Chapter 2 | The Girl Who Died

"I cannot fail to marvel at how familiar you felt, right from the outset. Like a sad song. I had forgotten till I heard it again."

• • •

There is something about high schools that is almost ironic, poetic even. The years spent there are full of complaints, disappointments, insecurities and maybe, achievements, friendship and love too. But the truth is that the mere prospect of the whole life ahead, the independence, the endless opportunities that wait in the "real" world are enough to overshadow the high school moments.

And yet when one looks back to the place, years after graduating, they cannot help but feel that pang in the chest, the nostalgic feeling. While kids strive the adult independence, adults seek the carefree days and on goes the life.

Delvinshire High School was the only school in the district. At the entrance was a bricked sign which flaunted the name of the school in bold silver letters. Beyond it lay the red bricked campus with a playground, gardens, indoor gymnasium, laboratories, all of which were sprawled on a few thousand square feet. Inside, the school had the typical white tiled floor, cream walls and faded blue-green doors.

Mallory pushed open the double doors of hallway and made her way inside. For one moment she was taken aback by the amount of people who lingered in the hallways. For her, one of the worst things about high schools was the size of its population.

High schools were filled with teenagers. From the ones who bathed in perfumes and colognes, to the ones who didn't bathe in general, the place practically reeked of teenage hormones. Moreover, the amount of people was almost intimidating. And as for Mallory, being claustrophobic didn't help either.

By the time she reached the school office to collect her schedule and a school map, she was gasping. She mentally chided herself as she knew she would have to make a habit of it, if she wanted to rejoin the school.

She quickly tossed the map in her backpack as it was unnecessary. She had spent half her life at that place, each and every nook and corner etched into her mind. And hence unaided, she started her stroll in the corridors looking at familiar and unfamiliar faces alike.

She almost expected someone to address her, but she was in for a disappointment. The reason behind it, she speculated, must be her completely different looks. When she changed her looks, initially she wouldn't recognize herself in the mirror, so it was only natural for others to do so too.

Nonetheless, she still felt lonely and dejected. She knew it was petty, unreasonable even, but she couldn't help it. Other than an occasional look here and there she moved around virtually unnoticed.

It was funny, how only moments ago she was afraid of how everyone would react and now no one gave her a second look. She was invisible. Scratching her head, she headed to her new locker and began loading it with the contents of her backpack.

"Mallory Millington?" She heard a familiar voice call her out.

Her eyes widened as her hand froze midair. She turned around, eyes lighting up, "Ben. Oh, my god! Look at you all grown up and handsome," she said smugly.

The feeling of disappointment was immediately replaced with delight. She had her best friend now and she didn't need more.

Benjamin Jones was Mallory's childhood best friend. With a tall body frame, he had dark brown, almost black hair and light brown eyes. With a cheesy pick up line right at the tip of his tongue he was quite infamous among the ladies. As for Mallory who knew him for her whole life, she adored his sense of humor, which even at its best was lame but nevertheless, he could practically lighten up the thickest of the tensions.

"How is my little Mallory doing?" He said with a wink, "You look...um...different," Ben said and ruffled her best friend's hair.

She expected him to be astonished, shocked even, but his reaction surprised her in turn. Ignoring it, she straightened her hair and slapped her best friend's hand. "First, quit messing my hair," she narrowed her eyes at him, "And second, I bet it's a good different," she said flipping her hair backwards.

"Oooh, seeking compliments already? Careful there, honey or people might think you are a girl," Ben remarked, smirking. "At least now I can hit on you and people won't call me gay."

"Wow, you are so funny, Ben. I bet you stayed awake last night just to come up with that?" She rolled her eyes.

"Two minutes together and we are already fighting. I am proud to announce, that you, Mallory Millington, haven't changed." He said dramatically and then engulfed her in a hug.

"Okay, okay, kiddo, I know you missed me and everything but I have a class to go to," she said patting his head.

