Night Cat | Night Cat #1 (CURRENTLY EDITING)

Night Cat - Chapter 4

Pride, Prejudice and Gray Eyes

“Why is that guy staring at me like that?” Kimi tossed her green highlighted curls over her shoulder as she leaned in to whisper the question. Mrs. Weinburg, the librarian, shot us a warning look from behind her desk. I nodded, signaling that I got the message. We had to be quiet.

“I don’t know Kimi,” I whispered back in an irritated tone. “Probably the same reason why every guy stares at you.” I looked back down at my book, still annoyed that Kimi forgot how much I hated being interrupted while I was in the middle of a Jane Austen novel.
Kimi didn’t seem to accept my theory. She made a disgruntled clicking noise with her tongue and leaned in closer. “Funny, Ave. Just turn around and take a look at the guy.”
I groaned, forcing myself to shut my book and stop thinking about Darcy and concentrate on my friend. “Is he good-looking?”

“Huh?”

I repeated myself, slower this time. “Is he cute?” Kimi tilted in her seat and surveyed the mystery guy sitting behind me. A small smile played on her lips and instantly, I knew she wouldn’t bug me anymore. 
 “Yeah, actually, he is.” Kimi cocked her head to the side, her black eyes going wide. “Oh my God, Ave. The guy is seriously hot! You’ve got to check him out.” Uh-Oh. This wasn’t going the way I’d hoped.

“He’s hot right? So no biggie. Let the guy ogle and drool over you for  a while longer and let me get back to Pemberley, okay?”

Kimi rolled her big black eyes at me. “You’ve read that book fifteen times, Ave.” She hissed. I could smell the Cinnabon she’d had for breakfast on her breath. “Just shut up and take a look at this guy, and then I swear I’ll leave you alone.”
I arched an eyebrow. “You swear?”

She sighed. “I swear.”

I nodded, satisfied. I took a deep breath and twisted in my seat to get a glimpse of the mystery guy Kimi was so on my case about.
When I saw who it was, however, my heart leapt into my mouth and I almost fell off my chair. As I steadied myself, I tried to think of a tactful way to tell Kimi that “Mystery Boy” over there wasn’t staring at her.

How did I know this? Because “Mystery Boy” happened to have soft spiky hair that was the exact same color as mine. He also had a dimple on his left cheek. And he had the most gorgeous smoky gray eyes that I’d ever seen. And his name just happened to be Xander Hawkes. And to top it all off; he wasn’t staring at Kimi. He was staring at me.
At first, I figured that I was mistaken. I mean, there was no way that any sane boy on this planet could ever see me and Kimi standing side by side and opt to stare at me. It was just ridiculous. The girl was a freaking bombshell. I was nothing compared to Kimi.

But even so, when I spun around in my seat and my eyes locked with Xander’s, the smile that lit up on his face told me with utmost certainty that he had been looking at me and had been waiting for me to turn around and see him.
I spun around to face Kimi. “ Hot right?” She asked, smirking.
I pursed my lips. “Um, yeah.”

“‘Um, yeah’???” Kimi blinked at me. “Were we even looking at the same guy?”
“I don’t know Kimi… Maybe we have different tastes.”
“Different tastes my foot! The only way you’d be able to say that guy wasn’t hot was if you were Angelina-Frigging-Jolie. And even if you were her, I’d bet you’d still think that—”
Kimi stopped short as a shadow fell upon our table, informing us that we were not alone. And no, not in the extra-terrestrial sense, if you were wondering. Xander had joined us.

“Hey Avery.” He said, sliding into the chair beside me. “Mind if I sit?”
I didn’t see how I could’ve told him no. For one thing, I didn’t want to tell him no, and for another he had already sat down, so even if I didn’t want him there, I couldn’t very well tell him. 
“Not at all, Xander.” I replied, smiling up at him. I turned to Kimi, remembering my manners. “Xander, this is my friend Kimi Nakamora.” I gestured towards my friend who, at that moment, looked like someone had dropped a cart-load of bricks on her head. “Kimi, this is Xander Hawkes. We got to school together.”

“Um… Um… H-h-hi” Kimi mumbled. I frowned. It was very unlike her to be shy around a guy. Yes, I know Xander was a heart-throb and all that but still, the girl had met Jensen Ackles and held her own for Pete’s sake. Something was way off here.
 Xander merely just nodded politely in Kimi’s direction before turning back to me again. “Are you busy later? Maybe we could hang out or something?”
If I had been drinking something, I would have chocked. Luckily for me food and drinks were not allowed in the library unless you wanted to have your head cut off by Mrs. Weinburg. “What?” I said, blinking stupidly.

Xander grinned, suppressing a laugh. “I asked you if you wanted to hang out later. I know this great ice cream place. Their mint-chocolate chip is to die for.”

I digested this. Huh, figures that the kid who’s been in town for less than a week would know where the best ice cream was. Maybe I shouldn’t go. I mean, it would be wrong to leave K—Whoa! Did he say mint-chocolate chip????

He had me hooked.

“Um, sure Xander.” I looked over at Kimi. “Is that okay with you Kimi?

She looked at me as if I’d just started clucking the alphabet. "Of course it is, Ave. You go ahead.”

With that, she stood up and left me and Xander alone. I sighed. Was it just me or were my friends more interested in me dating Xander than I was? Personally, I wasn't too keen on dating a guy who I was pretty sure turned into a panther at night and stood guard underneath my bedroom window.

Yes, you can go and call the asylum now.