Face the Elements

Chapter 7

7. Ariel

I can barely concentrate for the rest of the afternoon. It seems like so much has happened and it's only noon. When we compared schedules earlier I found out that Rhett and Lex are supposed to be in my fourth period, Rhett in my fifth, and Clayton in sixth. Right now though, Lex is stuck down in the basement.

"What do you think she's doing right now?" I whisper to Rhett who's seated in the desk beside me. It's an elective class, film studies, and the teacher had left the room to run off some copies, so everyone is talking in groups. We've gotten quite a few curious glances our way, as the new kids, but Rhett's sulky presence seems to intimidate everyone so no one talks to us.

"Who knows? I don't like that she's down there alone."

I giggle, "You know that she can take care of herself."

"That's not what I meant. I don't want her to be lonely," he sighs.

Wow, sometimes Rhett can be pretty freaking sweet and charming.

"Plus, she's practically naked down there." He wags his eyebrows up and down at me, and just like that, goofy Rhett is back.

~

Rhett walks me to the door of my last class, and Clay's already inside saving me a seat towards the back. Sitting on his other side, to my horror, is Brandi with and "i", who thankfully hasn't seen me yet. The boy in the letterman's jacket that was draped over her earlier sits on the other side of her, and she's whispering something in his ear. Well, looks like she didn't get that mad at him for drooling over Lex.

I silently slide into the desk next to Clay, trying to maneuver a little so he blocks me from Brandi's line of sight. God, I hate that she intimidates me. I also hate that I wish Lex were here, because I know that would not end well. I've never seen my twin get that heated (no pun intended) over someone messing with me before. I'd been teased before, and picked on, and she defended me everytime.

At our last school people knew not to try anything, my sister had them trained. Sure, when that cowboy at the Halloween party shoved me, she had charred him, but even that was different. Then, she had controlled herself. The fire didn't take over her body, and ignite her eyes like it had today. It was like she had been possessed. She had scared me when I thought she was going to hurt Will, and then at lunch when she had been shaking... I didn't know what to do. I was helpless.

I shake my head to clear my thoughts and smile shyly over at Clay.

He smiles quickly back at me then averts eye contact, and to my amazement a slight blush makes its way across his cheeks. What? Oh. Yeah. The whole naked Lex thing. I have to figure out some way to break the ice. She just has to be comfortable in her skin...

"You know, she's a lot tanner than me." I have no idea where that came from, but I can't take it back. Now I'm practically forcing him to picture her naked, then picture me. What am I doing?

Clay looks over at me, shocked for a second, then gives a wide grin, "Good to know."

Is he flirting with me? I have no clue how to do this. I get too flustered around him. I clear my throat, panicking, trying to figure out what to say next, then blurt, "Rhett was sure in a bad mood our last two classes."

Clay snorts, "Yeah, he's been kind of pissy lately. He's just frustrated. He'll get over it soon enough, I'm sure."

"Frustrated?" I furrow my eyebrows, trying to figure out what Rhett would be frustrated about.

Clay's expression looks like he regrets saying anything, "Um, yeah. Frustrated. Sorry I'm trying to say this without sounding like a jerk... He's been not so patiently waiting for some more alone time with Lex. So, frustrated. Like that."