Chapter 2: 002 |Couldn't Stay Away
Day 2 at BHS and today I decide on blouse and tights with wedges. I brush my hair down my shoulders as my toaster strudel bronzed in the oven then I take that and an already cold bottle of Pepsi, out the door. I walked again and the gooey frosting on the pastry put me in a preppy state by time I stepped on school grounds.
I raid and organize my locker since I had maybe 30 minutes till the first bell. I took out a few trinkets I put in my bag from home and hang them on the inside then make piles of the papers and books in there based on their subjects. Because the locker still had that awful reek of wet metal, I come prepared and spray my cucumber melon freshener in the corners then smile at the transformed place. Smells therapeutic and looks like a piece of home.
I get my phone from my back pocket and my Econ homework afterwards before closing my locker and choking on the air in my lungs when a face appears behind it.
"Morning." Xander announces subtly with his backpack strap still on his arm and a lopsided grin.
"Subhan Allah, Xander!"
"Was that Arabic? I'm sorry I scared you. Are you doing anything Thursday night?" He rushes out.
I sigh as I unclench my heart. "How long have you been standing there?"
He shook his head. "Awhile, so are you?" He asks again and takes the liberty to come closer for an answer till his spearmint and my Pepsi breath mixed.
I stepped back and messed with my hair. "Uh, I have a boyfriend." Doesn't he know that since I've been the talk of the town this past week? I'm sure he knows this.
He doesn't answer right away and slowly grins. "I didn't hear a yes. Is that a no?"
I interrogated his grin before I slowly mimicked it.
"That's a no?"
"No, I'm not busy Thursday." I shake my head and laugh a little, intrigued to where this was going.
"Great, can you occupy my Thursday and let me take you somewhere?"
"As a date?" Jason really doesn't faze him.
"Yes," He nods "As a date..."
.. I'm sure I just made my relationship status clear but even then, how am I supposed to answer that? The obvious answer is no, or I can’t, but this just feels different because my mind is saying don't say no.
You should say yes.
And then there's that second personality...
"Your eyes are amazing--"
"I'm not sure. I'm with Jason and I'm not the type of girl to cheat." I interrupt any further flirts up his sleeve but a feel a blushing smile split my cheeks, nonetheless. Darn him.
"Let me know before Thursday. I totally understand." He smiles as he stands off the locker he was leaning on.
We both share his smile when I caught his eyes swim over me. "But he obviously doesn't know what do with someone as special as you." And as simple as that statement, his smile held more snark and pride.
He walks away, down the hall before he stops. "Oh, are you taking free period here again?"
I meet his stare and quirk a brow, waving my hand. "I guess so. I didn’t make any plans not to."
He grinned again. "Great. We can have lunch together."
When he was down the hall and around the corner, I looked to the ground very confused. I locked up my locker, hugged my book under my arm and raked a hand through my hair.
What just happened??
~~~
The difference between Economics and History is very distinct. They both talk about the world around us, but Econ is way more fun. Sure, you can see both economics and history happening around us if you know where to look but you can relate to economics. You can't relate to history. Like the supply and demand situation. You can't relate to the time a cannon bomb shot through a building of importance in -- Michigan for example. I like Economics.
When that class bell rang for is closure, it was a sound that made my stomach sink to my knees. Free period was after this. I had all morning to think about the offer Xander posed and at first it wasn't that stressing but then the thought of Jason founding out or seeing us -- not that I'm doing something wrong since in all actuality, I'm not. But I'm fearsome of his reaction and let's even begin to encounter Regina's reaction into the mix when she finds out I discarded her "advice"... she doesn't really bother me that much so I literally never encountered it.
Another thing that has my stomach out of sorts is actually being close to Xander. The first time ended badly because I couldn't swallow my nerves and him having the effect on me is unsettling since something similar happened earlier; on my way into this class. Then this morning showed me he knows or at least has the ego to attempt to light that amber and burn me from the inside out as long as he was the one to catch me.
It's unsettling because you’re curious about it.
Am not. I get up from my seat and follow the sea of classmates into the hallway, several of them going into different directions while I made my way to the cafeteria. Getting in line to get some food, I do skip the vitamin water and grab a cheese quesadilla, a tong full of salad and grab the bottled water at the end.
Turning away from the food I begin walking with my plate out of the building until I hear a high feminine voice call my name west of me. When I saw who it was, I bit back my wariness when she approached me.
"Isabelle, hey, my name is Angie. We have second period together. I'm head of the Debate Club and I just wanted to tell you that if you ever want to join since you’re new here and probably looking for extra activities for your high school record, we'd love to have you." She smiled the entire time and extended her hand to me.
I took it and shook it twice. " Thank you, I'll definitely think about."
Nope. Nope. Absolutely not a chance. I stay very far from any "extra activities" where more people or things to do, because my norm. I don’t make new bridges. I keep that to a bare minimum.
