Hi~ This is my first story on wattpad, so please go easy on me!
I know it's not much, but I promise things will get more interesting!
And I would appreciate some comments on how I can improve.
Thanks!
William
"Hey man! Heard the news, sorry about you and Giselle." Aaron greeted me with a hearty thump on the back as he sat heavily on the stone bench beside me. Gah! As if I need any of their sympathy! I was the one who dumped Giselle, not the other way round! I saw Aaron and the gang staring at me, mouths gaping wide. Oops, had I said that out loud?
"Erm, actually bro, it WAS the other way round, remember? Re-mem-ber?" Zack broke down the syllables, enunciating each clearly. He added the emphasis as he prodded my head with each syllable, hard. I slapped his hand away, and massaged the throbbing spot irritably.
"Can't you guys just leave me alone?" I complained bitterly, "Go chase after girls, shoot a few hoops; skateboard; homework; whatever, just leave me alone!" I threw my hands up, shouting in exasperation.
"Woah, chill buddy," Rex patted me on the head - I suspected - just like how he did with his dogs. Rex's name said everything about him. At 6'6, he towered over everyone in school, 200 pounds of pure unadulterated muscle, coiling beneath the surface, waiting for it's power to be unleashed.
Teddy also gave his ten cents around the chocolate puff he was devouring. Which was a surprise, as he almost never speaks, given that his mouth was always filled to the brim with food. "You should have dropped her like a hot potato when you had the chance, Will. Get it? Hot potato! Hahahah - " he chuckled at his lousy joke, but stopped abruptly, his eyes bulging as he convulsed.
One moment, no one was laughing at his joke, staring at him wondering if the years of stuffing his face had finally pushed him over the edge. The next thing we knew, he was choked on the chocolate puff out of the many he had gorged down. He was cured soon enough, when Rex gave him a giant thump on the back. The half digested chocolate puff flew out of his mouth and landed in the dust, merely an inch away from Aaron's feet, whom leaped out of the way.
But it was Teddy's face that did the work. Laughter erupted in the group as he eyed the miserable slobby globule with an expression of one can only say, misery. Even I had to crack a smile at that one. It was due to the raucousness of our group that I failed to notice the person walking towards us.
Soft pink lips, long legs and a very impressive figure. Giselle strutted towards our group, her arms around the neck of Tribecca's varsity football captain. Not that they noticed we were here anyway, as passionate a liplock they were engaged in. I almost thought that Giselle and who-is-it did not notice us when Giselle broke away from the embrace and affixed me with a stare deep into my soul. That was when I realised that the entire show was put up to gauge a reaction from me. She must have been satisfied by what she saw in my eyes, for a little smirk tugged at the corners of her heavily rouged perfect lips.
"Oh look what we have here." she commented lightly. "Let's go Josh," So his name is Josh. "where we don't have an audience." Josh just blinked dazedly at her, he looked around, and slowly realised for the first time, that he had a whole group of spectators watching him. His blank gaze swept around our group once, as if trying to identify the faces and only recognising mine. "Hey Will." he greeted me, to which I acknowledged with a cold nod in his direction. "Oh hi Will! I didn't see you there! Guess I was just too intrigued by Josh here, isn't he the most charming?" she inquired innocently with a fake bright tone. Then she swept back her cascade of jet black hair, pulling that dim-wit along with her, but not without a shooting back self satisfied grin at me.
"Grrrr, that girl gives me the shivers." growled Zack, rubbing his arms to get rid of his goosebumps.
"We have to find a way to get back at her for this." he continued. I didn't bother to retort, because that was exactly what I was planning to do.
Willow
My reflection stared back at me while I sat in front of the mirror, watching Annie brush my hair in long strokes. Annie is our house keeper, she has been with us since forever.
"You should better care of your hair my dear!" she clucked disapprovingly and shook her head.
I knew where this was leading to, as she sucked in a deep breath to let out her daily rants. Annie loves to talk, there was a time when I wondered if she had an illness that required her to talk 24 hours non-stop. Turns out that it was just her love of expressing her views on anything under the sun. Especially my hair. Which she can't seem to wrap her mind about the way I treat my hair. Whatever, it's my hair, I can treat it however way I like. Plus, it's not as if I can appreciate it anyway.