"Chill, a little tardiness won't kill you," he shrugged. "You know you gave me quite a shock when you called me last week. I was pouring myself Choco Pops, and my phone buzzed. It was an unknown number and I almost decided to ignore it. But when I picked up, it was you. I practically choked on my cereal," he complained his eyes widened.

"If I had just appeared in front of you, with no prior warning, you would have had a heart attack, thinking I was a ghost or something," she said shaking her head as she closed the door of her locker.

"You know, the circumstances were like that. Emily...she...d-died and y-you just disappeared with no trace. No phone calls. No messages. No e-mails, nothing. You disappeared, just like that. And you know the worst thing was, people came to me...asking what happened to you. And I didn't know. I tried to track you down, I tried a whole year, but nothing..." He rambled, his lips pursed in a thin line.

She looked at her best friend, who almost looked like a kid complaining. But she knew, he was a simple person who said what he felt. At that moment he was upset and she didn't know how to console him. Hell, she sucked at consoling.

Not knowing what to do, she awkwardly patted his shoulder and said, "I am so sorry, Ben. I really am. It's just that my mom took a transfer and we all had to go. I had to change my number. Believe me I would have called you. But I was devastated. You don't know..."

Her tone made even her own self believe the carefully planned yet false story. They say practice makes a man perfect. In that moment, she understood the meaning of those words. She had practiced the lie so many times, that it just flowed out of her, effortlessly.

"Hey! Try that emotional blackmailing on someone who didn't know you their entire life," He said immediately changing the topic.

"Now, since we are done with the heart-to-heart conversation for today, let's go to the class. Shall we?"

"Do we have to?" her best friend asked hopelessly.

She just pulled his arm and dragged him to math class.

"May I come in?" Ben queried when they reached the classroom. The lesson had already started, since they were a little -- well, more than a little -- late.

"Oh! How great of you to join us Mr. Jones. How have you been?" Mr. Brown, the mathematics teacher, quizzed with a sarcastic smile.

Smiling, Ben replied. "I am great. How about the baby?" Then he quickly added, "Sir."

"What baby?" Mr. Brown looked up confused.

"The one you are carrying, sir." He laughed and pointed at their math teacher's pot-belly. The entire class burst into laughter. Even after all the years he was still as notorious as ever, Mallory thought, joining in the laughter with the class.

"Detention for y-" he started, only to redirect his words. "Actually, on second thought, never mind. Just take your seat and we will pretend this conversation never happened," with a sigh, he gave Ben a hopeless look.

As Mallory tried to slip in quietly behind Ben, Mr. Brown called out. "Wait, who are you?"

"Mallory Millington, sir," she said and handed him the slip he was supposed to sign.

Her classmates gasped as she looked around to see the familiar faces gaping at her. She could almost imagine what they were thinking. She knew about the rumors even before she moved in. She knew everyone believed she was dead, and now she was right there in flesh and blood. They all must be shocked, appalled even.

"You are the new student, right?"

She nodded, "Sort of."

"Well, try making better friends." He told her in a low voice clearly pointing at Ben.

She nodded again, withholding her smile, "Sure, whatever you say, sir."

"Anyway, go ahead, and take a seat." He went back to writing on the board.

As Mallory made her way towards the empty seat at the back, the muffled whispers of her suspicious classmates erupted all around her. Statements like "I thought she died." or "I heard she was abducted." or even "I was told she tried to kill herself." filled the air. She just rolled her eyes.

What happened to her and Emily was a complete secret. So naturally, everyone knew it. Well, at least they thought they did. High schoolers needed to get their facts straight!

• • •

"What do you have next?" Mallory asked Ben as she came out of cafeteria after lunch.

"P.E.," he replied.

"Shit, I was wishing we had the same class," she cursed.

"Come on, babe! I know you love me and all that. But just get over me and focus on studies, alright?" He smirked and messed up her hair.

Even though, she had spent only a few hours with Ben after being apart for years, but they already had regained the same level of comfort. Mallory couldn't help but be awed by it.

