"Oh oh oh here oh oh oh here oh oh oh," Alice and Hannah sing together in harmony.
"I ask myself what am I doing here?" I intoned the chorus, signing solo for this part.
"Oh oh oh here oh oh oh here," Alice sung, her eyes close with fingers snapping to keep the rhythm fresh in mind.
I cast a glance over to Hannah, seeing her fingers type at lightening speed across her screen. A frown overtook her calm expression moments ago, a sigh of discontentment left her mouth.
"And I can't wait till we can break up outta here," I distractingly sing out. "Excuse me if I seem a little unimpressed with this-" I drawled out too long, stretching the lyrics out more than necessary.
"Come on! Annalise, that's where you're suppose to be on point, really precise. Your transition from chorus to the verse is crucial. You have to build up that energy once you start singing 'excuse me' and blah blah," Alice criticizes, stressing out what I already know.
"I'm sorry, I was a little distracted..." I murmured, explicating the way Hannah tossed her phone into her bag with a scowl.
"Hey, are you ok?" I inquired, concern making my feet drag over to her.
"Yeah, thanks for asking," she timidly smiles, bending down to take a seat around the round table, at the same time tucking in one of her legs underneath herself.
"We were doing so great, uh, what happened? I know every great band has a fall out but this soon?" Alice jokes, chuckling lightly as she took a seat next to Hannah.
I went across and grabbed a chair where my water was placed next to. I unscrewed the lid off the bottle and took a refreshing gulp of cool ice water.
"Alright, class, gather up I have important news before you move on to lunch," Mrs. Fluent squeals, excitedly walking to the middle of her room.
"I heard wonderful news from Jemstone University!" She blabbed, turning her head to catch a glimpse of everyone's reactions.
"You did!" I jumped from my seat and scampered over to her.
"What did they say?!" Alice's voice hollered from behind me, following me in my tracks.
Her smile stretched across her face, "They will be selecting twenty students to attend their college next year! Twenty students who could receive a scholarship!" She gleefully informed us, ringing the word scholarship out as she sung it.
"Oh my goodness!" I squealed, waving my hands in front of my face.
Everyone gasped and turned to their friends, eyes gleaming with joy and smiles switching the sour mood since the arrival of the Imperishables, a day ago.
"Let that lift your spirits! I been seeing glum faces and I don't like it," she altered her sweet smile into a pout. "Whatever it is, keep your head high, keep a smile on your face, like Annalise over here, and live life to great happiness," she grinned fondly, giving a small nod to her students.
The bell rung throughout the intercom and broke the excitement inside the class, apprising us that this period was over and lunch was commencing.
The smiles on people's faces diminished as they went to their groups and grabbed their bags, and coats if they were too scare to put it in their locker this morning. I headed over to my book bag and slung it over my shoulders, smoothing over my mid thigh, navy blue skirt.
I checked out my shoulder-less white blouse with the reflection I got from my Iphone 8, before placing my phone away. It was still securely hanging at a decent level. My hair was in beautiful waves, since I braided it before going to bed, making it more wavy.
My hair covered my shoulders and cascaded down to my lower back. I placed my eyes upon Alice, who was looking at me with wonder.
"I don't know how you wear skirts during fall and winter," she pondered, looking over at my legs, which were free of any pants.
"I like skirts, and I always bring warm trench coats to wear," I laughed, walking over to her.
"Skirts do look better on you than pants," she thinks out loud, slinging her messenger bag over her head to her shoulder.
"Thanks," I smiled, rising my lips up.
"For what?" She asked, confusion weighing her eyebrows down.
"The compliment," I reminded her, giving her a goofy smile at her forgetfulness.
"Oh, yeah," she shakes her head, mumbling some inaudible words.
I locked an elbow with Alice as we walked out the room, turning to the right of the wide hallway. The halls are filled with chatting students exiting classes. I stopped in front of room 403, awaiting for Zachary and Michael as Alice leaned right outside the door.
The door flew open, the usual one minute after the bell. "This teacher needs to get dicked down," Mike huffs, slipping a folder into his bag as he steps out.
"Shush! She has, like, super hearing," Zachary warns, placing a finger near his lips when he shushed him.
"Good, I hope she hears me when I say this," he says, turning to face the classroom door. "Get some good dick and stop faking orgasms with your husband!"
