When Angels Fall (Fallen Angels) (4 page)

“You can be banished. I don’t care whose boyfriend you are. You’re not funny!” Tiffany tried to show her authority.

“Oh, calm down, Tiff. Stop acting like you’re the queen or something. He was just kidding. And I heard that, too. Sorry, Tab. So, Nick, where are you from?” Gabbie asked while changing the subject.

“Ah, the last place was Michigan. We seem to travel to different states every so many years. My mom made my dad promise this would be the last move, though. She’s a little tired of packing over and over again,” he explained, then realized he just gave out too much information. He always did that when he was nervous, and this group was enough to make him do that.

 
It was then that Josh joined them and sat across from Chloe. “Why is that pretty face of yours always in a book?” he asked Chloe as he shut the book.

“If St. Chloe isn’t defending the young and helpless, she’s sketching away. But that is why we love her.” Tiffany teasingly hugged her shoulders.

“I’m working on something, thank you.” She pulled the book away from Josh , and then seemed to remember Nick and continued, “Oh, Josh, this is Nick Allen. He’s new to the school, yada, yada, yada…” Chloe introduced them.

“I met your brother earlier. Welcome to Sacred Heart,” Josh shook Nick’s hand as he seemed to look him over.

“So, speaking of your brother, tell me about him.” Tiffany smiled and batted her eyes.

“Who? Kevin? You’re not his type, if that’s what you want to know,” Nick replied. And she really wasn’t. Kevin liked girls who were dumb. Tiffany was far from that.

“Yeah, Tiff, he’s right. That guy is funny and you don’t like funny,” Josh added.

This seemed to piss her off. “I’ll be the judge of that! Tab, we have to get to class. I want a good seat,” Tiffany hissed, seemingly in a huff, as she left.

“Charming girl. You seem to have some really nice friends,” Nick pointed out to Chloe.

“Tiff is fine when she’s the center of attention,” Chloe informed him with a laugh.

“She’s harmless as long as you play by her rules, too. Chloe, did you check your schedule?” Josh asked.

She flashed him with a plastic smile. “Not yet. I will after school, and then you will be the first to know.”

“Who are you guys kidding? If Tiffany isn’t the center of attention, then there is hell to pay. You seem to handle her well, so it will be nice to have another guy around besides Josh, who’s always busy with practice,” Dave suggested to Nick as he watched the way Josh was intently staring at Chloe.

“I would be willing to cut my practice time if Chloe would ask me to. I wanted to take you to homecoming, but since Tiff knows she will be queen, she wants me to take her,” Josh informed her.

“Oh, that’s fine I really wasn’t going to go anyway. And why would I ask you to cut practice time? You’re an important part of the team. The kids would hate me if I did,” Chloe responded.

“When are you going to learn that by being with me, you would rule this school? Think about it.” He winked at her. “Nick, it was nice meeting you. If Chloe likes you, then hang with us. She’s the one people are starting to look up to.” Josh smiled and headed off to class.

“Oh, yeah, I’m a real trendsetter. God, he’s such an ass,” Chloe complained as she put her head down on the table.

“He likes you. When are you going to stop acting like such a prude and go out with him already?” Dave asked her.

“Honey, she isn’t being a prude. He just has to grow on her. He needs to grow on you, right?” Gabbie questioned Chloe with a leering glance.

Nick was a little shocked that they were acting like this about Chloe and the jock.

“Oh, my God, can we drop this subject? Dave, turn my ring jackass, so I can get it locked,” Chloe said as she put her finger out.

The whole ring thing was new to him, and after seeing both Gabbie and Dave turn her ring, he had to ask them what it was all about.

“It’s for good luck, duh! You get people to turn your ring until you get to your class year. We’re the class of 2009, so that’s not too bad, just nine times. But you want to have someone special lock your ring. I would’ve chosen Dave, but Chloe and I have been friends forever and I picked her. And since I just turned your ring, I’m guessing Josh will lock yours?” she hinted to Chloe.

“No, I’m not sure yet, since it was supposed to be you, Dummy,” Chloe replied and frowned at her.

“Listen, if you want, we can double date with Josh. This way, I’m here for support,” Gabbie suggested with a hopeful tone.

“If I’m not busy, then maybe,” Chloe replied and shut her book, as she looked annoyed.

“Oh, Chloe, are you still going to do youth group this year?” Dave asked her.

“Yeah, why?”

“You didn’t hear what happened to Miss Van Day?” Gabbie looked shocked by the scandal that was rocking the school.

“What happened?”

“She committed the cardinal sin! She got knocked up!” Dave laughed.

Chloe looked stunned.

“God, you preach about the importance of purity and talk us all into the promise and the rings but don’t follow it yourself? What a loser,” Gabbie added about the teacher as she spun her ring. The bell rang and everyone started heading to class.

“Nice meeting you, Nick. Chloe, your house after school?” Gabbie called as she and Dave headed off to the next class.

“Maybe, I have to see. I’ll text you,” Chloe called back and went back into the building.

Nick watched her go, and then he went onto his next class, which happened to be one he had without her.

