TWO

 Her heart beat faster again as she stepped into the class room. Her eyes cast downward while her art teacher re-introduced her to the entire class. She raised her head sharply and spotted dear Jody in the far corner, eyes bent over her note darting from one page to the other. Then she bent her's again and took the closest empty seat which was the one closest to the door and the first in the first row. She took out her book as the indistinct chatter about her late entrance was quieted down by her teacher.

      Few moments later the class bell rung, and the entire class began to leave before the teacher could finish his last sentence. Quickly, she got to her feet and followed the crowd out the class and into the hallway. With her books tightly held to her chest, her long flowing gypsy skirt swished as the made her way to her new locker. Dreading coming back to school, she had managed to convince her mother to let her stay home for a whole week and somehow she made her go to school on a Friday instead of just letting her go the next week.

      "Lacey!" She heard a quick high pitch screem and turned abruptly, startled by the sound to see beside her; Fay a bright smile on her face, Anita and Bethany behind Fay both bouncing uncontrollably.  "Oh! I can't believe it's you." Fay said.

       "Guys!" She called out with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, I mean we didn't think you would be comimg back after everything." Anita, the ever talking friend blurted out, causing the other girls to glare at her.

       Lacey laughed and placed her hand on Anita's shoulder. "Its okay. And that isn't reason enough."

      "We are sorry about it by the way." Bethany added as they started towards the hall they called 'the lunch bar' with Fay closing Lacey's locker while the others walked on.

      "Oh! No problem. I had someone to hang with there and I was over it in less than two months." She winked, remembering the person she spent her free time with while she was away.

The others laughed, and Anita started up again, talking about the things she had missed, who was dating who and who had broken up. As they entered the bar, they took their seat at one of the tables, the three facing Lacey. Anita kept talking and the others added bits the little talkertive had failed to mention.

      Lacey listened intently to their words spilling a laugh where necessary. She looked up to see Abby... miss popular walking towards their table, her hands on her slim hips and a wicked grin on he face. The little thing hardly ever had her worker bees swarming around her. It irratated her, it didn't stop them from swarming anyway. "Hey Lacey, how's baby junior doing?" She asked as she passed by their table, leaving her glaring at her friends patiently for answers.

      "Well," Anita started again, uncontrolably. "Jody started dating Dennis like the very day after you left, and obviously, we put it togther and realised what happened, and then there was a rumour that you left cause he broke your heart and you never wanted to see them again, then later, it started going around that you got pregnant and you left."

       "We asked Jody if she had anything to do with any of it and she said no." Bethany added while Fay nodded furiously beside Anita.

       "I didn't." Came the defence of Jody, who stood behind the three girls. Her hands tightly gripping her phone. Lacey looked up at her, a stern look on Jody's face. "I Promise I didn't." Lacey nodded.   She didnt believe her. She walked closer to Lacey, putting the other three behind her. "I'm so sorry Lacey about everything. I didn't mean for it to happen." She sat beside her.  "And if it makes you feel very much better he dumped me like a month later." She added

      "Yeah." Anita agreed.

Lacey nodded, a sad smile on her face. Happy he dumped her, furious they lasted that long. "He's a jerk." She looked into Jody's desprate eyes.

      "And so funny, Devil Darin beat the crap out of him like weeks later." Fay added.

       They laughed. Oh! Her brother did keep his word. "Guess karma got to him. In the form of the school's devil." She mentioned and bent her head in laughter.

      "Please forgive me? And I swear I didn't start any rumours about you."

      Lacey nodded amd placed her hand on her shoulder. "I do."

"So does that mean we are all friends again?" Jody asked eagerly.

      Lacey looked at Jody, and then from Bethany, to Anita and then to   Fay "yes."

       All four sighed. "Good." Bethany said.

Fay gasped as if remembering something very important, and said "Stanley got expelled two months ago." And the conversation picked up again, as if Abby had not interupted them earlier.

       As the conversation kept going Jody began to stroke Lacey's long curly deep brown hair like she had always done before she left. Few moments later, the students in the hall beagn to reduce as they made their way out the bar. All five turned to the loud moving crowd, the only audible words being; Lenard, Tom and fighting. Sharply Anita got to her feet and announced to the group. "Tom is fighting again!"

