Fiercely Feline

04 - ariella

A R I E L L A

The bell rings and I stand from my seat in world history, waiting for some of the students to file out before I look down at the paper that shows my timetable, finding that I have my lunch period now.

According to the office when I checked in, the school has two lunch periods in the middle of the day and you either have one of the other, each goes for forty-fine minutes and there is a slight crossover in the middle of fifteen minutes before the first group go back to class.

It was a weird system but I guess it worked for a small town like this.

I collect my books, and slip from the class, feeling some of the eyes of my peers on my back as they watch me.

I guess behind the new girl was newsworthy around here, I had already heard my name whispered three times this morning, and people talking about me without mentioning my names five times.

The first was in home room this morning, when I heard a girl talking about how I was starting at their school.

I guess they didn't have much else to talk about in a small town like this, everyone would know everyone secrets.

I shrug off the eyes on my neck and push past the double doors leading to the cafeteria, grabbing a tray and lining up for the food, my eyes moving around the room slowly as I mentally calculate where I'll be sitting, finding an empty table in the fat corner, a view of the woods seen perfectly through the large window.

I love up the line, reaching for random things as I see them, not really paying attention to what I'm grabbing before I finish and begin walking to the table, my steps silent as I walk through the teenagers who stare at me as if waiting for me to trip or do something equally stupid.

I once again ignore it, and take a seat at the empty table, my shoulder La dropping in relief before I finally look down at my plate.

Pesto pasta, greek salad, an orange cut up, and a bottle of water.  Not bad.

Leaning my elbows on the table, I begin to eat, closing my eyes as I force my senses to stretch outside, listening to the chirp of the birds in the trees.

The blissfulness in snapped in half when a tray is placed down on the table across from me and I lift my head, brows furrowing when I see the petite Asian girl sit, and reach for the apple on her tray.

Her dark eyes are on my face, her lips in a thin line before she looks down, not saying anything before she takes a bite.

I follow her steps, eating on my own food as the unusually comfortable silence stretches between us before it's only again cut off by the girl.

I look up when she clear her throat, "Why did you move to this town?"

I blink at the directness, raising a brow is surprise and shrug, "My brother and I threw a dart at a map and this is where it landed."

Her eyes narrow, lips pursing, "That's a pretty stupid way to pick somewhere to live."

I blink again, "Yeah, we'll it worked."

The girl doesn't say anything before she asks another question, her presence beginning to feel more like an interrogation than a friendly chat.

"No parents?"

I swallow the ache in my throat and shake my head, "they're dead, what about yours?"

The question comes out of my mouth with no thought, and I wish I could suck them back in.

Who asks that in return, that's not a normal question.

Her lips lift just slightly, the only sign of a smile from her this whole time. "Also dead."