Chapter 1 - Drifting Between Worlds
˚˖𓍢ִ໋🦢˚ 𝕮𝖆𝖘𝖘𝖎𝖉𝖞 𝕽𝖊𝖞𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖉𝖘
I don’t know how I got on the roof but I know one thing: Paranoia drove me to the edge. And I didn’t think anyone would be here either since the only thought going through my mind was of erasing me entirely from this planet.
Edging closer to the ledge, clutching my uniform skirt, I look down. That’s high. Quite high. For a building. My head spun—a roller coaster that doesn’t stop its ride for anyone to get on. It’s a lonely ride for me. Everyone is against me now.
As I stood there contemplating, a bit too long about jumping off this ledge, an arm—strong, palms rough grabbed mine and pulled me, and we fell. Me on top of him and him holding me.
I lay on top of this idiot, smelling of smoke and dark perfume. Axe. Maybe. It’s strong enough to knock anyone out. For some odd reason I just laid there, my head against his broad chest, tears stinging my eyes.
A low grumble registers in my mind. Not sure if he’s speaking to me I was about to ask when he repeated. “Get the fuck off me, you smell like suicide and pettiness. Are you fucking dumb?”
I take a good look at him not actually hearing what he just said about me being dumb. He’s young. My age. Or maybe a bit older. Dark brown hair, curled and yet not too much stick around his head—a few bits are close to his face. Eyes. Pale blue or brown. I cannot tell from where I am.
“Oh my God.... Oh my God.... Cassie!!! What the fuck were you thinking?”
I wasn’t thinking.
He pushes me off him causing me to roll over. Looking up I see Elodie Brinn. My only friend. The only one ever right now, who didn’t shut me down.
“You weren’t in the 3rd period and it scared the shit out of me!” She yelled walking up to me, ignoring my knight in shining leather. I forgot. Elodie is from a different family, one where color can be a controversial topic. She’s African American.
She always told me I must have German heritage because of how cute I look. But I didn’t think so. Her curly dark hair hangs loose around her shoulders and they bounce as she walks up to grab me. Playfully she hits me and keeps reprimanding me about what I was about to just do.
And when I look around my mystery savior is no longer in the vicinity. Did he jump off? I hope not. I wanted to see him again.
ִֶָ𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🦢་༘࿐
After the last bell, I still wasn’t able to get to know my savior and even among my small group of tight friends the discussion was only about fashion. The old would be raving about it but the new me seemed to be interested in only one fashion: Him.
Since this was a private school with separate dorms for girls and boys, Elodie and I walked there.
“Hey!... Hey...” she said waving her arms in front me to get my attention. And even if her background’s different, she stuck around. “You’re not usually all over men like some shy idiot...”
“Ellie?” I began, “What was I like? Before... the accident?”
But she does answer my earlier question with, “You.... You were an absolute menace...”
“Me? I was a menace before this?” I said, pointing to myself.
She nodded and then quickly added with, “Do you know who you targeted the most?”
“No...”
Of course I wouldn’t know and after that she got called over to the other dorm room. The section of boy’s dorms. This school was a genius, splitting us down in the middle–boys one way, and girls the other direction.
I sat there, my thoughts swirling, and watched her leave. She was close to one of the boys in this school. And I am wondering the same thing. Who could it be? It couldn’t be my savior, could it?
We were in our dorm room. And I think I used to call Elodie, Ellie–the studious girl with parents with high status. My memories, they were muddled. She looked at me, not knowing how to begin I guess and sat down next to me. I guess she can’t answer or she won’t, so I decided not to press any further.
The next morning as I opened my eyes to a shiny new day of classes and assignments, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by him., almost. About my savior. He was an unexpected wrench in my plans. I got up like the usual two weeks to get ready for classes.
Maybe I was glad, or maybe I was angry. As we trudged up to the first period, he was there, only he took something out. A Cigarette. And then lit it. When our eyes met he turned slightly to the other side. Is he avoiding me? Tilting my head I assessed him and it was awhile before I took awareness of my surroundings again as Ellie pulled me away. Again.
ִֶָ𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🦢་༘࿐
Our eyes met again during lunch hour, but he sat in a corner alone. Ellie and my other friends kept on chattering but that was really just background for me. Nothing but noise. I was indeed lost in his deep pool-like eyes.
Well, up until she brought me back to reality.
She shook my shoulder to which I answered, “Huh?”
“We gonna hit all the good stores tonight?” she asked me.
“What do you mean?”
“Your parents.... My parents.... All these students here... come from money,” She gestured around emphasizing her point. “Or did you suddenly forget that?”
There was something about him that pulled me and pushed me at the same time. And when he cornered me on the way to my last period–gym, I wasn’t expecting him to throw accusations at me.
I clutched the textbooks tighter, knuckles turning pale.
What did he want? He was ignoring most of the day until now.
