Fallen Angels

Chapter Two

Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell

     I woke up to the sound of my cellphone going off, the darkness within my room helping my hazy vision clear up faster than normal. I sat up and groaned, grasping onto my head with an attempt to stop the excruciating pain.
It felt as though my head had been slammed against a wall repeatedly. I massaged the temples at my head and picked up my cellphone from the nightstand.
Twenty missed calls and thirty-five texts. All from Lottie.
WHERE ARE U??
R U OK??
WHERE'D U GO??
U MAD THAT I TOOK UR KICKS??
TALK TO ME
DID SETH SAY SOMETHIN?!
I groaned and tossed my cell to the side. Had I disappeared last night or something? I remembered loud music, Lottie bribing me, wanting to punch Seth, and then—I winced in pain as my vision went hazy, everything around me spinning. I couldn't remember anything else. I must've drank despite the fact that I hated the bitter taste that alcohol left in my mouth.
"Ashley!" The sound of my mother's voice from downstairs sounded amplified in my head, making me flinch. "You're gonna be late for your first day of school!"
School? It was only Saturday yesterday, and I didn't have brains for school at the moment.
The thought left my mind as I groaned once more before kicking off my jammy shorts and slipping on my skinny jeans and combat boots. I found my Beatles shirt at the bottom of my basket of clean clothes and threw it on, figuring it was better to be comfortable than looking nice.
After I finished changing I took two Ibuprofens and headed downstairs to the kitchen where my mother was at, cooking breakfast while silently humming to herself. "I got back home from my business trip late last night. You were already asleep so I figured that I wouldn't wake you."
I nodded though she had her back to me. "You were supposed to come back Sunday night though."
She glanced back over to me and smiled, "Hon, it was Sunday yesterday."
I forced a smiled, "Right," but nothing felt right about what she was saying. Everything was all so confusing. Had I slept all day yesterday? It was only Saturday last night. Did Lottie know what was going on?
Judging by her texts, she didn't.
I picked up my car keys from the counter and kissed Mom on the cheek "I'm heading off, sorry, we'll catch up after school."

Walking into my Chemistry Class I headed over to my assigned table and took a seat. This was the easiest period of the day, simply because I had no Chem. partner.
     I propped up my elbows and grasped onto my head, massaging at the aching parts that made me wince. While I did this, I traced my name on the sheet of paper that let you know who was supposed to sit here with my eyes, until I realized that my name was no longer solo.
     Ashley
     Dante
     No, I had no energy to deal with this. "You look like a happy camper." I looked up to face Lottie, a grimace expression on her face. "What the hell Ashley?"
     I winced at her tone, too loud for me to handle so early in the morning. "Shhh," I practically begged her, but she didn't budge.
     "Where'd you go Saturday night? You went AWOL on me and Seth, and not just that, you didn't return any of my calls or texts."
     So I had slept in all day Sunday, my empty stomach growling with knowledge. Another reason why I must feel so lightheaded. "I'm sorry," I whispered to her, unable to manage anything more.
     "Sorry my ass!" She scolded. "Seth and I had to leave the club early to try and find your sorry ass." She glared at me, her eyes like daggers. "The least you could've done was text me saying, 'hey I'm still alive and not in a ditch.'" She put up two fingers. "Two tries and I—the kind hearted bestfriend—will forgive you."
     "Look, the last thing I remember is wanting to give your boyfriend a black eye." I groaned out, grumpy that I had to explain more than I wanted. I felt like shoving some tissues down her throat to simply get a moment of silence. "Then the next thing I know I wake up in my bedroom."
     "If you're gonna lie," She growled, rolling her eyes and putting one finger down so her middle finger was left up. "You should at least make up a better one."
     "I'm not lying!"
     "Oh I get it, you got drunk!" She smirked.
     A possibility, if I enjoyed the taste of alcohol. "Want a microphone so you can announce it to the world?" I asked sarcastically.
     "Ohhhh suuure!" She smiled deviously. "Who doesn't wanna know that Ashley Preston isn't the good girl she pretends to be?"
     I opened my mouth to argue, but someone had beaten me to it. "If you don't mind," a menacing voice spatted, getting both mine and Lottie's attention. "Would you both shut the hell up or get out of my way."
     I turned to observe the black haired guy that stood there with a chemistry book in one hand, his gray eyes glaring down at us—specifically me—with hatred lighting up within them.
     "Well we do mind." Lottie responded stubbornly, glaring right back up at him. She was more ballsy than I thought, or stupider. He reeked of trouble with a pinky promise on top. But then again, most guys with lip piercings thought they were badasses. "So find another way to your seat!"
     "Unfortunately," he mumbled through gritted teeth. "This is my seat. I'm Dante." He tapped the sheet of paper with both his name and mine written on it that was so proudly declaring that he, of all people, was in fact my partner.
     And that I was his.