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After lunch was her art class. This was the only class where Chloe was free from her friends and could escape. She was also free of Nick for a period, because he had French in the classroom next door.

The news of Miss Van Day was really a shock to her. She was such a positive role model when it came to the whole ‘true love waits’ thing. Had it been true love that led to this baby? Maybe it was, but then again, what gave anyone the right to judge what she did? Chloe looked at her purity ring.

The silver band was supposed to remind her of waiting for marriage. She remembered the day her father put it on her finger. It was right before he told her he was going to marry Shelly. The purple amethyst stone matched the one in her class ring. It was her mother’s birthstone. She held back tears and tried to focus back on the canvas in front of her.

Why was it so hard still to think about her mother? It had been almost six years now. There had to be an end of the tears somewhere. It was just another open wound that didn’t heal. In the three years that her father had been remarried, her life had gotten lonely. He threw himself into work and Shelly was too busy with her own business to notice her half the time. That was why after school her house was the hang out. They could get into all the trouble they wanted and there were no parents around to stop them or even care what was going on.

 
It hadn’t always been like that though. When her mother was alive, Chloe remembered coming home from school and the smell of cookies that had been baking all day. Her mother would sit at the table with her and help with homework. Chloe always helped with dinner. She had learned how to cook from her mother. Now she was lucky if someone remembered to leave money for her to order dinner with.

The bell had rang and Chloe still sat looking at the blank canvas.

 
Sister Rose had touched her shoulder to bring her back to earth and send her on the way.

When Chloe found Nick waiting for her like a lost puppy, she felt really bad. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t forget you. I just blanked out.”

“I really thought you ditched me for a minute there. Do you have gym next?”

“Yeah, we don’t have to get changed today, so it’s okay if we’re a little late,” she pointed out, glad to not have to change into shorts and a tee. She hated the smell of the locker room, so at least until the next day, she was safe.

Suddenly, something smacked Nick in the head.

“Look out, little Bro, you’re gonna get run over if you just stand there like that!” a guy who looked a lot like Nick called as he walked backwards down the hall.

“And you’re gonna fall on your ass if you keep walking like that! Where are you going?” Nick called to him.

“Gym!” the guy yelled and kept going.

She watched as Nick cringed.

“Great," he said. “I have a class with my brother. This is going to be fun.”

“So, that’s the guy Tiff likes. I can see why. He’s kinda cute.” Chloe smiled, seeing if it got a rise out of him. She wasn’t sure why, but he seemed like someone she could relate to.

“Yeah, Kevin is a real ladies’ man. I have one more at home you haven’t met yet, if things don’t work out with you two,” he joked.

“Four boys? Your poor mom.” Chloe laughed and really felt bad for the woman.

“Yeah, Mark is the oldest. He’s in his second year in college, and you’ve already met Max. Kevin and I are a year apart. What about you, any crazy siblings at home?”

“No. I’m an only child.” The truth was that she felt like it was a curse sometimes.

“Lucky you! You have no idea what it’s like to deal with older brothers and an annoying little kid who likes to embarrass you any chance he gets.” He laughed as they entered the gym.

Kevin threw a basketball at Nick and it hit him in the arm.

“I think I have an idea. Come on, we’re over here.” Chloe took Nick’s arm and led him over to the bleachers where he would be safe from anymore oncoming basketballs.

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When the school day finally came to an end and they sat in their last class, Nick looked at her. She’d been sketching as the study hall teacher talked and hadn’t noticed he‘d been staring at her. There was something about Chloe Gardner that intrigued him. She seemed different from the girls back in Michigan.

 
Her strawberry-blond hair was pulled back with a metal butterfly clip.

 
Nick could see the intensity of her expression for the sketch she was doing.

Unlike her friends, she wore the crisp white blouse with the tie tucked into the dark-blue vest. On either wrist was a tone of silver bracelets, which jingled as she worked. She wore her pleated blue-and-gray checkered skirt at the required length, which showed off her shapely legs.

Most of the girls wore stockings, but not Chloe. Her navy penny loafers housed her bare feet. He knew this because she’d slipped them off and on again as she worked.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated and she jumped with a start. Taking it out, she quickly read the message, and bit her nervously at bottom lip.

“Problem?” Nick asked, seeing the frustrated look on her face.

“No,” she answered as she typed out a message. “Just Gabbie wanting to know if we’re hanging out at my house after school.”

“I wanted to thank you for today,” Nick told her. “I know we kinda got off on a rocky start, but I really appreciate you showing me around and all. I guess tomorrow, I’m on my own.” Why did he feel so nervous talking to her suddenly? She was just a girl who had incredible green eyes.

Chloe put her phone down and gave him a playful smile. “You weren’t too bad. Since there is this strange notion I’m in charge of our little gang, so to speak, I guess you can hang out with us if you want. Only problem, you have to deal with Tiff on your own, but you seemed to do okay with that today. Oh, a word of advice with Tab, don’t fall for her dumb act. To be honest, and I can say this,” Chloe paused as she leaned in closer to him. “She’s a slut. If you want to keep that promise to stay pure, stay away from her.” She pointed to the ring on his finger.