The Step Sister vs. Cinderella

Chapter 25

            Axton kept a careful eye on the students passing him by, many of them looking him over as they went. He had his back pressed against one, Paige had called it a locker, while she had her head inside the one beside him. He could hear the sound of papers, books, and unidentifiable things being shifted around the metal compartment.

            He took another look around the hallway he stood in. Lines of lockers, painted a uniform purple, covered the nearby walls. Farther on he could see the blank, white, pebbly surface of the free walls, a few bright coloured papers taped to them. A few doors and odd sink-like protrusions interrupted the lockers and the flatness of the clear walls.

            The floor beneath him was a strange grey speckled material that was hard without being stone. There were metallic breaks that made him think that the floor was made up of tiles. A sudden shout had him shifting into a defensive stance and swivelling in the direction it had come from. A second later, a giggling girl rode past him on the back of a boy who was grinning. He frowned, not sure what the purpose of their action was. He turned to Paige.

            She was watching the pair as well, shaking her head. When she caught his gaze she smiled. “They’re just being silly. I think they just started dating.”

            Her smile drew an answering one from him, though he wasn’t sure about the last bit of what she’d said. The feeling of people at his back had him spinning around again, only the hand Paige laid on his arm keeping him from moving in front of her. He was glad for her restraint of him when he saw who was behind him.

            The newcomers were all young ladies, their eyes wide as they looked at him. They turned as one to stare at Paige after a moment. She smiled at them. “Hey.”

            The one in the lead, her black hair pulled back into a horsetail, nodded at him. “Who’s your friend? Or is he your boyfriend? I heard a bunch of people talking about how they saw you walking to school holding hands with some guy.”

           Paige shrugged. “That would have been me and Axton. Axton, this is Nicole, Allison, and Jenna,” she said, pointing the black-haired girl, the one with brown hair, and the blonde as she said each name.

            He started to bow but the tightened grip on his arm reminded him of what she had said. Instead he inclined his head and said “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

            They stared then giggled, reminding him of Paige’s lady friends from home. Then the bespectacled blonde, Jenna, pointed at him, shouting “Ah! I thought he looked familiar! He’s the guy from Halloween, isn’t he?”

            Paige smiled. “Yeah, that was Axton. He’s here now for a while.”

            Nicole gave him another once over, this one far more lingering. “Where have you been keeping him? Not that I blame you. I just have to ask, does he have any brothers?”

            “No, he’s an only child. He lives near my sister so we started hanging out when I went to visit her. Things there have gotten unsettled, so he’s staying with us until it cools down,” she said, sliding her arm down his arm until she could squeeze his hand.

            Axton understood the unspoken reminder. He was uncomfortable with lying but he agreed that this was best for everyone. He sighed and she smiled up at him, and he felt his lips curve upwards in reply. The girls were watching them and started laughing again.

            “So you are dating,” Allison said, her teeth extra bright with the addition of metal wires. He made a note to ask Paige about that later. It didn’t look comfortable to him. Then he frowned, that was the second time he’d heard the term this morning and he was still unsure of its meaning. He looked to Paige for clarification.

            She shook her head. “Later.”

            Nicole raised an eyebrow. “What’s later?”

            Paige shrugged. “Axton doesn’t understand the word ‘dating’. So I said I’d explain it later. And before you ask, yes, he’s from pretty far away.”

            The black haired girl tapped a finger against her chin as she glanced sidelong at the boy. “You’ve been doing an awful lot of talking for him. Does he not understand English or something?”

            Axton shook his head. “It is my mother tongue,” he replied. “Paige does the speaking for she is far more skilled at it as well as more familiar with this place than I am. In addition, I believe she enjoys speaking.”

            “Ooh, like the accent,” Jenna cooed, smiling. “And you would be dating a hot guy with an accent. Though if you’re not, can I have him?”

            Paige shook her head, eyes lighting up as she got some of her own back. “No, you’d break him. He doesn’t look it, but he’s very delicate.”

            He stiffened and looked at her, noting her dancing eyes. “I am not delicate.”

            She chuckled. “Really? I can prove you are.”

            “How will you do so?” he asked, frowning.

            Paige, grinning ear to ear, stood on her tiptoes and whispered into his ear “Dating’s like courting here. Everyone thinks we’re, as Melisa would put it, walking together.” When she dropped back down to her feet she saw with satisfaction that his cheeks were pink.

            “I…we…No man will consider such an act until he has become a kn-” He stopped, choking off the rest of the word as he realized what he was saying. Paige laughed.

            “What did you just say to him?” Nicole asked, shaking her head over his blushing and dropped eyes.

            She grinned again. “I explained what dating means and now he’s all embarrassed. Like I said, he’s delicate so I’m not letting anyone else have him. Not that I would anyway.”

            The bell rang, startling the four girls into action. Jenna and Nicole waved as they ran for Math while Allison waited for Paige to grab her books and slam her locker shut. Then, with Axton trailing behind them watching the other students speeding by, they hurried to English.