Free Falling

3|Tainted Soul

As I trudged down the hallway with my skateboard dangling loosely by my side, slapping against my hip every so often, I spotted Skylar down the hall. She wasn't hard to miss with her bright pink dress and curly blonde hair.

I recognized the four boys from yesterday as they were standing in front of Skylar with their backs to the gray lockers. Skylar twirled the end of her hair subconsciously, her attention mostly directed to André who was not shy to reply with a smile of his own. I shook my head, not completely baffled that the two biggest flirts in the school had finally met.

"Sup, guys." I nodded to the boys and looked at Skylar. "I see you've met my crazy best friend."

"Yes, we have," André drawled, his eyes locked on her like she was the last drop of water in a desert. Skylar giggled again and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes and averted my gaze to the other three who stood there shifting uncomfortably.

"I know I have fourth period with you," I pointed to Miles, "but do you guys know where you're first and second period classes are?"

"André has first with me and Preston has third with me and you," Skylar piped in. I gave her look and she shrugged. "I checked their schedules."

She waved goodbye and lead André away to their first period.

"Your friend is funny," Preston said with a chuckle.

"She can talk for days, though," Miles whispered. "I don't even think she knew what she was saying."

"She never does," I replied with a small shrug. "Let me see your schedules."

All three of them pulled out their folded piece of paper and handed them to me. "It seems like I have one of you guys in each class, Eli being first period and then fourth with Miles," I announced while looking at the papers. "Do you guys know how to get to your first class?"

Miles and Preston nodded. I handed back their schedules and they folded them up, tucking them in their back pocket.

Eli turned to his friends. "I'll catch you guys later, then."

They dapped each other up and Miles and Preston sauntered off down the hall, disappearing around the corner.

Eli and I arrived to class on time and took our seats at the back, or more so that I sat in my regular seat, and he took the one next to me that was already assigned to a student. But as the bell rung, I assumed that the boy was absent, so I didn't take it upon myself to correct Eli. I placed my phone at the edge of the desk and my skateboard on the floor, rolling it back and forth with my foot out of boredom.

My phone vibrated and I picked it up. My breath hitched as I read the message. Instantly, I looked to the front of the room where a boy wearing a fitted jersey sat. He was pretending not to notice me, and I could tell because he kept fidgeting in his seat.

I bit my bottom lip and reread the message.

Scenes from last night played in my head like a movie. My stomach churned as I recalled the activities him and I performed on each other.

This was what he wanted. By sending that text, he was allowing those memories to flood my mind like a tsunami. I didn't mind.

I typed a quick reply and watched as he checked his vibrating phone. A naughty smile spread across his face. His fingers danced over the keyboard and before I knew it, my phone lit up.

An unattractive snort flew out of my mouth before I could stifle it. It didn't catch the attention of Mr. Rutherford, but a few students shot me curious looks. My eyes narrowed as I saw him laughing quietly, knowing that he was the source of my distraction.

"You okay?"

I averted my gaze to Eli who held a concerned expression. "I'm fine," I croaked, then cleared my throat.

He nodded and went back to listening to the teacher. School was the furthest thing on my mind at that moment, and in a split second, I sent a text, hoping it didn't give away my desperation.

Me: My house or yours?

Instant reply.

Fck Buddy: Yours.

Me: Be there at 12.

The bell rung indicating the end of class. I waited quietly for Eli as he packed up his notebooks, and we followed the rushing students out of the classroom. I locked eyes with him for a second. We held a secret conversation with our eyes, knowing smirks on both of our faces. Shaking my head, I entered the hallway with Eli in tow.

It was exciting sneaking behind everyone's backs to fool around with him. Sometimes guilt would claw away at my heart until I thought about what would happen if we told everyone about our strictly friends with benefits relationship. Being judged by other people, I could handle, but being under the scrutinizing eyes of my close friends would tear me to shreds.

