When Angels Fall (Fallen Angels) (2 page)

 
If anything, that was what Nick missed. Just being close to someone like that, but he’d made a promise to himself that he was swearing off girls for a while.

Kevin came up behind him and grabbed him. “Have you seen some of these chicks? I wonder if any of them go to our school?” he pondered aloud, as a group of giggling girls walked past them.

“Why would I care?” Nick asked, annoyed that he was the one stuck with Max while Kevin got to hang out with Mark and have fun.

“Mark? Nicky is complaining again. Make him stop!” Kevin whined in a fake child’s voice as he messed up Nick’s dark wavy
 
hair.

“Christ, Mark, are you eating again?” Nick noticed as his older brother joined them, stuffing a corn dog into his mouth.

“Yeah, this stuff is great. So, what is your problem? We’re at a carnival. Get over the move already and have fun,” Mark retorted.

Max ran up to him and hugged his leg. “I want to go on the Ferris wheel next!” he exclaimed in his childlike voice.

“Sure, why not?” Nick just then remembered that Max had wanted to play some games with Kevin.

 
Little Max seemed to remember that promise too. “Oh, yeah Kevin, come play games with me!” he begged.

“Sorry, little dude, not tonight. Nicky gets to babysit you and I’m off with Mark to hit on some girls. Have fun with that, Nicky, and cheer the hell up.” Kevin laughed and walked away with Mark.

After playing a few games and winning some petty little stuff, Max raced toward the Ferris wheel.

The make out-couple from the bumper cars were the line in front of them now and Nick was trying really hard not to pay attention to them. Suddenly, the girl threw her arms in the air and called out to another girl who’d been walking by. “Chloe! Where the hell have you been all summer?” She jumped out of line and grabbed a girl with long, strawberry-blond hair who was walking past them.

They briefly hugged and the new girl, Chloe responded, “I was taking art classes and at the hospital. Millie is back in again, and I was visiting her.”

“Aw, I’m sorry. That’s the third time she’s been that sick this year. I know how to cheer you up. Come on. Come ride with us. I got tickets!” The girl pulled her into the line.

“Gab, you can’t do that. There are people behind you,” Chloe looked back at Max. “I’m sorry. My friend is excited to see me. Is it okay if I cut here in front of you?” she asked Max, not even looking once at Nick.

Before Nick could say anything about how rude it was or how she should go to the back of the line, Max smiled and nodded his head.

Nick picked him up and whispered in his ear, “You don’t let people do that. Next time someone does that, you tell them no.”

Max laughed at him.

The two girls kept talking about their summer and laughing while the line moved closer to the Ferris wheel. The one named Chloe was kind of cute, from what he could see. She was dressed in demon shorts and a pink tank top with her long hair pulled into two pigtails that lay over her shoulders. The view was only from behind, but every so often, she would turn and smile back at him or past him. He couldn’t tell. He could tell she’d been in the sun recently by the faint sunburn on her neck and shoulders.

The next car came up and she handed the guy her ticket.

“Is it just you?” the grungy carnival worker asked her as he shoved a wad of chewing tobacco into his mouth.

She looked kind of pathetic as she nodded yes.

“How many you got?” the worker asked Nick.

He felt a little sense of victory as he answered, “Just me and my little brother.” He knew the girl was now going to get kicked off.

“You can ride with them or you don’t ride. It’s the rules.” He spat
 
tobacco juice just past her.

Before Nick could laugh and tell her sorry, Max spoke up, “You can ride with us.”

His victory defeated by his little brother, Nick handed the tickets over and got in next to Max with the girl sitting on the other side.

The car took off with a jolt and Max smiled while looking from him to the girl. “I’m Max Allen. We just moved here.”

“Welcome to Monroeville. Are you from Jersey?” she questioned.

“No. We’re from all over,” Nick answered, not really in the mood for her questions.

“Oh, well I hope you like our little town. I’m sorry. That was rude of me. I’m Chloe Gardner,” she said with a warm, crooked smile.

“You’re pretty. How old are you?” Max looked up at her, being the inquisitive little boy he was.

Chloe found that funny and laughed.

“Max!” Nick exclaimed.

“It’s okay. I’m a little old for you. I’m sixteen.”

But Max wasn’t through just yet. “Nick just turned seventeen. Right, Nick?” Max was playing matchmaker. He‘d done this to both Mark and Kevin in the past, but never to him.

“Yeah, Max.” Nick felt slightly embarrassed and tried to change the subject. “Do you go to school around here?” Since he was going to be stuck with her for a while, he might as well find out about the schools.

“Yeah, I go to Sacred Heart. Where are you going?” she asked him.

“I’m going there, too,” Nick replied.

They fell into an awkward silence which Max interrupted. “Nick said you were rude to butt in front of us and you should’ve gone to the end of the line, but it was fine with me. Your friends said they haven’t seen you all summer, so I thought it was fine.’

Nick glared at him and shook his head, not believing what Max had just done.

“Well, it was rude, but that was why I asked you first,” she agreed while looking shocked at the older boy’s boldness.

