Toxic

Toxic: Chapter #5 | Swooning for Him

Zach's Past

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I looked up to Jayden because even if he wasn't going to consider that, I still liked him and what I thought his life must be like. Now don't get me wrong I wasn't popular by any means but I had a lot of friends alongside my siblings and I wasn't someone who sought popularity or went out of my way to obtain it. I don't want to have to live up to anyone's expectations and I think when you have a spotlight on you that's when people assign expectations to you.

I was content with my circle of friends. My sister Zoe, my brother Zeke and I had been dubbed Triple Z. No I suppose it's not that original but it was special to me because I loved being a triplet. Zeke and I used it to our advantage in fact. I remember us switching to take each other's tests. I would take his math tests and he would take my English tests. That is until Zoe figured it out and sorted us out. She didn't snitch or whatever but she talked some sense into us and I'm glad. I'm not going to go so far as to say that I'm a genius now that I do my own writing but I do think I have a way with words that I learned to do better after Zoe talked to us.

Anyways let's get back on track. Freshman year of high school arrived before we knew it. For me, it started sooner than the rest of my siblings because I decided to join the cheerleading squad. I had worked with the coach throughout my seventh and eighth grade years and he was impressed. So when conditioning started up I was not only asked to be there but to lead it. I must tell you that to say I was elated is a definite understatement. I was over the moon and so beyond excited. I found that I had a passion for it and this was clearly evidenced in the routines I put together. I loved watching my teammates practice, figure out what their strengths were, and utilize those in the routines.

The first day of practice came after we'd had conditioning for two weeks and I'll never forget that day because it's the day I met him. We already talked about the day I met Jayden so you're probably wondering who I mean when I say him. Well, I'm referring to Lucas Mendoza. He was a transfer student and though he hadn't been there for conditioning coach made an exception. After seeing his skills I wasn't surprised he got in. He was our second best tumbler with the first of course being me.

When Coach introduced him I felt that sweeping sensation I had felt with Jayden. Lucas wasn't as tall as Jayden but he was just as gorgeous if not more so. He had bushy dark brown almost black hair with a slight curl to it, dark brown eyes, and a smile that just made me swoon.

He cocked his head at me when he came over to my side of the mat after Coach asked me to help him transition in. "So you're the captain?"

I nodded and stood up offering my hand. "Yes. I'm Zach. You are?"

He took my hand immediately and smiled more. "I'm Lucas."

When I was younger I heard someone talk about having butterflies in their stomach and I was so confused because I couldn't figure out how they could have butterflies there. Did they swallow caterpillars or something but the moment I felt Lucas's hand in mine I understood that expression better than I had ever expected to. I felt like I had a hoard of them just explode in my stomach. It was terrifying and exhilarating and as I felt the butterflies a deep pink twinged my cheeks.

Lucas tilted his head and asked, "Can I call you Z?"

I grinned. "I would love that. No one has ever called me that before."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? That surprises me. Well if you want you can call me Lu."

I thought to myself that Lu fit him better than Lucas. "I definitely will."

It was then I realized we'd been holding hands for quite a long time and they had settled between us. If I had thought things were intense as far as my infatuation with Jayden they were nothing compared to the feelings I had for Lu.