Tower Of Bones

Chapter 6: Lulu Drakeford

By the end of the day, I already had a grasp on who was cool to talk to and who wasn't. Faye was good, Luke was cool, and the girl at lunch, Echo, was all right as well.

Alice would show up in my peripherals a lot throughout the day, and it certainly didn't help that she had her locker right next to mine. So in between classes, there she'd be. Minding her own business, quiet and often times with a pair of earbuds in her ears.

Every time I inhaled to say something to her, I would catch Faye in the corner of my eye watching me like she was still apprehensive about me talking to her.

My words kept falling flat in my throat and I would lower my eyes back to the floor, as she walked away.

By the end of the day, I made no progress with the cute blonde girl, Alice, and I was extremely disappointed in myself.

But I was headed out the door, with Luke and Faye behind me. Echo was perched on the steps outside, appearing to be waiting for her ride. She spotted me and gave me a shy wave and I grinned back.

"See you tomorrow," I said to her, hoping she knew that she had me as a friend now.

She smiled, beaming at me, seemingly grateful for my words.

Faye bumped her shoulder into me after seeing my interaction with her. "You know her?"

"We spoke at lunch," I told her. I remembered the way the girl sighed her name and moistened my lips. "You know her? She's pretty nice."

Faye just shrugs, oblivious to the girls existence entirely. "She's kinda creepy, isn't she? She's studying that phantom magic and her Dad's, like, the Watcher and everything. Yikes."

I winced. Well, glad she didn't hear that at least. The poor girl would probably feel awful. I looked back at her, just as she gets up from the steps to walk to a car, where I could see her Dad sitting in the driver's seat.

"Yo!" Luke called, waving his hand at a group of wild looking boys in a loud car. He slaps me on the back. "See ya 'round, Max! Later, Heaven!"

Faye rolls her eyes as she waves back, while he takes off toward the howling boys with the wild colored hair.

She sighs and turns to me. "All right, I'm off. See you tomorrow, Max."

I nodded and waved as she walks the opposite direction down the street.

I begin skating down the street, enjoying the feel of the air in my hair and to take off that stupid blazer and let my arms breathe as I roll up the sleeves to my elbows.

But I didn't get far from school when a horn honks beside me on the road and a fancy car rolls up to me. A girl with dark shades greets me, and a wicked smile.

It's Lulu. Along with all her pompous friends.

She's moving slowly beside me, all while cackling. "Take a look, ladies. She's a commoner, can you believe that? Can't even drive."

I ignore her taunts and move to roll along the crosswalk, but she cuts me off with a squeal of her wheels and I nearly fall over and eat shit in the process.

The girls in her car begin laughing louder and Lulu lifts a manicured hand to her sunglasses and lowers them down her nose. She looks me up and down and clicks her tongue.

"I wonder if you got kicked out of your old school because they only thought you were one of us. I mean, with that height, you'd confuse anybody." She smirks.

I roll my eyes. "Seriously? A height comment? Do you realise how many people have made fun of me for that? If you're gonna insult me, come up with something better."