by Raven
“Yeah. You going to grab a seat next to me so you can copy my answers again?” I asked as I elbowed him.
“Now, babe,” he leaned his face into mine, “you know it’s not your papers I’ve been looking at.” he said loudly, not caring who heard.
“Charming.” I sarcastically added. He pulled me along with him as we stepped into class.
I sat between Ayden and Tanya. Ayden started tickling the back of my neck with his pencil but I was too focused on my roaring stomach to care about the sensation on my neck. The pop-tart I inhaled earlier wasn’t enough and I didn’t even finish it. All the buzzing in the room seemed to irritate Mr. Shapiro as he sat back in his chair, staring at the class with his fingers massaging his temples. It was already five minutes after the second bell but I guessed he was still waiting for a couple of students. I was so glad to have him for a teacher again. I got along with him last year and he was actually okay, except for when he was irritated. Like right now.
“Welcome back, everyone.” Mr. Shapiro announced. The class went silent. He nodded in approval. “For those of you who don’t know me…” He turned around, picked up the chalk, and started spelling his name on the board.
The door swung open. In walked the palest person I’d ever seen in my life. He must have been albino. The guy wore a long sleeved button up shirt with the sleeves pushed up, exposing his pale, lean arms. He had a few beaded bracelets on his left wrist that were in no way feminine. His hair was silver and the silky straight locks reached down to his cheek bones. But I could still see part of his face through it. His lips looked soft and his chalky skin seemed almost fragile. The blue eyes painted on his face glowed against his skin. He was beautiful, like a walking glamour shot.
“What’s the story on powder puff?” Ayden asked a little too loudly. All the eyes that were locked on the boy switched towards Ayden in amazement.
“Ayden!” I gasped out.
The guy faced Ayden and stared at his pencil on my neck. He then looked up at him and smiled broadly, flashing rows of bright white teeth. The guy’s eyes flickered to mine and he swiftly walked towards me without removing his gaze.
“And what is your name?” his soothing voice asked me. It was like listening to a song that brought you into a world of no worries.
“I…” I cleared my throat. For that second, I forgot my name. My jaw was dropped and I couldn’t help it, I felt drugged. There was complete silence.
“Her name is Mindy.” Ayden’s rugged voice blurted. It made me jump a little, almost breaking the trance I was in.
With the guy’s eyes still on mine, he reached for my limp hand. His hands felt cold and fresh. It wasn’t like ice; more like his hands gave off a minty sensation when he touched me, like when you chew a fresh piece of gum and inhale a little through your teeth. The fresh feeling threw me deeper into the trance.
“Mindy.” he softly said my name. “Tell me…my beautiful red rose,” he continued, “why must you let this thorny bush grip onto you, keeping your light in its dull and ugly world?” He raised my hand up in the gentlest way, I hardly felt it move. A marking on his arm snagged my attention and I could only see part of it peeking through the rolled up sleeve. The color was the blackest of black. Either that or his white skin made it seem darker than it was. I couldn’t quite tell what the design was. Some sort of tribal marking? The guy lowered his face towards my hand. It looked dirty against his satin skin. His intoxicating eyes were still locked onto mine and his perfect lips puckered as they inched towards my hand. He gently pressed his delicate lips against it and I stopped breathing. Pure silence had taken over the classroom.
“What are you doing, Mindy?!” Ayden yelled out. He jumped up huffing.
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t move. Who would even try?
“Is this clown your boyfriend?” the guy asked.
“Hey! Who-who you calling a clown!” Ayden exploded, but the guy ignored him.
“No.” The word crept out of me. Even if Ayden were my boyfriend, I think that word would have still seeped out of my mouth.
“Ah…I see.” The guy smiled even wider, as if he proved himself right about something. “He is the insect that uses your precious petals as a resting spot. Is the friendship beneficial for you or the fly?” the pouty lips asked me, but I was too dazed to answer.
“That’s it!” Ayden snarled. “How about I stick my thorny bush up your-”
“Ayden!” Mr. Shapiro interrupted. “Now, that’s enough of this charade!”
