Fallen

Chapter 2

"Hey Dee." He smiled, warm, his breath creating steam against the cold morning air.
"Hey Caleb" and they began their walk.

Caleb and Deena. What a pair. Best friends since who knew when. Caleb did. But Deena found the precious memory of their first exchange of words rather blurred in the crevices of her hippocampus. No one acknowledged it.

It was a Tuesday. Cold, yet hopeful. The air seemed rather welcoming, a breeze brushed a loose stand of hair against Deena's face as she and Caleb walked through the school gates.

"There he is" Deena sighed as she slid her Algebra book from the neatly packed shelf in her locker.
"Not again" Caleb looked over a shoulder to where Deena was, across the hall, dramatically throwing herself against the locker and smirking. She knew how to rile Caleb up better than anyone else. Except Landon Vice.

Deena was besotted with him. In fact, she probably loved him. She noticed every little thing about him. And loved those things. She wondered if his girlfriend did that. If she saw the way he bit his lip when he was doing History homework. Saw the freckles on his shoulders. Saw him. Like Deena did. But Deena knew he was off limits. Mostly because while she was staring at him during a lecture on the Renaissance, he didn't know she existed.

Caleb on the other hand, couldn't stand Landon, he often used the words "air-headed dumbass" when describing him. Although Landon was never present for these descriptions. Deena never knew why, after all, Landon didn't know Caleb existed either.

"Every time, Dee?" He asked with a sigh.
"Look at him Caleb! He's gorgeous"
"Not my definition of gorgeous"
"Well I'd hardly think so. Unless you're not telling me something?" She nudged him as they walked to their next classes.
"Ok you know what? I'll see you after school" he laughed as he rolled his eyes at the smiling girl.
"See you then"

"What took you so long? I'm freezing my ass off out here" Caleb stood in his brown hoodie, blowing a warm breath into his frozen hands. Florida was on the cusp of autumn and winter, the temperature after dark reaching a bitter cold.
"I was... preoccupied" Deena smiled, recalling something Caleb couldn't see.
"Oh that's right, the football team had practise today"
"Ok, maybe I was around the general vicinity of the sports pavilion"
"Knew it"
"Shut up"
And the pair laughed. Unto only the ears of the night. The warmly-lit houses filled with dining families didn't care for their banter. So the deep, dark sky swallowed their joy, eternally hungry for emotion. Something it'd never feel.

The smell of cinnamon pie greeted the pair as they entered the Ross residence.
"You're home awfully late today dear," Cheryl Ross said from the kitchen as she wiped her flour-covered hands on her apron.
"Yeah I had thing after school. Can Caleb stay for dinner?"
A moment of silence.
"Of course dear. Caleb's always welcome to stay."
"Thanks mom. We'll be upstairs"

Deena and her family were accustomed to Caleb's comings and goings. Mostly comings. And stayings. Caleb spent most of his time at Deena's house, and his parents never called him. No matter how late he'd stay. Deena had never actually met Caleb's parents, he said they were always away on business. She'd never even been to his house for more than a few hours, and even then his parents weren't home. But no one acknowledged it.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Dee" Caleb slid through her window.
"You know I have a front door right?" She laughed. "And walking out of it is much easier than shimmying down the drain pipe"
"But where's the fun in that?" He smiled and disappeared into the garden below.

A quiet knock.

"Deena? Is Caleb with you?"
"No he had to leave, what's up?"
"Can I come in?"
"Yeah" Deena straightened as her mom sat on the side of her bed.
"Are you ok?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
Cheryl's chocolate-brown eyes met the floor, and melted in front of the fireplace.
"You took your pills this morning?" She spoke to the embers.
"Yeah?"
"Good." She hastily stood and made for the door, "Your father will be home soon. Better get that homework done."
And for a split second as Cheryl Ross gave one last smile, while the light caressed her line-kissed cheeks, Deena noticed the age in her face, as she shut the mahogany door.