       "Who?" Lacey asked in confussion.

"Tom" Bethany answered.

       "I heard Tom." She pointed out. "Which Tom?"

"As in Tate'n'Tom Tom." She answered again.

       "What? Since when?"

"Come on!" Jody demanded. Pulling her from her seat and dragging her towards the gym. The other three already in front of her.

      They made their way through the roaring crowd of students and found a vantage point to watch the brawl. In front of them Darin stood, hands crossed over his chest under the bleachers, his shoulders shaking with laughter at somethimg one of his friends had said, as if a nothing was happening very close to them. Lacey scoffed at the sight of her brother. Then she brought her attention back to the fight in front of her. Lenard crawling on his hands away from fuming Tom. His voice shaking as he said, "please, l'm sorry." Tom dragged Lenard by his feet and pulled him towards himself and pounded the boy who had his hands now blocking his face. The students hailed them as the fight went on, with words like, "don't be a wuss Lenard!" And shouts of agreement, along with the occassional, "good one Tom!"

       "Since when does Tom fight?" Lacey asked, her question unheard through all the hailing.

       Tom pulled Lenard by his collar to his feet, steadying the already weak boy. He took in a deep breath ready to throw another punch when Tate stepped inbetween them, shoving Tom back with a scowl on his face. "Hey!" He yelled, and then looked at the crowd. "Leave. Right now!" Hs words causing the crowd to grumble amongst themselves, unwilling to go. Tate glanced at his best friend Tom who took a step back, his breathing heavy and his clothes ripped and his black hair fallen over his eyes. Tate turned back to them and repeated. "Leave!" He pointed at he door.

The crowd grumbled louder. "Come on man let them fight." Someone proposed.

       "Did he stutter?" Darin's raspy voice came out loud and clear from under the bleachers, his hands still crossed over his chest. "Get out!" He commanded. And they obeyed whispering among themselves as they walked out.

      Lacey watched as he turned back to his friends, like he hadn't done a thing.

      Tate watched as the crowd dispersed and the bell for the next class went off. Unaware that Tom had been taken to the principal's office.

      "Gosh! Darin scared me when he spoke." Jody commented.

"Yeah." Bethany added as they walked down the hall with the rest of the students. "But, he is so hot." For the millionth time in her life.    

     "He is like a reaper with that voice. A grim reaper." Anita added with a smile on her face, "we should call him that." The others agreed.

       Lacey smiled at the name and slowed her pace, taking the next turn, None of them noticing she had left them as she headed for her locker.

       Saturday morning, she walked through empty halls. Dreading once more that she had to come in for extra classes to meet up with the rest of her class. She had begged her math teacher to teach her the day before but Mr. Calhoun had decided it was best she came in on saturday, since he was managing the detention class. Better yet a special detention student. She walked into the classroom and spotted the epic fighter at the corner of the room, head bent on his desk. She turned towards her math teacher, who had a calculator in one hand, and his glasses almost falling off the bridge of his nose as he worked seriously.

      She cleared her throat, which brought his attention to her. He looked up and said, "Ah! Lacey Atkins, you're finaly here. Late." He noted. She plastered on a fake smile and nodded. "Well, there is no point in dwelling." He got to his feet. "I assume you have done the work I gave to you yesterday?" She nodded again, still smiling.  "Good, now seat here," he moved away from the desk "this is for you to solve. Make sure you're done by the time I get back. I know you have other subjects to work on so by next week I will be giving you a test." She nodded sharply. "Now if you would excuse me, I have to check on the other students." She took her seat at his desk as he walked away. At the door he turned back abruptly, "you!" He pointed at Tom. "Thomas Wade." The boy lifted his head. "Do not leave this class."

      "Why would I?" He smiled. The man nodded and walked out the class room. "Hi" Tom said, acknowledeging Lacey.

       She flashed a smile his way sharply before pulling a pen from her bag. Burying herself in her assigned work, she let the deep silence engulf her. Ignoring his constant sighs of boredom and the tapping of his fingers on his desk.

       "Sweet Sadey!" She called out the moment she walked in through the front door. The maid closing the door behind her.   "Sadey!" She called out again

      "Lacey!" The little girl called in delight. Her small feet trying to walk down the steps as quickly as possible.

