The Space Between Us

Chapter 22 ~ Daisy

I sat next to Holly in Digital Art I on Monday morning, sighing as I took out my laptop.

"We have to present today, right?" I grumbled.

Holly laughed. She looked cute today, back to wearing glasses, her hair in its usual ponytail, her pink t-shirt complimenting her skin.

"Yes, we have to present," she said. "Remember, you talk about the brand we chose and the designs..."

"And you'll say the rest. Got it."

"You're so lucky to have me," said Holly with a sly smile.

"I love how humble you get in this class," I teased, and she rolled her eyes.

I noticed the three girls' darting eyes. So nosy, I thought.

Holly and I had talked about being friends on campus. She was okay with it, accepting that rumors might be spread, or people might be jealous. If she was okay, then I was okay, I told myself.

"By the way..." I took something out of my backpack and handed it to her. "Happy birthday."

Holly took the small box and opened it. A pair of delicate daisy earrings laid inside.

"I asked Alice what your favorite flower was," I explained, feeling my face grow slightly red.

It wasn't as red as Holly's, though. She was blushing and smiling widely.

"You didn't have to get me anything!" she said. "Thank you. I love them."

Professor Kindler walked in, and we turned towards the front. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Holly changing out her normal stud earrings for the daisy ones. She was still smiling.

Our presentation went well, and we bounced off each other more than I expected. The three girls in the front were staring at me hard, but I ignored them. How annoying.

Holly and I parted ways after class for the day. My eyes lingered on her new earrings.

I hoped she liked them.

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Practice was rough because Coach was upset with most of the players after our game on Saturday. We had two weeks before our next game since the game schedule skipped this weekend for some reason, so Coach wanted us to work extra hard to win next time.

I thought I noticed a shift in attitude in my teammates, and my thoughts were confirmed when five of them confronted me in the locker room after practice, thankfully fully clothed.

"Are you seeing a girl?" asked Benji, drying his bright red hair in a towel.

"We thought you were with Taylor," said Colton, a defensive player on our team. "Did you dump her?"

"I never dated her," I said firmly. "I told you before that she made it up."

"But you're seeing someone else?" asked Benji again.

"What does it matter?" I said, frowning.

"It matters if she's a nobody."

"Why?"

Another player named Luke leaned against the wall of lockers. "You're the captain. We're looking out for you, mate."

"Yeah," said Colton, "you don't want to date a random chick, believe me. She won't be worth it."

"How do you know?" I asked, and they let out some 'oohs.'

"So, you are dating someone," said Benji. "The chick from my party that you kissed last year? Or is it the random science major from the volleyball team?"