“Thanks, Shapiro.” The guy laughed. He carefully placed my hand back down on my desk. “I think he was hitting on me.” He turned, smiling at Ayden.
The class broke out into a roar of laughter. Ayden shrunk in his seat with his head down. He’d never been embarrassed publicly like that before. I’m sure there had been many chances, but no one had ever been brave enough. People didn’t really mess with jocks like him. I even saw Mr. Shapiro’s lips forcing themselves not to smile.
“Class!” he shouted out over the laughter. As the class calmed down, he spoke again. “After Shane takes a seat, we’re going to open our books to page twenty-three.” his tone turned serious.
“Shane.” I purred. I then melted in my chair and put my hand against my chest. From across the room, he shot me a wink when I said his name.
ey, Rose.” Tanya teased. “I just told Markus about what happened in first hour.” Tanya cut in front of me at the lunch line and Markus slowly eased beside me.
“I wish I could have been there!” Markus said. “I can’t believe Ayden got punked!” He threw back his head and laughed.
“Have you seen Shane around?” Tanya asked with her eyes scanning the lunch line.
“Yup.” I muttered. “He’s in between the Barbie girls.” I pointed at the table near the exit where Ashley and Jennifer’s bodies were seated so disgustingly close to his. They weren’t that pretty in the face and I didn’t think they had even a small percentage of fat in their bodies. Their poufy blond hair probably weighed more than they did. The only way either of them could get a guy’s attention was with their overly flirtatious behavior, which always involved touching and sticking out their chests.
“Gross.” Tanya spat. “Look how far they’re sticking out their boobs!” Her face scrunched in disgust.
“They’re sluts with four L’s…slllluts.” Markus made sure to exaggerate the ‘L’ sound.
Shane looked like he was enjoying the attention. His irresistible smile never ceased. Especially as Ashley flipped her hair back exposing her cleavage a little more. The girls didn’t look right being next to Shane’s perfection.
“Next!” Lenore the lunch lady called out. Her white hair was up in a messy ponytail and it wasn’t one of the ones that were in style. I was talking about the ones you would get if you slept with a ponytail and didn’t bother to fix it in the morning. Her apron had food splatters all over the front and some stains looked like hand prints. My guess was, she wiped her hands on her apron instead of washing them.
I grabbed my plate and utensils. The selection looked okay. As I scooped up what looked like meatloaf patties sitting in sauce, I couldn’t help but cast a glance in Shane’s direction. I was so confused. Well, all he had done was compliment me. And in doing so, made me forget about everything else that existed. Could he be doing the same thing to them? The Barbie girls? I rolled my eyes. He wouldn’t have to try too hard. Just saying hello to Ashley and Jennifer got them excited.
“Forget about it.” Markus insisted. “That’s just how some guys are.” He gently pushed me forward to move the line along.
I skipped the mysterious soup and served myself salad and some scary looking meat patties. I couldn’t wait to eat outside to avoid that vulgar display.
Shane was near the exit. As we walked past him, I turned to Tanya to avoid looking at him and spat out anything that came to mind.
“So, th-the meat looks good.” I stuttered. No, it didn’t. In fact, I didn’t even think it was r
eal meat. The group of kids walking in front of us stopped before they stepped out, blocking my exit. Now, I was stuck behind them. Great.
“I didn’t get the meat,” Tanya said. “I just grabbed a couple of apples and some chips.” She raised one of the green apples to show it to me.
“Yeah, I didn’t get it e-either.” I was still stuttering. My nerves were really getting to me. Once again, I gazed at Shane running his hand through his silvery hair. The strands bounced right back into place. I knew he was too good to be real. There had to be a flaw and his flaw was probably like most other guys; he was just chasing.
“Yes you did. You loaded up on the patties, Mindy.” There was concern in Tanya’s tone.
The group in front of us still hadn’t moved. They were calling out to Shane to get his attention. The Barbie girls looked bothered by the interruption. Shane winked at me, but I wasn’t falling for that again. I couldn’t stand it there any longer so I pressed my tray against Markus’ back. He innocently turned to me with his eyebrow raised.
“I heard about what happened in first hour...” a guy commented.
