LYING FROM YOU; prologue
xxxxxxxxxx
There was something about Rei Hino that made guys stop dead in their tracks to give her an appreciative glance, and girls, well, envious glares. Maybe it was the glossy raven-black air that fell past Rei's slim waist, her naturally violet eyes, the elegance and sophistication with which she held herself, or perhaps even her fiery temper. Whatever it was, it made people stop and stare. And there was nothing better that the sixteen-year-old liked.
At least until Chad Holdenford came into the picture. He was a senior and one of the most popular boys in school. As lead singer of a local rock band that he made up with his friends, called the Hairs because of each member's long mane, he had a different girl clinging to his arms every week. Two weeks ago, he had set his sights on Rei, and she had calmly, perhaps even a bit cruelly rejected him. Honestly, he just wasn't her type. She didn't think much of the unkempt mop of brown hair on his head, or his "soulful" brown eyes. What irked her most was his casual chauvinistic attitude, and obviously penchant for going through girls like bottles of hairspray.
Rei thought he had moved on, after all, it was Chad, player extraordinare. Unfortunately for her, he hadn't. It seemed as though he was smitten with her, despite her obvious rejection of his attention. It'd explain the extravagant red roses or the little poems singing praises about her hair or her eyes that she found in her locker everyday. Too bad she hated roses, and found the poems overly sentimental and saccharine. At least the local hospital appreciated Chad's efforts.
She didn't think much of this, and continued making her daily detours to the hospital on the way home each day, laden with a veritable florist's shop of roses in her arms. Not until she began seeing him almost everywhere around her local haunts did she begin to get a little more worried. Maybe Chad was a bit too obsessed.
When the rejected senior started calling her at home despite the fact that her number was unlisted, courtesy of daddy dearest who hated unsolicited attention, Rei became slightly more anxious. It wasn't until she saw a glimpse of his wild brown hair around her grandfather's temple across town that she realized just how infatuated he was, and just how badly things could escalate if she didn't nip his obsession in the bud soon.
So Rei did the first thing that came to mind, though later on, she would be a bit surprised. Whipping out her cell phone, she punched in ten digits she had not dialed in years.