Untitled (Chapter one)

The air was thick with shouts of pleasant greetings, lighthearted chatter, and names being shouted , cheerfully. I searched the campus for anyone familiar, but I couldn’t find any of my friends. I waved, friendlily, at a few people, acquaintances from last year. I saw a mess of wild red curls a few feet from me.1

“Hazel!” I called, immensely relieved. “Hazel!” she still didn’t turn around. “Hazel Brooke!” At that she whipped her head around, an angry expression upon her face, but when she saw it was her best friend she immediately forgave me for using her much hated middle name. She bounced over to me, bubbly personality displayed perfectly on her face, as usual., and threw her arms around me in a friendly hug. 2

“I’ve missed you like crazy!” Hazel said. 3

“Where is everyone else?” I asked, grinning happily. “Where’s Miles?” I questioned Hazel. He was her brother, she should know.4

“Um… there is something you need to hear about Miles.” She paused, grimacing guiltily at me. “See, Miles, he uh…” She stopped, Miles was walking over to us. At first, I only noticed him, his cute, freckly face, his smile that made my heart melt every time he flashed it in my direction. Than, I saw her. I recognized her vaguely. Riley something- or- other. Their hands were clasped and they were grinning stupidly at each other as they walked over to us. No, no… this is not real! The corners of my eyes immediately started to burn and a lump was forming in my thought. I looked at him with hurt eyes, my lip trembled. He saw the look on my face and looked at me apologetically and somewhat guiltily. 5

“Annabelle-” I didn’t let him finish. I shook my head and walked away. Great, the first day back at school and my heart had already been ripped out of my chest. I was so stupid. I was sure after what happened last year we, Miles and I, were sort of a couple. All of last year I’d had a huge crush on him. The last day of school he told me that he liked me. I admitted I liked him back and we both agreed that we’d have no time to do anything about it now as we would be living in two completely different parts of the country. And now… he goes and gets a girlfriend. So stupid. I repeated in my head.6

I was now sitting on a bench in the courtyard, I couldn’t really remember the walk there. Only seeing the empty courtyard and decided it would be a good place to cry. I rolled my eyes as I saw Peter Archer and his “friends”. Archer was extremely self righteous, and pretty much thought he was the greatest in the school, some people agreed. He wasn’t necessarily a “popular” kid, he was that slimy, sneaky, mischievous, sort of guy. The rich snobby kind. The kind you either loved or hated. We happened to hate him.7

~~~~~~~~~~8

I strided through the courtyard, discussing the year to come with Blaise and Skyler. I noticed Annabelle sitting alone. I wondered vaguely why she wasn’t with the rest of her weird little group, our rivals, you could call them. We were the kind of people who hated each other by nature, I’d never really hated her, really, just those idiot guys she hung around with. I was, surprisingly, feeling sort of sympathetic toward her, sitting there, alone, crying on the first day back at school.9

No Peter, she’s Annabelle. She’s that know- it- all from writing last year. But she’d never really done anything to you. But befriending her would definitely ruin my whole image. I’m kidding myself, no ones around. Plus I don’t really want people to think I’m as slimy and rude as everyone says… I’m really not…. Am I? My heart won over my head in the internal battle going on inside my head. 10

“Skyler, Blaise,” I ordered. “Both of you go on, I’ll catch up in a minute.” They gave me a few confused looks. “Go on!” I shooed them away. I couldn’t believe I even thought of doing this. I hated her, well not really, but I was supposed to hate her. I half wanted to turn and run the other way but that would be very un-peter-ish of me and besides, there was no turning back now. I was already strolling over to her. Confident on the outside, indifferent on the inside, even deeper than the indifference there was also a feeling, but what it was, I had no clue. No time to figure it out now. 11

She looked up with teary eyes, trying to read me, wondering why I, Peter Archer, of all people, was standing here in front of her. Than her eyes hardened and sort of angry, though I didn’t know why. What did I do?12

“I’ve already been humiliated enough today, Archer,” she said my last name with a tone off contempt. “I guess it’s you’re day off.” she began to sob again. I’d never been good with any kind of emotion, I never let my real feeling play out on my face and whenever others did I sort of froze up. Now I felt worse that before.13

“I- I didn’t come over here to make fun of you, Delg- Annabelle.” I said awkwardly, sitting down on the bench. Calling her by her last name wouldn’t help the situation. She turned to me, her skeptical eyes staring into mine, their shade of blue was prettier that the sky’s. I shook my head, jumbling my thoughts inside. 14

“Oh yeah?” she said, challengingly. “Than why did you?” 15

“I- I-I-” I was kidding myself, I was Peter Archer and she was Annabelle Delgado, I didn’t need this. I was better than her. “You know what, Annabelle?” Okay, when did she become “Annabelle”? She looked up. “I did come over here just to annoy you. I-”16

“Than will you please just leave.” She aid softly. Than she closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the bench.