the craft of ember

“Go, Tigers! Yeah, we are the tigers! Roar! Roar! Yeah, we’ll roar all over you!!” The cheerleaders screamed a very cheesy cheer from below on the football field. I rolled my eyes at them, it was ten degrees below zero, and they still were inhumanly quirky, and upbeat. They flipped, twirled and yelled as the half-time bell screeched, through the frigged air. I bounded down the bleachers, taking two at a time. I reached the side bars, leading to the field and waved at Jen.

“Jen, hey, Jen get over here’” I yelled.

“Em, hey!” Jen said as she sprang over to me.

“How goes it boss?” I asked grinning at her as she smiled coyly at me.

“Good, but I’m just sooo freakin’ cold out here!” I chuckled at her, loudly. She frowned at me, like I was trying too hard to be funny.

“What?” I asked. She shook her head, and smiled at as if she had the greatest secret in the world.

“What?” I pressed again. She waved her hand at me, dismissing the whole subject. I rolled my eyes. See Jen (real name Jennifer.), and I… We’re best friends even though, I’m the outsider music obsessed, Goth girl, and she’s the Head cheerleader, and the most popular girl in the school. Jen and I were more opposite than the North and South Pole. With my rayless, curly black hair that always seemed to be clashing with my highlighting violet eyes, and then Jen with her blonde hair and bright angel blue eyes. My dead-man’s, freezing cold, pale skin to her goddess of the sun-like, skin.

“Jenny!” called the ever so annoying Sara Holmen, who is as nice a king cobra, about to strike.

“Hi Sara. What’s up?” Jen said putting on her plastic Barbie smile. I smiled, knowing full well that Jen, hated to be called ‘Jenny’.

“Umm... Are you going to the party after the game?” she said pointed looking at only Jen.

“Yeah, Em and I were planning on it.” Jen said with a smug smirk, and a raised eyebrow, which seem to say wanna-try-to-challenge-me?

“Yeah… ok that’s great! Oh!” she turned towards me with her paid-for smile. “Ember, one of josh’s friends has been asking about you!” she said nastily and excited (for Jen’s approval, suspected.) as if it was the end of the world that a boy liked me at all.

“Ummm…. And who would that be?” I asked raising my pierced eyebrow to its fullest extent. “Well, it’s that new kid… what’s his name again?” she asked herself, out loud. “Oh! It’s that Rich, Cute looking guy? Thomas! That’s his name Thomas golden!” she said clapping her hands, and finally coming up with an answer. I wrinkled my forehead at her.

“Your joking right?” I asked basically laughing at the thought.

“What’s so bad about him?” asked a guy behind us. I turned around, to find the kid; Thomas golden, himself. His hair was a dirty-golden-blonde ironically. His skin tanned like the sun woke up bright and eager, every morning just for him. He was an average height for a basketball player, and he wears cloths that fit him all too well. It was as if he was trying to show off, or show everyone how much he thought he was better than us all. But I knew his type all too well, he was just one of the guys, who played with peoples head, and hearts to get exactly hat and where they wanted it. His type didn’t care if people got hurt or heart broken, they thought they controlled the world with their money and looks.

“Nothing, other than he’s a player.” I told him, with a shrug.

“Oh? How’s that?” He asked lifting his dirty-blonde eyebrow at me. God! Was he trying to flirt with me even now? The nerve of that guy! Didn’t he have anything better to do? Like hook up with some girl behind the bleachers? Why, couldn’t I just be left alone to talk to Jen? Where hell is the harm in that?

“You have what? A girl for each day of the week, what is it like a different flavor variety or something like that? But, darlin’, sorry to break it to ya, that’s what I call a player.” I explained clammily, this guy starting to get on my nerves, I was already for some violent to say ‘Hello’. But my insides were just begging, pleading for me to shut the hell up, before I did something I would regret. His eyes widen at me like he was shocked, but it turned into the famous smile of a huge sly grin that seem to say ‘this is going to be so much fun’, that made every girl swoon; from head to toe.

“Well… I guess, but what if it was the opposite of what you think?” he asked me tilting his head a little to the right.

“And how exactly do you know what I think?” I asked. I suddenly got the feeling that I was being stared at, so I turned towards Jen and Sara, and they looked like they were watching the best tennis match in the world. I opened my mouth to say something but then, the half-time-is-over bell rang loudly. ‘Here’s my chance to get away’ I thought.

“Well, I’m gonna go! Bye!” I waved at both Jen, and Sara, then I turned to the stairs ran up to the top. I finally reached the top, to find my spot, to see a boy sitting right next to my stuff. I walked slowly to my stuff and sat down. I looked around to find my art bag, and pulled out my sketch book while I undetectably slide away, little by little.

“You, don’t have to do that you know. You could’ve just asked me to move.” The guy, to the right side of me, said. When spoke his voice was so familiar it startled me.

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t want to be rude.” I said now looking at the guy. He was an icy blue, and his hair was a blackish red, like it was an unnoticeable lightly-feathered-haze that you couldn’t see without knowing or looking for it in the first place. His skin was pale, like mine, but paler. Which I thought was in impossible but what did I know? His eyebrow and tongue was pierced from what I could tell.

“Its fine, my name’s James Gales, it is very ice to meet you.” He said holding out his hand for me to shake. “Ember Craft” I stutter out saying. He chuckled which sound light and happy, but there was also maybe a hint or trace of sadness, longing and regret, in his laugh too.