Have you ever been so frustrated with yourself and everything around you, so much so that you conjure up a whole field of thorny bushes in the middle of a class? Well, I have. Let me be the first to say, it's a sticky situation...
The field around me was littered with thorns, and students were rushing to get out of the tangled, spiny branches. I had the quiver still hung on my back, and the bow in my right hand. My eyes lowered to the ground in shame. I had just missed my shot for the tenth time in a row. I knew that Coach was looking at me disapprovingly, and I didn't want to confront that just yet.
"Ms. Ellwood, would you like to explain why I'm standing in a field of thorn bushes?" His voice was filled with anger and I couldn't help but whimper in reply, lifting my head, and flicking my hand with caution.
I heard the branches snap and break while disappearing into the ground. Cooper had been pushing every single one of my buttons for the past forty five minutes, and I had snapped. When I looked up, I saw Coach's expression shift to concern.
"Are you okay Ms. Ellwood?" He spoke softly.
I nodded my head stiffly and gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm just feeling a bit under the weather Coach, would it be okay if I headed to my dorm? I think I just need to sleep." I asked him sweetly, feigning lightheadedness.
I really did need sleep, but not in my dorm. I saw him ponder it for a moment before he agreed. I refused to look in Cooper's direction as I placed the bow and quiver next to my target. I kept my head straight as I passed him, and headed towards my dorm, changing my direction once I spotted the greenhouse. I couldn't stand to look at his face.
I decided on not going to the last class of the day, and made my way to one of the closer cave systems. My professor would be irate, but it was insignificant to me at the moment. As I maneuvered my way through the opening of the cave, I gazed at its beauty.
It was smaller than the rest, but it had a beautiful waterfall in the far right corner. Once in a while, mermaids would sneak over here to bask in the water, but I couldn't see any, assuming they were at the lake a few miles away. I was grateful for that because I desperately needed sleep.
I made my way to the calming water, and found a comfortable spot on the ground. It took a moment to adjust myself to the cool temperature, but in mere moments, darkness engulfed me, and peace emerged.
I slept for hours, and when I woke up the crescent moon was out, peeking through the cave's opening. There would inevitably be a party tonight, and despite the events that occurred throughout the day, Ainsley had made me promise to attend.
I made my way to my dorm, avoiding the detection of the security guards, and closed the door behind me. Two minutes, that's all I needed to change and I could leave the room. I shimmied off the dress, and chose another from the closet. I placed the shoes inside and glanced at the mirror on the door. Bare feet made me feel closer to the earth, and I needed some grounding.
The dress was pale pink, littered with pastel purple flowers, and was another favorite, but it would get dirty fast, and washing it was a chore. Shoving my arms through the sheer sleeves I examined the purple flowers scattered about them. Some had been wilted, and I wiggled my fingers above them, breathing life into them.
I turned to glance in the mirror with satisfaction. Without hesitation, I pulled open the door and skipped out of the room. I made my way over to Ainsley's room, and saw her door wide open. She was applying a coat of gloss onto her lips when I entered, and when she closed the lid, her eyes met mine with happiness. She looked stunning in her red dress and leather jacket. A true trickster with a heart of gold, that was my best friend.
"Oh! Oakley! You're coming tonight right? It's over at the football house, some sort of weeklong rager to welcome the freshman class." She adjusted her outfit once more before she grabbed my hand, dragging me into the elevators. I don't think Ainsley ever once waited for a response after she asked me if I was going with her. I just always ended up going.
The house, which ended up being the same one from last night, was alive with students, magical and human alike. Music was sneaking out the openings in the doors. My eyes lit up when we got to the front yard, a fight was occurring between a couple, and this time it was in full view of everyone.
"Lydia! Please! We had something so good!" His broken cry rang out.
The same couple from the night before, but this time Lydia was clinging to what I used to be his best friend. Tears were streaming down Brandon's face. Lydia was stone cold, but she had tears forming in her eyes, completely unshed. It was eerie.
