Read Online Scarlet Awakening (Sweet Secrets #2) by Taylor Henderson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Taylor Henderson
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different, more grown up, with a new style about her, while Ella and I looked basically the same as we had when we knew her. Our red hair was unmistakable, and probably her biggest reminder.
As soon as she noticed us, she slid her chair back out of our view and attempted to hide herself behind one of her friends. Considering the fact that the other girl was toothpick thin, her hiding didn’t go as well as she had planned.
With a sigh, and an air of confidence surrounding me, I pushed myself up and out of my chair. “Come on,” I demanded as I grabbed our plates. I led Ella toward Eleanor, dropping our plates in the trash on the way there.
When we approached her table, all of her friends looked up at us with confusion on their faces. I didn’t recognize any of them either. She must have gotten herself a whole new friend group. Hopefully they were people who weren’t in the habit of ruining other people’s high school lives like she and her old friends had been.
“Eleanor,” I said with a forced smile. She cowered slightly as she looked up at me. She was attempting, rather poorly if I may add, to appear cool and collected. I saw through her act instantly.
“Lena, Gabby,” she said, her voice shaking a little when she said Ella’s old nickname. When we had lived here she went by Gabby as a shortened version of her full name Gabriella, but when we moved to Virginia she had wanted to be called Ella instead. “I thought you two moved.”
Eleanor held her head high with her nose in the air. I noticed a small, pink scar that rested on her jawline that was slightly raised from where her stitches had healed. Last year after the incident had happened between her and Ella, I had started a fight with Eleanor at school. It ended with me being expelled, and Eleanor with a few nasty gashes, bruises, a black eye, and even a fractured jaw. After the fight, I had felt a sense of satisfaction at my damage, but now I felt bad. I shouldn’t have stooped to her level in that situation. I understood why I had a reputation amongst my peers in the area as being hot-headed.
I nodded in response to her statement. “We did. We’re only here for the summer.”
Eleanor swiped some of her hair behind her ear and pursed her lips. “Oh,” she said, her eyes focused on me. It looked like she was expecting me to leap over the table and attack her at any moment.
I stood up straighter, and ignored the eyes of her friends. I wasn’t here for any of them. I was here for me. I had changed, and although I slipped up at times, I wanted to be mature and own up to the things I had done. “I’m sorry for what I did to you last year.” When I glanced down at the puffy scar on her chin, she turned her head slightly so that I couldn’t see it. “I’ve grown a lot over this past year and I’ve realized that what I did was wrong. I really hurt you, and I just wanted to apologize for that.”
When my apology was finished, I grabbed Ella’s arm and went to turn around, but Eleanor’s voice stopped me in my tracks.
“Wait,” she called abruptly, causing us to turn back around to face her. “I’m sorry too.” She focused her eyes on Ella as she continued. “I’ve thought a lot about what I did to you last year. I shouldn’t have treated you the way I did, and I was wrong for what I did to you. You deserved better—I know that you just wanted to fit in with us. I shouldn’t have abused our friendship like that.” She glanced at her friends, who looked confused and were looking between each other. She would probably be doing some explaining when we left. “I have no excuse for what I did, but I truly am sorry. Anything could have happened to you that night, and at the time I didn’t realize how bad it was. I thought it was just a joke. I have a lot of stuff that I’ve done that I’m not proud of, and that tops the list.”
Ella sighed, and after a beat of awkward silence, she shrugged. “Everyone has stuff they’ve done that
As soon as she noticed us, she slid her chair back out of our view and attempted to hide herself behind one of her friends. Considering the fact that the other girl was toothpick thin, her hiding didn’t go as well as she had planned.
With a sigh, and an air of confidence surrounding me, I pushed myself up and out of my chair. “Come on,” I demanded as I grabbed our plates. I led Ella toward Eleanor, dropping our plates in the trash on the way there.
When we approached her table, all of her friends looked up at us with confusion on their faces. I didn’t recognize any of them either. She must have gotten herself a whole new friend group. Hopefully they were people who weren’t in the habit of ruining other people’s high school lives like she and her old friends had been.
“Eleanor,” I said with a forced smile. She cowered slightly as she looked up at me. She was attempting, rather poorly if I may add, to appear cool and collected. I saw through her act instantly.
“Lena, Gabby,” she said, her voice shaking a little when she said Ella’s old nickname. When we had lived here she went by Gabby as a shortened version of her full name Gabriella, but when we moved to Virginia she had wanted to be called Ella instead. “I thought you two moved.”
Eleanor held her head high with her nose in the air. I noticed a small, pink scar that rested on her jawline that was slightly raised from where her stitches had healed. Last year after the incident had happened between her and Ella, I had started a fight with Eleanor at school. It ended with me being expelled, and Eleanor with a few nasty gashes, bruises, a black eye, and even a fractured jaw. After the fight, I had felt a sense of satisfaction at my damage, but now I felt bad. I shouldn’t have stooped to her level in that situation. I understood why I had a reputation amongst my peers in the area as being hot-headed.
I nodded in response to her statement. “We did. We’re only here for the summer.”
Eleanor swiped some of her hair behind her ear and pursed her lips. “Oh,” she said, her eyes focused on me. It looked like she was expecting me to leap over the table and attack her at any moment.
I stood up straighter, and ignored the eyes of her friends. I wasn’t here for any of them. I was here for me. I had changed, and although I slipped up at times, I wanted to be mature and own up to the things I had done. “I’m sorry for what I did to you last year.” When I glanced down at the puffy scar on her chin, she turned her head slightly so that I couldn’t see it. “I’ve grown a lot over this past year and I’ve realized that what I did was wrong. I really hurt you, and I just wanted to apologize for that.”
When my apology was finished, I grabbed Ella’s arm and went to turn around, but Eleanor’s voice stopped me in my tracks.
“Wait,” she called abruptly, causing us to turn back around to face her. “I’m sorry too.” She focused her eyes on Ella as she continued. “I’ve thought a lot about what I did to you last year. I shouldn’t have treated you the way I did, and I was wrong for what I did to you. You deserved better—I know that you just wanted to fit in with us. I shouldn’t have abused our friendship like that.” She glanced at her friends, who looked confused and were looking between each other. She would probably be doing some explaining when we left. “I have no excuse for what I did, but I truly am sorry. Anything could have happened to you that night, and at the time I didn’t realize how bad it was. I thought it was just a joke. I have a lot of stuff that I’ve done that I’m not proud of, and that tops the list.”
Ella sighed, and after a beat of awkward silence, she shrugged. “Everyone has stuff they’ve done that
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