Page 9 (1/2)

Prologue

“You got a tattoo?”

It’s the third time I’ve asked Holder the same question, but I just don’t believe it It’s out of character for hied it

“Jesus, Daniel,” he groans on the other end of the line “Stop And stop asking me why”

“It’s just a weird thing to tattoo on yourself Hopeless It’s a very depressing term But still, I’m impressed”

“I gotta go I’ll call you later this week”

I sigh into the phone “God, this sucks,about this entire school since you moved is fifth period”

“What’s fifth period?” Holder asks

“Nothing They forgot to assign me a class, so I hide out in this maintenance closet every day for an hour”

Holder laughs I realize as I’h since Les died two ood for him

The bell rings and I hold the phone with my shoulder and fold up my jacket, then drop it to the floor of the ht “I’ll talk to you later Nap time”

“Later,” Holder says

I end the call and set my alarm for fifty minutes later, then place my phone on the counter I lower myself to the floor and lie down I close my eyes and think about how h what he’s having to go through and there isn’t a da I can do about it No one that close to me has ever died, much less someone as close as one of my sisters A twin sister to be exact

I don’t even try to offer him advice, but I think he likes that I think he needsmyself, because God knows everyone else in this whole damn school has no clue how to act around him If they weren’t all such stupid assholes he’d probably still be here and school wouldn’t suck half as bad as it does

But it does suck Everyone in this place sucks and I hate them all I hate everybody but Holder and they’re the reason he isn’t here anymore

I stretch s out in front of me and cross my ankles, then fold my arm over my eyes At least I have fifth period

Fifth period is nice

My eyes flick open and I groan when so lands on me I hear the sound of the door slam shut

What the hell?

I place in to roll it off raze a head full of soft hair

It’s a human?

A girl?

A chick just fell on

“Who the hell are you?” I ask cautiously Whoever she is, she tries to push offin the same direction I lift up and try to roll her to ether

“Shit,” she says

I fall back onto rab my forehead “Sorry,” I mumble

Neither one of usnot to cry I can’t see two inches in front of ht is still out but I suddenly don’t mind that she’ s still on top of me because she smells incredible

“I think I’ into the bathroom”

I shake h I know she can’t see it “Not a bathroo? Did you hurt yourself when you fell?”

I feel her whole body sigh on top of h I have no idea who she is or what she looks like, I can feel the sadness in her and it makes me a little sad in return I’o around her and her cheek falls against o from extremely aard to kind of comfortable, like we do this all the time

It’s weird and nore and I don’t really want to let go It feels sort of euphoric, like we’re in some sort of fairytale Like she’s Tinkerbell and I’m Peter Pan

No, wait I don’t want to be Peter Pan

Maybe she can be like Cinderella and I’ll be her Prince Char

Yeah, I like that fantasy better Cinderella’s hot when she’s all poor and sweaty and slaving over the stove She also looks good in her ball gown It also doesn’t hurt that we’re

I feel her pull a hand up to her face,away a tear “I hate them,” she says softly

“Who?”

“Everybody,” she says “I hate everybody”

I closeets it I’ she’s got a pretty valid reason

“I hate everybody too, Cinderella”

She laughs softly, probably confused as to why I just referred to her as Cinderella Whatever just h is intoxicating and I try to think of how I can get her to do it again I’ funny to say when she lifts her face off my chest and I feel her scoot forward Before I know it, I feel lips on mine and I’m not sure if I should shove her away or roll on top of her I begin to lift my hands to her face, but she pulls back just as quick as she kissed me

“Sorry,” she says “I should go” She places her palrab her face and pull her back down on top of me