The Part Of Falling

Chapter 1: Part 1

Part 1: Winter Narrator
A tall tale was once told, about a woman who loved a beast so dearly,  she saved his life with the last petal of red rose. A tale of love found within instead of the makeup it had portrayed. Some of tales come in unique forms, others might say it was found with a glass slipper, or a ride on a magic carpet. But what we do not speak or see, is the magic in between. Of the unexpected love, that wasn't foreseen. The spark and electricity of two human begins, uncontrolled by the power it has over them. They had tried and begged for this power to disappear, for this isn't a story of love foretell, but a story of love none could see.

Chapter 1
"We live and breathe words...but writing them down makes you escape into new worlds. Only those who write would understand."
― April Mae Monterrosa
I'm dreading this day. Today, of all days. I'm extremely tired, my eyes are heavy, and there's a sharp pain in my shoulders that hasn't gone away all week. I sit up from my sinking bed and walk to the bright bathroom. I stared at myself in the mirror. Brown. That's all I see. The brown of my eyes with sleep in their corners, my brown skin - dry due to the winter season and my brown faux braids that stop just below my shoulders. I take a moment to look at my slightly pink lips that I moisturize with chapstick on a daily. I take a deep breath before washing my face with cold water and scrubbing it with face wash, which has been working...kind of.  In the middle of the school year, I start my first day at Belmore High. Two weeks ago I had moved from New York to Maine in a small town called Bar Harbor, to live with my Grandma Ruby. We had left for multiple reasons, but one I choose not to think about so often would be my Mother, Jessica. Nine years ago she had left my Dad and I, leaving not even a note, but her diamond wedding ring on the kitchen island. For months we had tried every way possible to find her, but we concluded that she didn't want to be found.
Which had caused a strain on my Dad, soon was the beginning of this alcohol addiction. But thankfully he hasn't had a drink in a year, even though he's better now, my Dad was never the same when she left, and in all honesty I don't think he will ever be the same. But I try hard not to think about it.  I make myself look a bit more alive, shaping my thick, bushy eyebrows, coating my eyelashes with mascara, and bit of blush to my faded cheeks. One more glance in the mirror and all I see is something ordinary.
All my life I had wished for something more than just this. As a child I was extremely obsessed with Disney princess, and the movies that were made. Prince Charming, glass slippers, adventure to the unknown. Just out of the ordinary I guess.
Even though I'm dreading the first day of school, I was lucky enough to have friends that already go to Belmore High. Phoenix and Eddie, whom I met last summer, while visiting Ruby when Dad was still trying to decide if moving here would be our best option or not.
"You're going to be late if you're not down here in five minutes!" Ruby yells out from downstairs. She makes it a point that I call her Ruby and not Grandma because Grandma means old and she doesn't want to be old.
"Coming," I murmur to myself, quickly strapping on my brown combat boots, before rushing rushing downstairs, I make sure to grab my favorite novel, Pride and Prejudice. I was obviously aware of the cliche, but I didn't care.  I rushed downstairs, making sure to grab my navy blue shoulder bag. Ruby turns around and looks at me with a bright smile on her face. Her cream colored face was covered with tiny brown freckles. Her black and white curly hair falls to her shoulders, and her pink pajamas are decorated with white cats.She's loving this.
"Are you excited?" She says. I wasn't sure if excited was the right term for what I'm feeling now.  Normally to everyone this would seem like a perfect do-over. Escaping the memories of Jessica's abstinence and forgetting childhood trauma of Dads alcoholic breakouts, moving to a new town, new friends. Yet, this doesn't feel like a do-over, it feels more like replay button.
" We were fine in New York Ruby-" I say, rubbing my head, as Ruby plays with my hair, pulling it behind my ear, and fixing my long sleeve shirt.
" Eres tan dramático," she laughs, calling me dramatic.
" No, I think I feel sick!" I whine, rubbing my stomach, a smile creeping through my lips.
"Oh, you're fine Fallon. Now! You don't want to be late, come on," she claps her hands.
"Where's Dad?" I quickly look around the new house. The light cadet blue walls, decorated with pictures of Ruby when she was younger, living in Cuba. She tightens her lips, slightly creeping into an awkward smile, her hazel eyes wide.
"Outside," she whispers, her body filled with eagerness. Ruby holds up my amaranth red coat as I wiggle my arms inside. With an awkward and almost scary smile on her face, Ruby opens the door.My eyes catch a glimpse of the white piercing snow, pushed to the sides by city cleaners.
My dad appears in a black trench coat. He wears a black beanie, shielding his bald head from the cold. He gives me a small smile, as he stands next to a red Toyota. Wait. "Is that mine?"
"It's yours!" He says with enthusiasm. I had no words. I run outside to face him. Seeing my Dad with a bright smile on his face, or a smile at all was still new to me. It's not like I haven't seen my Dad smile, because I have. It's just this seems like an honest  genuine smile.
