, God!” Linda exclaimed, but Steven placed his pointer finger on his lips to keep her from talking. "But I thought Sarah had a different surname..." “I don’t know why I keep you around. I will make her pay, I will separate them. How can I make him see she is not the girl for him?” Sarah kept on yelli
The place was decorated like a frozen forest, welcoming the season outside. Leafless trees were spread around us with crystallized branches. Snowflakes were hanging from the ceiling on invisible strings, some of them almost reaching our heads. Fake snow just hung at our feet, lifting a bit from the air when we walked near it. Dim blue and white lights were making me feel like I was really outside in the forest at night, but despite the cold decorations, I was warm and could enjoy my stay without my nose turning red. Tina and her people had made an amazing snow night dance atmosphere. She knew it and was proudly standing on one of the silver tables near the entrance. Linda looked stunning, laughing and proudly holding my step-sister’s hand. I complimented them on their look-alike dresses, and for the next twenty minutes, we just chilled while watching
“Get away from me, you bitches!” Jane yelled, as we pinned her like a butterfly, holding her hands up to her head before she could respond to Barbie's slap. “Do you think you can offend my sister in front of me and get away with it?” Tina growled, and I blinked at her, almost losing my rage from surprise. “Who do you think you are? You might be rich and pretty, but I don’t give a damn.” Jane spit, her eyes narrowed from hatred. “She is the most popular girl at the school where you are about to play tomorrow night. If I was you, I would think twice before messing with her. She is the frickin’ queen.” I hissed at her. “What queen, let go of me!” She struggled in a futile try to free herself. “What is going on here? Should
Afraid of the answer, I still asked Linda what had made her incapable of talking. “It’s amazing, Al. I have a girlfriend. Can you believe it?!” She yelled in my ear. I sighed in relief, allowing the air to enter my lungs again. “Lin, you almost gave me a heart attack,” I scolded her. “I thought the mental jealous fan of Thomas had done something again.” “Didn’t you hear what I just said? Um, and yeah! My girlfriend said your shoebox became very popular today--receiving messages every few hours.” Linda announced, clouding my mind. “Messages? Your girlfriend?” I gaped at her, adjusting a family portrait on the wall in front of me, but the answers came at the same time I figured them out. “Tina!” Linda and I said in unison.
The night was warm…even hot. Thomas’s skin was like the werewolf’s in the movies - like a cozy fire. When we went to sleep, there was some addictive tension between us. As we laid on our backs, I wondered if I should make a slight move to touch his hand or maybe trace his cheekbone with my fingers. He seemed to be deep in thought, too, seeming careful to not touch me without an invitation. It was a long naive game we played until he finally gave in to his desires and leaned over me to kiss me. We were making out for half an hour and I swear my lips felt swollen before I closed my eyes, giving in to the exhaustion of the day, resting my head on Thomas’s shoulder. I loved it when it was just the two of us. I was getting too attached to this boy, who now seemed to have become a lot more than some crush. I was deeply falling for him and no stalker or other force
“I believe you,” I said truthfully, and something lifted from my chest like I needed to say this for years. “I guess the signs were always there, but I just ignored them…refused to pay attention to them. It was easier this way. Father is a force that a kid could not go against.”By the way Annabeth looked at me, I could see the relief and joy my words created. She leaned forward from her place on the sofa and kneeled in front of me to hug me, squeezing tight, incapable of showing her deep emotions in any other way. I responded by snuggling in with her and trying not to become a crybaby.“Oh, Alice! My sweet girl…you have grown so wise. Of course, you could not fight Robert--even I couldn’t back then.” She cried again in the hair behind my shoulder.“Did h
The village was small and lush streets led us to the center; the shops from Annabeth’s photo present. The sun painted the buildings in yellow-orange, and even if it wasn’t hiding behind the clouds, it was pretty cold outside. Thomas and I got out of the car and walked a few meters to reach the main street. The pressure was eating me from the inside until my eyes landed on the shop line from the photo. “Yes!” I jumped on my place, glad I had found the right village. “Now let’s go and ask someone about her.” Impatiently, I started walking towards the local grocery store in front of us. When I didn’t hear Thomas’s steps following behind me, I turned to stare at him with confusion all over my face. “Why do you think they would know about her?” he scratched his head, look