All The Lonely People

Chapter One

The bell was loud, too loud. I groaned. I seriously didn't want to go to class today. The sky was crying and the chill that made its way through the school hallways made me want to go back home to my warm bed. I just wasn't in the mood to make my mood worse.

"Bear!!" Noah Bladen came running towards me. Noah had been calling me bear since the second grade. I had three names as far as Noah was concerned. Darcy, Darce, and bear. I was always "Darcy" for anyone besides Noah. I smiled when I saw him, instantly happy again. He always had a way to make me smile for no reason. He looked like he had some huge purpose other than getting to me. I knew he was coming over to tell me something so nerdy I would double over in laughter as always. He reached me quickly.

"Darcy," he heaved, his chest expanding and retracting quickly as he tried to breathe. I folded my arms across my chest and leaned up against my locker in preparation for whatever he had to say. He started, "I just found this crazy book about a princess cyborg who---" he stopped when I snorted, "you know, never mind." He finished as he crossed his arms and frowned. I could tell he was trying not to laugh, I had known him too long.

"No, no I wanna hear it!!" I laughed.

"Oh, really? It looks as though you are a bit preoccupied laughing at me." He responded with a slight smirk.

I was surprising myself with laughing this time. I wished he hadn't made me laugh so hard it was starting to hurt. I could tell, with his slight smile that he had tried to hide that he was enjoying this. I could tell that he thought it was cute. That was one strange thing about me. I could read the emotions on people's faces. I could tell if they were lying. I could see through them and predict what was going on in their minds.

"Bear, are you a little tired?" he said in a baby mocking voice and I laughed harder. Life might have been difficult but I had Noah, he was the best friend I could ever have.

"Not at all." I said, calming down. I finally stopped laughing.

"Yeah, ok"

He looked at me with both his dimples showing. Noah was always a charmer. With his sharp, crooked smile and his messy black hair. He was about a foot taller than me. I remembered a time when I was taller than him. But I stopped growing in the sixth grade and he easily surpassed me in seventh. The second bell rang.

"Dang, we have to go to AP chem."

"Lead the way!" Noah held out his arm as if he was a waiter showing me to my table.

Our class was across the school so we knew we were going to be late. It was senior year why would we care anyways? We ran through the hallways past lost freshman and wandering juniors.

I almost fell asleep in AP chem and then I did fall asleep in Stats. I woke up to Mr. Heffner slamming my desk with a book. From the way his bottom lip ever so slightly jutted out I knew I was in for it.

"Why are you asleep again Ms. Emerson?"

"I don't know, it happens sometimes I guess." I heard snickers from behind me in the room. That would be Noah. A flicker of amusement crossed my teachers face.

"I'm not laughing, Ms. Emerson"

"I'm not either," I said, sarcastically.

"Please go to the principal's office." He said it too quickly this time. It usually took a little longer for him to finally kick me out. But I had seen it coming from a mile away.

"Mr. Heff..." I started.

"Just... go," he said annoyed.

"Fine." I got up and walked calmly out of the room with a smug look on my face.