Crap. That situation was about to get uncomfortable. Markus looked back at Shane and Shane leaned back in his chair effortlessly, turning an eye on him. I pressed harder against Markus’ back with my tray. He looked at me with confusion as I jetted my eyes towards the door.
“Oh.” Markus realized. He tried looking around the group to see if there was an opening we could squeeze through. I didn’t see any, but that didn’t stop him from gripping his tray and making his own way through the group. I followed closely behind with Tanya stuck to my back. We finally opened the doors and stepped out of the crammed cafeteria. I took a whiff of the fresh air and could almost taste the freshly cut grass as I inhaled. Plenty of room to breathe out there.
“Thanks, Markus.” I told him. “My next step was to break the tray over your head,” I playfully added. He really was a lifesaver though. I could always count on him to get me out of a jam.
“Where do you want to sit, your majesty?” he jokingly asked.
“I don’t care!” I laughed out.
I felt better. We sat at a bench under a large tree, the leaves providing a cloud of shade around us. And the smell of the freshly cut grass danced around my nose.
“So, you’re still with him?” Markus asked, interrupting my peaceful escape.
“Oh. Back to that conversation,” I mumbled. I picked up my fork and played with my salad. With the other hand, I cut the bright red cherry tomatoes into halves with the butter knife.
“I don’t get you Mindy,” he continued, “either you’re with him or you’re not.” He popped open his can of soda.
“I’m not.” I irritably said. I jammed a fork full of lettuce leaves, a tomato piece, and a cucumber slice in my mouth and chewed roughly.
“I can’t believe you’re doing the whole friends–with-benefits deal with him.” Markus had anger in his voice. “He’s just using you, Mindy.” he gestured his hand towards me.
“It’s convenient.” I blurted out. Not a good choice of words.
“Convenient for who?” He set his soda down. “When he has an itch, he comes to you for a scratch?” Markus snapped.
“There are no responsibilities. No attachments. We’re just having some fun.” I said.
“I know you don’t want this Mindy.” Markus calmly said and leveled his eyes with mine.
“How do you know what I want?” I demanded.
“Really, Mindy…really?” Markus raised his eyebrow up at me. He was right, he knew me too well and he knew that wasn’t what I wanted.
“I want a boyfriend.” I softly admitted.
“Then what’s the point of doing this? Get one.” he ordered.
“Do you see anyone lining up to ask me out, Markus…” I continued, “…yeah, sometimes guys check me out and I will occasionally have a crush here and there.” I looked down at my salad and picked the purple onions out, placing them into a pile on my plate. “No one wants to date me. And I feel stupid for getting all excited over Shane. He ended up being just another jerk. He probably says the same lines to all the girls.” I tacked on, sadly.
“You really are a great girl.” The sincerity was clear in his voice. Markus turned to Tanya. “Right?” he raised his voice a tad.
“Yeah. Of course!” Tanya said. She finished sending her text message and set her phone down. “Well, I don’t even think it’s a big deal. Let her explore…dad,” she advised, with a hint of sarcasm.
“I’m not telling her what to do.” Markus explained.
“Well it sure sounds like it!” Tanya raised her voice.
Before I knew it, I was out of the discussion. Markus and Tanya started thrashing back and forth at each other. They always ended up arguing like an old married couple. I tuned them out.
I slowly chewed, nodding my head to whatever Markus and Tanya were arguing about. Then, I smelled it. The fresh aroma of amber musk strayed into my nostrils. The elegant fragrance made me feel warm. It was Dean. His magnetic smell practically pulled me towards him. He was walking alone, as usual, with his empty tray in hand and he was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt. The fabric looked very light. I could tell by the way the wind was blowing through it, making it cling to his body in all the right places. He was definitely fit. His back was a hilly land of muscles bulging through the surface of the ground. I never thought the scrawny boy I grew up with would turn out to look like a teenage Roman warrior.
