Chapter 1
Ella was overwhelmed as soon when she entered the school cafeteria as thin red lines tangled all around her. Strings. Strings attached to people’s chests, spider-webbing across the room like tightropes, over the top of tables, and phasing through walls. These strings only Ella can see. Strings from one person’s heart to their soulmate’s. Some of the kids in this room have strings to someone else in the cafeteria, but most of them don’t.
“Are you sure it’s not JJ?” Heather, Ella’s best friend and the only one who knows about the strings, asked, looking at the boy sitting on top of a round table surrounded by his fellow basketball friends. “Yes Heather, JJ is not your soul mate. I don’t know who is.” Ella replied after they had sat down at a table. “Aww, that sucks.” Heather sighed, unaware that her elbow was planted in her lasagna
“Shh Heather. Jess and Nathan are coming.”
Jessica is Ella and Heather’s long time best friend. Jessica’s boyfriend Nathan is a basketballer, but his cool, his chill. But not Jessicas soulmate. Ella has only told Heather about this.
“Your elbow’s in your lasagna,” Jessica said pointing at Heather’s red arm. Heather wasn’t even on earth anymore, she was on the planet ‘JJ.’
“Don’t tell her, lets see how long until she notices,” Nathen said grinning. “Nathen! don’t say something like that” Jess frowned at him like it was the stupidest thing ever suggested. “Babe, it was just a joke,” He lifted his hands up like a surrender. “She’s my best friend, I can’t leave her like that... she would be humiliated!” Jessica squeaked.
Ella rested her head on her hand and shoveled cold rockhard lasagna in her mouth but she wouldn’t swallow because she knew her body wouldn’t be able to actually process whatever was used to make it. Anyway more on the lasagna later.
“Right then, Sorry” Nathan sighed
“Okay, sure. Now I have to go to the art room, remember what time to pick me up?”
“Art room? no? what time?” Nathen asked confused
She glared at him. “I told you already.”
“Well I wasn’t listening, was I?”
“Apparently not!”
Ella watched this argument like it was her favorite reality TV show. They always did this. everyday. But they make up afterward. Or make out. Now the lasagna started to taste like cardboard. She glanced around, Heather was still staring at JJ, Ella spat out the lasagna onto her plate.
“3:15 Okay?” Jess snapped at Nathen
“I can’t pick you up then, I’m going out with my friends!”
“But you promised!”
“Obviously not, because I wasn’t listening remember.” he rolled his eyes
“THAT’S IT NATHEN! YOU ALWAYS DO THIS, WHEN WILL YOU GROW UP?”
“ME? I’m the one who needs to grow up? I don’t think so, Jessica. I’m leaving come back to me when you have your priorities straight.”
Are they breaking up? Oh No, that would mean another month of Tears and stotty tissues. Ella thought.
Jessica was stunned. and her bottom lip began to quiver like a 4-year-olds, but then it abruptly changed and she looked angry. She grabbed my plate of lasagna and threw it at Nathan’s face.