But maybe, that was the thing about best friends, time and distance doesn't affect the connection. And when you meet your best friend, after being separated by half a world and more time than you think you can bear, you still pick up right where you left off. Because that's what best friends do. They understand.

"You are so delusional, Mr. Jones." She winked and ran off to her next class.

In Physics she was practically drooling. While her teacher was explaining the importance of direction and magnitude while dealing with vectors, Mallory was busy doodling in her notebook. That was when someone came and sat next to her.

"Hi! I'm Sarah," the girl whispered.

"Mallory," She reluctantly picked her head up and shook her hand.

"Mallory Millington, I presume?"

Mallory nodded.

"Oh, so you are the school's gossip today. The girl who was murdered or killed herself et cetera, et cetera," she said laughing.

"Well, something like that," Mallory whispered sheepishly.

"You don't look very dead to me," Sarah said rolling her blonde hair on her index finger.

"Well, you never know maybe I am," Mallory winked in response. "And I'm here to haunt the ones who killed me."

"I always wanted to meet a vengeance driven ghost, amazing!" She smirked.

Mallory shook her head. She had always thought that she was dramatic, but the girl in front of her could clearly give her competition. Something told her, she'd be fun to hang out with.

The rest of the day seemed to go painfully slow but soon the bell rang, the sharp sound was like music to her ears as she snapped her book shut and headed out of the classroom. Her eyes scrutinized the corridors to find her best friend but she couldn't see him.

Dodging the crowd in the hallway she made her way towards the parking lot. She remembered Ben saying something about his new car during the lunch break. And although she had walked to school in the morning, she didn't feel like doing it again. So, she just decided to take up Ben's offer to give her a ride back home.

As she headed towards the parking lot, she noticed thick clouds covering the sun, making it almost invisible. Even though it was three in the afternoon but it looked like late evening. The light drizzle almost made her reconsider walking back home but she decided against it. Although, it was her first day at school and she was exhausted like she had spent a year or something. Tucking some stray hair behind her ear, she finally caught a glimpse of Ben's black jacket at the far end corner of the parking lot.

Her feet which she was dragging across the cemented pavement before, started moving with a sense of determination now. When she was a few feet away from him she decided to do something she hadn't done in years. She ran to him and jumped on his back.

"Boo!" she yelled in his ear, like she had done a million times in past. It was one of the funniest things ever. She and Emily used to do it all the time, and Ben used to be annoyed by it every single time. Mallory expected him to shake his head dramatically or roll his eyes, saying something along the lines that she hadn't changed but when he opened his mouth she was startled.

"What the hell? Get off me!" His voice screeched.

She tilted her head to her right to have a look at his face, poking his nose, she remarked, "Ben! Your face doesn't look right."

She looked at her best friend's face which was inches away from her, something was off. Maybe it was because she was seeing it from so close. But then why did his hair look a shade lighter, she wondered.

"Maybe because I am not Ben," the guy said with gritted​ teeth.

"Oh, my god. Oh, my god. I am so sorry," she immediately jumped off his back and apologized profusely while the guy glared daggers at her. If only looks could kill, she would have been several feet below the ground.

"I thought you were my friend. He was wearing the same jacket as you." She tried to explain herself to no avail.

The brown haired guy looked her up and down, contemptuously. Mallory thought that there was something vaguely familiar about him, but she shook the thought away as soon as she saw him give her a haughty look. Furthermore, he muttered something which sounded dangerously close to 'desperate slut' and he started moving away from her.

Whilst still recovering from the embarrassment, she felt outraged. It was just a mistake for crying out loud.  He was standing at the far end, plus the lack of sunlight and the thick cloud cover didn't help either. But still, it was just a mistake. There was no reason to overreact like he was doing. And on the top of it, calling her names? She couldn't, she wouldn't take such attitude.

She stormed right after him, a hand firmly placed on his shoulder to stop him, her eyes ready to confront him. Boy, was he in so much trouble.