"Ray! C'mon Ray, you knew I was in love with her! Why would you do this to me?" Brandon shrieked, clenching his fists.
I was glued to the scene in front of me, like I was hypnotized by the chaos of the whole scene. People entering the party from behind me were whispering, forming their own opinions of the situation in front of them. Ray refused to answer Brandon, and tugged Lydia closer.
"Lydia c'mon, let's go." Ray's voice was stern, little to no emotion in his voice, but when his eyes met with Lydia's glossy gaze, his face softened. It was like love in its purest form erupted inside of him at the sight of her. He held her waist tighter, and pulled her away from the scene.There was some commotion among the voyeurs as Cooper had stepped through the front door of the house.
One of Brandon's friends, a football player, and by the look of it a werewolf, had stepped closer to brandon. His eyes glossed over with a golden hue, ready to shift into his primal form. I was hesitant to stay and watch the rest of the encounter when Brandon's voice cut through the various shouts and hollers. He was seething with rage, and I couldn't blame him.
"Brandon, I had nothing to do with this, and you know it." Cooper had a nonchalance about him, as if he had not a care in the world that he had broken the hearts of two people. Coop's eyes shifted to a vibrant pink, and Brandon's eyes were instantly clouded in white. Brandon shook his head furiously, eyes shifting back to their normal hue.
With rage fueling him, Brandon hurled himself towards Cooper, his fist cocked back and ready to fly. My eyes widened in shock as his fist collided with Coop's perfect jaw. There were a few gasps from heads turned in multiple directions. Everyone knew not to mess with Coop, it was an unspoken law.
There were a few moments of silence before Coop let out a small sigh, and massaged his jaw. Trey shuffled his way through the crowd, and behind his best friend, his eyes glowing a vibrant pink, ready to defend Coop if needed.
"Coop, man, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-"
He was cut off by one clean right hook, and tumbled to the ground. The look on Cooper's face was haunting. He looked empty, and just void of any emotion. I knew that meant he was beyond angry, and I wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. There wasn't a damn thing anyone could do once he resorted to violence.
I looked over and saw that Ainsley was already inside, a glass bottle with a neon pink insignia. My irritation grew, knowing it was nectar, the drink of the gods. It was always labeled at parties like this, humans would collapse with just a few drops.
With more people entering the front yard, I managed to weasel my way to the back of house, not wanting to witness the aftermath of Coop's rage. I wandered the backyard for a little while, staring at the shadows the tree branches made on the lawn from the moonlight.
They danced and swayed with the wind making different shapes in the grass. I heard a fit of giggles come from the back door of the house and saw a group of girls shoving their way out and reaching into the purses for their cigarettes. I made my way over to the same tree as before and twirled my finger when I reached its trunk. Little vines erupted from the wood and created an intricate staircase. I made my way up and into the cover of the leaves and observed.
Three girls stayed outside, two of them brunette and one a vibrant pink. They were having a casual conversation, mainly occupying love life and school, when one brunette pointed out that she met someone that night.
"Ooh Elsie, how adorable are you going to go home with him tonight??" the pink haired girl gushed, her words slurring a bit into one another. I couldn't help but laugh.
Elsie lowered her head and gave a small sigh, "I don't know Kath, maybe? I mean he came here with Heather, and she went off with another guy, so maybe he'll want to take me home?" She was biting her fingernail, and contemplating.
The door to the backyard suddenly popped open and Elsie's eyes widened a bit. A deep, crimson blush appeared on her face, and her eyes lit up, shifting colors.
"Hey Els, what are you guys talking about?" The guy said walking over and throwing his arm over Elsie.
"Oh, nothing, Greg, did you wanna go dancing? With me?" Elsie stumbled a bit on her words, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
"Oh sure Els, I'd love to." He basically dragged Elsie to what I assumed to be the makeshift dance floor in the living room. The other two girls happily, and quite sloppily followed after. I could have said that the night ended there, with me getting my fill of guilty pleasure, but it didn't. It couldn't, could it?