Something About Alice Murphy: BOOK 1

P A R T - T E N

"Weird, how? What's going on?" Candice asked as they walked past one particular senior that neither of them seemed to notice as they began their in-depth conversation about strange things going on in their lives...

Noah watched the pair quietly as they walked passed him without noticing him stood there. He closed his locker quietly, irritation spreading through his veins and continued to watch Alice as she walked down the hall, her short skirt showing off her legs. He took a deep breath and swallowed heavily, remembering in detail the last time he'd spoken to her, and how she'd agreed to see him again, but then proceeded not to return any of his phone calls or messages. His jaw clenched and unclenched as he stared, his mind replaying how soft her skin had felt on his fingertips, how she'd been so eager to-

"What are you doing?" Trey's voice asked as he caught Noah starring intently after his little sister and Alice Murphy who had only just turned a corner.

"Nothing," Noah muttered, feeling his heart jump suddenly at the sudden unexpected presence of his friend.

"Didn't look like nothing." Trey muttered as Noah turned around to face him, "Jesus fucking Christ, when was the last time you slept?" He laughed unsurely, seeing the dark circles around Noah's eyes behind his glasses.

"Shut up." Noah muttered as he fixed his hair so that it was hanging in front of his eyes and pulled his beanie down more. "What do you want?" He then asked, glancing towards where he'd seen Alice last walk, but instead he saw an empty hallway.

"...We have bio together," Trey said quietly and then furrowed his eyebrows as he pulled his backpack up his shoulder. "Is everything okay?" He asked slowly, seeing Noah's vacant behaviour.

"Yeah. Let's just go." Noah muttered as he grabbed his own backpack from the ground and tugged it up his shoulder. Trey watched him carefully for a moment as he stalked off, noticing that Noah was acting a little stranger than usual. Although he knew that none of his friends were exactly normal, there was something about Noah that was unusually off that day... and he'd only seen him behave like that once before.

* * *

At lunch Alice followed Candice quietly as they picked up their food from the cafeteria line, the bustle of students surrounded them as everyone talked vibrantly about their Christmas break with friends they'd probably only seen just the week before.

After glancing in subtle disgust at the meat option for lunch, Alice went for a vegetarian option, and raised her eyebrows when she was presented with a fairly strange looking potato salad. "Thank you," she mumbled, grimacing as discreetly as she could as she left the line to sit at their usual table after Candice. "Are you not getting anything?" Alice asked, seeing her friend holding only an apple as they sat down.

"No... it all looks fucking vile," Candice muttered in response and bit into her apple as she let her eyes wander the crowded cafeteria. Students were dotted in large groups around the room, collecting at tables, some sitting, some standing. The buzz of noise was loud, and collected together like one single mass of chatter, but it seemed to fade into the background as Alice ate her lunch in silence and Candice zoned out thinking about nothing and everything at once.

Alice couldn't help but glance around herself, wondering and subtly hoping to see someone she also wanted to, kind of, avoid. Ever since the pictures Magnus had sent her of them post-kissing at his New Years party, she couldn't help but feel the annoying glimmer of hope in her chest that he might... possibly... feel something for her. But then again... a kiss was only a kiss, a brief touching of lips, and she knew of so many people her age and some older, who had sex with others that they didn't even like and for it not to mean a single thing. The thought only made her heart sink, and suddenly the potato salad looked even more unappetising than it already was. "Whats wrong?" Candice asked, seeing Alice's expression change suddenly as she put her fork down and sighed quietly.