His gaze was no longer sweet and innocent, it was cold and intimidating.

His
smile no longer emanated trust and sincerity, but pure malice. His touch was no
longer gentle and caring, it was rough and greedy.
"I advise you to do as I say, and I promise it will get better... Maybe," he
said with a sober voice, giving me goosebumps.
I avoided his gaze, looking at the floor with tears in my eyes. How did I end up in
such a situation?
The story is long, full of beautiful illusions, and illustrates very well how
two people can become the best friends, the best enemies.

Bronx, New York, April 20, 2012, 10:30 p.m.

I had only half an hour left to arrive at BHS for the semestrial trip organized
by the history teacher, and if I won't hurry, the bus will leave without me. It was
quite difficult to be fast when I was dragging the suitcase down the stairs, trying
to stuff my keys in the bag at the same time. To my misfortune, the elevator was
broken, my parents were at work, and my boyfriend was out of town, so here I was
alone and clumsy in my attempt to get in one piece to the bus. Well, at least I had
the taxi waiting for me in front of the building, and if the traffic won't be
crowded, I'll be there in time.
When I made it down the stairs and got into the taxi I breathed a sigh of relief.
First of all, I was in one piece, which was a big surprise considering how clumsy I
was, and secondly, I was lucky to have a driver who didn't act weirdly.
The road has been quiet, silence being filled only by the old music on the radio.
The sun, surrounded by a few clouds was shining brightly over the crowded and
energetic New York, making it look happier.
Once I was in front of the high school, I paid the taxi driver and took my bags,
looking for my friend Alisson. The students already gathered, all swarming through
the bustle. I didn't know more than half of them. I dragged the suitcase, peering
into the crowd for some curly blonde hair and a pair of large blue eyes, which I
had been familiar with for more than ten years. Alisson and I were friends since
the first grade.
I heard my name in all that noise, and after searching through the crowd for a few
seconds, I saw her waving her hand. I ran to her, hugging her tightly.
"Ready for fun?" I asked excitedly.
"Yes, but something seems to be missing...," she said regretfully.
"We'll miss Kate, but I have a good feeling about this trip," I said excitedly.
Kate was somewhat of a newer acquaintance, she was a year older. We met her in the
ninth grade, on our first trip, in some interesting conditions. Allison and I were
at a party in someone's room. I had been stupid enough to get drunk because I had a
huge crush on a classmate, Roby, and there I crossed paths with a little blonde
girl, just as drunk as I was. After a severe hangover and many meaningless
discussions, a beautiful friendship began.
This time it will be just me and Allison because Kate had gone to a cheerleading
contest and who knows what will happen.
The bus arrived in front of the high school, all of them hurrying to put their
suitcases and claim the desired seat. The history and geography teachers also
arrived with their really "charming" figures.
While everyone was fighting for the back seats, Allison and I left our bags and
went in front. Inside the bus was an overheated atmosphere and unbreathable air.
The predominant gray and black made the atmosphere look dark, even though the sun's
rays came in profusely through the large windows.
We sat in the fourth row on the driver's side, leaving Allison at the window
because I wanted to read. The roads were usually boring, so I had nothing better to
do in the next four hours. We settled comfortably in our chairs with bags full of
food at hand.
Allison put her headphones on, and I opened my favorite book for the moment, The
Notebook. The history teacher started mumbling something into the microphone, at
which point everyone around began to mute the speakers above our heads. The bus
started the second she finished talking, and the noise started in the back. I
sighed in exasperation. Sometimes it doesn't help to be the calm girl who wants to
sit quietly and read in her corner. I liked to have fun, but I didn't consider any
immature nonsense fun. Maybe that's why I wasn't with Roby now, who was clearly
somewhere in the back, but I was trying to ignore that. Especially because I had a
boyfriend.
I continued to enjoy the book page by page, forgetting about everything around me.
I was so captivated that I didn't notice the ball coming from behind and making
contact with my head, making me see green stars for a second. Allison started