I tuned Annie out as she began her rants. She said the same thing everyday with only very little variations in her choice of words. I started imitating her voice in my mind, "Such lovely hair! Like honey golden silk, and look what you've done to it! Knots and tangles, a mess indeed! I tell you my dear, if I had hair as lovely as yours it would be in a much better condition than you kept yours!" Annie told me that she had mousy brown hair that won't obey her commands. Well I think there's nothing wrong with her hair, its just a little bushy.
I rolled my eyes endearingly at her, and earned a smack in the temple with the hairbrush.
"Now don't you get smart with me young lady!" she commanded haughtily.
"I'm sorry Annie, I know you only want the best for me." Widening my cerulean blue eyes, with my lower jutting out just the right amount, I turned to her, pleading. Years of practice on Annie have not been wasted. She fell for it ever single time, and melted like putty in my hands.
"Please say you forgive me." I begged remorsefully, trying to hold back my laughter. As expected, Annie lowers the brush and used her fingers to stroke her hair, and murmured,"Of course sweetheart, whatever you want."
I've got her twisted around my little pinkie, and I think she knew it, just chose not to say that outloud.
"I want to go to school alone today."
Annie's pursed her lips, the subject often danced around our mind, but I've never breached it till now.
My parent hae always been a little too... overprotective. Since the day I was old enough to walk to school, there is always someone by my side, guiding me. Oh, they stay at a distance all right. But who likes the feeling of being watched on your every move? I am 16 going on 17 now, surely I can take care of myself. I don't need someone constantly circling around me. It's just so hard to breathe. Besides, I am not blind, I don't need people looking at me like I might fall flat on my face at any time.
"Pretty please?" I begged, knowing her resistance is down.
Annie bit her lip, and after pondering for a moment, she finally relented with a curt nod.
"Fine, but don't let your parents see you."
I jumped up in joy and threw my arms around her neck, "Thank you! You're the best nanny ever!" After kissing her soft worn cheek goodbye, I sprinted off to school. Alone, for the first time.
I dashed out of my room, down the long luxurious corridor, where exquitise paintings were upholstered on the velvet covered walls. Luckily my resolve of not wearing high heels was not broken down by my mother and Annie, or I would be clacking down the marble floors like a herd of elephants. Instead, I have my dependable old scruffed converses with me today.
I skidded down the polished wood banister around the marble staircase, nearly flying off it in the process. I jogged into the kitchen, grabbed a piece of toast, and gave a very surprised Marlene a kiss on the cheek before darting out of the giant double doors to the longdrive way.
Either side of the wide driveway was fringed with plush flora. Mainly willow trees, which I was named after. Though I have no idea why I was named after a plant that weeps. I sighed, its almost a five mile walk to the giant metal wrought gates that separated our mansion from the rest of the world. Maybe I should go back...
Suddenly I saw something glinting at the corner, partially hidden behind a tree. I stalked over and pulled it out. A grin stretching across my face as I realised the object in my hands.
A few minutes later, I was zooming down the road, enjoying the sensation of wind sweeping back my hair. It has been too long since I last skateboarded, I was losing some of my touch. But after a few false starts, I managed to balance and was soon zipping away down the long driveway.
Before I continue, you must think that I am a manipulative rich brat who's ungrateful for all the things her parents and Annie have done for her. But here's something you should know, all my life, I have never ever been let out of their sight. When I was in pre-school, all the girls my age avoided me because I always have a "big, scary man in black following" after me. I had no friends throughout my childhood years. Throughout middle school and high school, I've ever had only one true friend. Sad, but true.
After what seemed like forever, the vegetation leading to the gates began to thin, and right on the other laid my best and only friend, Alex in ambush.
Don't get me wrong, Alex's short for Alexandra, just like mine does for Willow.
"Hey Will!" Alex came over to give me a hug before dumping the pile of books she had been carrying into my arms.
"Woah! What's in these books? Gold bars?" I waggled my eyebrows at her.
"Nice try buddy," she returns the eyebrows but shook her head. "Just a little extra reference for your little hobby. I doubt you can find any of them in town." she smirked.
'Anyway, want to tell me how you managed to get yourself out alone?" she asked.
