My life

Chapter 2

She saw him, the boy from the lake Bill, she had almost forgotten about their unusual encounter when she noticed someone salute her from the opposite end of the hallway. She had seen him from up close before but now, with him standing a distance away, she noticed how tall he was, towering over most students in the hall way. He stood out, and she couldn't tell if it was in a bad way or good way but she could tell there was something dark about him and she didn't need anymore darkness in her life so she turned around without a smile or a nod.

There were few things in life that Chloe genuinely loved and that includes English. She loved being lost in literature, reading so much books and poems, getting lost in different fantasies which explained why she always sat attentively in English class, eager for assignment but for some reason she wasn't today, her mind kept straying back to Bill who sat a couple sits behind her . He was on her roll so there was no way she could steal glances at him without being obvious. She felt bad for ignoring him earlier so she made a mental note to apologize after the class was over.

It was lunch time. Chloe hadn't gotten the chance to apologize to him after class so she decided to do it now, during lunch.

She hadn't been to the cafeteria since freshman year and she never thought she'd have to, not after everything that went down.

Taking in a deep breath, she walked in. It was noisy as usual but other than that, nothing new, no one paid attention to her so she made a beeline to his table.
He sat with his friends, two boys and a familiar looking girl with orange hair, they were all busy doing their own thing while Bill was on his phone.

Pausing in front of them, she cleared her throat to gain his attention but instead gained the attention of the whole table. Ignoring the rest, she faced Bill.

"Uh hi... Bill right?"

He looked at her blankly

"Can I help you ?"

"Uhh I just wanted to apologize for earlier, it was rude and I..."

She was interrupted by a loud burst of laughter, starting from the orange haired girl and then the whole table was laughing, except Bill. She was confused. Regardless of her confusion, her cheeks went aflame from the embarrassment of being laughed at. It was almost like De Javu, just standing there and being the laughing stock of a crowd.

"who's Bill?" One of the boys finally asked after their laughter died down.

She was confused at first but then it dawned on her, he lied about his name. She didn't find it funny tho, she considered it stupid. What was the point in lying about his name? She felt stupid for feeling bad about ignoring him, for trying to apologize becoming the laughing stock of his friends. It reminded her of why she liked to stick to herself.

"Listen girl, we're not friends. Stop following me around"

"I'm not..." she tried to defend herself but he turned away from her, dismissing her.

His words hurt but they were true. They weren't friends. What did she expect by coming here?
She held her head high, brushing off his words and actions as she left his table.

~

Standing in front of the supermarket cashier, Chloe knew why the orange colored hair girl with "Bill" the other day looked familiar. It wasn't surprising that she didn't realize it earlier since she was always absent minded and never really noticed people.

"Hi Bill" the girl smirked. The mockery was clear and Chloe couldn't hide the embarrassment. She decided not to dignify her words with a response.

The girl subtly assessed Chloe while packing her groceries. She'd seen her around but never really spoken to her. The other day at the cafeteria had come as a surprise to her and now standing in front of her, she felt a tinge of guilt for taking part in her embarrassment especially since she knew what an asshole her friend could be sometimes.

"I'm Laila" the Orange colored hair girl finally spoke to break the silence

"I'm Bill"

"Now look who's being an asshole" she smiled at the girl's sense of humor. By now, she had finished packing.

"Chloe" she finally answered and made to leave

"You know Chloe, you're a bit trusting. I mean who's to say I haven't given you a fake name?"

"Name tag Laila" Chloe replied and walked away. Laila found herself smiling after the girl, intrigued by her behavior.

~

Chloe's walk home was uneventful as usual. Her mind kept straying back to the unusual encounter she had with Laila. She wondered if it was all just a game, she wouldn't put it past her since she hung out with the likes of  "Will". She knew it was wrong to judge her based on what her friend did but she was only being cautious.

She got home just in time to meet her mother.

"Hi mum" her mother ignored her, choosing instead to stare at her face in the small pocket mirror she held. Chloe accessed her mother, noting her skin tight red dress that barely covered her ass, her hair curled up to perfection and her face over coated with make up. She reeked of cheap perfume. It was no secret where her mum was going to or what she was going there to do. It hurt her every time she saw her mum this way but she has grown accustomed to it, now she watched her mum with cold steady gaze.

She finally put the mirror away in her hand bag and waltzed past Chloe with her head held high. Muttering a low "don't wait up", she walked out the front door, slamming it dramatically and leaving a loud bang in her wake. The house was quiet as she began to put the groceries away. This was how it had been ever since her dad left.

It was as tho they had been cursed to be miserable with or without him in their lives.