“Do you think he’ll be more social this year?” asked Tanya, her eyes following Dean as he walked towards the school entrance. Unsurprisingly, Ashley and Jennifer were leaning their lengthy bodies against the wall by the double doors and they giggled and waved hello to Dean as he walked through. He paid no attention and strode by them as if they didn’t exist. I couldn’t help but smile. Seeing them get rejected was such a treat.
“Sure…he’ll make lots of friends,” sarcasm in my voice.
“I don’t get it, Mindy. You know, if he wanted to, he could have so many girlfriends…” She sat back and shoved a nacho in her mouth. “…starting with me…” Tanya eased. She sighed and a smile formed on her face; she was probably imagining herself with him. And then, Tanya slowly drew another chip towards her mouth, only that time, missing it and bonking it against her chin. Yup, she was definitely dreaming about him.
“Good luck with that. He hasn’t said one word to me since his parents died. And we grew up together.” I said.
“So how was he back then?” Markus asked.
“He was the sweetest thing. I never saw him without a smile.” I sadly said. I looked down at my plate. There was no more salad and I wasn’t even going to touch the patties. “I remember when I used to have dinner at his parents’. It always seemed like a scene from a movie; the perfect mom and dad, so nice and loving. All they were missing was the white picket fence.” I pushed the plate out of the way and opened my bottled water. “The police never found the killer.” I added.
“Really?” They both gasped.
“Don’t go telling anyone, okay guys?” I demanded. I gave them a threatening stare. No one else needed to know about Dean’s history. At least it gave them answers as to why I didn’t get along with him. He turned into a rude and careless person. At first it hurt that he completely shut me out of his life, but I learned to live with it. There was no point in hoping for the unattainable.
“We won’t,” they agreed.
“I gotta go. It’s five minutes till the bell rings and I don’t know where my fifth hour class is.” I drank the rest of the water and picked up my book bag from the bench seat. I was glad I didn’t have to finish the conversation about Ayden with Markus and I had to get out of there before he remembered it. I jogged up to the double doors where the Barbie girls stood. Their eyes were rolling at the sight of me and I secretly hoped their eyes would stay like that.
“Don’t trip.” Ashley laughed, Jennifer then joined in.
“
Don’t you two have some corner to stand on?” I snapped back. An old worn out comeback, but it suited them perfectly. They’re laughter ceased and their eyes drilled onto me. I gave them a quick mean stare and rushed inside.
My stomach started churning again. I knew that salad wasn’t going to be enough so I began to look for the rest of the pop tart in my bag. The halls were crowded with students, they were all standing in their groups in the middle of the halls. It made it challenging for me to dig through my book bag while walking but I managed to pull the pop-tart out from the wrapper and aim it at my mouth. Suddenly, I slammed right into someone head-on. It felt like they charged right at me! My pop-tart flew out of my hand, but I gripped onto my bag and stepped back, rubbing my throbbing forehead with my free hand. Unfortunately, leaving crumbs right where I touched my head.
“I’m so sorry…I wasn’t looking.” I struggled to say. The guy was standing motionless and only inches away. He said nothing. I gazed up at him to demand an apology in return. It was Dean. And that was when that distinct smell of his leaped out into my nose. His scorching stare was aimed at me and he didn’t seem the least bit sorry for crashing into me. His face was motionless and cold while his eyes pierced into mine. Dean gave me an uncomfortable feeling of fear, something hard to explain. The fear didn’t come directly from him, it was more from his aura, from his essence.
I chewed on my inner lip. He looked down at the pop-tart broken on the floor then back at me. He blinked rapidly for a brief second, and then his face changed. It softened. I gawked in disbelief. Did he feel sorry?
Dean caught a glimpse of something behind me. I guessed he’d already forgotten all about me because his focus was now on a particular person. His face began to harden again and his eyes widened in disbelief as he made his way past me, bumping me in the process. That time, I dropped my book bag. I twirled around to look at him. He picked up the pace and burst through the crowd of students. He was storming toward a group of girls, and it had to be them because he was staring straight at them. But I saw that Shane was in the middle of the group. Dean pushed himself through the students that got in his path and I wasn’t the only one that noticed. Students that had been shoved were stopping along with the people around them. A couple of guys next to me quickly noticed Dean’s bunched fists.