Behind her mask

Chapter 1:

The hectic corridor is bursting with teenagers, rushing to the lunch hall to reach either food or a table before all is gone. I attempt to push myself through the door, but instead am engulfed by the bodies of students at Redwood high school, who – dare I say – are some of the most obnoxious boys and girls I have ever met. I step up onto my toes and to my relief, I notice the door outside is not far from where I am currently stood. It's a dark day out there, the rain is drowning the pavement, and the wind is coming up in gusts like a whirlwind of destruction, knocking over the plastic bins in the courtyard.

I jostle past the crowd, putting my blazer over my head, and run outside. The brisk air is pulling me aside as I stumble to the glass, double doors which lead into the school cafeteria, displacing my hair from its braid as I fight against the wind. I grab hold of the handles, throwing the door open, before the gale forcefully pushes me inside. I take a deep breath before putting my blazer back on, and brushing down my hair, I walk towards the closest table. 

Tossing my bag onto the floor, I pull up a chair and sit down with my four best friends, Audrey, Jasmine, Amara and Grace. Audrey brushes back her long, blonde hair into a ponytail, the ends gently falling onto her back in light curls. She gives me a smile before opening up her lunch box. We all bring our own lunches to school as the lunches prepared by the school are not at their best, and it shocks me how people buy food from the lunch shop everyday. Even the pasta – which is my favourite food – tastes like plastic coated in tomato sauce here. Therefore, I would rather bring my own food and have the luxury of consuming my own meal of choice. 

The lunch hall at this time of year is often the unpopular option to eat, as most people sit on the field with their friends. However, on a day like this one, everyone is attracted to the shelter and some kind of warmth from the rain.  I wouldn't say the cafeteria is unattractive, but it could certainly do with some work. For example, the paint on the walls is starting to wear off from where the sun had washed the colour out, and the tables are older than me - I know this because there is blue ink stained onto the wood reading 'Kasey L 1998'.  

As I bite into my sandwich, Jasmine turns around to face me and taps me on the shoulder. ''Hey Rosalie, how has your day been.'' I smile and nod while i swallow my food before replying. ''It's been okay, thanks.'' I twist my braided, brown hair around my finger. Jasmine takes a quick sip from her drink before putting it back down on the table, raising her eyebrows at me. ''Okay Rosalie, has anything happened between you and Isaac?'' She smiles, her cropped, brown hair swishing around lightly. I shake my head. Isaac Smith has been my crush for a year now, and we're pretty close friends. Although, he does know I like him, he seems to neglect to show any sign of feeling back, therefore I've been stuck in the deep pool of friend-zoning since last Spring. Jasmine tucks half of her hair behind her ear before leaning closer to me. ''And what about Mr trouble maker over there?'' Her glance changes to meet none other than Logan Martin. 

Logan is the most popular boy in my year - and by far the meanest. His brown, curly hair covering his forehead and his blazer sleeves are rolled up, as if he was wearing a sweatshirt with his black, tight skinny jeans which are cut to fit his legs. I roll my eyes in disgust as Jasmine faces back to me. ''You know, if he wasn't such a bully, he'd be on the top of my dating list.'' I sink back into my chair before sighing. Jasmine looks back at Logan as he meets eyes with her, but it's no surprise that he's being followed by his girlfriend, Roxi Woodham, who immediately grabs his hand. ''It's easy for you to say Jasmine, he doesn't bully you everyday.'' She puts her arm around me and pulls me into a hug.

Jasmine is the prettiest girl I know, her dark hair is cropped and styled in soft waves, gently falling just past her shoulders, complementing her tanned olive skin which glows against the sunlight. Her eyes are as rich as the earths soil; stained with the colour of hot chocolate on a cold, winter night that wraps around you like a blanket. They have dark-cinnamon swirls, twisting in an exhibit of dark colours. When she smiled, her dimples wrapped around her lips, and her eyebrows are shaped in a arch, making her look constantly happy. People either want to be her, or be with her, and my role as her best friend is constantly threatened.

She leans back, removes the plastic lid and takes a sip from the brown paper cup she is holding in her hand. ''I don't see why he's so horrible anyways, you've never done anything to him.'' She says. I murmur in agreement, because what Jasmine just said is true. I have never done any harm to Logan, or any of his friends, giving him no reason to treat me the way he does. I guess I will never understand what goes on in Logan Martins mind. 

Jasmine sits back up. ''Hey, shall we have a sleepover this weekend? I feel like it's been ages since we've actually had a proper girly catch up. What do you say?'' I smile ''Yeah, sounds like fun. Shall we have it at mine?'' I ask. Jasmine nods before standing up and grabbing her bag. ''Listen, i'll speak to you later, I want to get to science early because I have to speak to Mr Harris about the homework. Catch you around Later?'' As she walk off I glance back at Logan who is still looking my way with a nasty smirk on his face.