Cold Coffee and Stale Cigarettes *on hold*

Chapter 2

Present:

Samantha Taylor

I'm not quite sure what it is about the loners and the wallflowers but if they weren’t some of the most intriguing cases found wandering the school’s population I was damned to an eternity of solitude. I wasn't one of those kids who fit in. I was too quiet, too disinterested in the world around me, too different. While most girls my age were squealing over prom dresses and dates and trying to keep from strangling one another, I was left pondering if I could somehow muster the courage to talk to my science partner. From her, I was working my way to the quiet guy across the room who always had an earphones plugged in and a brooding expression that remained rather blank and unforgiving.

              I had a hopeless case of crush-on-every-slightly-mysterious-person-you-encounter. But that was ok, because I guess, to some people, I appeared the same way. It was easier that way. I wasn't annoying anyone. They didn't have to follow through with excruciatingly pointless conversations with me. They wouldn't have to know about my weird obsession with coffee or the number twenty two or the fact that I did infact enjoy the two feet of snow on the ground. I was ok with that. I was ok with being the small statistic of people who didn't have to interact with other people to survive, even though I occasionally craved it just as much, if not more.

      Of course, my teacher didn't recognize that. So with my lovely lab partner gone and the mysterious boy from across the room having a similar problem, we were forced to sit together at the hideousley green lab tables in the science room, trying not to breathe in the same direction. Most people would be extatic to be partnered with the crush, but I was rather mortified. Mr. Johnson hates me. I bit my tongue, my knee bobbing anxiously. I hate me. My thoughts continued. It shouldn't be hard to talk to people. It should come effortlessly. I shouldn't have to think so much about it. But I did. I loathed it with every fiber of my being.

      "Do you wanna write?" His voice was low and smooth, startling me from my stupor. I felt a blush creep up my neck for no other reason than to petrify me further, but thankfully my hair saved me from him seeing it. 

      "Doesn't matter." I mumbled quietly, wincing to myself. Oh my god you are such an idiot. Couldn't you have said something more intelligent, like I dunno, yes? He wrote his name on the paper, suprisingly legible for a guy. Dalton. He slid the paper over to me and I wrote my name as well, deciding I might as well do the honors and write on the stupid sheet. Within ten minutes we were done and had turned in the paper. He went back to his seat. I sat in mine, an anxious mess of dark hair and dull eyes, berrating myself. That was your chance. You blew it. So I took in a deep breath, supressing a glance in his direction. It didn't matter. He hardly knew I existed anyways. 

     You could most definitely say I had no experience with guys whatsoever. I had hung out with three of them when I was in second grade and generally gotten along with them much easier than girls, but I had hardly talked to a guy I hadn't already been talking to for five years. So when Gabriel, the definite burnout of the century came up to my lunch table where I sat with my semi-friends-not-really-but-I-like-to-pretend, I nearly had a conniption. He looked at me, eyes dark, an almost grim set to his jaw.

      "Can I talk to you?" He asked, jerking his head to the table that sat towards the center of the cafeteria. The same one where Dalton sat. I exchanged a panicked look with Kaylee, who was the most outgoing girl in my group, before mumbling a weak, "Sure?"  He nodded, spinning away, as if he didn't really care whether or not I was coming. Swallowing the bile in my throat, I followed, heart pounding, to his table where he beckoned for me to sit.

      "So here's the thing," He started, lounging against his chair, his hand gesturing towards Dalton who was doing his best to avoid any sort of eye contact. "My friend Dalton here, needs more friends, and these two bitches," He beckoned to the girls he sat with. "Are rather useless."

      "Excuse me?" The brunette spluttered, her fake nails tapping against the table top. "You shut the fuck up or I'll kick your ass." She glowered.

      "Do your best sweetie." He grinned at her mockingly. Her friend snorted, pushing out her chair, brushing off her sweatpants as she went. 

        "See you losers." She muttered, as if she knew where the conversation was going and wanted nothing to do with it.

       "As I was saying,' Gabriel said, "This loser needs friends and I've decided that you're going to be it." I quirked an eyebrow, too afraid to look at Dalton.

       "Uhm. Ok. Uh. Why?" I asked, digging my nails into my palms. Gabriel laughed, leaning back in his seat. 

       "Because Dalton won't grow a pair and ask you himself. " I saw Dalton tense in the corner, while I frowned, surprised I wasn't more embarrassed. Gabriel was probably playing a joke on me for his own entertainment. Made enough sense. I sat in silence for a moment and the girl next to me laughed. 

       "I told you it wouldn't work. She doesn't talk to anyone." She snorted and I curled my hands into fists. "She was in my bio class last year and didn't talk to me either." I bit my lip, feeling an angry flush sweep over my cheeks. I could feel Dalton gauging my reaction. Gabriel was doing the same. Very, very slowly, I turned to her, feeling a burning in my chest.

        "Why would I want to talk to a whiny little bitch that doesn't know when to shut up?" I asked real quiet, quirking an eyebrow.

        "Uhm, excuse me?" She spluttered, jerking forwards. Gabriel leaned in as if we were whispering, his gaze tense with concentration. That was her signature statement. Excuse me.

       "Sorry," I licked my lips, my mouth abnormally dry as I stood up. "I don't like repeating myself." 

       I left the table as it filled with Gabriels guffaws and the image of Dalton's shell-shocked face.

A/N

Originally this wasn't going to be much of a story at all, but I guess I found some sort of plot for it of sorts. *shrugs*. Hope you enjoyed it, and I love getting comments telling me what you think!