asylum [kai parker] editing/rewriting

Twelve

S I M O N E
"Sim, is it?" A black curly-haired girl taps on my shoulder during lunch.

"Y-yeah?" I ask. Is she talking to me? Me? Simone, who killed her family?

"I'm Avalon." She offers her hand and I stare at it as if it were alien to me.

"Well, you already know who I am." I shake her hand politely and watch Kai staring at me from the opposite side of the room. His blue eyes are searching mine intently but I don't feel like giving him any satisfaction whatsoever of how scared I am of him.

"I like your shirt, it's quite pretty. Would you like to join us for lunch?" She gestures to her friends over at another table. Can I trust her? She isn't popular, which gives me a little faith that she won't betray me. The populars make fun of me every chance they get.

"Uh. Yeah, sure." I take my salad and follow her over to her table. Malachai sits alone at a table far away, but that doesn't faulter his gaze one bit. The black haired girl takes me over to a table with another girl and a guy. She gestures to them both as she introduces us. They all moved here this year, so they most likely don't know my whole story.

"Simone this is Ethan and Nakota." She gestures to the handsome boy then to the other brunette whose hair is highlighted with one red streak and has a nose piercing. She seems unique. In all honesty, I'm never one to judge. Unless the person I'm judging is a six foot blue eyed maniac who killed his family. Then I judge.

"Hello." I look down shyly, a pair of eyes burning into my back like hot irons.

"You have wonderful hair. She's quite pretty, Avalon." The boy with the blue eyes and blonde hair- Ethan smiles and looks at me. Blushing furiously, I wonder why he is telling me these things.

"Thanks?" There's an edge in my voice I can't describe.

"Not to make this conversation awkward or anything..." He smiles, showing me his white straight teeth.

"Ignore him. He just got his braces off." Avalon chuckles at the boy who is obsessed with smiling.

"No one likes a hater, Ave." Ethan smiles more, and looks at everyone as he eats.

I'm quiet, that I know.

"So, Simone, we are going to a club tonight. In fact many people are. Care to join us?" Nakota says dramatically.

"I'm underage." It's an immediate answer. I am the sheriff's daughter.

"Well no shit, honey." Ethan's smirk spreads from ear to ear.

"We have ID's. Sure we could sneak you one." Nakota smiles. "Live a little."

"You're asking the sheriff's daughter if she wants to go to a club, and drink underage, with fake IDs?" There's insanity leaking from my voice but I'm on the verge of cracking up.

Ethan's face goes cold. "Uh..."

"Totally, I'd love to go!" It's an honest answer- I do want to go.

Ethan looks at me for a second, "you're the sheriff's daughter?"

"Adoptive, but yeah. It's pretty obvious you guys are new here..." I laugh and look at them. They haven't started laughing yet and an awkward silence has fallen on top of us.

"So you still up for it?" Ethan is the first to break the silence.

"As long as I get a ride home from a preferably sober friend." A smirk crosses my face and all at once they smile.

"Okay. See you then." Avalon smiles and looks at me. The burns on my back are starting to itch from the stare that I'm given. Kai is narrowing his eyes when I turn around for a split second.