Amber Eyes

THIRTY FOUR

"I don't care, okay? And wasn't it a part of our deal that we don't care about each other's personal lives? I'll count this as personal."

He leans forward towards me, making me instinctively move back till my back is against the seat. He's still looking at me and his eyes momentarily move to my arm, trailing down the scars once again. He shakes his head, smiling.

"So, you aren't going to listen to me, are you?" He smiles but there's something in his eyes that tell me that he's only doing that to hide something. I don't reply.

He ends up sitting in front of me carefully, then leans forward a bit again, putting the bandage forward. He begins to wrap it around my elbow carefully, his touch cold and soft. There's a weird feeling inside of me as his fingers touch my skin while he dresses my arm. I'm looking at his face while he does it, trying to figure out what he wants but the only thing that's not blank on his face are his eyes which have a genuine emotion of sincerity.

"You know staring is rude, right?" he says, his lips suddenly curling up in a smile. He looks at me, his eyes meeting mine. For a moment, we're just like that. Us looking into each other's eyes and so close to each other. Something clicks to him then and he instantly looks away from me, his eyes avoiding mine as he finishes the dressing.

I look at my arm. "Thanks," I mutter half heartedly when he's done and pull down the sleeve of my top. I get up from where I was sitting and run a hand through my hair a few times before tying them in a high pony.

"You know..." Nate suddenly says but trails off, probably rethinking whether he should say whatever he was or not.

"What?" I ask him.

He shakes his head. "Nothing. Sorry." With that, he exits the room. I sigh before looking at myself in the mirror. Before some dark thoughts begin to mask my mind, I slap myself on the face, leaving a temporary red mark.

Right now, focus on the performance.

I tell myself that before grabbing my bag and leaving the room, closing the door behind me. Making my way towards the auditorium, I forget about the pain in my elbow for a while. When I reach there, I spot my group sitting in one of the corners. I make my way towards them and sit next to Kai, who's giving me a look which clearly says 'Save me from Rhea and Ryker'. It's completely understandable since they're arguing in hushed voices.

I roll my eyes, suppressing a smile.

Meanwhile, Kai nudges me. I hum in response, asking him to say whatever he wants to. "You know, you missed the second year evaluation. They were pretty cool," he says quietly. "Especially that girl Lily. She's probably in the same league as you and Summer."

"Me and Summer?" I echo. I didn't know people were clubbing and comparing the two of us but it just made everything more complicated and hilarious.

He nods but doesn't bother to explain why he put the three of us together. "Anyways, the third year ones just began. They're doing it in groups of ten, which means it will be over quickly. You know who's going to begin with the first years?"

I shake my head, though judging by his tone I can guess that it's going to be us.

"Us. We're so screwed."

I laugh. "'Why're we screwed?"

"Because the second and third years have set the bar high."

"I mean," I pause, leaning back with my hands folded. "True enough but we're not competing with them. Be thankful we're not going last with Iris' group."

He laughs as well but doesn't reply. I don't pay much attention to the third year acts - the only thing I remember is that Nate was in a group with someone named Ella while Summer had a guy named Jacob with him. I've heard both the names from Asher as the people who know of the existence of the video clip of me spray painting the words that could destroy me.