Blood Bound

Chapter 14

Giselle 

"Will it be blue and not for me? But I see it turn the corner, come along the street, stop in front of the house, still blaring, and it's red. Joy to the world, rare enough these days."

I swallowed down hard on the words that seem lodged in my throat, eyes trained on the letterings as if I was soaking in the catharsis it shined with. I couldn't sway the comfort I felt in this moment, in the realisation that someone, even from a fictional dystopia, was somebody I could relate to.

Am I really that lonely? Or am I, unfortunately, simply alone in the great wide?

Maybe it was the fact that I was sitting at the top of the bleachers that made everything look like it's coated in splendour, but looking at the environment that has always been mundane and chaotic was now anything but. My eyes were dashing to every junction; blotches of students scattered across the frame as they converse within their bubble, a hundred stories unfolding in each. As much as all these incoherent spots seem to blend into a grand painting, the detailing upon inspection would reveal it's not all that. Nothing is really picture-perfect in life, and this scene was just a mask to fit that idea.

I narrowed my focus onto the field, where amongst the variety of athletic trainings, the footballers were the most attractive. Seeing as they were the pride and joy of the school, I wasn't surprised that they were the hot topic of every person, sociable and socially awkward included. The shameless giggles and coos coming from the trio of cheerleaders a few feet away on the third bench verifies my point.

A bitter taste pricked my tongue as I followed their gaze to Brandon. I felt myself slouching into a shell as I fleeted between directions; I recognised the girls as members of James's crowd. And it was exactly because of that that I refrained from saying a thing or look at them the wrong way. The last thing I need on top of my piling worries is backhanded comments from a few mean girls.

I trained my eyes to hone in on Brandon's movements, letting myself loose in his features. Watching the way his earthy eyes fill with so much spark, which were peeking out from behind his shaggy bangs, along with the way his body worked like clockwork, gave me a much-needed refresher on why I was sitting idly by in the first place.

I was here for the boy who was, fortunately, my boyfriend. I made a promise to be the best partner I could be for him; so drown out the noise, Giselle. Don't let your insecurities ruin a good thing.

But, I guess it was wishful thinking for it didn't take much for my exterior to chip at a few words:

"Trust me, girls, I'm so going to turn Brandon Rockwell's head. I heard that his relationship isn't exactly smooth sailing, so who other than me is going to show him what he's missing from whoever his pathetic excuse of a girlfriend is?"

The one who spoke was none other than Cheryl, self-anointed 'queen bee' of the school. I was well aware of the status Brandon held within these grounds, and I came to terms with the attention he gets from girls; yet hearing it come from the mouth of someone as popular and adored as Cheryl, felt like water gurgling in my windpipe as it choked me. And if you ask me, I'd say that's the only plausible image that I can compare to the whiplashing horror that rifled through me.

Honing in on their insults did me no good either, and I found myself in the position of having to fight my tears once more. Uncontrollably, like a dangerously high voltage lightbulb, something triggered a bomb of repressed feelings, the release only sending me further up the wall. I can't take another minute of hearing the same words and phrases slapped across my face, urging me to wake up and smell the waft of embarrassment that was me.