Mind of Coraline (on hold)

Chapter 2

Sean threw the ball to me. I caught it and laughed nervously. I looked around the circle. All six guys were watching me, their faces filled with amusement. Sophie just sat there with a huge grin spread across her face. Simon wrapped his arm around my shoulder and squeezed it gently, letting me know he was right there beside me.

“Okay!” Sean laughed. He supported his chin on the back of his hand and smirked at me. My entire body shuddered in anxiety of what he might make me do. I knew he didn’t like me, I just didn’t understand why. From the corner of my eye I could see Sophie trying her best to suppress a hysterical laughter.

“Coraline,” Sean finally spoke. “I dare you to kiss Simon on five different places. The last one has to be on the lips.” I narrowed my eyes at him. Was he serious? Stupid jerk! I felt Simons arm retreat from its grip around my shoulder, and I turned to face him. He smiled at me and gestured for me to come closer. I sucked in a deep breath and inched a little closer. My hands on his shoulders I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Then I kissed the other cheek. I kissed his forehead and his neck. Then I quickly kissed his lips and pulled away. Blushing all over my face I sent the group a small smile and sheepishly threw the ball at Sophie. She grabbed it. Our eyes met, and I swear, if looks could kill I would have been dead right there. She got up on her feet and walked over to Simon. Shooting me another deadly glare, she sat herself down on his lap pulling his arms around her waist.

“What’s the challenge Miss Maine?” She asked as she brushed her boyfriend’s cheek. I immediately looked down on my hands, very much aware of her cold eyes boring into my hair. I had clearly pissed her off; kissing on her property. I took in another deep breath and found the courage to face her again. In a courageous voice I told her: “Seven minutes in heaven with Sean.”

The guys in the group chuckled and supported my demand by cheering for Sean and Sophie. She did not look pleased. Sean, on the other hand, had a hard time hiding the wide grin that threatened to show on his face. Matthew padded his shoulder and laughed. We all knew he’d had a crush on Sophie in like forever. She, of course, didn’t like him that way. She was all in for a guy’s looks, not giving a damn about their personality, but unluckily for Sean, he wasn’t exactly a good looking guy. The only reason he had made it into this group was because of his badass-attitude. No one really liked him, but Sophie, the merciful soul she was, had welcomed him with open arms. She had thought he would keep the ‘losers’ away with his harsh words and threatening body features. He did a great job with that actually, if you think about it. But Sophie had not seen it coming when he had asked her to be his girlfriend. She refused right away, leaving him heartbroken. Later that day she got together with Simon.

She scowled at me, hatred burning in her eyes like meteors. I had to suppress a satisfied grin. I was enjoying this way too much. I was very surprised by my sudden need to humiliate her. My eyes were glued to her back, as she marched out of the room with Sean. The boys were giving them moral support with their continuing cheering: “Go get her, Bad Boy!”, “Don’t forget to breathe!”, “Remember; it’s only seven minutes!” Sean sent us one last grin before he shut the door closed behind them.

After a few seconds of silence we all burst in laughter. Even Simon chuckled. I had never felt so powerful and satisfied or so good! Matthew called my name and picked me up from the floor, spinning me around like crazy. I let out a surprised yelp and laughed even harder. “Put me down!” I screamed still very amused. Matthew just chuckled and spun me the other way around. “Matthew! I’m going to be sick! Put me down, please!” He laughed at that, but finally slowed down and let me get my feet back on the ground. Whistles sounded from all around us, and we both smiled hugely at each other. “That was a great dare, Cora.” He stated. I lifted an eyebrow and leaned in, whispering in his ear: “Why thank you Matty.” He frowned and pulled his fingers through his black hair. I chuckled.

The door suddenly flew open hitting the wall with a BAM! In walked Sophie with disgust written all over her pretty face. A rather pale Sean appeared after her and he silently sat down. Before I got to ask what had happened, Sophie had grabbed the ball, her eyes shooting daggers at mine, and thrown it at me. My stomach churned as I grabbed it. A fake smile spread across her face, making me very nauseous. The room went silent.

“My dear, sweet Cora, I dare you to call Tracy and tell her you want to be her friend again.” A pleased smile sent shudders down my spine. I sent a panicked glance to Matthew. He shrugged. “Just do it, Coraline.” I frowned at him and looked back at Sophie. “You know I can’t do that! She hates me. She hasn’t even spoken to me in three years! I could never do that to her, I can’t hurt her again. Sophie, I don’t want to.” The petite girl stepped a little closer to me and somehow managed to tower her tiny body over me, though she was the same height as me. Frankly, it scared the crap out of me. She had never looked as threatening as she did then. The guys started to boo at me. “What. A. Loser.” Sophie sighed dramatically. The guys started to laugh very excited by the tension between us. I looked at Simon, who had just minutes before offered me a supporting squeeze. He was laughing just as hard as the others.

“Coraline, don’t you understand? Did you not hear what the punishment for not obeying would be?” Sophie asked in a horrible, fake caring voice. When I didn’t answer, she continued. “If you don’t take the dare, then you have to give us the thing you love the most. You would have to give up your hair, sweet Cora.” The words burned its way into my skin. I clenched my teeth together. Sophie gestured at her cellphone for me to make the call. My breathing went faster as I took the phone out of her hands. I folded it out and dialed Tracy’s number. My thumb hovered over the ‘call’ button.

I saw Tracy’s face before my eyes. Her hurt face from when I spoke to her last. My heart raced in my chest, and I felt the familiar feelings of regret and guilt returning to the surface. I couldn’t do it… I shut the phone and tossed it back at Sophie. “You’re not worth it.” I picked up my things and went for the door.

•••••

“Coraline?” A huge grin spread across this pretty girl’s face. My jaw dropped. She started to laugh out loud and ran towards me, going in for a hug. Old feelings and memories flashed before my eyes, leaving me breathless. I slowly put my arms around her to return thee hug. She let go, just to take a step back and look me in the eyes. Every inch of her slightly tanned faced was lit up by the happy smile that seemed to be glued upon her lips. “Hi Sophie,” I managed to say before she pulled me in to another crushing hug. “Oh Cora, I’m so happy to see you! I’ve missed you like crazy.” Still taken by surprise, I sent her the most sincere smile I could pull off, when she let go of me again. “Really?” I asked. She laughed and nodded. “Of course, silly. Didn’t you miss me?”

Before I could answer, she pulled me by the arm in the direction of the two other girls, I had forgotten were still there. “Girls, this is my best friend Coraline. I haven’t seen her in ages. Coraline, this is Mindy and Tanya. The four of us are going to be best friends!”

A/N: So this is the second chapter, I hope you like it :) Please read, vote and comment! Thank you. xx