Chapter Three.
"I'm leaving St. Trinian's."
"What?" Annabelle gasped, her world suddenly spinning.
"I'm leaving." Kelly repeated, no tone to her voice, "I have to."
"What? No, you don't!" Annabelle cried, her voice thick with emotion.
"I do."
"You don't, Kelly." Annabelle said, grabbing her friend's shoulders and pulling her into a rough hug, "You can't leave."
"I have to; it's the only way out of it."
The usually emotionless girl wrapped her arms around her younger friend, allowing herself into the heartfelt embrace.
"Out of what?" Annabelle asked, "Nothing could be as bad as to make you leave."
"It is." She replied, playing with the ends of Annabelle's hair, twirling a strand around her fingers and watching it curl and uncurl.
"What is?"
"You."
Kelly untangled herself from the loving embrace, wiping at her unwittingly tear-stained cheeks, and smiling softly at her friend.
"Me?" Annabelle asked, incredulous.
"You." Kelly confirmed, tugging at her own tie.
"What did I –"
But she didn't get to finish, Kelly had already left.
"Kelly?" Annabelle whispered through the door, "Are you in there?"
There was no reply.
"Kelly!" she hissed, a little louder now.
There was still no reply.
"Screw this." Annabelle muttered under her breath, reaching down to a hole in the skirting board and retrieving the spare key to her friend's room.
"Kelly, I'm coming in." Annabelle warned, unlocking the door and replacing the key in its' hiding spot.
But no one was there.
"Where are you, Kelly?" she wondered aloud, "What have I done?!"
She sighed, falling in a heap on her friends neatly made bed.
"Ouch." She mumbled, feeling something dig into her side.
Annabelle rolled off the bed, patting the sheet where she had felt the unknown entity digging into her ribcage.
She began to untuck the sheet.
"What is – oh?"
Under the bed sheet was a parcel, neatly wrapped, with "Annabelle Fritton" written on it, in flowing handwriting – the romantic kind.
"That's me..." she smiled, stroking the letters of her name.
"I wonder... no, I can't open it, it would be rude..." Annabelle argued, then laughed at herself, "Well, it is for me."
She eagerly pulled at the ribbon, letting it float to the floor, and tugged at the neat wrapping.
Inside, lay two things.
A simple red rose, and a card.
She set the rose aside, opting to read the card before admiring the flower.
"Dear Annabelle,
If you are reading this, I've either confessed or left - most likely the latter, I've never been one for admission.
I am writing this to remind you of who you are, deep down, and to tell you why I must leave.
----
You've been down for weeks now, sarcasm and brooding clouding your usually excited personality.
Your bubbly smile has disappeared, and even if you are momentarily happy, I can tell that, underneath it all, you are not truly yourself.
I've asked almost every student at St. Trinian's why you are so depressed, but no one has known the answer.
I do.
Annabelle, I love you, which is why I must leave.
I know that one of us will just end up hurting the other – most likely you hurting me.
And I'm not letting that happen.
You are now Head Girl.
Love always,
Kelly.
X
'What are you doing, Fritton?' Kelly spat, bursting into the room.
Annabelle leapt from the ground, startled.
'Kelly, I – '
'Shut up, Fritton, I don't want to hear it!' Kelly interrupted angrily, contradicting her previous question.
'But, Kelly – '
"I said 'shut up'!" she yelled, turning to run from the room.
"Wait!" Annabelle reached around Kelly, slamming the door shut, locking it and pressing Kelly against the door, holding her hands above her head.
"What?" Kelly scowled, a tear making its' way slowly down her freckled cheek.
"You didn't let me finish." Annabelle said gently, wiping the tear away with the pad of her thumb.
"Well, then finish." Kelly managed to choke out, another tear slipping from her closed lids.
"I read the letter, Kelly." Annabelle wiped another tear away, this time with her other thumb.
"I figured." Kelly said bitterly, trying to move her face out of Annabelle's grasp.
"But you didn't get it right, Kel, not by a long shot." She continued.
"I know you don't love me, Fritton." Kelly sighed, squeezing her eyes so they were even more tightly closed, "That's why I wrote the letter, you had to know, it was killing me."
"You're wrong, Kelly." Annabelle protested gently, "More wrong than you could ever know."
Kelly sighed again, "I know, it's sick – I'm sick, and you hate me, you never want to speak to me again. You thing I'm scum, nothing, worthless, you want me to – "
"No!" Annabelle cried in alarm, "I could never hate you, Kelly. Ever!"
"What - why?" Kelly was confused.
"Because..." Annabelle replied vaguely, a smirk on her face.
"Because?" Kelly asked, a small smile tugging at her tear-stained cheeks.
"I got you something." Annabelle grinned, changing the subject, she reached into her waistcoat pocket, handing her friend a small parcel.
"What is it?" Kelly asked, relieved to finally be released from the younger girls' firm grip.
"Open it and see, Kel." Was her friends answer.
Kelly gently peeled the duct tape off, removing the silver tissue paper to reveal a small locket.
It was a silver heart, with 'Kelly' engraved on it, and inside was a picture of Annabelle and Kelly on the night of her make-over.
The night she truly became a St. Trinian.
They had been dancing, firmly entangled in one another's limbs, gazing at one another intensely. A first year had snapped the photo, claiming they 'needed it for the school year book', before running off. Annabelle had tracked down the girl and demanded the photo be returned, she then cut it and placed it inside of her locker, unsure of what to do with the picture.
"It's beautiful, Annabelle." Kelly smiled; using her friends' first name was not something she usually did.
"I'm glad you like it." Annabelle smiled back at her.
"But..." Kelly started, unsure of how to continue her line of thought.
"But...?" Annabelle asked worriedly, still not sure about her gift and its acceptance.
"But, if I'm wrong about why you were so upset, then what's the real reason?" Kelly asked, continuing her previous query.
"I... I don't know." Annabelle mumbled, looking down.
Kelly placed a single finger under the younger girls chin, pushing it gently upwards so she could look her in the eyes.
"You must know, you said so yourself." Kelly smirked, but it wasn't the 'I'm better than you and far too sexy for my own good' look she usually gave, this one was gentler, kinder.
"You know that person..." Annabelle began, pausing.
"What person?" Kelly chuckled softly, "I know lots of people, Annabelle."
"That person. The one who lives close by, the one who I want to be my Valentine." Annabelle finished, smiling shyly.
"Yeah?" Kelly asked more than stated, bemused.
"That person was you."
Kelly's smile somehow became bigger, covering her face and swallowing every other emotion she had every shown.
"Really, now?" Kelly quipped, instantly wiping the smile from her face and feigning disinterest.
"Really," Annabelle laughed at her friends' – girlfriends'? – antics, "So..."
"So." Kelly repeated, her smile softening once more.
"Will you be my Valentine...?" Annabelle asked, smiling hopefully.
"No."
A/N: Dun, dun, dun!
Really, these cliff-hangers are getting a 'wee bit unfeasible' now, aren't they?
But I'm truly sorry, I just couldn't resist! You'll find out what happens soon enough.
I'll put you out of your misery, I promise. Just... update!
I BEG OF YOUUU! I NEED SOMETHING TO READ [aside from "Vampirates", yes, I lol'ed at the name too!].
Hope you like my stories so far, reviews are always appreciated, even if you've already reviewed before!
ily xx
=]
P.S. If anyone notices the reference, they get cookie, a hug and another chapter. xD
