Rouge At Dawn

Chapter One

This is a new story of mine. I just want to see people’s reactions to it, and whether or not you guys like it. Enjoy! And please let me know what you think!

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Chapter Three

“Do you want to go to get some coffee?”

I blinked, staring at Layla from across the table.

“What?”

Pushing her now-empty bowl of cereals in front of her, Layla tilted her head to one side, her dark brown eyes piercing into mine. “Coffee. I asked if you wanted to go to go get some coffee.”

I cleared my throat. “Coffee?”

“Yes. That’s what I said. Twice now.”

Right. But...coffee?

“Coffee? Your favourite drink?” Layla repeated, enunciating her words slowly as if I were stupid. “We. Could. Go. Buy. Some? You know...At. The. Cafe?”

I gave her a droll stare. “Really? I had no clue,” I mumbled sarcastically. “I just meant why?”

Shrugging, she scrunched her nose up, watching me speculatively. “I dunno. I guess I just feel like relaxing today. I’m feeling too stressed out for school right now. Besides, Connor said he’s up for it, so he’ll be at the cafe too.”

“Layla, we have plenty of time to catch up; we don’t have to skive to get a chance to talk to each other. We always sit together at lunch,” I tried to reason with her.

“Look, the three of us haven’t been able to spend any quality time together in the past three months, with you away in Paris whilst I was on my own, pigging out with my new best friends called Ben and Jerry...oh, and did I mention; sleepover for one?” at which she stopped for added affect, shooting me an accusing glare.

“You have Connor for that, remember?” I said teasingly, referring to her boyfriend, who also happened to be a close friend of mine.

Layla either hadn’t heard a word I’d just said, or simply decided to ignore my comment. However, the blush on her cheeks gave me a sneaky feeling that, in this case, it was the latter. “I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to catch up on everything that’s happened these past few months.”

“We can do that at school, though. I have the same classes as you this year, remember?”

“I know, I know,” Layla muttered, waving me off with a hand. “But you know it’s not the same thing. Passing notes in class and talking one on one, or rather, two on one,” she corrected, obviously referring to Connor, “would be far more productive. Am I right, or am I right?”

I sighed dramatically, scattering various skittles over my cereals before dousing them with milk.

This earned a look of disgust from Layla.

I grinned sheepishly, before tucking in to my de-licious breakfast.

“It’s Monday,” I said amidst my frantic chewing, frowning as I gave her ‘the look’. I immediately left my next spoonful of scrumptiousness as my lips pursed at Layla’s ‘so what?’ expression she was sending me now. “Let me jog your memory again, Layla; we’re still seventeen. That, meaning we still go to school. It’s Monday, and our first day back at school. Comprende?”

She rolled his eyes. “Don’t be a bore! Come on, Isla; it’ll be my treat. Coffee’s on me.”

I shook my head firmly. There was no way I was going to skive this semester.