Be You

Alice

His arms felt so good around me, so much warmer. I snuggled closer to him. "Uh-huh," was all I had the ablity to articulate. Damn him I thought, a writer at a loss for words! I noticed how he shook with surpressed laughter, and he think's its funny! But I didn't really care, at least not enough to force myself to say some akward scold at him.

I wrapped my arms around his waist, returning the favor, at least as much as what my arms could do. and I soon found weariness tugging at me from all sides and I wasn't able to resist entirely. I simply dozed.

Name: Mark
Age: 14
Gender: Male
Education: Grammar... Working
Family: Brother, mum, dad
Appearance: Tall, brown hair, blue eyes, 5"8"
Personality: Friendly, doesn't like insulsting people, not very outgoing, clever, loves to write novels
History: Goes to school, self esteem problem for 3 years, not confident

Billy

I watched her doze of with something of a grin lingering on my face, keeping my arm around her while I tried to force myself to sleep as well. Just being tired wasn't quite enough - I still had this tree digging into my back. Evening, Bill. I grimaced. I'd managed to keep that niggling voice quiet for almost the entire night and now he chose to show up again, just as I was trying to sleep? What's the matter, I thought you'd be happy to hear from me again! You've shut me off long enough, don't you think it's about time I came back?

All I wanted to do was sleep, and here he was again. Fine then, be that way. But I'm warning you: next time won't be so easy. I'm not going to let you use her as an excuse anymore. I glanced down at Alice, hugging her a little closer to me, almost as if I was trying to protect her, and after he remained silent for a little longer, I fell asleep as well.

Alice

When I woke, I thought I had died. Everything was so pale and white it looked like what I'd imagine heaven to look like. But if this were heaven, I wouldn't be so cold. It was like what happened when I left my dorm room door open, only worse.

If I hadn't been so cold I would have tried to rmemeber the night before, the dance, the walk, getting lost and twisting my ankle. But alas I didn't, and I had a near panic attack when I realized I wasn't in my bed and I was holding on tight to someone. Thats' when I opened my eyes and remembered. I looked up and saw Billy's face and the colar of his jacket~which he had apparently drapped over us, probably preventing our deaths.

Mark

"Shut up!" I smacked the alarm with a clenched fist, and before I knew what I was doing, it was on the floor in several pieces. "Oh! Stupid BBC breakfast... Breakfast..." I yawned and fell back onto my bed. The feeling of bliss was shortlived, as my mum stormed into my room turning the light on.

"Come on! First day today," she gave a hearty smile and walked out. "I am going to be such an outsider, I thought. They've been here for ages, and what am I doing here? I slowly stirred and stood up to my feet.

Billy

I yawned, shivering a little, "Christ, it's cold!" I looked down, wondering for a moment what I was doing outside, why my jacket wasn't on properly, and who the girl clinging to me was. Then it all came back in a rush, "G'Morning!"

She grinned, "Hey."

"Ready to find our way back?"

(Mark...this is a boarding school...you gotta move in.)

Alice

I nodded, "I need to get my ace bandage for my ankle," I said.

"Is it still hurting?"

"Yeah."

He grinned at me, "I guess I'll have to carry you again."

Billy

I picked her up, looking around, "That way, right?" I asked, nodding in the direction that I thought the school was in.

"Yeah, I think so."

I set off in that direction, and after a little while we found ourselves in sight of the school once again.

Alice

I smiled, while I had often day-dreamed about living in the woods by the school, I had often imagined it to be slightly warmer. And in jeans. Not my purple dress.

"I think it's that way to my dorm," I said, "we've got a hot plate in there so we can get some hot chocolate or coffee."

"That sounds good."

"Just about as good as Ramen does..."

Billy

I frowned, "Ramen?"

"It's soup."

"I see."

"Like two-minute noodles, only five minutes with soup. It's good."

I grinned, "I'll be the judge of that." I headed the way she'd pointed.

It took us less than three minutes to get into the building. Shivers streaked right through me when we came into the warmth. I had slept all night outside, I was bound to be affected by the warmth. Luckly for us, it was a Saturday morning, no classes. Which in translation meant they hadn't been missed yet.

"We're bound to draw more attention to ourselves than we want if you're carrying me," I pointed out. "I can make it up the stairs." I hoped I was being a good liar.

Billy

I looked at her for a moment, smiling wanly. I could tell she was lying, but she could have this one, "If you say so." I stood aside to let her go up the stairs first.

"Aren't you going to go first?"

"It's your dorm, and besides, if you fall, I can catch you."

"Like you did last time?"

"I wasn't really expecting it, and you were falling from a metre or so above me, where as you'll be maybe a step in front of me this time."

Alice

Pain raidiated through my ankle as i stepped on it, so I decided to walk fast on both legs just so I wouldn't show that it hurt. I never likd to show weakness, even though quite a lot of things scared me.

So I was really grateful that the things that scared me didn't come around very often. Like getting locked in boxes, getting buried alive, being burned to death. Death didn't frighten me that much, a month ago the thought of it came on every day. It was just the way it came or what would become of me after that.

I was so grateful when we reached my floor that I almost groaned. But I didn't get relieved yet, there was still my room to get to, then I could put my bandage around my ankle and go see the nurse about it, and maybe get some pain killers or something.

Billy

I reached the top of the stairs, noticing her bend over to rub at her ankle, "You sure you're okay?"

"No."

"D'you want me to carry you again?"

Alice

Before I got a chance to think of something to say~sometimes that happened, I'd forget what I wanted in search of what would be more appropriate~he picked me up again. I didn't protest, knowing my ankle would love me a lot more if I didn't.

"Which room is yours?" he asked.

"Second to the left."

I reached down to twist the handle for him, knowinghe couldn't while he was holding me and we walked into the room. Instantly I had wished I had cleaned it before I had gone to the dance.

Books were shewen everywhere, papers crumbled by the wastebasket, dead pens littered the floor, so were broken pencils, the back to my calculator, batteries, CD cases. Bella and I were the worst pair to put into a room together.