Darkness Before Dawn

DBD | chapter 3

Chapter 3

Syros was already sitting down at a table, a girl perched in his lap, sitting under the shady oak tree. He turned, his neck twisted unnaturally behind him, almost like he was mimicking an owl, to watch Cody and I as we approached. Cody held a tray of cafeteria food in one hand, it's plastic tray unbalanced by the copious amount of vanilla frozen yogurt-which he swore was the best-accompanied with cardboard pizza covered in plastic cheese.

I smiled, trying to occupy my mind with how I would act being welcomed into their friend group over my surfacing emotions of sadness. My pace increased to match Cody's, as people began to fill up the space around my feet, laying down blankets in the soft grass and socializing.

Syros smiled back and so did the girl that sat in his lap, waving us over to them.

"I'm so glad I'm not the only girl in PE anymore!" She said excitingly, getting up and taking me in for a hug, taking me completely aback. Who is this? I wrapped my arms around her, but I didn't make the effort to squeeze her back.

"Too much Anissa," Cody seemed to warn. I put on another small smile to hide my discomfort at her warm welcome.

"Sorry, I overreacted. I tend to do that a lot," she laughed, shaking my hand, "I'm Anissa. I wasn't able to introduce myself earlier because I was at a dentist appointment," she beamed. She ran her tongue over her beautifully straight teeth and dropped my hand.

"Yeah, she finally got her braces off," a girl adds, coming up behind Syros and Anissa with a sack lunch like my own.

Anissa gazed at her, laughing, then turned around back to me with a grin still plastered on her face. "Anyways, Syros told me all about you when we were waiting so, I'm just glad to see I'm not the only one in Mr. Riggs class," she finished. I nodded my head, unsure of how to respond to the amount of energy she was giving off.

I felt the same unease in my stomach return and I quickly realized that I shouldn't be here. It wasn't Anissa's fault for being so warm, and everyone else being nice it was... just everything. I can't take it. I'm not ready for this, I thought and started to prepare myself for leaving. I steadied my breathing, swallowing hard at the dryness in the back of my throat.

Cody motioned toward the table and made himself comfortable on the weathered wood. Deciding that it was probably best I stayed, I took a seat next to the girl who had just appeared. She smiled, her blue eyes gleaming with joy as she brushed her thick curls behind her ears. She continued to stare at me as if she were waiting for me to say something.

I raised my eyebrows in confusion, now regretting my decision to stay, her smile dulling. "It's me, Cassandra? Alicia's cousin?" She spoke with agitation. It took a moment for me to realize who she was but then it hit. My best friend's cousin was placed right in front of my face. Small world.

"Cassandra? I thought you lived in Nevada? But wow you've changed a lot from the last time I saw you," I replied, taking in her every detail now and compared it to the last time I had seen her. Which, given the circumstances, was about eight years ago when she had come to visit Alicia over the summer. Cassandra used to be the biggest out of all of us; it appeared now that she was the smallest, her seemed height the same. Her cheeks were still constantly blushed and blonde hair wild as ever.

"No I don't live there, used to. But looking at you now I can't believe your the same person, when I heard your name I wasn't sure it was you," she paused, letting out a grin, "you look just like your mom," she added but then quickly edges back with hesitation. I smiled faintly. That's what everyone told me. I don't think people understood the importance of what that meant to me at this point in my life.