Skinny

Causing A Scene & Facing The Music

Chapter Forty-Eight:

I ran into the lobby and tried to look for somewhere to escape.

"Oh, did you read this? They have a rooftop garden, complete with a city view!" A woman said to her husband as she looked down at the hotel brochure. It sounded serene and refreshing enough to me. I walked over to the nearest elevator and pushed the button. It dinged and opened almost immediately. I waltz in and pushed the last button, which had an 'R' on it. I guess that stood for roof?

As the doors closed, I heard someone call out my name, my head shot up, and I saw Marco running towards the elevator just before the doors met in the middle. I watched the elevator doors in silence and wondered if Marco would follow me.

The ding of the elevator brought me out of my thoughts and I trudged out of the small steel box. I walked through a hallway made of vine covered glass. I gasped at the gorgeous garden which covered the entirety of the hotel's roof. I walked around the beauty before me and felt at peace. I didn't even know why I had ran away in the first place.

I made my way around the garden in silence only to stop at the sight of suit clad man. He was leaning on the railing looking out at the city. I didn't want to disturb the man, who clearly wanted to be alone and so I tried to back away, only to nearly trip over a very random tree root. I yelped and looked up at the stupid tree that tripped me. I heard a cough come from the direction of the man and I shot my gaze to him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother you. I didn't know anyone else was even up here. It was just so quiet that I thought I was allowed but I guess that when you assume----." I was rambling and thankfully he cut me off before I continued because I was very nervous and could definitely go on all night long. I took in his black hair with a patch of bleach blond and the suit just didn't seem to be something he would wear. But he did wear it well.

"It's alright. I was just escaping my date. She's in the restaurant downstairs. I'm guessing you're with the prom downstairs?" He asked. I nodded and made my way over to him. I sat down on a bench and he joined me. "What brings a pretty girl like you up here?" He prodded. I sighed.

"Well, I just needed to get away. Too much drama. It might as well be my middle name because it seems to follow me everywhere I go." I looked out at the brightly light buildings.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I had to get away. The only reason I went out with this bimbo was because the girl I really want is going out with some guy from another school. She's actually at his prom. Said his name's Alex. She met him through her brother's friends or something." He confessed.

"I'm Raven, by the way. I think I know who you're talking about. Her name wouldn't be Alexa Frost now would it?" He looked at me and I got my confirmation.

"How do you know that?"

"Well, I know Alexa and Alex lives at my house. Small world. So you go to Wainwright Academy?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I had been trying to get kicked out but they just seemed to turn a blind eye and let Alexa deal with things her way. But it's almost over and then I'll be free to do what I want with my life."

"I know what you mean. If I knew being popular was going to be this dramatic then I probably would've strongly reconsidered my general approach," I said.

"Being popular is overrated."

"If you had told me that two years ago or even last summer, I would've disagreed, but now I concur," I said with a humorless laugh.

"If you don't mind my asking...." He started but I finished for him, "Why did I want to be popular so bad?" He nodded. "Because I couldn't take being the gum on everyone's shoe anymore. My freshman year was torture and I was transferred, but it was too late and even transferring didn't help. I was still picked on at Wainwright Academy, too. I actually got kick out of the academy." I laughed at him.