The Wrong Path - By Vivian Marie Aubin du Paris Page 0,6
a ton of time to us actually getting to the lake.”
Annabelle could have kissed her. She knew the other kids at school didn’t love Claire for their own reasons, but Claire was a true friend. “Thanks, Trevor,” she said, hoping she sounded confident and flirtatious, and not as embarrassed as she felt.
“Sure,” he agreed, smiling a cheery, friendly smile.
Annabelle felt weak as she furiously sucked on her straw, filling her mouth with melted strawberry-flavored vanilla ice cream. She prayed she wouldn’t blush, relieved that her brown hair had fallen around her, creating a veil between her and the world. Trevor had offered to give her a ride. Trevor Scarlett had actually offered to give her a ride to the party. In front of everyone. It was practically a date!
“Can you guys excuse me?”
She lifted her head at the bristled sound in Trevor’s voice even as he stood from the table. She, and the others around the table, followed his movements to the entrance of the food court, where to Annabelle’s astonishment, Trevor was approaching his younger brother and a girl… But it almost didn’t look like Will at all. Will had always been just on the edge of acceptable dressing—wearing t-shirts with logos and large designs, sometimes under button-downs that were always a little bit edgier than the ones the other boys at school wore. And yet now he stood in baggy black pants absolutely covered in chains and zippers, a black t-shirt with another longer black shirt under it, at least five chains around his neck, and a studded bracelet around his wrist.
Trevor’s back was tense as he joined them. Will’s long brown hair hung around his chiseled cheekbones, his expression snide as he stared down his approaching brother. The girl at Will’s side had dyed black hair hanging down the middle of her back, held back by a strange headband that appeared to be made out of some sort of zipper. She had dark red, almost black lipstick on, and her eyes were completely surrounded by black eye shadow. She looked like a really skanky, Goth China doll. She had on a skintight black shirt under a shredded burgundy tank top that looked both horrific and somehow eye-catching at the same time.
Annabelle vaguely recognized the girl from school, but she was pretty sure she had never seen her dressed like that before. Usually she took to more punk rock clothing… Nothing so gothic and extreme. Will and the girl—Ebony, Annabelle recalled suddenly—hung out with the same group of friends. When they actually attended school, they could be found on the back steps of the building, and they were not creepy Goth kids. They were generally more into the punk scene. So what on earth was going on? Why were she and Will dressed like that?
And then it hit her… Will and the girl… They were the ones Annabelle had been staring at earlier on the bench on the way to the food court.
But… what had happened to Will?
Trevor was clearly talking. Annabelle watched as Will suddenly pulled his wallet out from his back pocket—attached to his pants by a spiked chain—and handed some money to the girl, saying something to her with a sweet smile. The girl eyed Trevor for a moment, as if she were contemplating stabbing him. Eventually she took the bills, planted a kiss on Will’s cheek, and strode away to stand in line for food.
“What a freak,” Claire declared, drawing the table’s focus back to her. “Ebony and her little bitches that follow her around seriously need therapy.”
“I heard she went to juvie for stabbing her step-father,” Erin offered, her voice low.
As the conversation around the table turned to discuss the gossip of the punk crowd, Annabelle couldn’t resist looking over at the brothers, standing at the entrance to the food court. Will was smirking, a taunting expression marring his boyishly good looks. Though Annabelle couldn’t see Trevor’s face, she could see how stiff his body was, as if he were trying hard to control his anger. Whatever Will had said to him had clearly displeased him.
Will was growing exasperated. Even from the distance she was at, Annabelle could see it in the way he fidgeted and tensed and looked around. She watched as he looked at the line Ebony stood in, then, as his gaze drew back across the crowded room, his eyes settled on Annabelle’s. His sneer suddenly morphed into a devastatingly charming, mischievous smile that made her heart skip, catching her