Chapter 2: One
"I just can't believe he did that to you," Mayuri said on Monday morning. "If I were you, I wouldn't have come to school."
"And why shouldn't she? It's not like she cheated on him or anything," Ember said. She paused and looked at me. "You didn't, did you?"
Rolling my eyes, I drank more of my Vitamin Water. "No, I didn't."
We were seated outside the tuck-shop, drinking in the sun's rays and eating our lunch. Fortunately, Jabu and I weren't in the same grade so that meant I didn't share any lessons with him. I was convinced once Jabu's friends (who were supposedly my friends too) found out what he did, they'd stick by my side.
I was wrong.
To be fair, before I moved here, they were his friends first. But come on! He cheated on me.
"So, what? You're gonna let him get away with it?" Mayuri questioned, cocking her perfectly shaped eyebrow.
I smirked. "I'm working on something." I looked around the lot for the umpteenth time. And there . . . the boy I was looking for. "Hey, I'll be right back," I told my friends.
The Moore boy was seated a few tables away from us, reading a thick novel. His glasses slipped down the bridge of his nose and he pushed it back up. The action made me smile.
I sat down in front of him, making as much noise as possible. His eyes flickered up to mine. I frowned. Hidden behind his glasses were two different coloured eyes. Hazel and emerald green.
I wiped the frown off my face and smiled sweetly. "Hi."
His mouth parted in shock.
"I'm Delilah . . . your neighbour."
He blinked rapidly and cleared his throat. "I know who you are. We've been neighbours for four years. And you've never spoken to me until now."
"I am now. Just wanted to say hi. Hi." I could have slapped myself at that moment.
"You've already—"
"Yes, yes, I know. I'm just trying to be nice. I apologise for only introducing myself now. But it's better late than never, isn't it?"
He stared at me with a confused look on his face.
Let's try something else, I thought.
"What are you reading?" I asked.
"Er, Lord of the Rings." He paused. "You do know what that is, right? Gandalf . . . the hobbits?"
I shrugged. "I've seen some of the movie."
He looked disappointed, but not surprised. "Of course. Listen, I gotta go." He started packing up his things and I started to panic.
"Wait, wait, wait, please. I just want to talk to you," I rushed out. I couldn't let him walk away.
"Why?"
I laughed. "You're speaking to me as if I have a motive."
He took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes and put them back on. "Every action has a motive."
"Okay. Fine. I wanted to tell you that there's a party this Friday. And I want you to be there." I wasn't lying. Mayuri was throwing a huge party because her parents were gone for the weekend.
"Why?" he asked again.
"Let's just say I need new friends."
He grimaced. "Yeah, I heard about your break up with the rugby captain. Sorry about that."
"Don't apologise. You had nothing to do with it."
"Yeah. Uhm, I'll ask my parents. Hopefully, I don't have to babysit this Friday. Where's this party exactly?" He pushed up his glasses again.
"A beach house in Durban North. No parents. It's gonna be lit," I answered, grinning.
"Will I be let into the party?" He sure had a lot of questions.
"I'm close with the host. She'll let you in."
He nodded. "Cool. Cool."
"And if your parents say yes, can you give me a ride? I saw you drive yesterday. It'd be cool if we showed up together," I suggested.
"T-together?" His cheeks flushed. "As in like we're—?"
"No! Of course not. It'd just be convenient."
"Yeah, of course! Uhm, I should really get going. I'll see you around," he said while scrambling up and packing up the rest of his things. When he began to shuffle off, I realised I forgot to ask for his name.
"Wait! I don't know your name," I called after him.
He whipped around. "Seriously? We had a full conversation and you don't know my name?"
I grinned sheepishly. "It slipped from my mind."
He did not look amused. "The name's Maddox. Maddox Moore. Try to remember, yeah?" Then he strolled away.
Maddox, I mouthed the name to myself. It was an unusual yet cute name. I got up from the table and headed back to my friends. When I sat down, their eyebrows were touching their hairline.
"What?" I asked.
"Did you just speak to Maddox Moore?" Ember asked, bemused.
"You know his name?" I inquired back.
"Honey, almost every straight girl in this school knows his name," Mayuri said. "He's all types of hot."
"But he's so . . . awkward," I argued.
"That just adds to his attractiveness factor. A cute yet awkward guy who's smart? Girl, I'd get down and dirty with him any day," she said suggestively.
I laughed. "Don't make him run for the hills on Friday night."
"He's coming to my party? Did you invite him?"
"Yep," I replied.
Mayuri leaned forward and rested her chin on her interlinked fingers. "What are you planning, Delilah Nzimande?"
I knew the smile on my face was similar to Pennywise's infamous smile in IT. "The greatest revenge plan this school will ever see. Now," I tapped the table with my knuckles, "tell me everything you know about Maddox Moore."
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