ISABEL (Sample)

Chapter Three

After her two classes ended and the bell for break rang throughout the school, Christine took her back pack and instead of joining the throng of students headed to the school's cafeteria, she headed as usual to the field.

The students were all moving in pairs and sets but she walked alone, she had no friends. Her mother had been concerned and in a quest to help her make friends in the neighbourhood had invited the neighbours' daughters to dinner and told her if she like them she could have a girls' sleep over by weekend.

The first dinner and turned Christine off. One was too full of herself while the other was quite an annoying chatter-box. She had told her disappointed mother to forget the sleep over. She might go nuts if she spend a night with the two.

The sun hit face as she stepped into the open field. She sheilded her face against the sun to get a better scanning view of the field.

Several students were sitting on the lush grass. While the benches made under the shades of the spared-large trees on the field were already occipied. She however found a slopy deserted part overlooking the wide expanse of the field and the forest surrounding the back of the school property some distances away.

She maneuvered her way through the students eating and chatting in groups or pairs on the field and sat down on her chosen spot. Placing her back pack by her side, she zipped open pulling out her lunch, well packaged in a brown paper bag.

She straightened the paper bag and pulled out an orange bottled drink and two hamburgers. She took a bite and savoured the taste gratefully.

She had planned to continue reading The Mayor of Casterbridge while she ate her lunch because she was curious to know what would happen to Susan and her baby when they found out that the man, her husband who had sold them to a sailor in a drunk state who had now become the Mayor was going to welcome them back.

As she began to read and munch on her snacks, sipping her orange juice from time to time to wash it down, a girlish high-pitched laughter interrupted her reading and got her attention.

Christine knew that laughter only belong to one girl, Pamela Edwards, the school's Lead cheerleader. Christine turned to look at her far left where the laughter had come from.

There was Pamela as she suspected sitting with her friends and facing the football jocks who were sitting from across them over the long table. Christine knew only two reasons would make the jocks sit with Pamela and her friends.

One, if they had interest in any of them. Two and most importantly, if the captain of their team was there. When she took a closer look, she saw him. He was sitting next to Pamela, his back relaxed and his arm extended over the back of the bench.

She swallowed hard. The mere sight of him made butterflies restlessly flutter in her stomach. She watched as the breeze ruffled softly through his neatly-trimmed, jet-black hair.

Dave was like a fallen angel. The hottest dude there was in the whole school that was why girls tried to catch his attention.

She had started crushing on him when she stumbled upon him in the school gym. He was already lifting the dumb bell to his shoulder again which he was using to pump his muscles when he stopped mid-way noticing her too.

They had stared at eachother for a while unable to break their gaze until one of his friends interrupted it by telling him they needed to shower and get going.

The very thought of seeing him again brought a smile to her lips. As she turned her gaze on him again, her heart beat skipped as her gaze locked with his piercing blue one this time.

How had he known she was even here at all? She blushed in embarrassment having been caught in the act of staring. His expression was blank like the first time. His look betrayed no emotion. She noticed he seemed to have tuned out the laughter and conversation around him just to give her the full focus of his attention which was his gaze anyway.

Chickening out, she broke the gaze. She blinked several times to resume concentrating on her novel, feeling seriously embarrassed. She was grateful for her thick hair and protectively formed a curtain around her face.

When she sneaked a peek towards his direction to see if he was still staring at her, she was shocked to find he and his friends gone. She quickly scanned around her but didn't see any sign of them.

When she looked back to the bench, her gaze caught Pamela's and her friends'. They were glaring daggers at her and Pamela particularly did not look pleased with her.

Ohoh! She was in for it, big time!