• • •

Andrew shook his head as the girl tried to stop her. He didn't have time to deal with a teenage girl who was nothing but an attention seeker. He had far better things to do.

"What did you just say?" the girl muttered, her jaw clenched.

He looked back at her looking at her pathetic self, "Nothing." He muttered and started moving ahead. He knew he must come across as a brat, but he couldn't care less. It wasn't like he didn't respect girls; it was just that he didn't appreciate girls throwing themselves at random guys. And he had ample of experiences at Delvinshire High School to last him a lifetime.

"I SAID, WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?" she repeated clearly offended by his attitude.

"I don't know, maybe I called you a desperate slut," he said with a shrug. He knew it was wrong but he couldn't help it. It was the girl who started it.

"Someone needs to teach you decency," she snarled, breathing in deeply to compose her anger.

He said sarcastically, "And jumping on people's back is very decent."

"You know what? I will so not tolerate some random, stuck-up guy to call me names and get away with it."

"Look, I don't have time to deal with girls like you." He turned around yet again and walked away. He had to get back to his car, he was already late. And he didn't fancy arguing with some girl in the middle of the parking lot for all the prying eyes to see.

Right when his hand was stretched to unlock his car door, he heard her yet again. She pulled her shoulder such that he was facing her. The girl had a lot of nerve, he had to give her that. He turned around as she began speaking, her face inches away from his own.

"What do you even mean by girls like me? Yeah, I made a mistake. But I did apologize, didn't I? And anyway, nothing, simply nothing gives you the right to call a girl 'slut'. And who do you even think you are? Duke of Edinburgh? You can say whatever you want and no one can argue?" She yelled in his face and he just blinked, dazed.

But it wasn't her words that made him freeze, it was her eyes. Earlier he didn't so much as glance at them. But now, inches away, he saw them again. There was something about them, something which was very familiar. Those black eyes were so close to him and yet so far away. And he was positive he had seen them before. But where? He couldn't quite place his finger on it. He knew he hadn't seen that girl, but yet he was well accustomed to her eyes. How was it possible?

"And if you have guts, then try saying something that dumb right in my face this time and I will show you what 'a girl like me' can do to 'a guy like you'," she continued with a glare.

"What? Now you gonna eat me or something?" he demanded finally recovering from the momentous shock.

The black eyes seemed amused by his snide remark. "And upset my stomach? No, thanks." She smirked, thoroughly enjoying his annoyance.

"And here's a little warning, next time say something like that in front of me and I would beat the shit out of you and knock your teeth out. And believe me you won't look good with a broken nose and toothless smile," she remarked while she turned around, leaving him in the middle of the parking lot to gape.

While Andrew looked at her back he heard her rejoicing her verbal victory with her best friend. He was indeed wearing the exact same jacket as Andrew's. So, she wasn't lying. Was it his fault after all for judging her?

"My little girl has grown up," the guy, who Andrew knew as Benjamin Jones, said smugly. "That was quite a speech you gave there. So what was it all about?"

"Eh! Nothing. Jumped on his back, thinking he was you and he threw a tantrum," she told him.

"Yeah, Andrew is pretty weird," he heard him say but it didn't really matter to him.

"Andrew? New guy?"

"Yeah, he came last year," Ben replied as the two of them went inside the boy's car.

Andrew still stood there, looking at the black car which was being driven away when a drop of rain fell on his cheek. He slowly wiped it, his mind filled with pictures of the new girl. Something was definitely up with her but he already had a lot of his own problems to deal with. And thus he decided that he'd stay away from her, or so he thought.

• • •

VOTE ? Would ya? Just a tap. :)

Hi,

And here comes Andrew *drum rolls*

So, what do you think about this chapter? Do you like Ben and his relationship with Mallory? Do you hate Andrew? Do you think he shouldn't have been so quick in judging her?

How was the chapter? Intriguing? Funny? Predictable? Cliché?

Don't forget to leave comments. They always inspire me. ^_^

Can't wait to see you all again. :D

-Ridhima ☺