The Saint's Lips

Chapter Two

"Well if it isn't the elusive Ava Marks."

I turn to see the bubbly and familiar face of Louis Tomlinson. One of the guys in my group of "do-gooders" as the rest of the high school population would call us. We're not actually like that though, at least they sure as hell aren't. I give Louis a tight hug and he eyes me with fresh sympathy.

"How is everything?" He asks and allows his usual smile to fade.

Before I can respond with a tight grin that reveals my dimples, I see the fresh face of Katherine Williams peak its way through the glass doors of West Campus High.

"Out of the way bitches!" She yells to a group of confused looking freshmans who are blocking her path towards Louis and I.

Her jet black hair falls passed her hips if she lets it down all the way, but usually she has it tied up in a messy bun. Her curved body makes its way confidently next to my thin lanky frame, and she stops when she reaches Louis. His hair has grown a lot longer since I last saw him two months ago at the end of the year party, and he even has a bit of facial hair starting to grow in.

The buzzed and chattered hallways are crowded with clumps of groups who are all catching up on what they did this summer. Most of them are groups of girls who eye other groups of guys, and some have already commenced their giggling at each sneaky glance to one another.

"Ava, you look stunning. I've missed you so much!" Katherine says as she pulls me into a tight hug.

I eye myself up and down as if to contemplate whether the compliment is genuine, or laced with the same sympathy that clouded Louis' question. I decide that my ripped shorts and flowered tank top, matched with a pair of combat boots, are enough to warrant her noticing. I even bothered with some light makeup for the first day back, and my hair is no longer a mess of curls, but a wave of smooth brown hair. I was lucky enough to be genuinely happy with how my hair turned out today.

"Louis, you look like you've aged about three years in the last two months. Look who's almost got a beard!" Katherine continues in her greeting by teasing Louis, and he gives her a mocking laugh before they hug each other.

The rest of the group consists of Niall and Liam, who are as "do-gooders" as they come. Katherine is the most spontaneous out of the five of us, and she's always asking we do something fun and carefree. Usually it ends up being Niall, Liam, Louis and I staying late after school to work on some homework. Katherine has never ceased to tease us about it, but at the same time she adores this group as much as we do.

It's not to say that they never go out either. Whenever one of the dubbed "popular girls" throw parties in their own mansions, Katherine is quick to convince the other boys to accompany her. They always do, and I never hear the end of the stories on the following Mondays. This year, I'm hoping to at least be a part of one of the many memories we'll surely be making.

Just as I find myself beginning to relax, I check the communal clock that hangs above each hallway in the school. I catch the hour right before the bell rings, and once again, time calls us to rush our separate ways.

I have AP History with Liam first period, so I make my way into the classroom attempting to spot his face amidst the swarm of students.

"Hey Ava." The hesitant face of a blonde haired girl that I've known since freshman year smiles at me from the desk closest to the classroom door. "Hey." I respond cheerfully, and she, in turn, answers with a polite wave back.

Although most of the people in the school know exactly about my family situation, it has always irked me to have a little pity party each year that I walk back into these halls. It's as if everyone treats me like I'm going to fall to pieces at any moment, just because my father has been terminally sick for as long as they've known me. It's gotten to the point where that's all I can expect from the people who sit in the same classrooms as I do every day.