“Anna!” was the first thing that I heard when I got out the car.
“Charlotte, I told you that you didn’t need to come.” I said as I grabbed my bag and closed the car door.
“You were in an accident, and you expected me not to come?”
Walking past me, my dad laid a hand on my shoulder as he says, “Why don’t you two finish this in the house were its warm.” Looking past Charlotte my dad says, “I take it you’re staying over?”
Following my dad’s gaze I spotted Charlotte overnight duffle.
“Oh course Mr. A. I can’t just leave my best friend after something so traumatic like this happened.”
My dad stared at her for a minute as I said, “Aunt Jamie just showed up didn’t she?”
Turning around grabbing her bag Charlotte sighs with annoyance as she says, “Yes! And she’s planning on staying tonight, so I’ll be out your hair tomorrow.”
Taking her bag Dad says, “Stay as long as you like. You know our doors are always open for you.”
“Don’t play with me Mr. A, you know if I take you seriously I would never leave.”
“As if you leave now, you already have a key.” I smile as I bump her and head into the house.
“Don’t act like you don’t want me. You love me.” She states.
“Kind of hard not to.” I smiled as we walked into the house.
“Oh Annabelle.” Says my mom as soon as I walk into the house.
“I’m fine mom.” I say as she hugs me.
Giving me a squeeze she says, “What happen?”
“Faulty staging.” Says my dad as he pulls off his jacket.
“Faulty staging? Didn’t they inspect it before they opened that part to the public?”
“They did, apparently the inspector missed something.”
Looking at me my mom pushes my hair behind my ear as she says, “I’m just so happy you’re okay.”
I smile, “So am I.” As my mom steps back she says something about ordering takeout since she was to shaken up, about my fall to cook. Daniel came in a little while later insisting that it was Harry’s fault, but finally backed down after dad told him it couldn’t have been him. Upon receiving our Chinese and after sweet talking my dad into making his famous creamy milkshakes for desert, Charlotte and I retreated up to my room, leaving the mess that happened earlier alone.
“So what aren’t you telling me.” Says Charlotte as soon as we were in my room with the door closed.
“What are you talking about?” I asked as I flopped on my bed.
“I’m talking about what aren’t you telling me, about what happened tonight? It’s obvious that you are holding something back.”
“I’m not, I told you and I told them everything. The stands were wobbly and when I went to head down something snapped and it all began collapsing.”
“Mm hmm.” She says as pops a piece of broccoli in her mouth.
Looking down into my container of rice I pushed it side to side as I look up at her staring at me, “Stop looking at me like that.”
“Like what?” she says.
“Like I’m,”
“Lying?” she offers.
“Yes.”
Waving her chopsticks back and forth she says, “I know you’re keeping something from me, but,” she sighs, “I guess you’ll tell me when I need to know.”
I laugh, “Stop being so dramatic, there nothing to tell.”
“Yeah whatever.” She says as she leans over and grabs my remote. Turning on Magic Mike, I listened to her gush about Channing Tatum throughout the whole movie, with the exception of her pausing so Ashton could go off on me for not calling to tell him I was alright. We sat and watched random movies for a few hours when at 2am we both crashed.
---------------------------
A screeching noise and the smell of smoke startled me as I jumped up in bed. Looking around I didn’t see anything. The only noise in my room were from my TV playing repeats of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Looking over Charlotte sighed softly as she was comfortably tucked in next to me. Sitting up in the bed I shivered from the cold as I reached and grabbed my hoodie that hung on the chair near my bed.
Just another nightmare I guess. I thought to myself as I rubbed absently at my eyes. Looking at the clock I turned over as I shoved Charlotte.
“Char.” I called.
No answer.
“Char.”
Again no answer.
Yawning I stretched as I say, “Char Taylor Lautner is going to be at school today.”
Char jumped up so fast, that it made me dizzy.
“He’s what?” she yelled.
Yawning again, she looks at me as she says, “Not cool Anna, not cool at all.”
“It was the only way to get you up.”
“By lying and saying my all-time favorite and hottest crush is coming to our school?” she shakes her head, “That is beyond rude.”
“It got you up.” I say as I stand and walk to my closet.
“And it’s going to be the reason why you get put down.”
I laughed, “Yeah alright.”
Pulling out a sweater and a pair of jeans I walked to the bathroom to begin my normal bathroom routine as Char laid back down.
Turning on the shower, I stripping out of my Pjs and as I stepped into the water. Letting the water run over me, I closed my eyes as I let the heat from the water warm me up. Reaching off to my side I went grab my soap when instead someone grabbed my wrist.
