Girl In Red (R.HALE)

14

'L'

'E'

'I'

'G'

'H'

'?'

'~E'

She groaned in frustration. 

'You're so annoying. ~L'

':( ~E'

She turned her phone off, putting it face down on her bedside table. 

She was tired, and grouchy, and didn't want to deal with Emmett. She appreciated the effort he was putting in, trying to make it look like he wanted to be her friend, but she didn't have the patience for it that evening. 

A quiet, sharp tapping sound caught her attention. She looked up, brow furrowing. 

Silence followed. 

Just as she went to go back to her homework, the tapping sounded again, this time a little louder. 

She closed her notebook, dropping it on the bed beside her legs and standing up, squinting at the window. It was dark, and the pane was drizzled with raindrops, but there was a faint outline of a silhouette out there. But, before she could have a heart attack, she realised who it was. 

She yanked the window open with an irritated sigh, stepping away from it to allow Rosalie room to climb in. 

"What do you want?" 

The blonde straightened up, brushing her hands off on her jeans. She looked annoyingly good - hair tumbling down over her shoulders like a river of gold, a muted red shirt hugging her frame in a highly distracting fashion. She didn't say anything at first, simply looking around the room.

"I, uh, like your room," she said, sounding as if compliments were painful for her to voice. "It's cosy." 

Leigh rubbed her eyes, impatient. "Why are you here, Rosalie? I'm not in the mood for-

"I wanted to apologise." 

Leigh met her eyes. She looked sincere. 

"Okay," she said. 

"You were right," Rosalie sighed, looking away and fiddling with her fingers. "The way I acted... I, I just..." She trailed off, frowning to herself. "I don't know why I'm like this."

Leigh folded her arms, clearing her throat. 

Avoiding Rosalie had unintentionally heightened the issue of her extraordinary beauty knocking her for six, and being in such a small space with her was almost suffocating. She fought to keep a clear head, fixating her eyes on Rosalie's face with a determination not let the butterflies in her stomach alter her judgement. 

"I shouldn't have said the things I said," Rosalie continued, voice softening slightly. "I didn't mean them." 

"Are you sure about that?" Leigh countered, raising an eyebrow. 

Rosalie sighed, chewing on her bottom lip. "It's just... confusing."

Her brow crinkled. "What is?" 

"You," Rosalie said, with a slight laugh. "All of this." 

Leigh's shoulders relaxed slightly, her frown becoming more of intrigue than frustration. "What do you mean?" 

"I always had such solid expectations of myself and my life," she said, expression turning bitter. "And then I became this. Cold, and stony, and bitchy." She shook her head, suddenly looking a little helpless. "I used to think it was because of what happened to me, but turns out it's just me."