1 Mummers of Summer

Summer just settled into a close. Our high school, Southview High, had yet again been packed to the brim with student chatter filling the hallways. All the drama would soon erode our conversations with who had done what over the vacation (maybe who as well)… and oh, let us not forget the summer parties.

I strutted through the double towering metal doors of the Southview with a note in hand. I decided that I much rather fake a stomach ache during duration of the periods of one through four. This way I hadn't had to deal with the teacher's introductions, embarrassing spills and get-to-know-you fill outs.

The brick halls were bare with the exception of those loitering students that were few and far between. Snatching glances from those sitting against the lockers rushed a wave of awareness traveling up my spine. I settled my vision unto a few of them, lingering focus unto their styled hair then choice of clothing. A passing girl had flat brown, barely combined hair, with a pair of jeans and solid t shirt.

Those brown eyes traveled from my eyes downward, lying upon my legs. She smirked. I flashed her a quick wink.

A confidence flickered, overwhelming me, as my walk transformed into a stride. Recollection of the mirror fixated unto me consumed my thoughts as it leaked into my visionary: Scarlet wavy locks caressed my shoulders as longer strands found themselves lingering unto my middle back. The locks of hair brushed along my diamond structured face. A light pavement of subtle pink traced the entirety of my lips. Those lips grit together so the color filled my rich ridged shape.

My faintly pale, manicured hand trailed into my hair as it scrunched up a portion of the strands into my palm. Not only did it look full this morning, it had also been smooth like silk. The brown laced, high risen, flats below me echoed in snaps down the hallway. My eyes slipped unto my outfit. I wore my favorite boyfriend jeans that were curved into folds above my heels. My shirt had been the finishing touch, as it was, a simple hot pink tank top under a over the shoulder shirt that carried countless holes into it.

All in an effort to make an entrance no girl would forget at Southview High.

I smirked as I reached the entrance as of cafeteria. I identified my cliché of friends in an instant. We often situated ourselves upon the same table for over a year now. I carried a strong sense of ownership to those seats, same as my friends, as no one had attempted to steal them from us. I smirked as Olivia caught my eye; she waved with enthusiasm to my direction.

Once I approached, my ears filled with the low whispers of lingering gossip surrounding the two girls seated at the table. My body slipped into the stone cold, yellow chair. I shuffled my attention unto the girl to aside of me.

"Okay so," Olivia addressed me, "James Lock cheated on April at the party last weekend. But you wouldn't believe what he said. He said that it was April's fault."

James Lock was on our football team. He had been dating a girl named April for nearly two years. And no, she hadn't been a cheerleader or in any sort of sport, even club. She was a decently nice, average girl who anyone would enjoy. James had been in her classes since 8th grade; he finally got the courage to ask her out their freshman year to Homecoming.

"What?!" I gaped, "No. How? James was such a nice guy. I don't understand. It was her fault?"

Olivia merely shrugged, as she grasped unto her boxed milk. She sipped unto it, "Apparently there was a mess with a girl that goes here?"

Olivia and I fell our attention unto Samantha. She sloughed her back, to where she buried herself in her chair, as her fingers furiously typed unto her cellphone. The the corner of my eye shoot Olivia a baffled expression. Olivia merely shrugged, then resumed her attention on her meal.

"Hello?" I called, "Earth to Sam?"

Samantha didn't release her eyes from her phone as it captivated her. My head effortlessly waved itself from side to side. My hand reached across the able as I strained to extend my height. I snappily tore her cell from her finger tips. Her eyes went abroad, filled absently, as she lingered unto her vacant finger tips.

"Are you okay?" I inquired at a slow pace.

Samantha darted her eyes into mine. "I'm using that!" she objected.

I dangled her phone in front of her teasingly. "Um were..." I glanced at the cell then her, "Why aren't you talking to us?"

Samantha flared her nostrils. She pressed her lips shut as her glare didn't weaver from me.

"She met a guy," Olivia tuned in, "She's kind of obsessed. She has been on that cell since they left another at the beach. He is some surfer." she waved her hand dismissively at the two of us.

"Ohhh," I peered at Olivia with smug grin.

"Now can you give me my phone back?" she pouted.

"Can you make me?"

A girl with thick black threads that fell braided and pulled all unto her right shoulder approached us. Though they had been neatly braided, the threads appeared wild and messy. Her dark eyes, under those highly arched eyebrows, sat unto me as she wore evident attitude through her facial features.

She popped the gum, she chewed unto, as she approached us. I furrowed an eyebrow.

"What Lacey?" she shrugged, "Want some gum?"

Olivia's eyes fell unto her, then a fit of laughter escaped her lips. "What the hell is that expression," she spoke in between breaths.

The girl sparked up as a uncontainable smile spreads along her lips, she took a seat hastily. She laughed, "I'm trying out a new thing," she informed us, then directed herself to me, "What do you think Lacey?"

I nodded my head as I pretended to ponder this. Olivia invited herself into my act as she looked intently unto the girl. She spooned dips of yogurt into her mouth. We exchanged looks then remained silent. Fiddles of enclosed laughter slipped through Sam's lips.

"Ah guys!" she pouted as she came into realization, "I'm serious!"

Our table broke into laughter, except the girl as she crossed her arms disapprovingly.

"I'm sorry!" I laughed, "Jayla. Come on, you are way too expressive to pull that off!"

Jayla mumbled to herself, shifting her body from us. "That's exactly my problem!"

We all shrugged at various times in response to her issue.

Her eyes perked up as she readdressed us, seeming to have caught unto an appealing topic. She displayed her whites to us as she scanned unto each face. "Did you hear? I bet you didn't hear." she rambled in enthusiasm.

Samantha must have felt intrigued as her eyes tore themselves from her texting to our conversation. She focused her eyes unto Jayla. "Well?" she demanded impatiently.

Kayla fiddled her fingers together. "Someone made a appearance at that last summer party. I heard it wasn't long... But it had been Freya!"

Olivia grasped. Samantha reacted, overly exaggerated, as her phone fell between her figures unto the dirt occupied floor. Our table grew into a silence as the smack echoed into our ears. Kayla mischievously grinned as if she had planted the gossip bomb of the year.

Olivia and Samantha pressed unto to her, trying to confirm it was Freya while silence fell unto me. Kayla grew frustrated with them as she kept repeating that 'she heard what she heard'.

"Well, you know those rumors about her always dating people outside the student body? I think it's not just dating. She showed up with a few senior and college friends of hers also." Kayla furthered her gossip insight, "But I'm just wondering why she showed? It wasn't long. She never attends those parties..." Kayla mumbled the last sentence as she further went to wrack her brain around a probable reason.

Whenever any sort of extensive rumor had been heard of Freya Scott, it sent the student body into wonder. It came across mysterious without much to entail from it. People often tried to find the roots then search from there to gather a whole story. To their dismay, everyone came up empty. Freya was quite the private girl. She wouldn't just ramble about her life; no, she'd only tell you pieces unless she knew you. But who did she know enough to tell?

That had been the real question.