The school was different today. Everyone walked with a somber expression through the halls and they all stopped by a locker on their way to class. Lola and Melissa stood in the hallway and watched as the students put flowers, paintings, bears, and pictures by the locker. Her locker was covered in pictures of friends and her father, and signs that said 'rest in peace' and 'never forgotten' were taped on the metal. Flowers in her favorite shades, pink and purple, stood in vases on the floor. Clarissa had grown up with a lot of these people, when you live in a small town like Wild Cliff you're pretty much stuck with the people born in your age group. All the way from kindergarten if not longer. A lot of the parents had helped Professor Adams when Clarissa was a baby, those who had kids her age would have them play together from birth and that kind of love creates unusually strong bonds.
The sniffles were heard all throughout the school and many stopped and stayed by the locker as they cried over their lost friend.
"Come on," Melissa whispered and tugged Lola's arm. Lola looked at each of their faces and saw their red noses, the cried-out eyes, and disheveled looks.
The guilt grew for each face she saw but when she looked at the locker, it was a pain unlike any other. She had to live, knowing that she was the reason a girl had died.
Melissa left and continued down the hall to get to her class and Lola stood outside the classroom on her own.
She took a deep breath and opened the door. The professor was there, writing on the board and waiting for everyone to take their seats. It was eerly quiet and she scanned the room to find a spot in the back but her eyes landed on something else.
A part of her, a big part, hoped that she would see Jax sitting on one of the seats. Instead, she was disappointed to see that he again sent a replacement.
Ash pulled out a chair next to him in the back.
"What are you doing here?" She asked quietly.
"I told the dean I wanted to supervise a few of the classes." Lola raised a brow in question.
Ash rolled his eyes and explained.
"I paid him not to ask questions. Jax didn't want you to be alone," Lola scoffed.
"That's bullshit. You two just think that I need someone hovering over my shoulder or I will run." She seethed and slammed her book shut.
Her eyes pierced into Ash's.
"Are we wrong?" He asked, his face turning serious. "That girl that died, you're telling me it didn't make you want to pack your shit and run?" Lola smirked in anger.
"I wasn't planning on packing." She spat.
She gathered her things and pushed the chair out. His hand came down rough on her thigh, his fingers pressed on her leg and he forced her back down on the seat.
"Sit down." He ordered. Ash pushed her chair back in and Lola grunted from the slam.
"You're not going anywhere." He warned.
Throughout the whole class, Lola couldn't hear a word that the professor said. She was too busy waiting for the class to be over so she could leave.
Once again Jax was too busy to be with her in a time when he knew she needed him.
Did Ash volunteer this time too or was he sent as a replacement?
She was seething the entire two hours of the lecture and finally, when class was done, she packed her things and hurried out. She heard quick steps behind her, catching up to her speed.
"Are you going to be this moody all day? You're making school boring," Ash whined.
Lola stopped suddenly and turned around, pressing her hand against his chest.
"You're more than welcome to leave." She seethed.
Ash raised a brow and looked at her hand resting against his shirt.
"If you want to make me do something you're going to have to grab a little more south of there." He smirked.
She jerked her hand away and narrowed her eyes to slits.
"Today is hard enough as it is, I don't need you here making it worse for anyone so please just go." He scanned her face for a moment. The quiet chatter of students in the hallway soon disappeared.
"You're pissed that Jax isn't here," Ash said as a matter of fact.
"I'm pissed that he can't text or call me and instead sends you to do what he should be doing." She said.
"There's a lot of things at stake, work takes precedence," Ash explained.
Lola scoffed, that was an excuse she refused to buy.
"Money usually does that to people." She had experience with negligence due to greed.
Wherever there was money to gain, something else had to be sacrificed. She just wished that one of these times, she didn't have to be the sacrifice.
Ash saw the wheels turning in her head.
He noticed the shift in her eyes, the change in focus.
"What is that?" She asked. As if a button was pressed Ash got into protective mode and pulled Lola's arm to get in front of her.
She looked around. A strong feeling of agitation and accelerated heartbeat broke through her body. Lola got jittery, her hands started sweating and her breathing became irregular but it wasn't her own emotions that her body was responding to.
She stepped around Ash who grabbed a hold of her arm.
"Let me go," she said and pulled her arm free.
They walked down the hall and rounded the corner to a part of the building that was still being renovated thanks to the generous donation of the Blackwoods.
"There's someone here," she said.
"Then why the fuck would you go here?" Ash asked. When he didn't get a response he grabbed Lola's shoulder and turned her around. She tried to break free but he tightened his hold.
"Let go of me!"
"Why are you on a suicide mission?!" He growled and Lola froze.
"Because she knows she's not in danger." The sweet voice rang out and filled the empty construction site.
Ash snapped around on his feet and glared.
"What are you doing here, Ember?" She stood with her hands holding onto her bagstrap. She looked past her brother and gazed with her ocean-blue eyes at Lola. She had the cutest freckles stretching over her nose and cheeks. Immaculate beauty that surpassed anything Lola had seen. She was toned and tall with olive-colored skin and plump lips with a defining cupid's bow.
"I need to talk to Lola." She said.
"Why do you look nervous?" Ash asked, interrogating her further. Lola stepped closer, her eyes scanning the beautiful girl who already seemed much more pleasant than her brother.
"Because she's afraid," Lola said and pressed Ash's arm while walking around him.
He groaned and faced Ember. "I told you to leave town!" He snapped.
Ember's eyes took on a stern glare and she straightened her back.
"Lower your damn voice, jackass. If I wanted to be seen I would've walked into the classroom."
She sighed but kept the stern glare on her brother.
"I was about to leave town but then I found this in my bag." She took out a note and her eyes flickered over Lola's. The anxiety grew along with the fear, it was like bubbles that burst, and that's how Lola felt it. Why was she feeling Ember's emotions?
Ember turned the note between her fingers.
"It's addressed to you." She said and looked at Lola.
Ember's heart started racing. Lola was stunned, she didn't know why Ember was so afraid or why she could feel it but she reached out her hand and put it over Ember's in a soft touch.
Her eyes cast down and her brows inched together.
"It's okay, relax. You're fine." Lola said calmly. Her voice came out in silky smooth words that rang in Ember's ears like a lullaby, gently easing her heart rate and removing the anxiety.
Lola smiled and moved her hand to take the note but it was ripped from Ember's fingers and Ash unfolded it.
"Hey give that back!" Lola shouted and tried to reach for the letter.
"Ash give it up!" Ember scolded but Lola could feel Ember's fear rising rapidly.
He read the note, word by word his eyes grew darker and by the time he was done they were black as coal. He looked up, his eyes locking down on Lola's in deep-seated anger and his jaw feathered as he bit down.