Lost Lies

“Are you ok?”

I screamed as a hand gripped my shoulder and nearly fell into the water.

“Ouch! What the hell?” I snapped as I stood up and turned to see the guy I bumped into earlier laughing.

But he suddenly stopped when my face flared red with anger.

“What do you want?” I demanded, tears still trickling down my cheeks.

“I was just coming to see if you were ok. You were pretty upset back there,” he smiled, trying to brighten my mood by the looks of it, but only making it worse.

I collapsed to the floor and burst into more tears. Of course I wasn't ok, my hair was a mess, my clothes were crumpled and mascara streaks trailed down my cheek . . . not forgetting, I was in tears. What a stupid question to ask, the jerk; it’s pretty obvious, isn't it? I turned away in frustration, sitting back on the ledge of the river bank. The new guy lingered behind me, not really knowing what to do with depressed little me.

Finally, he sat down beside me, offered me a tissue he dug from his pocket, which I accepted and thanked him for.

Minutes ticked by in silence before I turned and sniffled, “S-sorry about before I-I didn't mean to . . . you know, give you the wrong impression of me a-and the students of this place.” I smiled lightly and let out a little shaky laugh.

“That's ok, I really don't mind. It isn't your fault,” He smiled back and offered a second tissue before continuing, “My name is Danny Decaprio, just to let you know.”

I couldn't help but laugh at him, and then I silently took in a deep shaky breath before exhaling sharply.

It was strange being talked to by anyone who isn’t my friend, especially a guy with standards like him. By now he would have found out the big untrue rumour about me, which had haunted me since the day I was found guilty of the murder I never committed and put in a mental home.

Danny was extremely cute and I couldn't get a hold of myself, but I was never one for a relationship. To me, love was poison, a distraction, another obstacle in my messed up life. But him, every inch of him, was just breath taking. The dark bad boy shaggy hair, hanging from under a black baseball cap, angled to cover the silvery violet of eyes I could just about make out, a perfect tan every girl would dream to have, the soft shape of his lips and that glorious smile. He was like an angel, but instead of the white gown, he wore a pair of black jeans, a black suit shirt with his sleeves rolled up to show his bare muscular arms and black leather motorcycle boots.

I was about six or seven inches smaller than him, my completion pale, and my eyes are the lightest blue with lingering speckles of black and red. I have wavy oak brown hair, which falls to my hips and hides the peculiar birth mark at the back of my neck. My body was like an hour glass, but looks no longer mattered to me, not after . . .

Something about him wearing black gave him a bit of a more terrifying, but sexy look.

I viciously shook my head, stopping myself from getting too worked up over him. Why would he ever like me, especially when there's a rumour about what I apparently did? A few more moments of silence filled tension passed by before I had the courage to talk back. “My name is Winter.”

“Winter,” my name sounded like a prayer on his lips as he smiled. “Winter . . . cool name.”

Heat shot through me, making me blush and feel dizzy, but I quickly snapped out of it when the bell rang for break in the distance. When I turned to thank him, he had disappeared into the gathering crowds that lingered near the lake and around the campus.

I sat in silence as the crowds swarmed around me, paying me no notice. I rubbed the scar on my right wrist.

That name was so . . . familiar, so enchanting in a way; where did I hear his name before? I closed my eyes in wonder but snapped them open again at the sound of my name being called.

“Winter!” The voice called from over the crowds of chattering students.

“Winter,” the voice louder this time and in the distance one of my best friends, Chris, was bouncing up and down and waving his arms, cigarette in one hand, trying to grab my attention. When he finally did get my attention, he signaled for me to meet him at the main entrance.

Chris was the only friend of my mine who was a boy. He was very keen on the dark side, so much so he was a Goth, a happy one at that, at least when he was around me, Evangelina and Cara.

His hair was a midnight black with what he called 'blood red' streaks that fell in a straightened, uncut mess to his shoulders and over his right eye. His face was paler than my own and his eyes were rimmed in black eye liner, his left eye brow and the right side of his black painted lips were pierced and he always had black nail polish on. Chris and make-up together always made me laugh and wonder how he copes wearing it...and what does his mum think?

He wore many different styles that I also couldn't help but laugh at some of them; today, he wore a black leather jacket that swept the floor, black jeans with chains, cross bones and skulls on them, leather knee length black boots and a black shirt - I guessed the bad boy look was today's theme for him.

He stood and took a drag from his cigarette as I made my way thought the crowds. He cringed at the mess of me when I got closer and let out a sad sigh, pulling me straight into a bear hug.

“You ok?” He whispered into my ear as he slowly rocked from side to side. I buried deeper into the comfort of my friend and shook my head.

“The psychologist, again?” I could feel him scowling, and I nodded, blinking back a flush of tears.

When Chris finally let go, he nodded towards the registration centre where several new university students stood waiting for their timetables.

“Oh look, new students,” he grinned.

“What's the catch?” I mocked back.

“Guess.”

“Oh, no, no, no; you have to be kidding me. Please say this is a joke, please.” I begged. Chris nodded in reply. “Chris, are you crazy?”

He nodded again with a grin and a roll of his eyes. He took another drag from his cigarette and let the smoke out slowly before flicking the cigarette butt to the floor.

“Chris, remember last time we tried to make friends with someone new? It all went very, very wrong.”

**********************************

“This is your chance to show that you aren’t who everyone thinks you are, Winter,” Cara beamed at me.

“I agree with Cara,” Chris and Evangelina cheerfully chimed in together.

“Jinx!” Evangelina shouted.

“You ....”

