Rebound, Part I

by Anna Hardcastle

Chapter 1

As Alegra was immersed in her own morbid thoughts, she walked right into a boy who she vaguely recognized, and fell into a muddy puddle.          

“Bloody hell!” she yelled at the tall, green-eyed, muss-haired boy, frustrated, but trying to keep her cool as she wiped off her Ralph Lauren clad backside.

“I’m so sorry,” the boy said, attempting to wipe off her raincoat for her.

Alegra slapped his hands away.

The boy jumped back apologetically. Alegra looked up at him and relaxed her face.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “It wasn’t your fault. Oh and look, now you’re all muddy,” she exclaimed, after giving him the once over and noticing his soiled slacks.

“Don’t worry, they’ll dry. But you are completely covered,” he noticed as he looked at her disheveled appearance. “How about you give me your number so I can buy you a coffee after school… You know, to make up for any inconvenience?”

Oh wow, this guy was really smooth.

“I’ve got to stay in school late. Sorry. Lovely to meet you though,” Alegra said briskly before walking away.

As she was walking, she pondered going back; the boy was gorgeous, after all. Although she had only caught a glimpse, she was still picturing his long, shaggy black hair, tanned skin and long-lashed eyes; he was quite irresistible. But before she could think any more about going back, she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to find his beautiful green eyes glaring at her.

She suddenly felt very aware of the fact that she smelled like a mixture of wet grass and Burberry Brit.

“I do love a girl who plays hard to get,” Pretty Boy said.

“And I don’t love being late for class,” Alegra retorted. After a second’s hesitation she continued despite herself, “You go to Charles’ Academy, don’t you? I think I’ve seen you at Lacrosse games.”

He looked at Alegra and seemed to consider her prominent facial features for a moment.

From her dark hair and hazel, almost brown eyes to her porcelain skin and hollow cheeks, she had a kind of classic, old-school beauty that you didn’t see much of anymore.

“Yep, I’m a proud junior there. How about you? I’m sure I’ve seen you around before.”

Alegra decided that she might as well just tell him where she went to school. Manhattan was a small island; they were bound to meet again anyway.

“North Side Prep,” she revealed. “And I’m very late, so if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be off now.”

       As she power-walked away, she noticed that Mr. Suave was jogging along beside her.  “Come on, you haven’t even told me your name,” Pretty Boy said interestedly.

“Your observational skills astound me.”

Clichéd, sarcastic thinking was just one of Alegra’s many skills.

“Ooh, who knew the British were so witty,” the boy responded, just as sarcastically. “I’ll begin the introductions. I’m Spencer,” he informed Alegra. “Spencer Watman. Alright; your turn,” he waited expectantly.

Alegra sighed, then stopped in front of the gates to school and turned to Spencer.          “Alegra,” she said succinctly.

“Well, Alegra,” Spencer started, “I feel confident that we’ll meet again. It was a pleasure.”

He began to walk away and Alegra felt surprisingly rejected. She wasn’t used to guys just walking away from her. Most of the time she wasn’t interested, but this guy seemed different.

¤                 ¤                      ¤

Four hours, one test and two Dior lipgloss touch-ups later, Alegra was relieved when the school bell rang, signaling lunch. As she walked out of her American history class and straight into someone, she again fell to the floor. Today wasn’t a good day for her butt. She looked up and saw her boyfriend smirking down at her.

“Lovely of you to help me up Jonathan; such a gentleman,” Alegra snapped from the ground.

Jon gave her his hand and she pulled herself up while he swiftly kissed her on the cheek. “Why haven’t you been answering any of my texts?” he asked. “I’ve missed you.”

Alegra began to walk to her locker to avoid looking Jon in the eye.

“Hey Alegra,” a few girls said as they passed her in the hall.

“I dunno,” Alegra replied as she smiled back at the girls. “I’ve been busy. It’s nothing personal.”           

“Busy with what?” Jon asked skeptically as he leaned in for a kiss. Alegra turned her face to the side so he only got her cheek again.

       “I’ve got to go to meet lunch for Jules,” Alegra said. “I mean, Jules for lunch,” she corrected herself and pivoted around, leaving Jon at her locker, eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

Alegra felt guilty about not being honest with Jon, but she didn’t want to have to deal with him. Their relationship was getting more boring by the minute. Jonathan Smith just wasn’t the guy for her. In fact, the only guy she had been able to think about all morning was Spencer.

During the ten o’clock break as she had checked her iPhone for messages, she’d seen a text from a number she didn’t recognize. It was Spencer, who said that he’d asked five of his friends who went to North Side and finally persuaded one of them to give him Alegra’s number. They’d been texting on and off since then and Alegra was intrigued. Spencer had said that he wanted to meet up with Alegra after school at Starbucks. She did love Starbucks, and she didn’t have much work to do after Photography Club anyway, so she couldn’t resist agreeing.

As she walked to the restaurant to meet up with Jules, Alegra passed a poster for a summer horror movie, showing a teenage boy sprawled on the ground, limbs in strange positions, covered in blood and very clearly dead. Alegra did a double take and felt tears welling up in her eyes. The picture looked so familiar to the one she’d seen in reality just nine months before.

The rest of the way to Au Bon Pain, Alegra couldn’t get horrible thoughts of the past out of her head. The image of her boyfriend lying on the ground, eyes blank and empty, looking out into nothingness had haunted her mind and dreams for months, bringing back all the guilt and remorse she felt.

Just as she was about to lose her composure, Alegra felt two hands covering her eyes. She turned and saw her peppy best friend smiling at her.

“Hey, hot stuff!”

 Julianna Viman was tall with an athletic build and seemed permanently excited. She was perfect cheerleading material. Alegra was inwardly very thankful that North Side Prep didn’t have a cheerleading team.

 

She wondered what would be the best way to tell Jules that she was dragging her along to meet Spencer this afternoon. Alegra didn’t want it to seem like a date and by bringing a friend, it wouldn’t.

“Jules! Long time no see,” Alegra said, kissing Jules on both cheeks, although they had seen each other the day before. “I need a favor,” Alegra began as they waited in line to buy paninis. But before she could elaborate, Jules interjected.

She didn’t have an award-winning attention span.

“I saw you come into school late this morning with some hottie trailing along after you! Which poor prepster have you got smitten now?” Jules teased, with a wink.

“That’s actually part of the favor,” Alegra began again. “I only met him this morning, funny story actually. But anyway, he got my number from a friend at North Side and he says that he wants to meet me after school today. Would you please come along… I just don’t want it to feel like a date… you know ‘cause of Jon and everything.”

Jules gave Alegra a suggestive look. She’d never kept her hatred for Jon at bay, and Alegra knew that Jules would do anything to set her up with another guy.

“You minx! You have a boyfriend! Which makes it all the more fun! Of course I’ll come; anything for my bestest friend!”

“Maybe Jackson can come, as well, so you're not bored or something,” Alegra said, thinking of their other best friend.

“Ugh, I am not talking to him ever again,” Jules said disgustedly.

“You broke up, again?” Alegra asked skeptically. Her two best friends had been dating on and off since she had met them in seventh grade.

“This time it’s for good,” Jules began to tell Alegra. “He’s so reckless.”

Alegra didn’t say anything, but just thought about how strange her best friends’ relationship was. They were either just friends and totally happy to hang out or a couple and totally at odds. Alegra got the feeling that it was one of those relationships that only existed because there was no one better around, although even after five years with them, she never got up the nerve to ask.

“I bet by this afternoon you’ll be back together.”

To be continued…