Fly or Fall

Chapter Two

Anna Echowood stood in front of Ezra Richards, her mouth dry and her mind blank. She wanted to say something, she knew she did. She'd walked up to him rehearsing the words over and over again in her head, but now she couldn't find them.

"Um...?" Ezra said and she realized how long she'd been standing there without saying anything. Her cheeks heated up.

"I'm sorry, I was, uh... saying. I mean I wanted to say..." her mouth betrayed her. Think, what did I want to say? She ran her hands over her face, desperate to scream. This was not going according to plan.

"Anna," Ezra said, his left brow raised in question. "Are you okay?" He peered at her, his dark honey colored eyes filled with concern.

She nodded. She was fine, physically, at least. However, she was starting to suspect there was something wrong with her head. She wasn't acting like herself.

She was Anna Echowood, she didn't get flustered, not usually at least. She didn't know what it was about this one boy but every time she tried to talk to him she got tongue tied, her face heated up and she'd fumbled. Annabel Echowood fumbling? It was unacceptable. She needed to get her head straight and say what it was she wanted to say. Which was...?

"I—"

"Anna!" her own name cut her off. She didn't need to turn around to know who exactly had called her. There was no mistaking that piercingly shill voice. Nicole May. The host of this party and Anna's archenemy.

She stopped in front of Anna, standing next to Ezra. And with over the top feigned sweetness in her voice she said, "I'm so glad you came."

Anna fought the urge to roll her eyes, instead she forced a smile and said, "I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

"That's great," Nicole returned before shifting her focus to the tall boy beside her. To Anna he was only a couple inches taller than her but he had at least a foot over Nicole. "I've been looking everywhere for you," she said linking her arm around his. "Don't tell me you were hiding from me." She pouted like a child.

Ezra laughed before pecking her cheek. "I would never, babe."

Babe? Anna's stomach clenched and her heart plummeted like a stone from a cliff. The ground beneath her feet felt less solid and she was afraid she might sink into it. They were together? Since when?

More importantly: Why her?

Why Nicole May? Nicole hated her. She'd hated her since the second grade, when Anna had accidently spilt her smoothie all over Nicole 's new dress. It was an accident, of course, but Nicole hadn't seen it that way. This one incident had sparked a ten-year-old feud that had been completely one sided until the fifth grade, when Nicole had posted a page of Anna's diary, exposing her crush on Stephen May, Nicole's brother. She hated Nicole too.

She was petty and cruel. Why would Ezra, who was kind and sweet, want to be with her?

This wasn't fair, she'd liked him first. And as immature as that thought sounded in her head she couldn't fight that she'd meant it. Nicole brought out this ugly side to her. The side that wanted to grab Ezra's hand and scream, 'Mine!'

She'd been right to assume Nicole had been planning something. Of course, she was. It couldn't be a mere coincidence that she'd walked up to Ezra this very moment. Anna wouldn't have been surprised to learn this whole party had been a ploy so she could rub her new relationship in Anna's face. The smug smile on her face suggested it.

Flames ignited in Anna's chest. She hated this. Coming to this party had been a bad idea. She wanted to leave and forget this night ever happened.

"So, what were the two of you talking about?" Nicole asked, her gaze returning to Anna.