"This food is so much better than our old school’s. I swear they served everything microwaved or something. Nobody wants soggy pizza," Calev said, giving the pizza an appreciative look. The way he studied it had me longing for that kind of attention. Loneliness was something I was used to, had grown familiar with, and somehow it was only amplified when I saw what I could have.
Real friends… or even more.
Calm down, killer. You’ve known them barely two damn days.
Calev was a mystery to me. On one hand he seemed to lead his brothers around, on the other, he seemed to hate the fact they moved here. Of all of them, he seemed like he wanted to be here the least. It was a feeling I knew well, so it pulled me to him in a weird way. He was intense, his perfect features pulled down in a frown, and his dark black curly hair flopping precariously around his face. When he glanced at me, his stone gray eyes held a note of curiosity and suspicion.
"Now she looks sad again," Aeson said, his head tilting to the side as he studied me. Aeson had that 'boy next door' vibe to him. His blonde
hair was short, and his face wasn't as chiseled, giving him a more youthful look. He seemed athletic and lean, his height close to Tristan's, whereas the others were all a few inches shorter.
"What did they do to you here?" Evander asked, his voice holding a slight command to it that had my eyes snapping up to meet his. I couldn't seem to look away from the deep blue depths of his gaze. With some effort, I studied him, not really bothered that it was obvious. His hair was dark and straight, falling lightly in his eyes. He was thin and lithe, more of a swimmer's build than the others. Everything that exuded from him screamed smartass, which I had already pegged in history class. Remembering his question, I gave a slight shake of my head before I hid behind the familiar curtain of my hair.
“Is that all you’re planning to eat?” Lachlan asked, his eyes flicking from my tray to my face. My cheeks burned at being called out. And here I was proud of myself for eating.
“Food isn't really my thing,” I mumbled, pushing the leftovers away, no longer hungry. “I’m gonna go,” I mumbled, not caring if I looked crazy. Now I just felt uncomfortable and didn’t want to be here.
“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude,” Lachlan pleaded. He reached out and locked his fingers around my wrist, giving me a gentle tug to sit back down. His touch felt oddly warm, shocking me enough to give pause. With a sigh, I took my seat again, wanting to crumple under their stares. But that’s not who I was anymore, so I sat there with my head held high. Tristan gently pushed my tray back to me, begging me with his eyes to eat.
“Happy?” I asked, taking a bite of my sandwich. His grin returned, and he nodded, diving back into his own food.
“Why do I feel like you’re a mythical unicorn? The closer we get, the more likely you are to run away into the night, never to be seen again,” Tristan mused, studying me with a weird intensity that had me squirming.
“Because that’s something I’d do,” I confirmed, meaning every word.
“I like your honesty,” Calev added as he finished his slice of pizza. He looked over at me, his eyes studying me as they roamed over my face. Something about the way he looked at me made me think he was looking for something specific, though I wasn’t sure what he expected to find in a high school loser.
"So, tomorrow is Friday, what is there to do around here on the weekends?" Evander rubbed his hands together as he spoke, searching around the room as if exciting things would pop up at any moment.
When his eyes fell on me, I tried not to laugh."I'm not the girl for that question," I said, shoving a piece of food in my mouth to avoid having to answer further. He snorted and shook his head before muttering to the others, though it wasn't low enough for me not to overhear.
"This one is going to be a challenge, isn't she?" The others all nodded slightly, glancing at me like I was the most interesting challenge they'd ever faced.
My eyes narrowed as I stood up, picking up my bag and leaving the tray where it rested on the table. "I'm not a challenge, and I'm hardly yours to worry about," I said, dodging Lachlan's arm and heading out of the lunchroom. I rolled my eyes as Evander joined me, holding the door and letting me step through first. How did he get here so fast?
He kept peeking at me but didn't say anything for several moments, until he couldn't seem to take it anymore. "What did they do to you here? Seriously." His words were quieter this time, his hand reaching for mine before retreating again. I hated how much I wanted him to go through with it, to take my hand. What the fuck is wrong with me? A group of guys show interest, and I can't seem to control myself. They just seemed to draw me in at every turn.
"Nothing I can't hand-" My words were cut off as Alistair and Clara stepped into our path. Of course they waited until we were in a blind spot to approach us, always knowing the best spots to commit their abuse without the teachers’ attention being drawn to them.
Alistair puffed his chest out and sized Evander up. "So, this is the guy who was rude to you? The guy I'm going to beat to the ground?" Evander let out a low chuckle at the comical show of dominance. When I glanced up at him, I noticed the tick in his jaw and slight flash of… was that black in his eyes? What the hell is he? Stop… he’s not a character in one of your books.
Clara looked smug as she stepped forward to get in my face. "Yeah, and she was too." Her voice was laced with venom, but her smile faltered at the look of pure fury on my face. There was no way I would let them hit Evander because of me.
I looked at Evander and tapped him with my closed fist. "On three?" I asked, my voice hard. Evander's answering smile was a bit sinister and overly excited, making him look more lethal than I imagined.
"On three," he confirmed, before counting and cocking back his fist. "One. Two. Three," he finished, and we both let our fists fly. Both Alistair and Clara ended up on the ground, that one punch letting out four years of frustration. A small giggle bubbled out of me as I glared down at them.
"If either one of you feels the need to go report this, I promise that won't be the last you hear from me. I’m not someone to push around anymore," I hissed, making my voice cold and deadly. Tears sprung from Clara's eyes as she glared at me, grabbing her brother and running away. She likely wouldn’t listen, she would just wait until we were in front of faculty, and I couldn’t punch her. Neither one of us would want to get suspended. That would definitely look awful on college applications. Panic welled a bit at that thought, but I reassured myself she’d be too big of a coward.
Evander's chuckle brought me out of my head, and I glanced over to see him leaning against the side of the building, arms folded over his chest as he smirked down at me. "There's the fire I was waiting for."
Little does he know, he's the reason for the fire. I never would have lashed out if they had cornered just me, but something about him makes me want to protect him. Even if that means harming myself, and that thought scares me. I was fine with not needing anyone, now I’m not so sure.
February 22
Evening
Calev