I bit my lip, not daring to meet her eyes. And also to stall for some time.
Without my speaking, Alex smacked herself on the forehead and groaned, "Oh Will! Tell you didn't!"
See? That's why I love my best friend, she always gets it before I tell her. I gave a timid nod to confirm her suspicions.
Huffing in exasperation, Alex walked away before I stood up. By the time I caught up with her, she was pinching the bridge of her nose, muttering, "Your parents are going to be so freaked."
"No they're not! Annie said she would cover for me!" I retorted. Alex didn't listen to me, she didn't even bother to acknowledge my presence, boy, she's really mad at me this time.
Her anger will pass, by the time it's lunch, she'll probably forget everything already. Since there was no one for me to talk to, I opened up the books that she passed to me during that long ago good mood - and gasped in wonderment. The pictures in the books were dazzling, every stroke, the shading, the modes of light and dark were encaptured in the pictures. The pity is, they were all in black and white.
I smiled at the simmering figure in front of me, Alex is really a good friend. These books aren't from the normal bookstores in our district. I don't think that these books are even sold in Los Angeles! They clearly came from some very old bookstore outside the city. I can't believe she would go through so much trouble for me!
Before Alex, my parents and Annie were the only ones who have been let in on my darkest secret. Sure, people often suspected there was something wrong with me, but when they couldn't figure me out, I was left alone, a freak in the truest word. Even Marlene doesn't know the whole truth about me.
Alex, she stuck with me all these years. I knew I could trust her from the moment I looked into her honest eyes. From the moment she pulled me up from the sandbox into which I was pushed my the other kids. I knew I could trust her hand, so warm and so soft, to be always there when I need to grab hold of life.
Finally, we reached school. There, sitting around the large stone bench like they already own the place were the school's star basketball player, William's sidekicks. They were surrounding a sullen William, who looked like he'd rather be left alone. The big one, I think his name is Rat or something, said something and thumped him on the back. Ow, that feels painful even by just looking. Maybe they all have an extra thick layer of skin?
Then the one who is always eating, Bear, I think, (Why do boys like to be named after animals?) did something hilarious and the whole group broke into huge guffaws. Giselle suddenly appeared by my side, turning towards me. Is she going to talk to me? I wonder how I can stand her irritating nasal voice and responding with a punch to her surgically enhanced nose.
It turns out I needn't have worried. Her gaze swept past me like I was invisible, to the hockey person, Josh. "Hello, precious," she wrapped her stick-thin arms around his neck and the power which they sucked face with each other can be equated with the power of a blackhole.
Then she opened her eyes, staring at me, I think she finally realised that they are basically having sex in the public. But I thought wrong as her eyes set on something past my shoulders, an evil glint appeared in her big eyes, "Come on." she tugged Josh's hand and slowly made her way to the stone bench where... the boys were still laughing. Their progress was slow because they kept stopping every few steps to eat each other's faces. Normally this kind of PDA would have made me turn in the other direction, shuddering in disgust. But this time, I stayed and watched, wondering what commotion she would cause at the stone bench.
Giselle was not only known as Tribecca's beauty queen, but she was also noctorious for being a drama queen. I bet I'll enjoy whatever she had cooked up.
She has reached the table now, and William's gang was clearly unhappy about it, especially him. His friends, whom Alex and I like to call The Minions, crossed their arms, making their biceps bulge, to be intimidating. I would not say they were having a conversation, since only Giselle and her boy toy were talking anyway. Giselle had her best sweet and innocent look put on. I snorted, she has much to learn if she wanted to compare with mine.
There was something about William's expression that I can't quite place. Oh right, I remembered! William and Giselle used to be the It Couple in our school. Until she switched for Mr Hockey player thats it. Finally feeling that they were not welcomed, Giselle took off, flipping her long thick mane off her shoulders, dragging lover boy along.
The minions were immediately all over their master, comforting Willam and patting his head, especially the Rat, who looked like he was patting his dog.
It was then that William looked away from the concrete walls of the school building, his dark gaze sweeping across the ever increasing students, right into mine. I noticed, as he intense stare bore into me, that his eyes were abnormally dark. If I wanted to put a color to it, I would say that they were black.
Flat black.