My mouth gaped open and I widened my eyes in terror, he said that really loud. I looked to the side and caught Alice and Zach's jaw hanging down to the floor.
"EXCUSE ME!" I hear a sharp female voice bawl.
"Bro, why?" Zachary glares at Mike, shaking his head and puckering his lips in annoyance.
In a flash, Michael grabs Zach by the arm and runs through the sea of students. I widened my eyes more than ever and landed my view to forest green eyes. Alice glanced at the door, and before I knew it she snatched my wrist and jerked me forward as we ran away.
My feet smacked upon the floor as we weaved our way through the packed halls. Alice detached herself from me as she picked up her pace.
"You kids better come back!" I heard the teacher shout after us.
"Never!" I hear Mike snicker. "Hurry up slow pokes," he added towards me and Alice.
I whipped my head behind me, seeing if I can catch a sight of the teacher, but I received none. She wasn't chasing us, which was good because I couldn't continue on running.
Yeah, cause you'll probably get a heart attack if you continue... lack of exercise can do that to a person.
I turned back around, realizing I was still running while I was in thought. I had no time to prepare myself, I couldn't halt my feet in time or slow my speed. For a split second, a red shirt appeared an inch in front of my face as I crashed fully into someone's torso.
"Oof!" I muffled into the guy's chest.
I stumbled back and lost my balance, resulting in my butt making indiscreet contact with the cold floor.
"Wait, guys! Annalise isn't here," I could barely hear Alice yell out to Zachary and Michael.
"Every bitch for themselves!" Mike responds back, but his voice is little due to the growing distance between him and I.
What great friends I have, a sarcastic, deadly, voice within me says.
"Do you have a death wish?" The guy growled at me.
My eyes were still clenched shut at the impact, however, I could still feel the lack of light shining at my eyes. I looked up and saw the same guy who bumped into me yesterday, hovering over me.
"I'm so sorry!" I apologized instinctively, locking eyes with his dark brown ones.
He analyzes my face and it clicked inside his brain that he seen me before, "You're the same bitch from yesterday," he snarled, taking a dangerous step forward.
I broke my contact with him and stared down at myself. I didn't have pants on, only a skirt, which was not doing me well. My skirt rode up, exposing what's underneath.
Good thing I wore spandex shorts.
"My name is Annalise," I said through flushed cheeks.
"Of course it is," he scoffs, leering over me.
"... and if you think of it, we're even-steven," I titter awkwardly, a half smile on the surface of my nervous face.
"What are you five? And even? You can't get even with an Imperishable," he grimaced, a twisted smirk threatening my safety.
A pang of anxiety pounced inside my chest, I pushed myself away from him with my feet. I darted my eyes around me, everyone was staring at me and him.
But, no one was made a move to help, the thought flew right by them.
It wasn't because they were intrigued in how this would end, it wasn't because they didn't care, they wanted to see how an Imperishable would act.
How they would handle the nicest of the nice.
I got enough space between me and the guy to be able to stand up. I backed away from him, making the crowd distance themselves from me more.
A mocking smile rose the side of his lips as he took several steps to me. I froze, thinking of what to do. One thing popped up, run.
I took a peep at the side of him, finding a good route to get through the crowd. Before I could put my plan in action, a hand came in front of me, the back of a figure facing me.
The person slammed a hand against the locker beside me, causing the strong sound to echo through the hallway. It silenced the voices of the crowd who was circling us.
I couldn't see who it was in front of me, considering they were facing the Imperishable. "I think that can be debatable," the guy in front of me gravelly replied, relating it to the last previous comment.
I noticed the person's dirty blond hair, it was shoulders length. Oddly enough, his characteristics plucked at my memory, he was familiar.
A sound of disgust left the the guy's lips, "In your fucking dreams," he rebuffed, stepping menacingly closer to the blond hair guy.
"Sure," he simply nodded, angering the guy further with a non-caring reply.
"Look, Morte, I'll fucking batter you into pulp!" He bellowed, shouting directly in front of his face.
My heart skipped a beat and I took a step back, afraid that a brawl with erupt any moment. Instead, a deep rumbling laugh filled all the ears of prying students.
I frowned, and took another step back. He could be mentally ill.
