Late (Draft 1)

1 - An Unexpected Meeting

Late! I can't be late! The bell rang while I was picking up all my stuff. Flustered, I ran down the hallway, trying to shove folders and notebooks into my small bag. I'd only gotten two in when I rounded the corner. I'd been picking up speed, and skidded tightly around the bend. A figure barely has time to flinch before I run into them.

My backpack skids across the floor, my folders fly. Sparks flicker before my eyes, and I am momentarily woozy. I shake my head, and my eyes snap open.

Sitting across from me is a girl, rubbing her head. She's wincing. Long black hair slips down her shoulders; it's the longest hair I've ever seen. Even though most of it is in a coiled braid behind her head, some strands still have managed to escape. It's too much. Wordlessly, I scramble to collect the contents of my backpack, and begin to hurry off.

I hear a voice behind me, "wait!", but I don't stop. Walking brusquely, my head drops more, almost to my chest. I blink hard, trying to clear my vision. The tears only stream faster. My face is hot and slick from crying, and I have no idea what I'm doing.

What am I going to tell my teacher? Why did I walk away from her? Why does this hurt me so much?

I slip into class just as the bell rings. Heaving a sigh of relief, I trudge to my seat. Earning a few concerned looks from classmates, I try to shrug off the sudden thoughts.

Giving up, I stand. After a quick debate with my teacher, I'm allowed to go to the restroom. I jump back momentarily, seeing my reflection. I walk up to the sink, and lean against it heavily. My eyes are bright red, and my cheeks are flushed. My skin is shiny where fat tears have trailed, and my eyes are hard to see. They are slits, hidden among the skin of my face. My chin crumples, and I close my eyes again. I slip down to the floor, and curl up into a little ball. I don't move for a long time.

When I do finally feel good enough to move, I've stopped crying. there is a painful knot in my chest. My throat feels thick and dry, and my face feels worse than ever. My eyes hurt from squeezing them closed for so long. I move to stand, but have to do it ever so slowly. I've been sitting for too long, and my joints are stiff. Blood rushes to my head, and I'm dizzy. When I am able to get to my feet, I lean heavily on the sink again. I catch another glimpse of my reflection in the mirror, and a smile ghosts across my face. I look like a cherry. My face is so red, and my hair is a complete mess. A frizz surrounding my head. My cheeks are shiny, reflecting the lights above the mirrors. I splash water in my face, and try to calm my hair. I have no idea how long it took, but I was able to get myself to look somewhat presentable. Back to looking a little bit normal, I fussed with my hair a moment more. It was dripping wet, so I bent over forwards before straightening. It flipped over the top of my head, and I was able to flip it over to the left. Nodding, I opened the door again to leave.

Stepping out into the hallway, I was greeted by the last thing I expected. The girl from earlier, the one I ran into in the hallway was standing in front of me. Gaping, I stopped dead in my tracks. She seemed surprised to, but quickly recovered. She smiled, and held out her hand.

"I'm Cassie. That was quite the first meeting, huh?" It took a moment for me to find my voice.

"Uh, yeah!" I chuckled, "are you okay?"

"Yeah, thanks. Are you? You look a little red, and you looked like you were crying or something when I tried to call you back earlier." Concern clouded her face.

"I'm okay." Not really sure where to go from there, I followed up with, "I'm Alex, by the way. Alex Trighvon"

Another grin. "Then well met Alex. I'm glad I ran into you anyway. I wanted to give you this." She handed me a folded slip of paper. Her perfume was difficult to place, and it took me a moment to realize she even had any on. That made me smile. So many girls now wore way too much perfume, and it was usually super strong.

"Thanks. I like your perfume!" I nervously mentioned, my voice dropping off at the end.

"Really? Great! It's actually the first time I've worn any. I'm glad you like it though!"

"Yeah, it's really nice. So many people wear way too much these days." She laughs. It's a clear sound, ringing through the air.

"I know, right? Anyway, class is almost over. We'd better get going." I nod, and raise my hand to wave. She flinches. It's almost unnoticeable, but it's there. She raises her hand too, and lets it fall to her side as she turns away. I'm left staring after her. Shaking myself out of my stupor, I head back to class.

I open the door to see strangers staring. Confused, I head to my seat, which is empty. I look up at the clock, and and freeze. I had been in the bathroom for almost three hours. Confusing though it was that nobody came to check on me, I was far more baffled that nobody had entered the bathroom while I was in there. How had I not noticed the bells? Maybe people really had come in, and I just hadn't noticed them. I was entirely possible.

Snatching up my backpack, I leave the room, and am almost to my third period class when the bell rings, signaling the end of class. Funny how nobody seemed to care that I left so early. I wonder if they would notice (or care for that matter) if I just didn't show up at all.

I drifted through the next few classes in a sort of a daze, not really absorbing anything, oblivious to the rest of the world. I found I really didn't care.

When lunch came around, I headed over to the tree I usually sat under. To my surprise, the ground was bare aside from the grass. Not a single person sat there. Everyone I usually sat with was gone to who knows where. Depressed, I sat down hard, and moodily bit into my sandwich. I had finished what little I had that day when I remembered the slip of paper Cassie had slipped into my hand earlier. I slowly dragged it out of my pocket, unfolding it as I did so.

On the small piece of paper, there was a name. Cassie Brensalls. A name, and a series of numbers. I now had Cassie's phone number.