Ominous clouds hung above the small town. A light wind carried the smell of approaching rain as girls made the attempt to hide their hair under hoods and hands hoping the humidity would be merciful. The hurried shuffling throughout the halls and across the open grassy courtyard signaled the last hour of the school day. The arrival of fall brought with it a change in scenery. The green leaves that hung all around turned to a beautiful mixture of orange,red, and a surprising bright yellow. A flash of blue went across the courtyard as a small freshman girl ran to her last class. "There goes Gabby. She's late again. For a soccer player she can be pretty slow." Josh turned towards Jodie who seemed strangely distracted. "For a soccer player she's pretty pale. " She was doodling something but Josh couldn't quite see what it was. The two had been best friends since elementary school. They even had plans to go to the same college. People often mistook them for a couple but the two felt too much like siblings to make anything more of their relationship. Jodie turned towards Josh as he watched her. She had something on her mind but her face wasn't legible. "Do you think Nuur won the race for class president?" She sounded almost sad saying this. Josh looked at her a little more worried. "I wouldn't doubt it. Why? I always thought you two were friends." " We are. I like her. But, I think maybe Joe deserved it more." His laugh surprised the teacher earning him "the look". He leaned in closer towards her, there was a slight stain on her jeans from their bleach experiment they had done the week before. Lowering his voice to a whisper he continued with the conversation. "I think, the only reason you think that, is because you have a minor crush on Mr. Big shot." Her face turned slightly pink from the obvious truth but before she could make a retort, she felt a pair of eyes burrowing into the side of her face. The only smart thing to do at that moment was to face the set of eyes as they received a long lecture about respect and manners from the teacher.
She was running. She didn't know where but in the distance the long stretch of road seemed to grow longer. The strange desire to reach the end of that road was much stronger than that of the burning in her lungs. She was being deprived of air but it was nothing compared to the pain in her legs. She had been running for a much longer time then humanly possible. Her surroundings were of nothingness and as a ringing grew in her head she began to feel it in her very bones. Adenae jolted up in her seat. It took a few moments before it came into mind of where she was. No one had paid any mind to her except for maybe James. He didn't matter to her though. He was just the quiet kid who had convinced himself life was impossible without an article of black on his body. She scanned the room slowly picking out the people she knew well enough. Kelly Lawrence was there. You could easily pick her out of a crowd, though her light brown hair and gold highlights were common among the female population of the school, the energy that seemed to burst out of her attracted all eyes. Her smile radiated and her perfect tan screamed future prom queen. She was at all the hot parties and could have any guy she wanted. But at the moment it seemed she was satisfied with being single. Drake followed her like a puppy just as Maila and Jessie did. Though what was different between Drake and the other two (other than the obvious fact he was a guy) he was deeply and passionately in love with her. The poor girl unfortunately hadn't realized this, yet. Adenae watched kelly's hand as it twirled a piece of hair singled out from the rest. Her flirting skills had improved but Adenae wasn't surprised. Just two seats behind her was Joseph Greene, also known as Joe, but preferably Greene. He was a good sized guy with a nice tan. He was reckless and cocky but no one cared because he was hot. As a varsity football player, he was at the top. His brother chance was beside him. Why the school ever allowed them in the same class, nobody quite knew. The two always had an ongoing argument. It was obvious why this was. They were stepbrothers but Chance was one of the best basketball players. He was loud and obnoxious and felt the need to crack open his perverted mind at all times but like his brother he was a good looking guy. He was tall and the mischievous look in his eyes always made you wonder of what kind of trouble he'd be getting into next. The teachers were wary of having the two in their classes but never did anything but shush them when they argued too loud. She knew there was somebody else. She had seen him walk in. In the back with his head down and his arm hiding his drawing, Zachary Godfrey viciously attacked his sketch book with a pencil. You could see the frustration in his face. He was an avid artist, determined to become a professional. He had often sold his artwork but they weren't worth much. He currently worked at the Orange Hearts Gallery. She had seen him walk there quite often. She continued to observe the class but soon met James's eyes. He didn't turn away or even seemed to blink. Her face grew hot from the attention and dropped her eyes. James was handsome, not hot but handsome. She never cared for him but she always watched him. She didn't even like him but he was so quiet. He moved like a ghost, almost invisible but that's what made her notice him. The scar on the right side of his face often made her fantasize about a heroic deed he might have done that cost him what could've been a nice complexion. His eyes were the brightest of blues, almost to the point they didn't look human. He was very handsome and she knew this. But he still wore too much black. She dismissed her thoughts as she returned her attention to what her teacher was saying.