"Dad... that's a car," I point out the obvious,  a grin was growing on my face, I had no clue what was happening.
"You've noticed." he joked, he actually made a joke, God what was happening to him.
"My car?" I question.
"Yes."
"Wait, why? It's not even my birthday. I'm not going to be eighteen until next year."
"I know." Obviously he knows Fallon.
"Then why?" I look up to him, he looks happy.
"I know moving was... hard for you. You had to leave all your friends behind."
"What friends?" I joke, trying to make him feel better. Truthfully, I wasn't joking. I had no friends but back in New York, I was perfectly okay with that. I usually preferred being by myself anyway. Well, until I met Phoenix and Eddie.
"Ruby and I decided we should get you something to make you feel better," he winked at me.
"You know a pint of Haagen Daz would have worked just the same right?"
He laughs, it was music to my ears. "Here," he hands me the car keys.
" Now before you go, I have another surprise for you, well; for us," My eyes shine with eager excitement, " My book...it's finally getting published," his face becomes red; my jaw drops. Ever since my freshman year in high school, my Dad has been working on this not so secret novel. While he was drowning himself with a bottle of bourbon, in his office my Dad decided to use his skill into a novel. I haven't heard much about it until today, and years later, now in my senior year, it's finally getting published!
" Oh...my god Dad, that's-that's," I couldn't find the right words. This has been our green light, for such a long time. Freshman year, Dad had spent cooped up creating this novel and now it's finally being published, no wonder how happy he is. " That's amazing Dad, seriously," I rush in for a tight hug. We had stood there for a while, as he slowly begins to tear up in my coat, and my heart swelled up. This is what Dad needed, some sign of hope and this gave it to him. He wipes his tears, breaking the hug.
"Now hurry up before you're late to school," with one last glance, I say-
"I will. I'm so proud of you Dad, and the car...it's beautiful thank you, " I smile. So far, this day is going better than I expected. I rush into the car and turn on the engine, feeling it vibrations purr in my hands as I hold onto the steering wheel.
-
Once I stepped into the white colored hallways, with dark blue lockers, bright white ceiling lamps, and posters of encouraging statements of race, gender, and other cliche poster you would see in high school hall. I passed by one of them, that I couldn't help but read, " KEEP MOVING FORWARD BECAUSE THE PAST IS ALREADY GONE!"
I carry my bag over my shoulder and hesitantly walked into my first class.
American Literature II Honors
I search around the room while unfamiliar faces stared at me. I look in the back and spot a friendly face. My friend that I met over the summer, Phoenix, smiles at me. I laugh at her newly dyed strawberry pink hair and grab a seat beside her. I was always fascinated by her she expressed herself, bright hair colors, nose piercings, and engaging attitude.
"Well, well, well. Look who finally made it," she smiles. Her nose ring reflects the light above us. " Look what I got ya, happy first day!" she smiles at me, she hands me a dark blue pen with my name written in gold.
" This is a pen-" I remind her. She frowns.
" With your name on it," she slightly smiles, " It's appreciation of our friendship-"
" This friendship won't last...if you keep giving me pens" I wave the pen in the air, she shakes her head and smiles, we simultaneously chuckle.
I follow Phoenix as she begins to take out her notebooks and places them on the desk."Alright!" My new teacher catches our attention. She had nearly-matted blonde hair and glasses with huge purple rims. She gets up from her desk.
"Hello everyone," she smiles, bright red lipstick on her teeth. Her body perfectly fitted into a red pencil skirt and a white blouse.
" It's the middle of the school year seniors-" she starts. " We need to start handing homework in when assigned"
She clears her throat. "Let's review," she began to pace back and forth. " We had read The Scarlet Letter and its time to write your essay, so can someone remind me what-" she stops in mid-sentence and smiles, her bright eyes catching mine. She walks up to my desk.
"I've never seen you around before. What's your name, new girl?" she asks.
"Fallon Mitchell," I answer.
" That's a beautiful name," she smiles at me and began to walk back to her desk.
"Thank you," I say. She turns back around on her heels.
"Well, Ms. Mitchell have you read The Scarlet Letter in your last school?" she tilts her head, as she leaned against her desk, crossing her thing legs.
"Uh no actually- I read it on my own," I say, her eyes wide with joy as she leans on her desk.
" You have?" I nod. " Penny for your thoughts?" she asks. Suddenly the whole class turns their heads towards me, waiting for my response. I sit up straight and clear my throat.
" Well I...think that Hester was doomed from the start,"
" Why do you say that?" she seemed really interested in my thoughts, it sorta felt good on how interested she was on my opinion. "I'm sorry I keep asking questions I'm just...curious," she says.
