You and the gang are hanging out on the steps in front of the
school. Ash, your best friend, is leaning her petite body against
the railing, thoughtfully twisting her black hair. Her face is in
stark contrast to the happy-go-lucky, overconfident grin that
Will's face is twisted into. He's flirting effervescently from his
reclined position, his muscles standing out next to Daryn's lanky
frame. The so-called geek seems almost comically agonized as he strains
to see what Ash is going to do. You smile just a little. "Poor,
lovesick kid," you murmur too softly for anyone to hear. But Daryn's
fears are without basis; Ash ignores the football player as usual,
continuing her conversation with Spenser as if she didn't even notice
the look Will's giving her. You flick your gaze to the somber,
poetic speaker, and give a slight sigh. His hair is silvery-blond
and fine; his eyes are a beautiful smoky grey. Spenser isn't the kind
of guy you ever thought of as being your type, but somewhere along
the way, you must confess you've become attracted to him... and you're
fairly sure the attraction is mutual.
Feeling a bit lazy in the warmth of the afternoon's sun, you smooth
your sleek black braids over your shoulder and sit down next to a
perky golden-haired cheerleader; Tandy, the last member of your group.
She shares an amused wink with you, as if to say, "They're rambling
again and we have to put up with it." You begin to get interested in
Ashley and Spenser's conversation.
"...can't quite believe it," Ash is saying grimly. This catches your
attention since you can't recall her being grim but two or three times
before in all the years you've grown up together, and those were extreme
circumstances. These worries flicker through your mind as you listen
to her, seeing her wince as she goes on talking. "How did they... how
did they find her?"
Will jumps in helpfully. "In her bedroom. Hacked to gory shreds with
a dull axe. After someone smashed her over the head with a mirror,
that is."
"Ugh! Tandy exclaims, looking positively disgusted. There's a note of
curiosity in her voice, though. "That's awful... who did you say
this happened to? I wasn't listening."
"Ara Pierce," Will replies flippantly. "Red Hollow's queen of the punks."
"Ara?!" You half gasp, uncharacteristically surprised. The leather-
clad, tattooed girl who always sported a two-toned hairstyle of
red with purple streaks... you never knew her personally, not well,
but you talked to her at times and felt it just to deem her a
decent person. Whatever the circumstances, she didn't deserve to
die in such a brutal, gruesome manner. You lower your head,
staring at the ground in a moment of silence for Ara, feeling
Spenser's concerned gaze brush over you.
"What a shame, eh?" Spenser says after a moment, nodding quietly
at the reaction. "I knew Ara... she was clever, witty, generous,
and gave everyone she met a fair shake."
Ash's voice is tearful. You feel sympathy for her immediately at
the sound of it--she always was unusually sensitive. A people
person if ever there was one. "She... Ara had a reputation for
being a bit... wild, I know, but... but she wasn't really like
that! You know? She was... she was just a really nice person."
"Yup," Daryn quips, tossing some object into the air and catching
it with his teeth. "But you know how these things get started.
Some big, burly member of the football team gets his lacy underthings
in a bunch because a girl has the I.Q. necessary to reject him, so
he gets the other guys to help him make up "colorful" folktales
about her. Right, Will?" He gives the jock a pointed glance.
Will props his head up, forcing and easy smile and laugh. You
suspect his calm reaction is due to the fact that Ash is listening
carefully. "Me? Nah. Besides, Tandy's been asked out by lots of
guys on the team, and her rep is just fine."
"Exactly..." Daryn eyes the cheerleader with such comical suspicion
that even she has to stifle a laugh, knowing what's coming. "But...
has she actually turned any of them down?"
"You little pig." Tandy shoves him playfully, then dishes out a few
more insults.
They go at it for a while like that, then Ash turns to you, a bit
more cheery because of the banter. "So, Rach, you want to stop at a
couple places before we head over to my house to get ready for the
big costume party at Will's tonight?"
Sounds like you have a fun afternoon and evening ahead of you. What
do you want to do first?
I want to visit the library where I work. I'd like to
check out "Jane Eyre" again.