In the quaint cottage town of Red Grove, Daniella 'Rose' Elliott longs to escape her miserable life and pursue a brighter future. Yet, her dreams are thwarted not only by her family's financial struggles but also by an incident she buried away in th...
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Roses are red Breakups are blue Relationships are one sided The love of murder is too
The pat on the back from the librarian was a painful yet sympathetic gesture. If only the old lady could know what was going on in his head. She wouldn't smile at his entrance and ask about his bruises; She would run away screaming and call for the authorities.
Lunch dragged on like bottle caps tied to a car as all Atlas could do was wait. Twiddle his fingers, hide his head, and wait.
Dani had never let him down before. Well, almost never let him down before. The girl's spunky attitude had the tendency to get out of hand, but in the end, she would always come through, even in the tightest moments.
However, this moment was beyond tight. If Dani couldn't get Mr. Wood to meet with her after school today, all could be lost. Who's to say that the bio teacher didn't have plans to run away... he didn't know. All he knew was that even if Dani couldn't keep him after school, the teacher had to die another day. Both he and The Man wanted it to happen—they needed it to happen.
"Atlas boo, are you sure you're ok?" Hailey snapped her fingers in his face, "You never told me what happened to your pretty face and your silence is hurting me." She hushed as she invaded his personal space, "Tell me what happened... please?" She stretched her e's like a child, which made Atlas sigh.
"It's nothing..." He muttered under his breath as he stared straight at the rows and rows of shelves in the library. The library was the biggest part of the school, taking up almost half of the lower level, leaving a small part for the gym. Those two facilities were both open to the public and guests who came in and out of Red Grove. It was a way to cut corners for the Sterling Property Advisors, and a way for the rich town to have a sense of community. To Atlas, it was a waste since everyone had home libraries and gyms in their basements. Because of the richness of that, it left the large space quiet and eerie. Overall it was a solemn place anyone could get lost in. Atlas would always spend his lunches here, sitting in silence, thinking and reading. But recently it's been a place of crying, planning, and contemplating life. He wanted to do that now, but Hailey followed him in like a dog and hasn't left his side since. At least it was just her alone this time. On the days where she attached herself to his hip, there was always another one. Dani called them his temporary fan club; always smiling, gushing and taking pictures.
Atlas didn't know what that meant.
Hailey groaned and flicked his loose hair. "It can't just be nothing, Atlas? It looked like you got into a fight? Was it over me? Or over something stupid like cars?" She leaned closer and brushed his cheek. "Ugh boys can be immature, I thought you weren't like that?"
Atlas slowly closed his fists as he hated her being so close. She was just like Charlotte, but sober. They both were touchy, blonde, and a complete mess, but at least with Charlotte the touching ended fast. With Hailey now, the touching was far from over. He'd wish he could kill her... maybe he could if she was on the list. At this point, it was completely possible since everyone in the town had ties to the Sterling Property Advisors. Hailey could be the last one? He didn't know? "I don't like cars and it wasn't a fight." He rubbed his temples as he took everything in. "I..." I thought long and hard for a moment as the blond girl leaned on his shoulder, "Hailey, is there any chance I could be alone right now? I—I have a lot on my mind and I just need some space?" He spoke timidly, but the girl didn't bunch.