" As am I," a deep voice in the corner of the room draws everyone's attention. A man with dark ginger hair that falls just below his ears, tall, lean body with a white button-up shirt and black khakis. I didn't get a real good look at his face, I was too far away into the opposite corner. Plus I didn't I lost my glasses while moving. He must be a school administrative just passing by, I wasn't too sure who he was.
" Ah Ms. Mitchell meet Principal Acosta,"Ms.Back says
Girls in the room giggle, Phoenix rolls her eyes. " Nice to meet you" I didn't take focused on the Principal, I was feeling the attention I was given and wasn't about to let it go so quickly. " Erm um...from the moment I had realized Hester slept with another man, I already felt the cruelty society would put on her."
" So you didn't enjoy the book?" Ms. Beck asks.
" I'm not saying that,  It just didn't seem like a romance novel to me; its wasn't about their romance, this book was about shamefulness. There was no love story,"
" So you must know a lot about romance novels?"said Mr. Acosta, who oddly hasn't left the room yet, with his arms and legs crossed leaning against the wall.
" I do a lot of reading on my own time-" I assure him. Growing up back in New York, every day, after school,  I spend walking to this nearby deli, grabbing a sandwich as the owner Mrs. Lopez would let me sit behind the counter as she would hand me a new romance novel to read each week. If I wasn't doing that, I was making sure my Dad was still breathing while he was knocked out on his desk. But when I was younger, I had to call Ruby so she would drive seven hours from home, to drag me away from my Dad, as she'll heal him back to health.
" So you think Hester should be ashamed of what she did?" Ms. Beck brings back the conversation to The Scarlet Letter.
" No, she shouldn't be ashamed of anything. She fought for what she wanted, yes there was consequences-" my eyes dart to Ms. Acosta, as he stands still leaning against the wall, with his head slightly tilted. My body quickly becoming warm, I look down at my fingers that oddly start to shake,then back at Ms. Beck, " But just because there's consequences, doesn't mean it's not worth it."
I had nothing else to say, as she smiles at me. " I think you will have no problem writing this essay."
Class droned on and after an hour and forty-five minutes, the bell finally rang. Thankfully, Phoenix and I have the same class schedule, so I'm not awkwardly left alone in any of my classes. I had met Phoenix last summer while staying with Ruby. I still try to think of those shiny memories we have together. Days spent at the lake, watching the water as it sat still, reflecting the bright sun. Nights spent watching the stars and having conversations about life, having sleepovers, reading novels until we knocked out. I never talked about my Mother with Phoenix,  I felt like it would bring the mood down and she would pity me. I wanted to keep things shiny as long as I can.
My stomach growls at me as Phoenix and I head to lunch. The room is filled with seniors and juniors crowded around lunch tables eating fake macaroni and cheese, and talking about who knows what. I grab my lunch on a red tray as I walk behind Phoenix, she suddenly stops and turns around facing me.
"What are you doing?" she questions me.
"Uh, about to have lunch with you?"
"You can't," she says.
"Oh?" I question. I thought since we were so close during summer, we'd still be close during school.
"You have to eat lunch with the principal."
"Wait... why?"
"It's a tradition, all the new kids have lunch with him on their first day."
"That's weird," why in God's name would I want to have lunch with Mr. Acosta
"Not really. I mean, I never had to do it because I'm not new. If you were here in eighth grade you would have already met him, but since you weren't..." her eyes widen. "Now go!" I jump.
"Jesus, okay I'm going,"
"Don't worry, he's okay" I hesitate turning around.
He's okay?
" What do you mean he's okay?"
" Well... today in class he barely spoke but when he does...he's kinda intense, ya know? I wouldn't say it's a bad thing-just intense. But don't worry-he's just like any other Principal" she gives an awkward smile.
" Are you sure?" I ask, trying to understand.
" Yeah, I mean, he's hot too, which is a plus but, well it's kinda hard to look at him in the eye, so don't. You know what? Just keep your head down and you'll be fine!" she seems unsure.
" Phoenix-"
" Just go! Hurry!"
" Fine." I say in frustration. I turn around headed for the lunch room doors.
With a red lunch tray in my hands, I walk the empty halls towards the main office.
I walk into the main office and noticed three middle-aged women typing away behind their desks. The cold breeze gives me goosebumps and a sharp mint scent makes my nose itch. A younger woman with red hair and blue eyes looked up at me.
"Hi...uh I'm-"
"Ms. Mitchell, yes... Mr. Acosta has been waiting for you," her eyes still focused on the computer.
"He has?" I question.
"Well of course, it is a tradition." It was sorta weird having this tradition. Having lunch with your Principal behind closed doors, while we talk about what? How exciting this school year is going to be for me? I found it ridiculous.
"Oh yea, that's right." I smile awkwardly.
"You can go right in," she says. I look over at the simple wooden door, with the words 'Principal's Office' carved into a black plaque. I tightly hold onto my tray, and with one hand I grab the handle and open the door