THE INFAMOUS BELLA (KathNiel)

Chapter 9

9

 

The very next day, Madison woke up early and get ready for school.

In school there is really nothing more that she could do but to retreat at the library, the familiar scent of paper engulfed her senses. It had a calming effect on her.

The only best she could do was to keep her head down, and tried to be invisible.

Madison dodges under the table and crawled at the sight of Lance, making his way through the entrance. She almost loss her equilibrium on finding excessive ways on escaping unnoticed under his radar.

This morning, she barely manages to avoid Lance on the hallway. Yet, here she was again, lurking in the shadows, hiding fugitively, sandwiched in between massive collections mathematical publications.

Pathetic.

She doesn’t even fancy the subject.

Her eyes transfixed to him the entire time. Lance sat down and shrugged off his knapsack then, gently placed it on top of the table, and pulled out his textbooks.

She sighs, glancing down her watch. She had no other choice but to sit there, hide, and wait till he left. Madison crossed her legs together. She flopped down the floor; and she uses the bookshelves for support.

She glances back at the table she hastily vacated, longingly.  After a couple of minutes a group of noisy girls sat. There, at her spot of all the available empty tables it has to be her spot. Sighing, her face involuntarily morphed into a scowl.

“Have you seen Dave this morning?” the blond asked, applying lip balm to her lips.

One of the girls with wavy curls answered.  “No, I haven’t. He hasn’t contacted you yet since last time.”

“Maybe he was just busy.” The girl in pink stated. 

The blond huffed and blows her bangs, “He should be.”

“I saw Nadine flirting with Dave the other day.” Alec announced, while shamelessly parading her body to the boy right at their opposite table.

“That bitch!” Mariel snapped.

“Yes, that slutty whore she’ll pay for that. She can’t just flirt with what’s mine!” 

Madison’s eyebrows hitch up as she listens to them talking nosily. Rolling her eyes, her shoulders slumped further onto the shelves. As Madison continues to observe them quietly, she learns their names. The blond bombshell was Erica ‘the leader’.  The one who constantly touching up makeup using a compact mirror was Alec. The girl who wore too much pink from head to toe is Mariel, and to their left sat Katrina who won’t just stop on munching her chocolate bar.

She can’t help but wrinkled her nose. She knew Alec was a phony. She bears false witness, and just made things up.

If there’s anyone who can tell if that girl was scoundrel liar, it’s me. After all, I practically sticks everywhere Dave was. The little voice inside of her head said.

She was surprised herself, with the way she defensively takes Dave’s side. No. It cannot be. Hence, she reprimanded herself from being ridiculous.

Eager to get rid of her mind wandering over a strictly cautioned topic, she decided to work on her math instead. She’s here anyway might as well do something productive, and worked on her geometry.        

She climbed into the ladder, looking for the textbook for reference when her foot slipped off the ladder, and she lost her balance. She falls into the floor with a loud thud.  Her eyes watered in pain as she let out a whimper.

Busted.

Lance was quick and already at her side.

“Madison, can you hear me?”

She nodded, “Yes.”

“Can you stand up?”

“I don’t know, everything hurts—”

Lance glides his hands through her back, “Does it hurts here?” he asked.

Bloody hell—she was a waking hazard. Madison grimaced.

“Sorry. Looks like you had a very bad fall.” Lance stated the obvious, “Here, let me help you. I’ll pick you up gently.”  

She’s starting to feel a tingle of mixed anxiety and excitement as the reality of her situation sank in.

Oh, shit! Please kill me now! Her strong desire to be put out of mystery filled up her head.  Madison had an urged to place a finger gun to the side of her head, and commit a social suicide right then and there.

She could have sworn that most of them were watching her. She thought she had been smart enough to keep her distance. And, here she was again at the same compromising situation all thanks to her dreadful attempt to avoid Lance.

Her luck couldn’t get any better, the signs are too obvious to miss, she should have known that already since her day begins with gum stuck in her hair, and followed by more ugly calamities. And, now this? Why, does she had to accurately see him every time she was in the worst possible situation?

He bended down to her, and place his right arm on her right arm, with his arm around behind her neck and his hand placed just below her shoulder. As Lance does this, he bends his knees and places his left hand under her right knee.

For a second there she almost ponders on throwing herself to the group of nosy girls and but Lance scoops her into his arms effortless in a bridal style. She braced herself for what it’s worth.

Lance stands up straight. At this point, their faces are leveled, and very close, in an awkwardly intimate position.

Madison felt uncertain as to whether she should welcome his kind attractive gesture and leaned against him in comfortably or completely detached away from him. She just wasn’t sure what to do.

She glanced at him as if the answer is written all over his face. But from the looks of it she couldn’t fathom any formidable answer.  And from the lack of expression on Lance face it is impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Grunting, Madison is certain Mother Nature has a way of endlessly tormenting her. If this continues, she was sure she’ll be crowned as the queen of all misfortune.