The Alliance

Chapter 2

Thankfully, I have art for my second period. I take a seat at a table near the back, and there are only a few other kids in there.

I see a black in my peripheral vision, and I turn towards it, and I'm met with dark brown, almost black eyes, and black hair. She has pale skin and beautiful tattoos on her collarbone and on her arms. She has a smokey eye paired with black lipstick.

"I know you saw me this morning." She says, boldly. Nobody else is around us yet, but she still whispers.

Is she about to threaten me? My knee bounces as I wait for her to keep talking.

"Just don't say a word to anyone, and we're good. Got that?"

"I wasn't going to say anything," I tell her, and I'm not sure if that's true or not. Was she the one who put the note in my desk? Is she even in that class?

"Good, " She smiles. "I'm Alisha." She says like she wasn't just threatening me.

I hesitate to tell her my name. "Ava." What if she already knows my name from writing the note?

"Nice to meet you, Ava. Black and blue, or white and gold?" She asks.

"Um, what?" I question, very confused. Is she high?

"The dress. Is it black and blue or gold and white?"

I pause, still confused.

She sighs, "Remember, the whole thing with the dress a million years ago? What color do you see?"

"Um, black and blue," I responded,

She asks and makes a buzzer sound. "That's incorrect. Right, Mr.J?" She looks at the teacher.

He looks over and smiles when he sees me. He's had me every year for three years. I force a smile back.

"Who are you, again?" He asks Alisha, and she pouts.

"Alisha. Now, is the dress black and blue, or gold and white?"

"That's a good question of the day. A better question is; Yanny or Laurel?"

Alisha gasps. "Oh, definitely Yanny! What about you, A?" She asks, and then I realize she's talking to me.

"Yanny." I agree, and she grins.

"A?" Mr.Jackson says, then pauses, "Is that a reference to-"

"Yep." Alisha grins, holding up a high five for Mr.Jackson, and he leaves her hanging. "I don't know where your hands have been," He mutters, going back to his desk.

Alisha looks at me. "I like him, A."

"Me too," I clear my throat, my knee bouncing. How do I keep a conversation going with a stranger?

I rub my neck awkwardly. "So um, why exactly were you here?"

She sighs. "Can't say. Secret FBI info. You understand."

"Can't say I do," I say honestly.

"Well then lie and say you do." She shrugs. "If you learn to become a good liar, you have a higher chance of becoming successful as an adult.  It's a fact. Yahoo it."

"Hey, wanna be lunch buddies?" She asks. This girl talks a lot, which is good since I barely talk.

I hesitate. "Um..."

She groans. "C'mon, please? Peer pressure, peer pressure, peer pressure, peer-"

"Okay, okay. Fine." I give in, excited and nervous that I have someone to eat lunch with instead of eating alone like I've been doing for 8 months.