Diana

Dee

Dee walked briskly into first period. Her dark hair flicked behind her as she breathlessly crossed into the classroom meeting the unhappy glare of her teacher. The bell shortly followed her arrival and with a tired sigh she dumped herself into her usual chair next to the ever bright, morning person that remained her best friend.

"Sleep in?" Ellie asked all smiles with both her perfected eyebrows raised at Dee's dishevelled appearance. That morning in a mad rush she had briefly showered, slapped her makeup on and grabbed a slice of toast all in the same 10 minutes still to find herself missing the bus. Looking back Dee realised that brushing her hair might have slipped her morning to do list.

"Don't worry it's not too noticeable." Ellie chuckled after Dee gave her a brief groaning nod and then turned to face the front as Mr Jackson alerted the attention of his class.

Throughout the lesson Dee came to the conclusion that it was unnatural for anyone to be able to get up as early as Ellie, that and to make herself look presentable to the student body. Which she always did. With her short bobbed blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes it was a shock to most people to see them as friends. In fact they were opposites entirely. In contrast her own hair was brown, not the normal light brown that consisted of most of the school population, but much, much darker. Dark enough for her matt green eyes to stand out like torches in the blackest of caves.

In honestly it wasn't just their appearance that clashed, but mostly their personality. Ellie was the most confident person she knew, she was rarely without her smile, though she also destroyed stereotype by also being one of the smartest in the year. All this added to her striking beauty meant that she was often the centre of attention leaving Dee on the outside where she preferred.

A book snapped shut from behind her bringing Dee back to the present.

"I want that assignment due in for tomorrow, no excuses." Mr Jackson ordered as the vast majority of the class swooped out of the room desperate to escape his clutches. Ellie paused before her desk bag already slung on her shoulder.

"Coming?" She asked with a slight ring to her voice.

"Yep." Dee replied quickly following the other girl's lead out of the room and down the bustling corridors.

Despite their differences she had always known they would be friends. To most other people it was almost impossible to explain, especially to Ellie's old friends who were baffled by their sudden yet strong bond. Ever since they muttered their first words to one another back in primary school;

"You want to share?" Infant Ellie asked, holding out a creased packed of Haribos, to which Dee quickly accepted and they both proceeded to clear out the bag.

That's when they clicked.

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"Hey what would you say if I skipped next period and we both went and got ice cream, you've got frees right?" Ellie asked as they burst into the toilets and sashayed their way through the masses of girls applying yet more makeup.

"I would say you're being ridiculous because you've got Chemistry next and if you miss one class you're going to be behind for the rest of the week." Dee replied with a small smile as they approached a clear space in the mirror. She scowled at her reflection, the lighting by her mirror must clearly have been bad this morning. Noticing her expression Ellie proceeded to remove her makeup bag from her backpack and pull out some foundation.

"You're such a party pooper." She pouted as she lifted Dee's chin and proceeded to blend her lines in. Dee rolled her eyes as Ellie moved onto the eyeliner and mascara.

"You know, I wish I was as pretty as you." She mused distractedly applying the finishing touches. At this comment Dee snorted causing a black splodge to appear on the end of her nose. At that Ellie burst out laughing, her contagious hysterics passing onto Dee. A few moments later it had subsided allowing the now tearful girls to remove the mess from her face.

"Thanks for that." Dee commented sarcastically.

"Well at least it's still an improvement." The other girl retorted, her words harsh but the smile on her face indicating her joke. With a small chuckle they grabbed their things and headed out.

As the door swung open Dee stepped forward into the crowded halls to find a hard body crash into her own, sending the girl sprawling sideways. Stumbling in shock she reached out for anything that might save her to find a hand grasp her own. In one swift movement she was back stood stably on her feet.

After a brief wave of dizziness had passed her eyes looked up to the being who had caused the accident. In her disorientated state she focused on a complete stranger. His hair was dark like her own, though his eyes also matched, his sculpted cheekbone flexed as they stood in utter silence for a moment.

"Sorry about that." He commented, his voice husky but his accent unfamiliar. He was undeniably attractive, though something about him put her on edge. "You okay?" He asked after his first sentence gained no response.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." She responded shaking away her thoughts and finding her voice again. "Thanks for the catch."

He chuckled. "It was the least I could do." His broad shoulders then shifted uncomfortably as they both realised they were still stood there.

"What's your name love?" He asked an eyebrow raised.

"Dee." She responded a little surprised at the question and in his eyes she noticed a subtle change, turning he met the gaze of Ellie who stood only a few foot away staring at him with a scowl etched onto her face. This seemed to make him move.

"Well then Dee, if you wouldn't mind I'd like to get to class." He muttered rudely and slid past her almost knocking her off her feet for the second time. He proceeded to storm off down the corridor without looking back.

"What was that about?" She questioned as Ellie's eyes trailed after him, her friends shoulders shrugging as if she didn't really hear the question. There was something odd about the way she studied him from behind.

"Do you know him?" Dee quizzed causing another frown to form on Ellie's forehead.

"Not in the slightest." She replied dragging her eyes away from the boy and sending her a forced smile. Dee immediately realised that something was off, though didn't feel the need to pester her. If something was wrong she was certain that Ellie would spill given time. Besides, he was probably an old boyfriend of hers, she'd had too many to count.

The warning bell sounded and Ellie shifted her bag.

"Let's go, I don't want to be late for chemistry remember." She grinned and started off in the opposite direction. Dee followed still feeling a little flustered and confused.