Breaking Away From the Flock

Debts

Chapter Two

“Phee,” Jasmine snapped, her blonde hair falling into her face as she poked at my jaw, trying to get my attention as I blinked sleepily, realising that I’d lost attention when she had started whining about Will. Was it all that she talked about? Guys?

Jasmine rolled her eyes, sighing. “Phee, were you even listening to what I was saying?” When I only blinked at her again, Jasmine spooned pieces of rice into her mouth, chewing angrily before swallowing and letting out a growl. “Phee, I know you think it’s boring but can you at least listen?”

“Sure, Jasmine,” I muttered, biting my lip and turning my browning apple over in my hand. “Sorry, I just seemed to zone out. I don’t know why.”

“I have a pretty good idea.” She growled, flicking a blonde piece of hair over her shoulder with a huff. “Will completely ditched me last night. I mean, he said that he was going to spend all night with me and...you know...get busy....” I groaned, rolling my eyes, but Jasmine continued. There was no wonder why I’d zoned out. “But then he left before the party even started. What great boyfriend he is.”

I snorted, almost choking on a piece of apple I’d been trying to chew. Jasmine never had boyfriends, not ever; they were always...well, in the simplest of terms...a fun night out, or in, depending.  I bit back my laughter as I received a heated glare from her.

“Yeah, what great boyfriend he is,” I muttered dryly, the smile still pulling at my lips as I spoke blankly.

“I’m glad we could agree.” Jasmine breathed out. “Hey, Phee, do you think Will likes me? I mean, I know that we’re dating and all, but do you really think he’s interested in me or just my body? I mean, I don’t really mind, I’m just wondering.”

“Oh, gee, Jasmine, I don’t know,” I muttered blankly, taking a large chunk of my apple. I knew the answer but there was no way that I was going to say anything. “I think he likes you, a lot.”

“Yeah, me too.” Jasmine sung, taking another spoon of rice and dropping it carefully onto her tongue and smiling. “I think I like him a lot too.”

I heard footsteps and my back tensed, just waiting to be shoved off the long bench and to pick myself up off the floor. You know, the daily ritual of Her Highness.

“Move,” Kaitlin snapped, shoving at my shoulder but I didn’t say anything, just stood up and walked around to the other side of the table. Everyone knew to always obey Her Snobby Highness, but some people just didn’t care. I wasn’t one of them, I preferred having my throat still in my neck and not dangling down like a third arm. “Did you all like my party last night?” Kaitlin asked, looking around at the nodding girls before her green eyes landed on me, hard and cold like stone.

“Yeah,” I mumbled with a casual shrug, hoping she wouldn’t ask me anything. I took another bite of my apple and I sighed, hearing her draw in a breath.

“I don’t remember seeing you at my party.” Kaitlin breathed coldly, her icy breath tickling my cheek from across the table. I often wondered whether her heart was just as cold. “And neither do I remember greeting you at the door when you were all coming in.”

“With all that alcohol in your system, I would believe that you couldn’t remember your own name.” Will grinned, sliding into a seat beside me, looking Her Highness straight in the eyes like she didn’t bother him. She didn’t, I don’t think, bother him. He seemed to be as frightened as her as he was of butterflies; in other words, none. “She was there, I was talking to her for an hour about how the weather’s been rather horrible all week. Don’t you all agree?”

When the girls nodded and started up a conversation about how pale they were going to get since they could no longer tan, I let myself breathe a sigh of relief. I smiled across at Will as he sniffed, brushing a lock of inky hair from his face.

“Thanks,” I mouthed, smiling when he gave a small shrug like it was nothing.

“You owe me something, though.” He dropped a wink before answering Jasmine’s pressing questions of why he went home so early and didn’t do the...things he promised her. Will, like always, denied everything she said. Jasmine, let’s just say, has a habit of making things up and has since middle school.

I managed to keep the apple, gnawing at it until my teeth hit seeds, all lunch, giving me an excuse not to join their long winded and frivolous chattering about the latest style of dress and who was going with whom to winter formal.

I began wondering why I had managed to slip inside this group at all. I was nothing like them.