"Char let go." I said pulling back.
The hand didn't let up.
"Char, stop playing let go." I laugh as I say a little louder.
"What are you talking about? I'm not even in there." I hear Char say from my room.
Quickly pushing my curtain back I screamed as I jumped back slamming into the wall as a figure steps through the steams.
"Annabelle." says the figure.
"Get out of here!" I yelled as I used my free arm to cover my chest.
"Annabelle," the figure says again softly, "My dear you need to remember."
"No you need to get out now! My dad will arrest you for trespassing." I yelled.
Clearly unfazed the figure jumps forward gripping my arm tightly as it yells, "You're in danger! You need to remember before it's too late!"
"You're crazy! Charlotte!" I yelled pulling my arm back.
Leaning forward the face of the figure came into view and my eyes widen. It was the girl who I dreamt about being burned.
"Angelica." I whisper as I shake my head, "This can't be possible, you're dead." I say.
"I know it's hard to explain, but you must remember."
"Remember what?" I asked scared out of my mind.
"Remember who you are. Remember were you came from."
"What are you talking about?"
Angelica shakes her head as she says in french, "il ya plus que rencontre l'oeil." Gripping tighter she repeats over and over, "Rappeler," Leaning closer to me she says, "Annabelle, vous devez vous rappeler."
Something popped behind her. Looking at the door a fire appeared out of nowhere as it starts covering the floor. Angelica disappeared as it becomes hard for me to breath.
"Charlotte! Charlotte help!" I yelled over and over as I shut my eyes.
Hands grabbed my shoulder shaking me as I could her Charlotte yelling my name.
Opening my eyes Charlotte knelt next to me in the shower as she shook me. Blinking wildly against the water in my eyes, my knees were pressed to my chest as I noticed the water was turned off and there was no fire.
"Anna are you okay?" asked Charlotte half out of breath with a terrified look on her face.
Swallowing hard I nodded trying to get my head together as pushed my hair from my face.
What in the hell was that?
-------------
School went slow and annoying today. Everyone had heard about what happened at the art gala and there were mixed stories about it. Some said that it was an accident, while others said I was on some suicide mission so I had did it on purpose and it really didn’t shock me when I found out Taylor was behind that version and as if things could get any worse, what happened this morning kept replying over and over in my head, every time I let my mind wonder off. So figuring the day wasn’t going to get better when lunch came I was ready to go home.
“Hard day?” asked Ashton as I got the cafeteria.
“That obvious?” I asked.
Ashton and Charlotte both nodded as I sighed, “I’m just ready to go home.”
“Then go, nobody can blame you for missing today.” Says Ashton.
I shook my head, “If I go home they’ll just be more stories.”
“At least you won't be here to hear it.” Says Char.
I shrugged, “It’s not bothering me.”
“So you say.” Says Ashton.
Charlotte stared at me as I said, "Can you stop looking at me like that? You look like I'm going to crack any moment."
"Can you blame me?" she says. Leaning closer so only Ashton and I could hear she says, "With what happened this morning," she shakes her head, "You scared the shit out of me Ann."
"I dozed off and had a bad dream." I said.
"In the shower?" asked Ashton.
"It's possible."
"But not likely." says Charlotte.
Picking at Ashtons fruit I say, "Look I'm fine no need to keep talking about it."
Ashton looks at Charlotte as she says, "I think we should tell Mr and Mrs A."
"No!" I say quickly, "Look I'm fine. It was one time okay. No biggy." Running a hand through my hair I grab a piece of cheese from Ashton tray as I say, “Let’s change the subject yeah?”
Both exchanged looks as Char sighs heavily and says, “Fine what you want to talk about?”
“I don’t know. Um Ashton your date with Angel is tomorrow right?”
And just like that the whole lunch hour was filled with different ideas that Ashton had come up with to do.
“Hey did you hear about what happened at football practice this morning.” I hear Char say to Ashton after I laid my head down on the table.
“No am I supposed to know?” asked Ashton.
“Hell if I know, but apparently Daniel and a few of the guys cornered Harry this morning and,”
My head immediately shot up, “Wait what happened with Harry?”
“Now she joins the conversation.” Says Char.
Waving her off I said, “Seriously what happened with Danny and Harry?”
Picking up her water Char shrugs as she says, “I heard a few cheerleaders talking about how they were supposedly running a play and Harry caught a ball meant for Daniel and it pissed him off. So after practice they cornered Harry near the lockers to set some rules.”
