Renee sighed, tapping her pen against the page of the notebook. She was anxious to get out. She wanted desperately to move, to live. Not sit through yet another lecture. She glanced around, and let her gaze settle on Aconitom James; a tall boy, with cheek length black hair, and large black eyes. She allowed her mind to slip off the lecture, and onto him. Then she felt a sharp jab in her ribs. Jerking around she saw the guilty party, her friend, Jade Smith.
Jade raised an eyebrow, and glanced pointedly at Aconitom. Jade stabbed her own notepad with a pencil, drawing Renee’s attention to a note, which said, ‘You like him?’’. Renee gave a barely perceptible nod, and glanced back to the professor. Jade, however, shook her head and scratched an abrupt reply. ‘Don’t’ . Renee sighed slightly as she glanced at the clock and then down at the notepad.
‘Why?’ Renee wrote on her own notebook. Jade hesitated for a couple of seconds, then began to write really, really fast.
‘Because he’s a HUGE flirt. And a complete & total lying, cheating jerk. He’ll use whatever he can to get what he wants with you. You do NOT want to go anywhere hear him. Understand?’
‘What? How do you know this?’
‘I just know, okay? Promise you won’t get involved with him, please?’
‘And why should I?’
‘Because I’m your friend. Please, promise me.’
‘Fine. I’ll try to avoid him.’
With that Renee tried to turn her attention back to the lecture, but Jade’s warnings, and evasiveness, were making her wonder. What IS Jade’s problem with Aconitom? She thought. Just then the class was dismissed, and she swung out of her seat, ready to escape. Once outside Jade muttered something about needing to get a Coke and vanished, leaving Renee alone in the courtyard of the collage when Aconitom approached her.
“Hey!” He said, flashing a white smile. “It’s Renee, right?” She nodded, wondering why he was talking to her. “I’m Nito,” he added, offering a hand. She delicately placed a gloved hand in his, and they shook.
“And you apparently know who I am. How?” She asked, raising a pencil thin eyebrow. “We’ve never spoken.”
“Oh, I make it a habit to know who everyone is in my class,” he said, waving a hand airily. She stared at him piercingly, Jade’s warning still fresh on her mind. “Anyways, I was thinking, I’d like to get to know you better. So, would you like to go out somewhere with me? Maybe coffee, or dinner, or something?” Renee realized she was staring at him, and quickly looked away, spotting Jade on the other side of the courtyard.
“Sure. When?” A sudden recklessness seizing her, and she watched Jade closely, watching for some reaction. Jade didn’t disappoint her either. When she saw Renee talking to Nito, her eyes widened, and she stopped dead half-way across the courtyard.
“Are you free tonight?” he asked. “I mean, if you’re busy, it’s no problem. We can pick another night.”
“No, no,” Renee said, smiling slightly. “Tonight’s fine. It’s probably the only evening I have off for the next two weeks.”
“Great. Would you mind if I picked you up, or would you rather I meet you there?” Jade, who was within earshot shook her head furiously.
“What time would you pick me up?” Jade sighed angrily, and stormed off.
YOU ARE READING
Septifiria; The Becoming
Science FictionWhen a "normal" life collides with a life of undercover secrets, and friendships, what happens? Renee Carl, aka Septifiria(Septi for short),is trying to keep up with crushes, college and life in general while balancing her job with an underground gr...