"Ready Izzy?" I feel a graze on my shoulder from someone passing by and I look to see it was Xander.
Did he just call me Izzy?
I silently nodded. Well, here we go. He and I both walked outside, and he led me to a full bench of the same guys from the other day and my nerves went on a high. You can tell when it starts to suddenly feel hot around and it didn't a minute ago.
"I can't believe you said yes."
"About what? Thursday? Because if so, I didn’t say yes yet." I look at him after reaching that table and he moved to sit across from me.
I saw that same smile was on his face again and I had to question, "Why are you smiling now?"
"Yet. You said yet."
This guy.
"Xander?"
"Right! Fellas, I invited Isabelle here to have lunch with us. She's new here and could use veterans of this school as her friends."
"Is that the real reason why you invited her?" The blonde, blue eyes asked before looking at me.
I shook my head and blushed ever so slightly before the gentleman next to me took my tray and sat it down while I pulled my legs under the table. My back was facing towards the sun fortunately, so I kept my shades hooked on my pocket.
"I'm Logan." The gentleman introduced himself and my mind jumped at the familiarity and my eyes swam across the rest of the faces at the table and a few more names come to mind, especially when I ended on the green eyes which I couldn't remember his Particular name. I probably didn’t mean to since when we made eye contact, he busied himself entirely with his meal before picking his phone up when it vibrated.
"I'm Isabelle."
"So, Isabelle, when did Xander here, ambush to convince you to sit with us?" Nathan asked while fixated on the bread of his sandwich.
"This morning." I paid attention to my own meal, peeling the plastic wrap off the top of the salad and retrieving the ranch dressing packet.
"You mean this precise morning where I asked what took you so long to help me in the parking lot and you said you had an emergency?"
"I said I had something important I need to take care of first. And your problem turned out just fine," They had a mini stare down that made me smile with a mouth full of salad.
I never said what it was, but it was highly important." He finished his words, shifting to me again, interlocking his fingers in front of him, smirking at me.
I laughed a little and looked away. This guy won't stop.
"What made you start school here so suddenly?" One asked beside Nathan.
Sudden--
"I only say sudden before we're months from summer break." He clarifies.
Oh. I got this. "This school had a good track record of students excelling from their classes and acing school is something I really like to do." Having a very long lifeline, I am not trying to spend most of it behind a desk.
What I said is true but not the particular reason why I transfer. I’m not sure why my benefactor made this decision.
"And you’re in a relationship, right? Jason's his name. isn't it?" Nathan emphasizes, looking at Xander while asking and he quirks a brow like it mattered.
"Yes...," I laugh lightly at their banter “I'm not sure how that's going though."
"Why?" He asks.
"Do tell." Xander amusingly says, leaning on the table.
"I rather not." He made me smile.
"But let me just say, it’s not as it looks." Xander held eye contact with me and I could see he wasn't sad to hear my news. In fact, he had a mischievous glint glow in his deep brown eyes. He wouldn’t break gazes and my hair stood on edge because of it. the longer we looked, the harder my heart pumped something through my veins. It diluted my nervousness and made my breathing heavier.
Told you.
"How long have you two been together?"
"A little over 3 years, I think." I took a couple more bites of my food, washing it down with water the same time Luca did.
Then I noticed something. "You all have the same bottle..."
They each had a gray metal bottle in front of their plates and from the mention of it more of them reached for it to drink. The literal only difference was how the light was illuminating it.
"Canteen and yes we do."
"What's in it? Is it the same?"
A few exchanges look to sound of my asking before Logan says, "Nothing special just water. The canteen keeps the temperature cold."
I look across from me and see how well it keeps temperature because Xander’s lip had a rosier color after he placed the canteen back down.
"I'm surprised you’re sitting with us. I guess Regina hasn’t tried to scare you off yet."
"Yeah, she told me you guys are in relationships. How is that?" I totally forgot.
Luca sighed exhaustingly, "We're not in a relationship."
"With her? Or--"
"Not with anyone! --"
"Wait, really?"
"She tells everyone who starts here that we're dating her or a close friend which actually makes a lot of people to scared to talk to us in public. We're like the plague in these halls."
"Not everyone but the one's she sees as a threat." Logan says with a shake of the head.
Woah, wow. I actually believed her too; I thought she was overly territorial but really, she scares off anyone in hopes that will be something between her and one of these 5. They’re all are a catch, so I see the appeal but that's wrong how she’s going about it.
I catch my eyes looking back at the one with green eyes. The really quiet one; he hasn't said anything to me at all. Not a word. He leaned to talk to Luca a moment ago but besides that, he's been "library-kind" of quiet. I guess it’s the best since I nearly crept out of my skin when I was on my way over here. I'm much better now; they’re really nice guys. They seem easy going and seeing Xander and Nathan banter like they did shows the kind of friendship they have, and I could see us being friends... With some precaution though since I'm wary on having "friends". Green eyes does intrigue me on how quiet he is but has a "anything but quiet" look.