      "Thank you." Lacey said to the maid as she took her jacket from her. Without hasitating she started up the stairs, smiling broadly at her little sister.

      Sadey stopped, four steps above her, her smile fading completely. "What?" Lacey asked, her eyes examining Sadey's face.

       "I'm not coming close to you as long as you are wearing that skirt." She crossed her arms and turned her head in disapproval.

      Lacey laughed. "Fine then. Where's Darin?" She asked, looking passed her Sadey.

      Sadey shrugged. "Probably still sleeping."

"What?" She looked at her watch, it was well passed noon. "I saw him come in just as I was leaving, he can't still be asleep." Sadey shrugged again. She sighed at the five year old and called out walking passed her sister, "Darin!" She Headed up the stairs, with Sadey right behind her.

      "What?!" He spat, pulling his room door open.

Lacey stopped. "Well, hey there grim reaper." She smiled, and placed her hands on her waist.

       "What?" He questioned in a grunt and walked back into his room, both girls following him in.

       His curtains preventing the late afternoon sun light from brightening his room. He turned to face them, taking a seat on his scattered bed. His house coat hanging open, his bare chest and knee lengthed shorts visible to all who looked.

         "After your statement yesterday, the girls decided you should be called 'the grimm reaper'."

       He licked his lips and pressed the bridge of his nose. "What girls?"

       "Bethany and the others." She waved her hand in dismissal. "Did

he

stutter?" She immitated his raspy voice with her hands waving at her side.

      He chuckled, lying on his bed. "Hey Sadey." He smiled, noticing her snickering behind Lacey.

      "Hi. Did we wake you?"

"No." He rested his arm on his fore head.

      "You!" Lacey turned around to face the little girl, "you haven't taken a bath have you princess yellow pijamas?" She wiggled her finger over Sadey's clothes.

      "I wanted you to do it." She tugged at the bottom of the shirt with a guilty look on her face.

      "Too bad I'm wearing this skirt, and I'm not taking it off."

"What? Please don't be mean."

      "I'm not being mean, I'm just obeying your words. Now go tell Lola to give you a bath." She pointed at the door. "Now."

      "And" Darin spoke up, his hand holding up his head with his elbow resting on his pillow. "Tell someone to bring me a glass of water my head hurts like hell."

       Sadey nodded and started towards the door as Lacey said, "Why wouldn't it hurt party monster, you are so lucky mom won't be back until tomorrow."

      He grunted again as his head hit his pillow. "How was it?" He asked, his fingers intertwining on his stomach.

       "Wasn't bad. Had three lessons. Mr. Calhoun gave me some work to do and Tom Wade had his own detention class, away from the others." She pointed out, walking over to his mirror as she spoke, pulling out the band that kept her ponytail in place.

      "Thomas wade in detention?" He scoffed.

"What Mr. Popular's best friend too special for it?"

      "First of all, he is also popular as you know and they just are best friends, as you know. And sort of, yeah. I mean since his mom and sister died everyone's been stepping on egg shells around him."

       She gasped and turned to look at him at the mention of died "What, how?"

      "The pile up that happened two weeks after you left, I'm sure mom told you about it."

      She walked closer. "Yeah. Uh... she did."

"Apparently, they were in it." They both sighed. "I guess the teachers and principal got tired of his violence."

      "wow!" She exclaimed and dropped down on his bed, combing her hair with her hand, completely stunned by the information.

      -Hey

honey, White

mist

hotel

right

after

school. I

mean

it

so

be

there

okay?

Mom-

       Lacey sighed, and slipped the phone back in her pocket, she looked straight ahead, her attention barely on the new topic of discussion brought up by the ever talking Anita. School had closed for the day, but she had to stay behind for extra work. The group sat on the high pavement, watching as others walked to their cars or talked to their friends or started their long walks home. "Yeah and he came back in to school like nothing had happenned." Bethany added.

      "If not for the fact that he gets into fights most times I swear you wouldn't know he had lost part of his family." Anita had continued. Somehow she knew Tom wade was the topic of their conversation. While she tried to bring her mind to them and away from the load she had to work on, Fay chewed on her lower lip while the others talked. And Jody tapped away on her phone.

