Her Fall from Heaven

Mondays Suck. So Much.

Ben

I think it's pretty safe to say that Mondays suck.

I've never had much wrong with Mondays before. There were the rare occasions where I slept in because I set my alarm thinking it was the weekend still, rather than preparing for an early morning at school. On those days, I ended up awake at 10 a.m. instead of at 7 a.m.

My parents usually left for work in the early hours of the morning, both being nurses, leaving me and my "little" sister still asleep.

Brit, of course, found it amusing to see me suffer, and got a friend to pick her up for school each of these times. When confronted by our parents as to why she had been so quick to abandon me, she would fabricate some cutesy little tale of how I had looked so angelic while sleeping that she couldn't bear the thought of having to wake me up.

Please. I know she fantasizes about splashing ice-cold water on me in my sleep to make up for last April Fool's Day, which was almost six months ago. I rigged water balloons to dump onto her once she opened her door. Classic.

Anyways, back to my sucky Monday.

I told you about me sometimes sleeping in on Mondays? Today is one of those days. Normally, that wouldn't have been enough to ruin my day, especially when I still arrived at school in record time. But just barely.

I hurry to my locker to grab my textbooks and junk before walking towards my buddy Jeremy, who's engulfed in a large crowd of the school's jocks, meanwhile fighting to tune out the usual gossip and blabber of voices that rises among the students at their lockers.

I mock-punch his shoulder, about to ask why we were lazing about in the middle of a school hallway, when a collective whisper breaks out among the people gathered around us. Most everyone's eyes draw towards a familiar figure walking down the short steps that lead from the school's lobby.

Autumn Marr. Even from this distance, I can see her eyes narrow in suspicion at the obvious quiet that responded from her approach. Her gait quickens, and she marches defiantly towards her locker which, I then realize, is what the crowd is gathered around.

"... but I don't know who did it, dude." I look back at Jeremy, just barely managing to cover my surprise. I'd been so focused that I had entirely failed to realize he was talking to me.

"Um, what?" I stuff my hands down in the pockets of my jeans.

"What do you mean 'um, what?'"

"As in, please repeat the entire thing you just said to me."

He rolls his eyes. "Whatever. Y'know that girl there we saw yesterday? The one you made cry?"

"I did not—"

"Well, someone stuffed her locker chock-full of fake cash. That someone must have seen her, working at Haver's, for a crappy minimum-wage job. And, seeing as you're late, I'm willing to bet I know who that someone is." Jermey shoots a pointed look towards the back of the crowd at Christina, who is hanging off the arm of Zach Hamitch, an annoying guy on my soccer team. She appears to be enjoying the scene playing out in front of us, and is talking animatedly to her partner. Even as she is doing so, she catches my eye and winks.

Gross, and definitely guilty.

"Dude, do you see Zach?" I follow Jeremy's disgusted gaze back to Christina and Zach, where he is leaning against a locker and trying-but-failing to subtly flex his arms at her. "He's such a prick and he doesn't even know it."

I'm not quite sure why I would find that so funny, but I burst out guffawing. Through my half-closed lids I see people turn to look at us with narrowed eyes, realize just who it was they're glaring at, and turn swiftly back around.

"Bro." Jeremy pokes my arm. "It wasn't even that funny—"

Jeremy is interrupted by Autumn, who suddenly whips around, fixing her eyes on me. She quickly digs her hand out of the pile of trash. I raise my eyebrows, wondering why she is looking at me like that. Like she wants to hurt me or something.

When she takes a threatening step forward, I said, "Woah, woah, woah." I lift my hands up in front of me, palms out. "Easy there, Barbie."

She looks absolutely pissed. She practically jumps on me, latching onto my new letterman jacket, and starts trying to detach the collar from the rest of it. When a nice 'riiiipppp' echoes throughout the now-silent hall, she loosens her grip a little, allowing me to breathe.

She has thick, slightly wavy, dark-brown hair that runs down to her waist, eyes the color of... I can't even tell. At first glance, they look the same color as her hair, but in the shine coming from the ceiling lights, her eyes look almost hazel, but with hints of gold around the edges. They're mesmerizing. Even if they're currently glaring daggers at me. If looks could kill...

She leans closer to whisper so only I can hear. "Don't ever call me Barbie." As she lowers her hand down my exposed neckline, her fingers uncurl from their fist, releasing a bunch of scratchy paper bills across my chest. Then she skips on back to her locker, allowing me to breathe again.

The crowd is in uproar, screaming and hollering and more screaming. I release a long string of curses as I unbutton my jacket. Jeremy pats me on the shoulder, lowly muttering something that I can't make out in the noise that had quickly spawned.

My eyes remain trained on Autumn's back as she gathers her things off of the ground. I can't decide whether I should feel anger, confusion, or admiration. I decided on a mix of the three.

She glances back at me for a swift second before hurrying on to whatever class she has. I want to follow her, talk to her, ask her what the heck just happened. But I shake my head, clearing my thoughts away. I don't know her, and chances are, I never will.

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A/N: Heyooo! Glad you decided to read chapter 4 of my book!

How'd you like hearing from Bennett's perspectives for once, eh?

Please remember to vote, comment, follow, and share if you like this book!

- Daisy