Business of Misery (Ace Merrill - Stand By Me - Eyeball Chambers)

Chapter Two (CastleRockGirl)

Business of Misery

Faye

2

"So, where are you from originally?"

I juggled my science book for a few seconds before holding it under my arm. Annie walked beside me, fiddling and fixing at pins in her hair. She had been assigned my lab partner because hers was off and I was the odd one out in class, we had chatted on and off and she had offered to show me the way to our English class, being the new girl I didn't say no - no matter how strange her hair was.

"Oklahoma," I explained. "We just moved here about a week ago."

"Where?"

"Kent Drive?" I said, uncertain if she knew where it was, but I assumed from the nod she did. "Where do you live?"

"Over on Elmwood. We live about ten minutes apart, I'm just past the church."

"Oh."

"You have no idea where the church is, do you?" She giggled.

"Sorry, no," I replied. "I've been helping fix up the house, we haven't really gotten round to looking about the place never mind attending a service."

"Such a poor Christian," she joked. Sighing in frustration, she halted and turned to me. "Hey, can you hold my purse for a sec? This 'do is starting to really bug me and I haven't enough time to go to the bathroom before class."

I took her purse and watched with concern as she tried fixing at her hair for a few seconds, pulling out a bobby-pin only to jab it in somewhere else every few seconds. One seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back and her hair fell apart, causing several items that had been concealed inside tumble to the ground.

"Shit!" she cried, bending down and frantically searching the floor between people's feet to recover whatever it was that had fallen out. I looked down and noticed several tubes of lipstick, a compact mirror and a tube of mascara. But the most impressive item of them all had landed on my shoe. I bent down and picked up the Lucky Strikes, also grabbing a rogue lipstick that had rolled just out of Annie's reach.

"I'm so clumsy, I knew I shouldn't have stuffed so much in."

"Could have fooled me," I said, with a small chuckle. "I'm surprised it held for so long."

We broke into laughter and ignored the girls who pushed past us impatiently as they hurried to their next class.

Our laughter stopped when a pair of smart heels came to a deliberate stop in front of us.

"Ah-hem."

Uh oh.

"Uh... we were just-"

"I can see exactly what you were just doing. Thank you, Annie. These items are not permitted inside the school grounds! You know the rules," the teacher told Annie. She looked me up and down and her eyes turned murderous as they focused on the pack of cigarettes I was clutching. "And I expected better from our newest pupil, Miss...?"

"Reeves, Miss. Faye Reeves." I said, my face flooding with embarrassment.

"Follow me," she instructed both me and Annie.

We trailed behind her with our heads hung low, students stared curiously to find out why we were being marched down the hall.

"Sorry," Annie muttered.

"Never mind," I replied, shrugging my shoulders. "Just don't pack so many cosmetics in your hair next time."

Annie sniggered, snatching the lucky strikes from my hand and opening the lid, she pulled out two cigarettes and held them out for me to take, which I did so and quickly slipped them into my pocket. She winked at me and I had to hide a smile as the stern-looking teacher opened the office door and pointed for us to go inside.