FIGHTING FOR SURVIVAL

Chapter 20

Eleanor

The first day of my freshman year at Crescent Hills High was going about as slowly as a snail. You'd think this being my first day, it would go by im a blur of locker assignments, timetable distribution and well...chatter. But that wasn't the case. At least I could honestly say that I was not enjoying the chatter one bit.

A few minutes ago, I had watched my best friend walk away from me with some potential cheerleader.

I had watched her all morning, chatting with her and giggling away at whatever she was saying. It would hsve been okay if the girl was actually nice. I had watched the girl, Ashley, I think that was her name. I had seen her trip at least two short kids, yell at a kid who was wearing lots of chains, and I was almost sure I had seen her bullying a girl with braces. Alice had had so much experience with that last one.

Our conversation was still ringing in my ears. Alive had never been like that before.

It was just after homeroom and we were walking towards our next class: math. Alice was busily texting away on her phone and I was trying to ignore the fact that she probably hadn't heard a word I said. The summer had changed her. Not just her appearence either, it was like her whole personality had changed.

She wasn't the shy girl from sixth grade. She was confident and sure of herself. Everywhere we went, I could head people whispering about how brace-face Alice had changed over the summer.

"So I was thinking," I said. "We should go shopping today. I already...." But I was cur short by a high pitched giggle.

"Oh My Gosh, Alice!" We turned to see Ashley Brenton practically bounding towards us-more importantly, towards Alice, down the hallway.

She was wearing a red crop top over black pants and her blonde hair was perfectly in place. When she reached us, she took Alice by the arm and started dragging her in the opposite direction of the school rambling about how some guy had was getting suspended for smoking on school property.

"We've got maths!" I yelled behind her but Alice just chuckled and said,

"This is too good to miss! Besides, Ashley has maths too so I'll just come later with her."

"Okay, see ya soon then," I mumbled to myself as I walked away.

As it turned out, I did not see her soon. She had spent all morning hanging around Ashley and her group and had never even bothered to send me short text telling me she couldn't meet me.

The rest of the people were enjoying the first day of freshman year. They were either standing huddled around their lockers chatting away, or were outside, watching all the potential hocks trying our for the basketball and football teams. I would have gone too, but right now, even though I knew I could go alone and get just about anybody to go with me, I didn't feel like it. Alice and I had planned our first day of high school so long ago and it hadn't involved one of us ditching the other for a plastic Barbie who would surely become a cheerleader.

It was time for lunch and the cafeteria was buzzing with excitement as I stepped inside. My plan was to start a conversation with someone in the lunch line and then ask them to sit with me, seeing as Alice was sitting at a small table with Ashley Brenton and a bunch of other girls with made up faces.

"Do you mind if I cut in front of you? I just need to pay the lunch lady some money. I owe her five dollars." I turned around to see a tall girl with dark blonde hair cascading down her back. Her expression seemed friendly and she didn't strike me as the Ashley Brenton type. So I smiled at her.

"Sure, go right ahead." I stepped a little back so she could step into the line. After she payed, she stopped next to the salad line to wait for me.

"I'm Alyssa by the way," she smiled. "Alyssa Tremors."

"Eleanor Sanders. Ellie for short," I grinned back at her. "Nice to meet you."

"So you want to get a table or what?" I was surprised by her straightforwardness , but I liked it in a way. It meant she would speak her mind about everything and not talk behind my back. At least that's what I hoped it meant.

"Dure," I replied. We began looking around the crowded the room for an empty table to sit at, but found none. The tables in the centre were taken up by a bunch of giggling girls who couldn't stop pointing at random people and then laughing, and burly guys who were being way too loud. The ones that were pushed up against the walls were also taken.

"So," Alyssa turned to me. "Where do you wanna sit?"

"I dunno," I told het. "We can't exactly...."

"Do you guys want to sit with me?" We both looked at each other and turned around simultaneously. A guy with light green eyes was looking back at us. He looked like he would fit right in with the popular jocks with his broad shoulders and muscular arms. His hair was a dark brown that was slicked back away from his forehead.

Alyssa seemed to have lost her voice so I decided to smile politely back at him.

"Uh, I'm sitting alone too," he added uncertainly. "So if you guys are looking for a table...."

"You're....you're a..." Alyssa was saying but the guy cut her off with a curt nod.

"I'm a really nice guy for a offering to let you sit with me," he said in what I thought was a clipped voice. But them he turned to me and grinned. "Come on. I'm sitting right over there."

We followed him as he shoved his way towards a table near the back of the room, next to a window overlooking the football field.

"So what are your names?" he asked when we had sat down.

"Alyssa,"

"Eleanor,"

He grinned and pushed his hand through his hair and said, "I'm Dylan Grace."

"So are you near here?" Alyssa asked. "I haven't seen you at Marble Manor before." Marble Manor was a popular diner where almost everyone hung our after school or at night ok the weekends. The fact that this guy had never been there either meant he had just moved into Crescent Hills or that he didn't feel comfortable with people though I saw no reason for the later.

"Oh I'm not new," Dylan told us between mouthfuls of food. "I just don't like the crowd there." This was followed by silence until he said, "i think I know you." That was aimed at Alyssa. "From seventh grade. Didn't you hang out with that blonde girl? Ashley...Brenton...?"

"I did hang around het, yes," Alyssa replied. "But we were never close, and we certainly aren't now." I looked up in puzzlement. That statement had somehow relieved me. From the looks of it, Dylan looked relieved too.

"I never liked her anyway," was all he said. After a moment, he glared at Alyssa and said, "Give me back my soda!" I glanced over to see that she had managed to take the can away from Dylan without asking him and was now slurping it down, grinning like little kid. That was how it was going to be for another two years.

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A/N

That brings us to the end of the spin-off folks! I hope you enjoyed reading this and that it answered some questions about The Crescent Hills trilogy. As always, thanks a bunch for reading and don't forget to leave comments and votes! XD i really appreciate them. Now I plan on editing The Silverlight and working on the sequel to it which you can find on my profile. The title is : The Patron and it picks up right where book one ends. :)