“I was just trying to tell him that if people don’t ask first, it’s rude,” Nick quickly tried to explain and gave Max a stern look.

She laughed. “But I did ask first. So, Max, is your brother always so serious?” She was staring straight at Nick.

“Since we moved, he has been. I’ve been really trying to loosen him up, but it doesn’t seem to be working,” Max explained.

Nick put his head in his hands again and tried not to laugh at his little brother.

“Maybe after he starts school, it will help. Wow, look at that, little guy, the ride is over. Thanks for letting me ride with you. I’m sorry I was so rude,” Chloe said as she got out of the car.

“You’re welcome. I had fun.” Max gloated happily.

Nick rolled his eyes as he got out, and then helped Max.

Chloe turned and smiled at him. “Hey, Nick, was it? Don’t take things so serious. You may miss the fun in life. I’m learning that. See you at school,” she suggested and walked away to join her friends.

He hoped he would not have to cross paths with her again, but he sure wouldn’t mind if he had to.

When they met up with their other brothers again, Max told them about the girl on the Ferris wheel who’d put Nick back in his place.

“So, was she pretty?” Kevin smiled. “Because, I know you won’t last a week with your stupid no girls rule.”

“She was cute,” he answered, grudgingly.” But it doesn’t matter.”

“How cute? Like ‘Kelly’ cute?” Mark teased him.

“I don’t know. She was a girl. She goes to our new school, so if I see her, I will point her out.” Nick tried to blow them off.

“Personally, I think this new rule of yours sucks. You’re going to miss out on a lot of really hot girls if you keep to it,” Mark explained.

“Let him keep his stupid rule. That means there’s more for me.” Kevin laughed and one-arm hugged Nick.

“You can have them. I’m so done for a while.” But his words seemed defeated, the moment he glanced back to see if he could spot her strawberry blonde head in the crowd.

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The first day of school was always a drag. Most people looked forward to the new school year as a fresh start from last year’s embarrassments and low grades. To Chloe Gardner, it was just the start of another year of pregnancy scares for Tabitha and a new year of Tiffany’s scams. Entering Sister Mary Margret’s classroom, she could tell this was going to be pretty much the same as the year before. She found her seat next to her best friend, Gabbie and her boyfriend, Dave.

“Do you believe that we have to start the new school year with our ring mass? I’ve been dreading this all summer. I’m so tired of Tiff and how expensive her ring was. I hope she chokes on it.” Gabbie watched Chloe take out her sketch pad.

“You’re worried about a stupid ring mass? How much you want to bet Sister George gives us a shitload of homework the first day?” Dave questioned.

Laughing at the two of them, Chloe opened her book. “At least we only have to get through two more years of this. It could be worse.”

Sister Mary Margret entered the classroom and a sudden hush fell over the room.

Chloe had always been fascinated with Sister MM, as she referred to her. She studied the middle-aged woman and wondered what had made her want to give up everything and become a ‘Bride of Christ.’ Had she been jilted by a lover? Was she hiding from something or someone? She studied the nun’s sweet face and the way her yellow bangs showed from under her habit. Surely, there had to be something to her story she wondered as she sat sketching the sister intently when her thoughts were broken by a disturbance of the classroom door opening.

“I think that’s one of the new administrator’s sons,” Gabbie whispered, bringing Chloe’s attention to the tall guy with short, dark curly hair who’d entered the room. He looked uncomfortable standing there, waiting for the sister to read his note. She knew she’d seen him before but couldn’t remember where. He looked so out of place. Most of the guys wore a dress shirt and tie for the first day of school; but he was wearing the whole nine yards, down to the dark blue blazer with the school’s insignia.

Sister Mary Margret smiled and said something to him, then called out, “Chloe Gardner, please raise your hand.”

“Lucky you!” Dave laughed.

Chloe cringed, knowing she was his babysitter for the day now.

The guy looked over, and then nodded. His expression lit up as though he might have seen her before, too.

Sister Mary Margaret always singled her out for stuff like this. “Miss Gardner, I would like you to show our new student around today. I believe you have a lot of the same classes.”

“Yes, Sister, I’ll do my best,” Chloe replied, wishing the sister didn’t like her so much.

“I know you will.” The sister turned to speak to the students. “Welcome back, Class. And welcome to the start of your junior year. As you know, our day today will start with the traditional ring mass. I trust your parents are already in the church, waiting for you all to receive your class rings. I’m very excited for you all. Let us ask for God’s blessing, then form two lines, girls on the left and boys on the right. Nicholas, try to stand next to Chloe,” Sister Mary Margret suggested.

Getting in line, Nick turned to Chloe. “Before you say anything, we kinda got off to a bad start, so let’s start over. Hi, I’m Nick Allen, the stupid jerk who thought you were rude from the carnival, older brother of the most annoying little brother in the world.” He smiled.

“Chloe Gardner, line butter, and he wasn’t so bad. He was kinda cute. You, on the other hand, were kinda of a jerk though.” She remembered him now, and how he’d called her rude.