Bella tried to hide her pointing index finger, aimed in the direction of a man, who stood by the side of the other bleachers. Eva couldn’t see the man properly. He was too far away. But, her subconscious assured her that she had seen that man before somewhere. She had no idea where but she was almost sure of it. The shape of that face, the way he carried himself, the position of his shoulders, it was all somehow familiar.
“Who is that?” Eva asked, not taking her eyes off of him.
“That is Principal Douxora. So, that man over there is a werewolf and our own principal is a vampire. What happened was that Principal Sorwyce disappeared one night and no one knew what happened to him. There were a few silly theories but it remains a mystery to this day. No one knows where he is or what happened to him. Then, Rannulf and Douxora both wanted to step in and take their missing father’s place, because the institute needed a strong guiding hand, like the one that belonged to Sorwyce.”
“What happened then?”
Eva was straining more and more to hear Bella, when finally the players started coming out on the court, arms raised up high in the air, their audience cheering for them and the noise completely drowned out Bella’s words. She gestured at Eva that they couldn’t talk anymore. Eva agreed.
She continued watching the players and forgot all about the man she was so focused on a few seconds ago. Now, her mind was busy concentrating on something else, actually someone else. That someone else was a boy from her class. A handsome boy. One who tickled her fancy more than the others. She remembered him looking at her while she was giving that horribly embarrassing first speech about herself. He kept gazing at her, listening intently. He didn’t laugh, but she could swear there was a hint of a little smile on his face. She could only hope it wasn’t a sneer.
Right now, he was running out on the court with his teammates. He was number twenty. From the way he talked to everyone else, gesturing, shouting, giving out orders, she guessed he was Mr. Popularity. He was the hot shot of the school. He was also probably the one dating Katrina Hampton - as these things usually go.
“Who you lookin’ at, sis?” Bella elbowed her gently.
But, she didn’t need a vocal answer. She could see it in Eva’s eyes. She could also guess, because Dorian Moore was the one who usually caught everyone’s eye. It was like Zeus himself lent him his own body, minus the beard. Everything on Dorian Moore, from his head down to his toes, was simply god-like.
“Oh, don’t tell me it’s jock boy?” Bella asked, rolling her eyes.
“What?” Eva didn’t even hear her.
“Oh crap, you’re already in love!” Bella burst out laughing.
At this point, the clamor from the bleachers had died down a little and the game started. The girls could talk casually, keeping it on the low down, as they whispered to each other, making sure not to bother others.
“Who’s in love?” Eva pretended not to hear this time.
“You!” Bella punched her on the shoulder playfully, “with that guy.”
Bella was dying to point her finger at him, but she didn’t want to give her friend away. So, she just eyed the guy who had just scored, and was rewarded by happy cheers from the audience. He was the star, and all eyes were on him. Eva knew she probably had a whole lot of competition.
“Who is that?” Eva asked a little shyly, not taking her eyes off of him.
“Dorian Moore,” Bella whispered back. “He’s your typical pretty boy. I’d say he’s like a girl version of Katrina.”
“Seriously?” Eva frowned.
She didn’t like that idea. She didn’t want him to be a dick. He didn’t look like a dick. That smile couldn’t belong to anyone unkind. But, still, Bella had been here longer than her and she probably knew who was who.
“I’ve barely spoken to him all this time. He talks to me only if he needs some help with homework and by help, I mean he expects me to do it for him, and just deliver the goods. Typical,” Bella snorted, annoyed.
Eva didn’t reply. That sounded about right. She had already met such pretty boys, and they all behaved like that. She had no intention of being involved in any way with such guys. Still, she couldn’t keep her eyes off of him. There was something about his muscular body, his golden locks, the authoritative yet friendly way he guided his teammates. He was gorgeous beyond words.
All of a sudden, he looked straight at her. Instinctively, she leaned back in a futile effort to hide herself in the masses. Could it be? Was he really looking at her?
It was probably just a fluke. It was all in her head. With this story about vampires and werewolves, she’d started imagining things. They hadn’t even met yet. There was no way he was looking straight at her. It was just a coincidence and if she looked at him again, she’d realize how silly she was, she thought.
Yet, there he was, getting closer to the bleachers for some water and to wipe himself a little with his towel. His eyes were in a lockdown with hers. She felt mesmerized, like his gaze was making her unable to move. He seemed to smile, then he turned around and rushed back to the court.
“What…” Bella turned to her, “the heck was that?”
“What do you mean?” Eva asked, looking at her.
“Is there something happening between you and the pretty boy that I don’t know about?”
“Me and him?” Eva eyed her, then Dorian playing on the court, then back at Bella again. “No way. I haven’t spoken a word to him.”
“And yet you exchanged meaningful glances in front of everyone.”