FictionPress.com - let the words flow
| FictionPress.com - let the words flow |
|
| Home Just In Communities Forums Beta Readers Dictionary Search | Login Register Extras |
I have a question for all of you: Which character do you prefer: Griffin or Sidney? And if you feel like explaining your choice I’d love to hear it.
Much love to all of you and on with the chapter:
“There you are!!” An excited voice croons as a small hand grabs my arm. I look down and am met by light green eyes glittering up at me. Oh.
“Hi … Celery,” I say, feeling incredibly awkward about it but not sure how he would react to David.
I mean, if my nickname was … Celery and somebody insisted on calling me Dakota … no never mind, I’d like that.
“Hello Dakota!” Celery trills excitedly. “You,” he says, pointing at my face. I try to quell the urge to step back. “Are coming with me!”
He begins to drag me down the hall and I’m too surprised to do anything about it. For a little guy he sure is strong … well, if I’m being honest here I’m really not much to have to drag around, but don’t tell Charlotte I admitted it. I like to pretend I’m the masculine twin. Okay … now I’m imagining Charlotte as a man but I really didn’t mean it like that. I’m not saying that she’s more masculine than me … more that I’m barely more masculine than her. Okay no. Let’s get this straight. I’m not a girl and I don’t look like a girl. Much. Okay, I’m stopping right now. This is getting embarrassing.
We turn but instead of continuing forward, Celery quickly pulls me back around the corner with a little gasp of surprise.
“Now that can’t be good,” he mutters, plastering us against the lockers in a move far more dramatic than what is probably called for, whatever the situation may be.
Inching away from Celery, I peek carefully around the corner.
Dakota and Sidney. Together. Talking. Okay … maybe it looks more like arguing if we’re going to go by Sidney’s hand gestures. I stare at his dark hair, curling lightly around his ears and the nape of his neck and I almost want to hug him. He looks so upset. But then I glance over to Griffin with his bright green hair sticking up every which way and I want to hug him too.
Oh my God … I’m a slut!
Okay, calm down. I’m not a slut. Griffin is like the only person I’ve ever kissed. Well … except for that one girl but that wasn’t by choice … yeah, doesn’t count.
“They were such a good couple,” Celery says. He’s moved from where he was stuck to the lockers and is now beside me, staring out at Griffin and Sidney with an almost wistful look. “Well … for a while at least.”
“What happened,” I find myself asking. It makes me feel nosy but God I’m curious and celery is right here …
“I don’t really know. Sidney didn’t like being the center of so many judgmental glances or something. All I know is Griffin was so fucking depressed.”
I gape silently at the two boys halfway down the hall, arguing vehemently.
So Adriana blames it on Griffin and Celery seems to blame Sidney … what the hell happened?
Suddenly I feel rash for punching Griffin with only about a quarter of one side of the story and my already guilty conscience begins to bow under the weight.
I push the unwelcome feeling away and change the subject. “So uh … where were you taking me before …” I gesture at the scene in front of us.
Celery shrugs. “To Griffin actually. I thought maybe you’d be able to make him smile.”
Well that backfired … and yeah, it’s very doubtful I could make him smile what with being the cause of his bad mood and all.
“Hey, you!”
And suddenly Griffin’s attention has turned to us, his green eyes full of an emotion that I haven’t seen so clearly on him yet: anger, frustration.
He stalks towards us and my initial reaction is to hide behind Celery. A glance at the tiny boy tells me it’s not the best plan though and I stand silently, watching Griffin’s approach with apprehension.
“Uhm … hi,” I greet meekly as Griffin stops in front of me.
“C’mere,” he says, grabbing my arm and tugging me back towards a scowling Sidney. What is it with people dragging me everywhere? I’m not a freaking ragdoll.
“Tell him I didn’t say or do anything,” he gives Sidney a cold look, “to hurt you.”
“Wh-what?” I stutter out, caught off guard. Both boys are staring intently at me, their gazes almost fierce and it’s a very uncomfortable place to be. Why couldn’t I have just gotten my books a little bit faster?
“Sidney here is under the impression that I hurt you in some way, would you please inform him that that’s absolute bullshit.”
Hurt me? I’m the one that hurt him. What the hell is he talking about? Ohh. Shit. My stomach drops when I realize what Sidney must mean. The bruise on my forehead from when Tony pushed me into the locker. I slipped into the bathroom at the end of lunch to get a look and it was pretty nasty. I bruise like a freaking peach as sad as it is to admit and it had turned a dark, angry purple. I’d arranged my hair to hide it because I really didn’t need to give people another reason to stare at me. But Sidney thought that was Griffin’s fault ... Jesus.