"You can't do shit," he sobered up, bumping chest with the guy.
I could see the Imperishable's fist ball up, the tip of his thumb red and his knuckles white.
"Back down," a powerful voice cut the thick tension, making everyone turn rigid.
Sounds of shoes rubbing on the floor was the only noise arising, anxious people parting a path for the person.
I didn't move my head towards the voice, but my eyes shifted to the side, taking in the muscular guy with a caramel complexion. His jaw was sharp and clenched with a clean shaven face and cropped black hair.
His black leather jacket was hugging his biceps and his eyes, those aloof blue eyes, icing anyone he set them on.
"Seriously? This dick is asking for it," the gang member calmly said, losing all attitude to his superior.
Ricky approached the two, with me being a couple feet away. "No doubt about it," he agreed, "But I said back down."
"Fine," he retreated from the blond hair person, anger still radiating off him in waves.
"Sucks being a little bitch, doesn't it?" The guy in front of me laughed mockingly.
"Fuck you," the gang member viciously glowered, forcefully shoving him.
The guy staggered back, taken off guard as he collided his backside to my face. His weight took advantage of me, pushing me back as well. I tried to keep my balance, but his foot stepped on mine as I was attempting to dodge his collision with me. My caught foot caused my other foot to slip, the bottom of my flat smoothly sliding from the floor.
Instead of falling on my butt, like I did five minutes ago, I landed more onto my back. I yelped and bit my lip to ignore the slight pain of the impact.
The guy caught himself before he fell, regaining his balance. "You're gonna regret that," he growled, his voice knocking down a few pitches.
He took a step forward and before anything could happen, words fell from my mouth, "No, don't do that!" I protested his actions.
He stiffen, his shoulders going tense. "Merda," he breathed.
Italian? Spanish?
He turned around, his light skin displaying from his face and his light brown eyes flickered to mine, completely forgetting the two people behind him.
Alessandro.
"You know my name," he kindly smiled, the creases on his face subsiding and his heated eyes melting away.
I didn't even realize I said his name out loud.
I nodded my head at him, unsure of how to tackle this situation. He looked me over, examining my facial features.
"Are you ok?" He asked, concern invading his words.
I shook my head, not using any words to respond. He held out his hand and I stared at it, bewildered and skeptical of his intentions.
"I promise I don't bite," he assures, his voice turning soft.
I blinked and grabbed his hand in mine. Alessandro held onto my hand with a firm grasp, not harsh, but strong enough to help me onto my feet.
He gave me one last look before turning away, "We can settle this later," he grimly stated, losing the softness and replacing it with cutting malice.
"Who's a bitch now?" The guy in front of him cockily smirked, narrowing his eyes.
"I don't like repeating myself, as you know. If I have to remind you again to back down, you'll be at the retrieving end of the tip of my gun," his causal tone for this threat chilled my bones.
Ricky unsympathetic eyes froze into his, "I have a lot of important matters to discuss and you're wasting my time for that," he uses his hand to gesture to Alessandro.
He doesn't stop, "For it," he gestures to me. This time his eyes latched onto my own blue eyes. The light, usually healthy, skin I have drained of color. I could feel my face lose its lively feel.
I broke our eye connection and held my golden heart necklace from Alice, fiddling with it intensely. He didn't speak another word as he trudged away, people moving aside like he was the devil himself, and following him was his gang member.
It? It! I'm not a clown! I'm a person, who is he trying to dehumanize!? My deep inner self burst out, fury burning at the most hidden parts of my mind.
How is he so cruel? Hasn't his parents taught him to treat people how you would want to be treated?
Obviously not.
Alessandro faced me, his blond hair swaying as he turned. I gave a small frowned at him, making him laugh as if I was a joke.
"Asher was right. You look too funny when trying to be all serious or intimidating," he nods his head a bit, thinking back to that conversation that I had no clue took place.
"Huh?" I dumbly asked, my lips parting.
"Come on, let's get away from prying ears," he says, sauntering off through the students still circling me.
I didn't like their eyes blaring holes into my body, with little thought, I hurried behind him. We crossed a hall known as the 'bridge', which connects to another building, the building of electives and the huge library.
"Who are you to Asher?" I blurted out, not being able to hold in my words.
"I'm a friend," he slowly says.