“What kind of rules?” I asked.
Char looks at me and slowly starts to drink her water.
“Char, what were the rules?”
She didn’t answer.
“Charlotte!” I snapped.
“He gave him rules about you and the team!” she says quickly.
“He what?” I asked feeling my irritation grow.
“Kathy said that her boyfriend Elliot told her that Daniel told him that the team is his and that he follows the game plays as planned or he gets kicked off.”
“And what did he says about Anna?” asked Ashton before I had the chance to ask.
Taking a breath she says, “He told Harry to stay away from you. That he suspects that he was the reason you fell the other night and that if he sees him talking to you that he was going to kick his ass.”
I was baffled, I was pissed. Turning around I didn’t see Harry and his friends at their usual table and I didn’t see Daniel and the jocks at their usual table either. Standing up from the table Char yells, “Anna wait!”
“I’ll see you later.” I say as I grab my bag and stand.
----------------
Walking out the cafeteria, I went straight for the football field. The boys were standing around throwing the ball back and forth as they laughed and talked to girls. Looking up my way I saw Carter hit more brother on his shoulder as he points towards me.
“Shrimp!” yelled Daniel with a smile.
Stopping at the gate I waited as he made his way to me.
“Shrimp what’s up?” he smiled as he went to give me a hug.
Stepping back I wasted no time, “You threatened Harry?”
Daniel looks at me as he says, “Oh that.”
“Oh that?” I repeated.
“What? We didn’t hurt him much.”
“You didn’t,” pushing him I yelled, “You jumped him!”
“No!” he yelled back at me, “We just threatened him, told him how the school works and that if he didn’t leave you alone that he would learn the consequences.”
“Why would you threatened him? What happened the other night wasn’t his fault he was the one who helped me!”
“You keep saying that but I doubt it.”
Crossing my arms I ask, “Why do you hate him so much? What has he done to you?”
“Nothing I just don’t like him.”
“That’s bull, you don’t suddenly just not like someone.”
“Well I do.”
Shaking my head I looked at my watched and noticed the bell was about to ring, “I’m going to ask you this once, please leave Harry alone. He is just a new kid.”
“A new kid with baggage.”
“You don’t know that.”
“And you do?” he asked as he looks me in my eyes.
“Just leave him alone please, the last thing that I need is for people to stop talking to me fear that my ‘Big Bad Brother’ brother is going to threatened them with his ‘followers’.”
Daniel didn’t say anything. Figuring I wasn’t going to get through to him I turned and walked off to look for Harry.
---------------
I had no idea where to start, I usually wasn’t the one to find him, it was him who usually ran into me. Stopping at by the schools exist a warmth crept down my spine as I heard someone yell, “Yo man you skipping?”
In reply I heard, “Yeah bro I got something to do.”
Noticing that the voice belong to Harry I took off to the schools parking lot. Weaving in and out between cars I finally found him by his bike. Standing wearing a plaid shirt with the arms ripped out, a white shirt with the arms rolled up, his hair pushed back and some jeans, he stood with one foot on his bike and his hands on his hips.
“You’re going to be late Pebbles.” He says without looking up.
“So are you.” I say back.
“What are you doing here?”
Taking a step to him I say, “I came to apologize.”
That made him look up and smirk, “Oh really? And what have miss perfect done?”
I shake my head, “not for something I’ve done but for what my brother and the other jocks did.”
He snorts, “Save it.”
I sigh, “Harry,”
“Look I got to go.” He says cutting me off as he throws his leg over his bike and kicks the kick stand up.
“Wait,” I say walking closer to him, “Look I know my brother is overprotective and an asshole sometimes but he doesn’t mean anything by it.”
Turning his key in the ignition, he revs the engine as he says, “You should probably get to class. I wouldn’t want your brother to think that I’m now becoming a bad influence on you.”
“Can you stop being a jerk for 2 minutes so I can say sorry?”
“No.” he says simply.
“Why not?”
“Because it’s not your place to apologize,” revving the engine once more he says, “And honestly I don’t want it. Catch you later Pebbles.” He says as he picks up his foot and rides speeds off.
Standing there I watched him ride out of the parking lot and fly down the road.
“So much for thinking that we were getting on good terms.” I say to myself as I turn and had back into school.
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French Translation in this chapter !
il ya plus que rencontre l'oeil - There's more than meets the eye
Rappeler - remember
vous devez vous rappeler - You need to remember