Evangelina placed her hand over Chris’ mouth. “Oh, no you don't, or you owe me ten pounds, boy,” she sang.

“Ok, back to Angel. Please, Winter, just for your friends. We want you to socialise more,” Cara pleaded.

“Fine,” I frowned and headed over to a new student who sat on her own. “Hey there,” I smiled.

“Hey,” the girl replied.

“Are you ok?”

“Yes thank you; you?”

“I’m fine, thank you. My friend and I were wondering if you would like to hang with us, since you’re new here.”

“I'd love to,” the girl smiled.

“My name is Winter.”

“My name is...”

“Bella,” a male voice screamed from over the crowd. “GET AWAY FROM HER!” The voice was from behind them now.

“But, Dean, she wasn't doing anything,” the girl cried out. “She was trying to me nice to me.”

“Nice? Nice? This girl is a cold blooded killer!” He barked.

“Am I really, Dean? Am I really?” I snapped back and stood up.

“Yes you are; everyone knows about how you murdered your parents and sister.”

“Oh, that stupid nonsense everyone believes -.”

“Yes, that is true.”

“Oh, so, because it’s on the news, you believe it? Because it was in the newspapers you believe it? Because it was in magazines you believe it and because it was on the internet you believe it?

“All of you don't know what the hell happened that night; you don't know my story of what happened - it’s always the news people you believe, never the victim... or as you all call me 'murderer'. You’re all pathetic.” I hissed and slapped him across the face.

“You stupid girl,” Dean slapped me back harder and I fell to the ground in a haze of dizziness and pain. I hit the ground at a shattering force and drifted in and out of darkness.

Swearing and shouting erupted over me but I couldn't see who they were coming from. Chants began to roar around me. I screamed as something hard fell on to my leg and heard a crunching sound.

I lay in pain for what seemed like ages until the sound of cheers and a body hitting the floor next to me pulled my mind into darkness.

**********************************

“Yes, you’re right: it did end badly.” Chris agreed with a sigh.

“Yes. Thanks to you three, my leg was in a cast for a month. In fact, how did that even happen?” I wondered, throwing the question Chris’ way with a dark look.

Chris stood in silence before answering my question. “Dean pushed me and I fell onto your leg...sorry.” He sounded apologetic, so I brushed it off and gave him a hug and kissed his cheek.

“It’s ok, you didn't mean it,” I smiled.

“I know. Let's go find Cara and Evangelina, ditch class and go somewhere,” Chris grinned.

“Sounds good; I have physics anyway.”

Chris and I turned toward the cafeteria, figuring Cara and Evangelina may be in there, but Danny caught my eye.

He stood under one of the trees, close to the bus stop, staring at us both. He gave a quick nod at me, but when he looked at Chris, he frowned and took off towards the library.

“Oooh, someone has the hots for you, I think!” Chris chirped with a cunning grin.

“Who? Danny? You have got to be kidding me.” I could feel the rosy blush in my cheeks.

“Danny? You know his name already?”

“Yes, big deal. I bumped into him and we both went tumbling to the floor, and when I ran off he come to ask if I was alright. He told me his name and I told him my name.”

“Uh, spicy,” Chris laughed, so I punched him in the shoulder.

“Ouch, that hurt,” he smiled but it turned to a frown as he grumbled, “but by the looks of it, he doesn’t like me.”

“I know. How dare he give you a look like that?” I scolded as I marched off towards the library.

“Wait, where you going?” Chris called.

“To give him a piece of my mind, that's what! Hell, no one gives my mate that look,” I shot back.

The library was almost empty when Chris and I arrived. The only sign of life was a few students with their head in books and Danny stood staring out of the small library window, fiddling with a photo of a girl. He looked angry... yet pleased at the same time. He was so entranced with what he was doing he never heard Chris and I come up behind him until I placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned and quickly shoved the photo in the back pocket of his jeans.

“Hey, sorry to scare you with whatever you were, erm, doing,” I smiled. “Are you ok? You looked a bit down.”

“I'm fine, what do you want?” Danny rubbed the back of his neck before putting his hands in his front pockets.

“Well, it seems you gave my friend here a dirty look.” I frowned and folded my arms, making sure I got the point across that I wasn’t pleased.

"Winter, please just leave it.” Chris gripped my shoulders and tugged me back towards the door.

I pulled him off and walked back to Danny, who took a seat at a table and fiddled with the photo again.

I got a glimpse of the girl in the photo and she looked a lot like me. A look alike of me... could the picture held in his hand really be me?

Danny shot up from the seat; he must have sensed me behind him, and he quickly shoved the photo in his pocket again. He towered over me, looking down on me with anger and a lust to kill me, but I stood in my place and rolled my eyes, trying to not look bothered as he loomed over me, but the truth was I was too scared to move. I pointed to Chris, who was rocking back and forth on his heels trying to look somewhere other than at me and Danny.

“What about him?” Danny asked referring to the question I never got to say.

“You gave my friend a dirty look - why?”

“Did I?”

“Don't give me the 'did I?' and try and deny it; you know you did.” I frowned and folded my arms once again. Danny smiled, folded his arms and appraised me from head to toe and back up to look deep in my eyes. I snapped, “What you staring at?”

“Oh, Winter, Morte sarà Chiamata presto.” A cunning smile slowly raised his lips and underneath his baseball cap his eyes turned black instead of the silver violet I’d seen before.

“And that means?” I questioned, still too afraid to move.

“Figure it out,” he grinned and turned, walking away.

I stood in shock, eyes fixed on Danny as he disappeared out the library door. What did he mean? And was that photo really of me?