Love Denied Vol.1 Of The Love Trials Trilogy

Chapter 2 "Frozen!"

(Tori's POV)

"Hey, Tori!" Arianna Karlstad waved as she reached me at the main halls entrance.

She ended up pulling me away from my frozen state.

"Hi." I said the one word in a clipped tone as I snapped the book in my hand close. I quickly and fluidly placed it inside my backpack that happened to be beside me on the floor. Bending over, my hair became a screen as I gave Arianna a slanted once over, confirming that she was herself and no one else(now the reason for this would have to be told another time).

As for my bag, it was a huge bag, and was fittingly dubbed the coffee maker by my closest friends. Well, only five of my friends were brave enough to call it that in my presence. I grunted as I straightened up and placed the backpack over my shoulder, once I settled it as comfortably as possible. Tossing my hair away from my face, I started walking to class with Arianna at my heels.

"Well, you're not in a good mood today..." Arianna said trying to make conversation.

"What made you think that?" I said with a slight smile on my lips.

"Your tone." Arianna stated helpfully, then added, "And your attempt at sarcasm is terrible."

Well, I'm guessing my tone was dry to the ears, maybe even grating. And my sarcasm was probably terrible. Hell! I can't even tell when one of my own friends was being sarcastic, so how am I going to pull off sarcasm. Thankfully, Arianna was use to my dark moods and terrible attempts at sarcasm. Otherwise she'd probably be down wind from me like everyone else in school.

I put a callous hand through my raven black hair in frustration as my mind wondered to that delicate red-haired beauty I had seen in the main halls entrance. Her startling vibrant green eyes still captivated my mind. As did her delicately flawless pale skin that went at odds with her bright red hair. Along with her petite body and the tilt in her eyes...

She was startling, so exotic in a manner all of her own.

"Hello! Is anyone there?" Arianna said as she waved a hand in front of my eyes as we kept walking.

"Yes. Sadly." I said making it separate with a long pause.

Arianna had a startling gray color for her eyes, while her hair was a light brown color that was always neatly tied into a ponytail. Unlike my tilted eyes, she had round eyes that sometimes became rounder with each expression her face took. Her skin was pale with a hint of color in her face, but of course her whole appearance was due to her Welsh blood.

I couldn't help but crack a smile.

"Okay, you're smiling...ah...I'm not in trouble. Am I?" Arianna asked wearily.

"You're never in trouble with Tori-chan, Ari-chan." A soft voice came up from behind us.

"Hello, Mizuki." I acknowledged without turning around.

Mizuki Bo Harlan was the only part Japanese friend in my circle of friends. And unlike me, her petite size, soft silky (dyed) red hair, and flawless skin showed her dominant heritage before anyone even looked at her eyes. Her eyes were a faded green, a warm green that were softened even more by the tilt of her eyes.

Though I was part Chinese, my height was 5"4', and I was not as delicate looking as my counterpart. That was probably due to my Hispanic heritage, those people aren't very delicate. Or perhaps I inherited a lot from my Celtic grandmother? Oh, well, I'll simply ask my mother later. Maybe.

"So what makes you think that Tori's mad at you?" Mizuki asked Arianna.

"She smiled." Arianna squeaked out as she pointed at me.