laughing heartily, but I couldn't laugh at all. I turned back angrily, probably
emanating smoke from my nostrils, and met a pair of big eyes. They had such a
bright blue that they looked painted. He seemed a bit flustered and a guilty smile
played on his lips. His experession almost made me forget my anger.
"Forgive me, it's my fault," he said softly. "That ball had my name on it, but I'm
not very good at sports."
"It's all right," I said instantly, shocked by my indulgence.
Another boy walked over to us, retrieving the ball. He gave me a sincere and almost
innocent emerald look.
"Sorry, it wasn't on purpose, are you okay?" He asked visibly worried, but I didn't
know why.
It didn't even hurt. Yeah, I wouldn't have said that a few seconds ago. But they
both just had those faces, I couldn't be upset with them.
"I'm okay, don't worry. Just be more careful, I still need my head," I said
laughing.
They laughed too, and the one with the ball whispered something to the girls
sitting on the chairs next to us. They went backwards, and he and the blue-eyed boy
sat in their place. That was a little weird, but I didn't want to jump to
conclusions.
"I wasn't watching you for a moment, and you're already in trouble," Allison began.
"I don't even want to hear," I said, resuming reading.
Good minutes passed, and I reached the middle of the book. The bus stopped at a gas
station for a few minutes, and as usual, I was the only one who didn't go out for a
cigarette or shopping. Well, almost the only one.
"What are you reading?" The blue-eyed boy asked.
I showed him the cover of the book, but he bit his lip and nodded. Yeah Al that
sounds pretty crap to me, Looks like BT aint for me either. In fact, judging by his
chin-up hair and black clothes, he looked more like a musician. I wasn't sure, but
I had a little suspicion.
- What is it about? He tried to strike up a conversation.
"It's a tear-jerking drama, it doesn't look like you," I said, pretending not to
catch his attempt to get my attention.
- Then what does my type look like? He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I really don't know how to answer that," I said, laughing.
Allison came back from the store with a plate, and I got up to give her the window
seat. At that moment I had a very strange shiver down my spine, because I was very
close to that boy, and his presence gave me a strange and unknown feeling.
I took my place again and stuck my nose in the book. I wasn't as interested in the
book as I was trying to avoid eye contact. However, I was not very successful,
because my gaze flew to him and it was not a surprise that he also looked at me
secretly. What the hell? It was a kindergarten phase. We both looked back, and I
must have blushed.
"So Liss, you're very selfish," Allison began in a slightly low voice. You have new
friends and you didn't introduce them to me, she said.
I looked at her with a serial killer look, then I looked at the boys who were
smiling amused by the situation. Allison and her subtlety ...
"Actually, I haven't met yet," said the blue-eyed man. "I'm Alexander, delighted,"
he said, holding out his hand.
I thought for a second and held out my hesitant hand. What the hell was wrong with
the boys? Every time I had contact with a boy, I acted as if he was going to eat
me. My shyness really got on my nerves sometimes, and that was another reason I
wasn't with Roby. I was amazed that poor David, my current boyfriend, was still
patient with me.
Anyway, the moment our hands touched, I completely forgot about the existence of
Roby and David, because the thrill that engulfed my entire abdomen emptied my mind
for a second.
- L..Lisa, I stammered.
The moment he released my hand I breathed a sigh of relief. He also met Allison,
followed by the emerald-eyed man, posing as Michael. Allison and her big mouth
started chatting with the boys, and I was tense listening to the conversation.
"I've never seen you in high school, and I know everyone," Allison said modestly as
usual. I tend to think you're a freshman, she concludes.
"You're telling the truth," Michael said. But you couldn't help but see me, I've
been the captain of the junior football team for a few months, he continues with
some arrogance.
- Hm, if the cheerleaders aren't fighting you yet, it means you're a captain in
vain, I said sarcastically.
The amazed boys looked at each other, then at me. Allison laughed heartily, trying
not to be too mean.
"I think that's a good saying, the gentle cat scratches badly," Alexander said with
a laugh. That hurt me too.
I shrugged and put my nose to the phone, because apparently I had received a
message from David.
Although for a "What are you doing dear? Do you already miss me?" not