***
"You're very different than when I first met you," I couldn't help but point out, his actions were too peculiar.
"When it's work related, I'm very serious. Otherwise, I'm like this," he explained, leaning on the white board in the empty class.
Ah, so, he's two-faced, my dark voice insults Alessandro.
I was currently in a chair, leaning forward with my smooth hands intertwining together. My bag was placed beside the front row, centered seat I was in.
"Work related?" I questioned, sitting straighter in my seat.
"Yeah, work related," he confirms, dropping the faint smile on his lips.
My phone vibrated again, like last time, I didn't open the message. I already knew it was Alice, who was most likely curious where I was.
"And what's your work about?" I asked, furthering it.
He let out a sigh, "You know, you look a lot like your brother. I feel like I'm looking into his eyes right now."
I nodded in understanding. Asher and I are twins, so it's no doubt we have similar features.
"Why haven't I met you before? After all, you and my brother are friends."
"It's complicated," he said, leaning off the board to stand straight.
"Complicated? Ok..." I replied, giving a small smile to him before glancing away.
He's hiding something... just like Asher. No wonder why they're friends! Both of them are secretive! The voice within me laughed obnoxiously.
Look, Morte... I recalled from earlier, when the Imperishable was verbally attacking him.
"Why did the guy who pushed you call you Morte!" I exclaimed, whipping my head to him as the thought flew out.
His eyes enlarged as the mention of Morte, frowning as he took a step towards my desk. "That doesn't concern you, Annalise."
I spoke out loud, every thought connecting to each other, "The first time I saw you, you had Morte written upon your shirt. It was the night I slept at Noah's. Then Ricky mentioned it at his party.. and now his gang member mentioned it to you... as what you are," I rambled on, piecing together what everything met.
I abruptly stood up, tightly clutching the strap of my bag as I flung it to my shoulder in a hurry. "I have to go," I lowly say, my voice a strangle whisper.
I stared at Alessandro up and down, how didn't I see this before! He took some brisk steps to me, blocking my path to the door.
"What did you just realize," he inquired, looking down at me while regaining the characteristics he had when we first met.
"Nothing!" I denied, tensely stiffening as I try to walk by him.
"You know, when Asher lies," he says, blocking me from the door with his body, "He tries to keep a simple, straight up answer."
I turned my face away, snipping away any eye contact. "And people who lie tend not to give direct eye contact," he adds.
"Please, let me leave," I politely urged, trying to once again side step him.
He backed up to the door, grabbing the handle and pressing his back to it, making it out of reach. "I can't. Not until you tell me what you're thinking."
"You're... you're in," I stammered, distancing myself from danger that can unleash from him.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he softly says.
"You're in a gang... and... and the name of it... is called the Mortes, isn't it?" I swallowed, prolonging my words.
He closed his light brown eyes, running a hand through his long blond hair.
Im right... I'm not oblivious!
"And that's why Asher doesn't want me near Noah, right? Because you and him are close friends, so he's basically apart of it and that's why Ricky doesn't like him or you, cause you're not apart of his gang?!" I smiled, I'm not oblivious!
But then he frowns, rising his right eyebrow up as if I just burned and crashed with my conclusion.
Maybe... I'm not spot on.
"You can't associate yourself with Ricky's gang or the Mortes," he explains, taking short strides towards me.
I gasped as he continued, "The Imperishables already seen you with me, they'll be thinking you're connected with me and the Mortes gang. There will be a target on your back, which is why Asher been telling you to stay away from Noah because he's always with me, which makes it seem like he's in the gang I'm in," he utters slowly but surely.
"Why couldn't Asher just tell me this?" I asked, ignoring the fact that Asher and him been having this friendship I had no knowledge about.
"He doesn't want you to know about the Mortes, you weren't suppose to know," he muttered, rubbing his mouth harshly as he glanced past me.
"Oh," I dryly stated.
"Don't mention this conversation to Noah or anyone besides Asher," he ordered, rushing out right after as several buzzes escaped from his phone.
I stood there, my feet planted on the floor and my hands still clenching the straps of my bag.
How are two gangs going to get along in one city?
Now there's two gangs? The Mortes and the Imperishables...
But who's the gang leader of the Mortes?
Is Alessandro telling the truth?
Why would Asher be friends with a gang member?