It wasn't any of their business, anyway. It was just s*x. I wanted to have something for me besides skateboarding. When I was with him, I felt the revival of a broken part of me that yearned for some sort of intimacy, and he knew how to tend to my needs. If Kenny or Skylar knew, they would disapprove, and my life would be under a microscope yet again.

"What's on your mind?" Eli asked, snapping me from my thoughts. We had stopped at my locker so that I could switch books for my next class. If the locker was big enough, I would've stuffed my skateboard in there as well.

"Nothing, why?"

"Are you always this quiet?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You're one to talk."

He shrugged and placed his hands in his pocket. "True, but you're unusually quiet as if something is bothering you."

"What are you some sort of behavioral analyst?" I joked, forcing a laugh.

"I'm just very observant, that's all. Just wanted to make sure you were okay."

I blinked at him and shut my locker. "Do you know where your next class is?"

I placed my board across one shoulder and leaned my other against the locker. Eli fumbled with his jean pocket as he pulled out his schedule, unfolding it.

A couple holding hands passed me, catching my attention, and I recognized Drew from the basketball team instantly, but yet the short brunette at his side was definitely not his girlfriend.

A short laugh escaped my mouth and Drew turned his head in my direction, eyes widening when he saw me looking at them. Confirming my suspicions, he picked up his pace, dragging along the brunette. I shook my head in disbelief.

"What?" Eli asked.

I dismissed him with a wave. I was not interested in any scandals that didn't pertain to me or the people I cared about. Whatever Drew had going on was his business. Spreading rumors was not my forte. Not anymore.

I took the schedule from Eli and grimaced as I saw he had Mrs. Shaw, possibly the grouchiest history teacher in this school. I directed Eli to his designated class before entering my own.

André was sitting near the back, and I took a seat behind him. He turned around and gave me a warm smile, one that I returned half-heartedly. His intentions with Skylar were still unknown to me, and even though I vowed to let her take a ride on the wild side, that didn't mean I wasn't going to protect her from getting her heart broken.

Despite what everyone thought, she didn't seek attention to hook up with boys within mere seconds of meeting them. In actuality, she had only slept with one boy at the beginning of freshman year, and she had regretted that decision the moment she opened her eyes the next day. Her flirtatious manner was her personality, and while it drew in people she wanted, it also caught the attention of perverted boys who only wanted to score.

So, I glared holes in the back of André's head, praying for his sake that he wasn't like every other boy at Marionne High and would consider Skylar's feelings before indulging in something that they both would regret.

Lunch came in the blink of an eye. Hungry students piled into the large cafeteria and took their designated spots at their designated tables.

Unlike the dramatized version of high schools in books and movies, Marionne High was not divided into cliques. Everyone socialized with who they wanted to socialize with. There were still popular kids and stereotypical nerds, but nobody was judged because of their "labels." Actions, however, were always under review, and those affected how everyone treated you.

To me, that was worse than the clichés.

"How do I look?" Skylar fluffed her luxuriant, bouncy hair that fell in waves around her heart-shaped face and looked at me expectantly.

"Good as usual, why?"

"Because André is sitting with us and he couldn't keep his eyes off me first period. You know what that means." She wiggled her eyebrows and bumped my shoulder with hers.

I just shook my head and turned my attention to the plate of food in front of me. Soon the boys arrived. André took his presumed seat next to Skylar. Eli sat next to me with Miles and Preston taking the last two spots on each side of Brandon and Caden. We finally had a full table.

"I'm guessing you already know who they are," I said to my brother, then turned to the boys. "This is my brother Kenny and his i***t friends, Brandon and Caden."

They exchanged greetings, and just like that, we were all acquainted with one another. The table rose with chatter as conversations were picked up, but I sat in silence, nibbling on my food in peace.

André leaned over and whispered something in Skylar's ear, and she giggled. Smiling lightly, I only hoped that he treated her with diligence and left her pure soul untainted.

Because a tainted soul only left imprints that couldn't be erased.