I meet Sidney’s big dark eyes tentatively. “He didn’t hurt me. You were right the first time, it was your brother.”
Sidney’s frustration only seems to grow. “I already figured that,” he sighs, “But he’s done something to you and even though I don’t like him,” he shoots Griffin a glare, “You’re my friend and I don’t want him hurting you.”
I almost want to grin. I’m his friend!
“Wait hold on a second,” Griffin interjects, turning a stern glance on me. “What did his asshole brother do you to you Dakota?”
I can tell how serious he is just from the fact alone that he used my name and it makes me feel incredibly uncomfortable. “Nothing. I’m fine,” I try to brush it off.
Really, I am. I haven’t even thought about it for the last hour, though of course now that it’s under scrutiny it’s hurting like a bitch. It only figures.
Griffin moves towards me, somehow managing to trap me against the lockers before I can even figure out what he’s doing. “Where?” He asks lowly, his hands firmly grasping my shoulders and his eyes boring into my own.
Silently I lift my hand and touch the spot on my forehead still covered with hair. The simple action makes me wince noticeably though and the bump is much larger under my hand than I expected. Mother fucker. How could I have not noticed how hard Tony nailed me earlier? I guess everything with Celery and I don’t know … it’s been a weird day.
Griffin catches my grimace and his eyes darken. Lifting a hand, he softly brushes my hair away from my forehead. Even the light touch causes the bruise to throb painfully.
“I’m sorry girlie,” Griffin murmurs, noticing my flinch as I try to back away from his touch. “Tony Russo is a fucker. I promise he won’t lay a hand on you again.”
I really hope he doesn’t discover the bruise on my side because it definitely puts this one to shame. And I just know he’d find some way to get it out of me what happened and that I really can’t handle. But I can’t help be touched that he seems to care so much. I thought he was mad at me. Well … he probably still is.
“I’m sorry,” I say softly as Griffin’s arms come around me in a gesture of affection. My head ends up resting against his neck and I take a deep breath, inhaling his scent. I’m surprised to realize that it makes me feel comfortable and safe, that it’s already familiar.
“For what girlie? It’s not your fault,” Griffin says, resting his head on top of mine and pulling me closer.
“For punching you, for jumping to conclusions, I don’t know, I’m just … I’m sorry.”
“Well I’m sorry for not being with you today to protect you. I should have known you’d be too cute for them to resist.”
Even though I’m not sure I like the idea of needing someone to protect me, I can’t help but blush at his words. Highly predictable behavior on my part, damn cheeks.
Griffin squeezes me tight one last time before stepping away. “You’re just too adorable,” he says, grinning down at me for a moment and then kissing me on the cheek before stepping away.
I blush again and Griffin laughs, taking my hand and pulling me over towards a beaming Celery.
It’s not until we’re halfway home that I realize I don’t know where Sidney had disappeared to.
That boy that I saw Celery making out with on my first day was his sort of half-boyfriend. They are constantly on again off again and the whole walk home I got to hear about the slut that Trent was currently banging. Apparently, they are currently off.
Celery is a big talker and Griffin seems to get a kick out of egging him on saying stupid things like, “Oh really?” “I can’t believe he would do that!” and so on and so on and Celery just keeps talking and talking ... and the point is, this is why I don’t think I could get much thinking done in the same room as them.
I wish we had a pool in our backyard. There’s no better way to let off some steam than a good swim. Instead, I grab an apple and sit on the couch. It’s definitely not the same.
I can’t believe Sidney just left. I feel like I keep screwing things up with him. Swing and a miss, over and over again. But am I ever really swinging? I don’t know. Maybe I don’t make enough effort. He’s just so confusing… but at least he thinks of me as a friend, it’s sort of hard to tell with him. He hides things so well behind those dark eyes of his.
I hear a car slow down in front of the house and I jolt up straight.
Sneaking forward, I pull aside the curtain just enough to peek out. A red truck that I don’t recognize is idling in front of the house … well, at least it’s not Dad.
Then the passenger door opens and Charlotte jumps out. She turns to say something to the driver and a couple seconds later slams the door shut. As the truck begins to drive away, I squint to make out who is sitting behind the wheel. My eyes practically bulge out of my head when I get a good view of him.
Tony Russo.
CarefullyIronic