She glanced at Darin, who sent a wink her way, which she responded to with a sharp nod before he got into the back seat of his sleek blue honda. She sighed silently and smiled at Anita's description of something before jumping from the pavement and dusting imaginary dirt from her hands and the back of her long skirt. "Ok guys, I gotta" she pointed at the front door entance of the school building with her thumb, "go do some more school work so I'll see you tomorrow." She announced and turned around before one of them could respond.

       An hour and a half later, she peeked out the window of the abandoned building the school called 'the burnt house' on the obvious account of it being burnt. Seeing no student or staff in sight, she quickly ran out the door. Her once neatly packed up ponytail now free fallen over her back, and her pink gypsy skirt now a pair of khaki trousers. She headed for the motorcycle hidden under a tree with. a man waiting on it. "Hi Becket." She greeted as she got on the back. Holding on to his waist she said,      "White Mist please. Mom insists." He nodded under the black helmet, handing her one of the same colour. And seconds later they were out of the school's view.

      "Good, you're here." The graceful Mrs. Loskey noted the moment she saw Lacey seated once again at the teacher's desk. She looked up from her work and gave the lady a small smile and a nod.

       Mr. Calhoun came in from behind the other teacher rushing towards his desk, towards Lacey. "I suppose you are done little lady?"

       She nodded, taking her hands off of the table top. "Almost ten minutes." She noted.

        "Good. Then I can take this." He picked up the sheets of paper filled with solved math questions "this better be good." He said as he walked out the classroom.

        Mrs. Loskey cleared her throat and approached the table, "while I have you here, I have simplified my notes for you. Instead of having you come with me." She stopped and looked all around her as if checking for something. "Give me a moment." The lady walked out as well, leaving her alone again with the ever feet and hand tapping, heavy sighing Tom Wade as had been done the Saturday before.

       He scoffed, then whistled, drawing her attention to him. "You get the simplified notes. Should have stayed home a year too." She looked his way, he had his back against the wall, his index finger tapping on the wooden desk top, his eyes on his working finger. Unsure of what to do, she chose to ignore him. Taking out her phone from her bag she started to send a text to her driver... then he spoke up again, "Lacey Atkins." he called her name, like the sweet sound of water flowing down stream. Unmoved, she kept typing on her phone. "Comes back to school after a year." His eyes never leaving his hand and his legs crossed in front of him he kept talking. "And makes up with the Friend who hooked up with her boyfriend. Said boyfriend rumour has it, she had a kid for, who apparently she had to leave to have. Or was it that the cheating was so unbarably heart breaking she had to leave. Was there attempeted suicide in there somewhere?" He shook his head and answered his own question. "You're not the type. But you are hanging out with the back stabbing friend like nothing happened. I mean you caught them, must have been tough, I can't even begin to imagine what state they were in. Must have hurt like a bitch, whether you were having his kid or not.

        Personally, I'm not one for gossip and wild fire rumours. But you, Lacey Atkins, let it go, no grudge what so ever and she was waltzing around with him for weeks. It should hurt just looking at her hell if it were me I would kick her into a toilet or shave her head I mean you may or may not have had his kid. This sucks high way to hell. And you are laughing with her like not a damn thing happenned..."

       She sent her text, and held her phone tightly, a great desire to stop him from talking welling up inside, her body burning with irritation, her hands itched to claw at something. But she wanted him to shut up, to stop talking about a kid and Jody and Dennis. And then it hit her. Her eyes shone at her found discovery. She giggled litely and then it grew into a maniacle laugh.

       He stopped talking and raised his head, shocked as he watched her laughing. Her body shaking as she did. For half a minute and more she laughed then stopped abruptly and snapped her head up to meet his. "You." She laughed again. "You think that your pattern of talking would get me to speak to you." Her voice was now raspy. "Because I ignored you last week, when I  was busy?" She smiled.

       "It has nothing to do with that."

"Normally, when some one talks like you just did, people get defensive. Not me." Her smile quickly as it came turned into a deep frown.

      "Now read this." Mrs. Loskey said as she walked in. Both turned to face her. She handed the pile of papers to Lacey. "And meet me in the library in an hour for some home work."

      Lacey nodded, very glad for the interuption. The woman smiled at her and nodded at Tom before walking out. "Need any help?" He asked,

      "No!" she spat. And again silence filled the space between them, silence that did not hold his constant tapping or his sighs of boredom.