HAUNTED PRINCE by DENIS DANIEL (children's ebooks free online txt) 📕

And since the line broke the second I joined it, I had an advantage to get food quicker than everybody else. I went to the abandoned table; this table was on the right side at the end of the cafeteria, right at the corner. It was left there for me when everything started to change. It is funny how somebody’s life can take a turn so quickly. This table used to be full with people, my friends, but now it was empty and it was just as cast out as I was. I sat there and started to eat my apple when somebody sat across. I was looking strictly on my plate, so that I won’t have to see any angry eyes staring at me. However, I had to know who would dare sit with me. Who was not afraid of being near me?

I could’ve said it was Ashley but I forbid her to try to protect me all the time. So I told her to act like everybody else so that she could have a normal life. At least one of us could get to live. And as long as I knew she was on my side it didn’t matter if people thought she hated me as well. The important thing was, I get to be the weirdo and she get to be the cool girl so that we wouldn’t have to suffer the same fate. Even though at first she insisted that she didn’t care what other people said and she was ready to stick with me. I managed to convince her that it wouldn’t do me any good seeing her suffer because of me. So she stayed with her sophomore friends and I stuck with my problems.

I raised my eyes only to see the cute blonde girl from yesterday, and as soon as our eyes met she smiled widely. I wished I could return it but instead I just grimaced. Because I knew it was just a typical teenage girl looking for adventure of some kind, trying to prove some kind of theory she had in her tiny mind.

One thing she forgot was that my life was not some sort of game. People died around me and if she was trying to prove that she would certainly die just like everybody else. But now I was aware and I was not going to let her put her life on the line because she felt like it. She could go try some bunch jumping or sky diving or whatever life threatening adventure she wanted, but not through me. I’d seen too many people die because of me and I would not add another naïve teenage girl on the list.

I looked at her plainly, not wanting to show her any interest at all. Under normal circumstances I would’ve liked her. She was totally the kind of girl I would like, she had cute blues eyes, long eyelashes and little chubby cheeks; she had full lips with slightly red color. And from the look of her figure she wasn’t that tall, maybe five feet and couple inches. And I liked her teeth the most, they were tiny but very well arranged, and that made her look even cuter when she smiled.

“Hi,” she greeted, “I didn’t see you in third class, and I almost thought you went home with all the rumors around.” She was in almost all of my classes, I wasn’t surprised she asked.

“What rumors?” that was the only thing I was interested in, at least. Finally I would know what the circus was about.

“Didn’t you hear the girl at the hospital got worse last night? She practically was in the brink of death,” her careless talking made my heart sink and my guilty shot up. Another person died because of me. But I had to make sure first.

“So, you are telling me she died.” I asked impatiently,

“No, not yet. She got better this morning, but she still in a coma.” She seemed like she didn’t know she was talking about my girlfriend and she was there because of me. But I was pretty sure she knew it, she just didn’t believe it. Which only meant she was new here and she had doubts like everyone new in school would until they got in a coma or even death.

Hearing that made me want to go see her. But remembering how Veronica’s father looked at me, I was pretty sure he would not hold himself back this time. So I decided to wait until she woke up, if she was going to wake up.

“I need to go to class.” I said as I was getting up to leave.

“I’m coming with you, we have the same class after lunch, remember?” she said like it was obvious. I didn’t know if she remembered that we met just yesterday shortly and I saw her in my first class today, that’s it. Because she acted like we were already best friends or something.

My next class was Arts, the one class I enjoyed being in. There was no too many prying eyes and the ones that were there always stuck in their businesses. This was the class that I didn’t feel like such a weirdo. Well, the blonde girl was one of those girls who doesn’t give up easily, the stubborn kind of girl. She sat right next to me despite the death glare I gave her. So since acting angry wasn’t helping I chose to ignore her the whole period.

And I was glad at least it was time to go home when the class was over. Even though the girl kept following me, and the surprising thing was that she never seemed to be affected with my cold act. I couldn’t tell if she was like a child who was just curios and would not give up or it was an actual grown girl who was really good at pestering people. She was just clinging to me, it’s a good thing I was in desire to embarrass her in front of everybody, so I went to my car while she was following me behind.

Except this time she wasn’t following me, she parked her car next to mine, so she was practically going to her car. Before she got in, she said goodbye to me cheerfully with a wide smile, then she got in and left. For a second I stood there puzzled and people looking at me. And I knew exactly what they were thinking about. That I lured another girl in my trap yet again. They thought that I’d found my next victim, while all I was trying to do was keep that ‘victim’ away from me. I didn’t want to hurt anybody anymore. But who would believe me anyway.

“Come on Steve, let’s go home.” I heard someone calling from the side of the car as I was lost in my thoughts.

I looked up and saw Ashley looking at me with sympathy and that I told you so kind of look. She said the day before that Veronica was not dead yet and well, everybody heard what happened to her. She almost died again last night. Who knows what was going to happen tomorrow.

“Come on.” She said again, and that’s when I registered what I had to do.

I unlocked the driver’s door then I let her in after opening the passenger door. And without talking I took off and we were off the school compound. Even though she didn’t speak I knew what she was thinking about. She was thinking that those people had no right to treat me like that. And that out of all the people in the world I was the wrong person to be suffering.

I used to believe that, but now I was starting to wonder if I was truly innocent. If I had nothing to do with the deaths of all those people. If I was never involved with them in the first place; would they still be alive until now? Too bad I would never find out. My only concern now was too see Veronica get better and alive. And I promised myself that I was never going to involve myself in anybody’s life again. I was born to be alone and I was going to embrace that. To be alone is better than to have your loved ones killed because of you.

“Can I ask what you are thinking about?” Ashley startled me from my thoughts.

I looked at her, the only person I never got to lose. The only person who had been with me through it all, the only person who never doubted my innocence. Before I could drift even further I pushed the thoughts away.

I looked at her, “You know what I’m thinking about,” then turned my head back on the road and focused there so that I wouldn’t have to see her hurting expression.

She didn’t say anything after, but just sighed and kept looking out the window. She knew there was no reason to repeat the same old words over again. Because she knew it wasn’t helping. She and I knew that it was somehow my fault now. My involvement with Veronica somehow brought her all the trouble she was into right now.

Today I drove a little bit roughly. We arrived home a little bit too early than our usual time and Ashley didn’t complain this time because she knew I had plenty in my mind. Soon after I got out of the car I went straight to my room to finish my homework first. I preferred it that way so that I will be done by dinner time.

And usually we never talked about school problems at home, because we never wanted to upset mom. She was a busy woman and considering how much she loved us, hearing what had been going on in school she would have caused even more trouble. And that would’ve made me look even creepier, so Ashley and I decided to keep school problems under our abs. We talked about only those things which mattered, like homework’s and school activities. Before I could know it, Ashley came barging in my room to tell me that dinner was ready. The food was nice and it relaxed me fairly.

After dinner, I knew I was going to have a beautiful sleep, so without wasting time I rushed to my room after saying goodnight to mom and Ashley. I jumped into my bed after putting on my pajamas, and within matter of seconds I drifted into a deep slumber which was utterly refreshing and nightmare free.

The next day I woke up pretty early. I went to the bathroom to get shower right away. So that I could use the time I needed without worrying about Ashley being angry at me. And as every morning I always wondered how my day was going to be. Was I going to get even more bad news? What was going to happen to Veronica? What was going to happen to me? I shoved all the coming up questions before I could get frustrated. I wanted this day to be less depressing and thinking about my problems wasn’t helping. I