The New Girl

Notebook

Rose looked up at the sky as she squinted to see past the sunlight which was pouring down our faces. She was now more calm as I saw her arms loosen around the notebook she had been carrying day in and day out. I was curious as to why she kept holding that thing so close to her and yet she could always keep it in her bag when she had classes and such. I suddenly felt hollow around her, as if I were nothing to her in which case everyone didn't mean anything to her. I guess she could care less about anyone except herself; making her selfish as the girl who desperately needed shoes.

"I need to go." Rose suddenly muttered, suddenly more tense then before. Her ruffled black trench coat fluttered in the light wind as she kneeled down onto the sidewalk, picking up the newspaper that had swept away from my hands. She absently dropped it beside me as she walked quickly down the street, avoiding eye contact with me the whole time. My eye brows knitted together as she grew small in the distance. 

"okay." I murmured. 

The light tinkling of the bells from the newpaper boy's bike was ringing in the distance as I poured myself a glass of orange juice. 

"3...2....1...." I heard the newspaper thump against the front door. So typical. I took a glance at the ticking clock: "8:34...same as always." I muttered to myself happily as I picked up the fresh newspaper rolled up and tied with a blue elastic band; a very crisp looking image. I unrolled the papers as the headline on the front page threw me off. 

In a big thick font, printed in coal black: VICTIM SUFFERS FROM MINOR HEART ATTACK

"Holy shit." I commented. 

I found Rose at school later on in the day, listening to her music quietly holding an apple while she was reading a page of th same newspaper that I had. I slammed my newspaper infront of her as she looked up. Plain brown eyes boring into the middle of my head. I was almost expecting a laser to burn through my brain as she took a dainty bite from her apple. Her eyes flickered across the front page as she tensed up again.

"Look what you've done..." I stammered. I gritted my teeth at her as her jaw was locked in place. She buttoned up her black ruffled trench coat as she set her apple down. She was looking intently at the newspaper as if a cat had been rescued yesterday. I growled at her as she stared at me. 

"You don't think that *I* did this...don't you?" she asked, trying to play...innocent.

"It was the same victim who took your stupid noteb--" She slammed her fists on the table as a few students turned their heads at the sound. once they figured out it was Rose, they immediatley looked down, and continued their mindless chatter. Is this what Rose wanted? for people to be scared at her even by giving direct eye contact? It was pitiful at what she had done over the past few weeks. People didn't even dare talk about her behind her back...after what that girl had gone through on her very first day at North Wood High School. 

"Do...not call this notebook stupid..."she hissed, scaring the crap out of me. The anger suddenly vented out as I tried to remain calm, but the ony emotion that played across my face at this very moment was nervousness of what she was going to do to me. I was paranoid because of her. Rose Shaw made people unforgettably paranoid around her. 

"Why then? What's so special about it??" I asked, attempting to touch her shoulder. She flinched away. 

"You wouldn't be able to understand." she whispered, the anger still boiling in her blood.

"I think I would." I pressed, sitting beside her this time. She turned to look at me, her eyes sinking into me as if I had made her calm just by taking the most simplest glance. 

I rubbed my neck nervously as I stared at Rose's apple for a few moments. She looked anxious by rubbing her wrists with her hand slowly, I guess figuring out what to say to me. She sighed aggressively as she folded my newspaper in half. She laid it out on her lap as she took antoher bite from her apple. I continued to stare at *her* now since she was taking too long to respond. Finally, she cleared her throat and looked around. Most people were were stuck in the infamous world of gossip, while a few people tooka few glances at her before turning away quickly. 

"You read a lot, don't you." it wasn't a question she was saying, it was a statement. I nodded dumbly as I slid my head toward my newspaper. She was wearing black see-through tights paired with her black knee-high boots along with a thick black cardigan that swooped over her wrists. All in all she looked comfortable in what she wore, even if it was all black. She nudged me away as she handed me the article. I instantly blushed as loweered my arm in surprise.

"yeah, I read all the time." I mumbled.

"I read too. It's one of my favorite past times." She replied, her teeth grinding together softly. Oh and also hurting people in my fricken presence! I also wanted to add. But I was too fearful of what she would do if I blurted that accusation at her. Her cold chocolate brown eyes staring me down as I get hit by a truck in broad daylight.

"Stop distracting me with this reading thing," she looked up at me as her eyes conveyed innocence once again, "Why did you do it?" I whispered harshly. She approved her posture as she held the notebook and stuffed it into her bag for the very first time. But she and I both knew that it was only temporary. 

"Do what, Logan?" what? she knew my name? I shook off the thought and focused on her. 

"How are you able to hurt those people without touching them? What about the glass in clas the first day you were here? what about the guy who--"I ranted only to be interrupted by Rose's index finger planted lightly on my lips. She told me by the look of her face that I should keep my voice quieter. I understood. 

"Logan!" she hissed quickly. I shoved her finger out of the way to speak.

"What?" I asked, my voice raspy from lack of water.

"Shut up!" she crowed, holding me by the shoulders, "If you talk like this, people will think that you're absurd!"

"Don't they already think that you have something to do with all of this?" I breathed. She lost her grip on my shoulders as I clenched her fists so tightly, her knuckles began to fade into a ghostly white. 

"I didn't do anything."she muttered, packing up her belongings and leaving me once again. People stared at her as she left, not even thinking of what the consequences that might occur later on.

I had to find out why all of these things were happening now. Especially when Rose Shaw was around.