Desire Of The Fallen

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The cafeteria was crowded with teenagers milling around, balancing lunch trays. Girls strutted precariously on high heeled shoes, showing off their latest designer clothes, giggling and gossiping. Annabelle and Coral carefully maneuvered their way through the mob and queued up for lunch. “So last night, I was checking my wardrobe and I realized I totally needed more clothes,” Coral was saying. “We have to go shopping sometime. You will come along with me, won’t you Annabelle?” Annabelle chose not to reply; she despised shopping but was careful not to say so to her enthusiastic friend. 

 As her turn came, she bought a vegetable salad and a box of orange juice. Coral chose a donut and a bottle of soda. They quickly made their way to an empty table until a voice hailed them. “Annabelle! Coral! Come sit with us!” Daniel called. Annabelle winced inwardly as she noticed the bullies accompanying him. Pretending she had not heard, she kept  on moving. Coral followed suit. Their attempts to avoid another confrontation with the girls were futile as Daniel jogged over to them. “Come on you two, why the cold shoulder?” he asked in mock hurt. He gave Annabelle a warm smile which promptly made her forget about the whisper that was haunting her since last night. He placed a hand on Annabelle’s shoulder and smoothly ushered her to his table.

A scowl marred Coral’s pretty features and she glared at the ‘group of plastics’ as she referred to them. Shirley tossed back her maple syrup toned hair with practiced grace. “Dan, you know these girls?” she inquired in a sneering tone, her expression sour. Coral went red and her eyes darkened with fury. She opened her mouth to retaliate but Annabelle put a placatory hand on her shoulder and she was compelled to stop, which made Shirley smirk even more.

As they sat down, Daniel made the introductions. “This is Mike and this is Gabe,” he said, gesturing to the other two boys who nodded in acknowledgement. Annabelle stared at them. They were both tall and lissome, with high cheekbones and silky hair. Gabe had emerald green eyes that seemed to see right through her and dark mahogany hair that looked elegantly untidy. Daniel then glanced at Shirley and her cronies. “And I suppose you have already met?” he said, unease creeping into his voice for the first time. Annabelle, however, merely nodded coldly, the perfect picture of calm. "Yes, we have met," Mary piped up. "The world is a small place. You just keep running into weirdos." Coral's patience snapped. "You might want to pay more attention to your words… Pimple face!" Mary's face flushed, the light duet of freckles becoming more prominent. She slammed her hands onto the table, startling the boys who appeared wary. "You think you're so beautiful, Coral, no? Well let it be known to you that it is just your imagination. And you!" She stared intently at Annabelle "Always following her around eh? Why's your hair tinted red? Have you started copying her too now?"

 Mike intervened, trying to pour oil over troubled waters, but the bullies were furious now. 

"I don't understand how you can stand to be around her!" Allison uttered the last word as though Annabelle was covered in sewage. Daniel looked in amazement at Annabelle who appeared completely serene. She was shooting warning glances at Coral but never once spoke up for her own defense. Daniel did not realize how intensely he was staring until Gabe said softly, "Dude, you are staring. She'll notice. Stop it." "No, I'm not," he muttered, not tearing his gaze away. This earned him a sharp jab in the ribs. He jerked his head away, annoyed. 

 Annabelle interjected, "That's enough. There is really no need to fight." Zoe glared at her. "Shut up, weirdo. No one was talking to you anyway." Coral sprang to her feet as though she had been electrified. Annabelle could easily predict the fight that would ensue, so she grabbed Coral's arm and dragged her away. Inside, she was seething at Daniel's tactlessness but kept her face carefully impassive.