Secret Red

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"I'll drive with Shane, see you there! Don't mess around when we're not there!" Corey teased driving his yellow Jeep wrangler. Alison and Jason went to their respective vehicles and drove to Alison's house. Once she pulled up by the curb, she quickly dashed inside the house, seizing and snatching all the pictures from the living room and any other possible visible places, avoiding any possible questions regarding her drastic change of appearance, her previous life. Placing them into a box she had prepared earlier this morning but forgotten to finish up the task since she was already late for school. As soon as she put down the last frame, the doorbell rang just in time. Hurriedly, she opened the door leading the boys into the living room where they commenced to discuss their assignment. Two hours, four bags of Doritos, ten sodas and a few bickering sessions between Alison and Jason later, they finally decided to resume their work on their next meeting. Corey excused himself, scurrying out the door the minute he noticed the time, completely forgotten that he needed to pick up his brother. Shane went with him since he was riding with him, leaving Jason behind. He leisurely tidied his things from the table, placing it inside his bag while Alison sat on the couch waiting for him awkwardly.

"Well, that went well considering we managed to do more work than bickering." Alison broke the silence, Jason smirked in agreement.

"You never shared where you moved from, huh?" He glanced back at her.

"You never ask." She shrugged.

"Well?" He took a seat at the couch beside her.

"Well, I was from Los Angeles, my dad got a job offer here, so we moved here." She answered shortly.

"Do you miss LA? Your old school? Friends? Life?" He asked trying to learn more about her, there was something about her that intrigued him. Something that she was hiding from everyone else and he ought to unravel what it was.

"Yeah I guess I do miss my friend. But we moved here for the better, in a way. Apart from dealing with your maddening personality on the daily basis." She replied staring at the mahogany table in front of her trying to enlighten the heavy conversation.

"Yeah, trust me the feeling's mutual. Friend? Just one? Who's it? Your bestfriend?" He questioned, peculiar that she used singular instead of plural, considering her loyalty and faithfulness to stand up for other people, even if that friend is someone she barely knew.

"Leah, her name was Leah."

"Was? You're not friends anymore?" He asked catching her off guard by his meticulous question. Damn, why does he have to be so attentive.

"Well... we'll always be friends... forever, just... not that way anymore I guess." She said looking away from him as her eyes gleamed with sadness.

"You've got Zoe and Layla now." He noticed.

"Yeah... I guess." Giving him a light smile as she fixed her glasses.

"Why do you wear those glasses? I know you don't need them." He finally asked the question that has been bothering him all these times.

"What? No, I... I told you, I'm... near sighted." She chuckled trying to hide the stammer.

"You're not fooling me, Ariel. There's something about you." He looked at her noticing the beautiful ocean blue eyes behind those glasses. She actually has an attractive face now that he studied her. The high cheek bones made her face looks edgy while the perfectly thin and pointed nose was contoured perfectly. The naturally thick yet trimmed eyebrow and long lashes enhancing her already enticing blue eyes. And those plum luscious lips were appetizing. In fact, she was stunning with her fair skin and few faint freckles decorated across her cheeks. Slowly, as though enchanted, he raised his hand towards her face and took off the thick glasses unveiling her gorgeous face. The gesture startled her, tainting her cheeks rosy yet his brown eyes were so captivating that she seemed to be lost staring at them. Just then, the front door opened causing the two teenagers to break away from their intense stare.

"Oh, I didn't know we're having guest. Hello there." Her mother stepped inside the house walking towards the kitchen, placed her shopping bags on the counter.

"Hey mom, uhm... this is Jason, we were doing history assignment together with two others who just left a while ago." She explained, not knowing why she felt nervous all of a sudden.

"Hi Mrs. Brooke. I'm Jason Callaheigh. Pleased to meet you." He introduced himself, surprising Alison that he was capable of being courteous.

"Hi Jason. I'm so glad that Ally is making new friends already. Oh, you're not wearing your glasses..." Her mother stated in amazement, making her way towards Alison, giving her an affectionate hug, making an awkward and incomprehensive scene in front of him.

"Mom." She whined trying to let go of the clasp making sure not to bemuse him further.

"Right, I think I better go now. Thank you, Mrs. Brooke. See you, Ariel." He excused himself and took his leave. Her mother looked at her immediately waiting for her possible explanation but she just went straight to her room.

"Oh! Ariel!" Her mother scoffed jokingly in annoyance.

Alison laid herself on the bed recalling their intense stare. Captivated by his brown cinnamon eyes. It was as if he was boring straight into her soul, looking past her physical appearance where most boys seemed to notice. Without her make-up, without her skin-tight clothes and even with her hideous glasses. She thought back to their conversations where he almost uncovered her deepest secret. If only he knew what she had done, what kind of a person she was, he would never look at her the same way he did. He would despise her to be the person she really is. Reminding herself for the umpteen times, she's here for a new start, to focus on her grades so she could finish high school and move on with her life. That was the only thing she knew for now, attempting to move forward. The chanting in her mind kept repeating themselves, telling her that she doesn't deserve to be happy, to be loved. Feeling the overwhelming ache in her heart, she started to weep softly under her covers, curling onto the safe haven of her pillow. Not realizing that someone had started to care for her. Once again, she fell asleep in her cry as most of her days usually ended.

The next day, Alison was getting lunch at the cafeteria with Zoe and Layla.

"Are you guys going to the homecoming dance?" Zoe asked.

"I guess so, we can all go together." Layla answered.

"Oh, I don't know. I'm not sure I can, I think my grandmother will be coming around that time and I kind of have to accompany her around." Alison lied ingeniously, her grandmother was not coming but has decided not to attend the homecoming dance. She would rather snuggle up in her comfortable bed watching Netflix than to go on to the school dance.

"Oh, come on! It'll be fun! It's just one day. We can go gown hunting together too! It'll be our little bonding time together." Zoe pleaded.

"Yeah come on, Ally. It'll be fun." She pointed towards Zoe.

"I'm not sure about that. But I could still tag along for your gown hunting, though." She tried to reason leaving her friends defeated.