I hadn't looked away just yet and since I was watching him from across the table, he noticed as soon as he picked up his gaze. The pale green in the center of his irises made my breath halt in my throat and I knew nerves was to follow but his face was why I didn't look away. It’s weird how good looking every one of them are and they each had their own flare that made them attractive in different ways than the next and Green eyes here with ink sleeves and long hair (amongst others) made it possible to stare at him all day. But the words his eyes were giving off gave me an unsettling pit in my chest that ended up being the knife to cut the eye contact and when I looked at Xander, I was amazed all over again...
Maybe we shouldn't be friends.
He finished up a conversation between the rest of the guys before say, "So Isabelle," with that same grin "There's a party this Friday to set off spring break next week. Are you going?"
"I don’t know, I might. Depending on the day."
"It's your average party: loud, boozy, and predictable." Luca rolled his eyes.
"Does that mean you guys don’t like to go?" I finish the last of my lunch, pushing away the tray to bring my water closer.
I looked at Luca and he shrugged. "Like you said, it depends on the day. They're fun when we do own thing despite what everyone else does."
"But it is nice to go with the crowd sometimes, Logan." Xander muses, grinning mischievously his way.
"Are you asking Isabelle out again?"
"I will physically stop you from stepping foot into that party f you don’t stop looking like that." Logan declares and Nathan asks.
"I'm not going with him to the party, don’t worry. How long have you guys been friends?" I laugh silently as Xander doesn't back down.
"It feels like our entire lives."
"Long but great entire lives." Luca correct before punching Green eyes in the shoulder playfully and they engage, and a small fight match that Green eyes smiles in the middle of.
My smile grows wider at hearing Xander and Nathan scuffle again with each other, with Logan being a new add-in. I don't know why I was so frantic with meeting them. This is the precise kind of company I would have no objection to being around often...
I checked my phone in my pants waistband and see free period is almost over.
"Who are you texting?" I look up through my lashes at Xander.
"No one, I was seeing if free period is almost over."
"What class do you have next?" Luca asked me.
"Chem--"
"Well, it was really nice to meet you, Isabelle--"
"there's something else I got to ask: Where are you from? Your eyes--"
"Are crazy, right!?" Xander finished "They’re like a pale orange, that’s not normal."
"Let me see," Logan had mumbled and instinctively I looked at him for him to see and in doing so, I saw Green eyes was looking my way too.
This was the most blatant reason why I don't make friends. I hate having to explain why I wear shades every single time I'm outdoors or near a window and I never make a good enough excuse why my eye color is so... abnormal. My palms start to sweat.
"My parents aren't from the US. I'm not entirely sure where I was born but I was with these eyes... There's not much I can say on them..."
I hope they buy that.
"How do you not know where you were born--" Guess not.
"Because my parents were killed when I was at a very young age."
No one responded to that. A few moved their lips like they were going to say something, but nothing hit the air. The mention of my parents made a cloud gloom over my spirit instantly and I retreated my hands to my lap.
"They were killed, I--"
"I really don’t want to talk about it." I offer them a small smile to show that I was fine amidst of telling them something I don't just disclose to anything with ears.
It's heart wrenching but it was a very long time ago and its more complicated than it sounds. I was getting ready to leave to finish off the school day when Nathan stopped me. "Can I give you my phone number?"
His question had caught me off guard and Xander started to reach for the phone in my hand. I couldn't see why not, and I let him take it.
"Me too." Xander replied while putting his contact in before handing it to Nathan. After he had done the same, he motioned the phone to Luca who gave it a shot, typing in his digits and name before giving it to Logan. In 3 minutes, they all had their number in my phone-- minus Green eyes-- and the phone was back in my hand. It's not like they can reach out to me now since I’d have to text them in order to give my number to them and I'm not entirely sure if we should be that close. Maybe communication while we're on campus is the best.
"Let me walk you to your next class." Xander stands up and volunteers, the boys start waving as we both make our way back inside.
~~
Home sweet home. I deeply inhaled the smell of my 2-story abode and dropped my bag at the foot of the front door. I slip pout of my shoes on the way to the kitchen and fish around for a beverage in the fridge. I found Peak tea, which I accessorized with a straw before strolling into the living room where my TV lived.
It's so cozy when I'm home, it really is a safe zone. My guard is down, I don't have anyone to hide myself from; I feel completely at ease here.
I brought my feet onto the couch with me as I powered on the tv across from me. I surfed the channels as my posture sunk more and more into the soft cotton and I swiped the straw to the side of my cheek, taking more lazy sips from the refreshing drink.
*************
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