The Facade

Chapter 1: Franklin Chugg's Cafe

ASHLEIGH

"You know, we should attempt volleyball next time, who knows how fun it could be?"

The reccess bell went off like a lunatic emergency alarm that sends students leaving their lecture halls, ready to take a break after the everlasting lessons. People of Newton High came crisscrossing, making their way to their respective locker, most of them with a smile on their faces. I tucked a strand of hair to the back of my ear as I approached the entrance of the corridor of lockers, neatly arranged in two rows, facing opposite to each other. The cool October breeze drifted through the sliding door, sending chills down my spine. As soon I reached my locker, I peeped inside to see mostly fantasy novels, mainly about angels laying perfectly in the middle. I grinned, with a huge upward banana-like curve on my face, but the idea of still being a 5-year-old little girl made my whole body shuddered unnervingly, as if it was figuring solutions to bring my under-developed mental growth into constant acceleration once again.

To that, I slammed the door with disgust and acrimony.

Which makes perfect sense that I don't have much friends around me, well, except for the one-and-only Dalphine who probably enjoyed every second of her time with me. We both knew each other since the early years of our childhood, via our parents' relationship, which makes it very likely for us to stick together in most time of the day. Either it's in school or at home, we both have our ways to resume our connectivity.

For the rest of the moments, I shoved my textbooks into my school bag, planning to get a good grasp of the few chapters which our Mrs. Evan has gone through although I'd never stick to the pre-drafted plan. The cold autumn breeze kept gushing into the loose ends of my shirt, as if the damn bleakness was piercing into my bones, making me pulling my sweater closer to my body. But still, I shivered in awful irritation

"So, how was it? You think we can do that again, together? Or maybe something more, exciting?" Dalphine with her eyes twinkling like a thousand starlight looking into mine with her impeccable hazelnut creamy hair cascading over her shoulders while she's in her usual designated sling-over blue and white striped blouse. Her hands clamping on my left shoulder, as if she's a humanly-friendly bear clinging to me from the back.

I shook my head in laughter. My, how could I ever be angry with her when we're majoring into each others' hearts. She's like the moonlight shining upon me in the dark, as if she's the only halo encircling around me, the lonely sun in the solar system.

"Dalphine, you know I'm not an athlete who thinks running a few kilometers in a minute is like gulping a cup of tea in the morning," I groaned under my breath, a tinge of dislike and unpromising results were vividly interpreted.

"Oh come on! It's not as horrendous as you think! Just imagine yourself you're so in love in any kinds of sports to the phase you're literally addicted to it!" She blew me a wink, but I rejected by flicking my hair turned away. "In love, my butt"

"Ashleigh babe, come on! At least for my sake? How in the million years can you find someone as angelic from head to toe as me huh? Just give it a try, alright?" she pleaded as if there was no tomorrow, with her eyes teeming with the sense of being sympathised.

"Fine, whatever. But just once! And that's it.." I let go of myself for her sake, looking at her in this state made my tummy flinched a little.

"That's the spirit girl! Let's get something to drink shall we? My treat for today!"

We chatted and laughed on our way to a nearby cafe, serving the country's best coffees that you could ever wish for and wide variety of desserts with all sorts of flavour.