"Blue and Brown, we only had just exchanged a frown."
- e.k.
G A B R I E L
"Hey, throw me a drink!" A jock shouted from across the sand. He held his hand out as Nicandro Adriano, my best friend, shot the beer bottle from his hands and into the jock's hold.
"Don't do that next time," River Lewis grumbled from beside us. He and I had been friends since middle school. "He's got legs of his own. He can use 'em just fine."
Zion Oceans eyed the jock. It was Jarrett Coleson, a douchebag narcissist. No one liked him, and I didn't even know how he was surviving high school. I wasn't even sure how he managed to not get kicked off the football team.
"Keep staring at him like that and maybe he'll actually grow a brain or something," Nicandro, or Nico as we called him, nudged Zion's shoulder, trying to lighten the mood. It wasn't too hard to do so with his bright blue eyes and contagious grin.
Zion was feeling shit lately, and I didn't think Nico picked up on it. River did. So did I. He'd been my friend since we were in diapers. Our parents knew each other when they were in University, and though they've drifted apart a little, Zion and I hadn't. We were like brothers. I knew almost everything about him.
"Idiots," River murmured, and I watched him glare at the group cheering near the bonfire. "Why did we even come here?"
"Because you're all boring," Nico stated, rolling his eyes. "And we gotta do something fun every once in a while."
"Like what? Watch them jump like children at firecrackers?" River pointed and rolled his brown eyes, oblivious to the attention of some jocks he caught.
"Hey," Nicandro slapped River hand down. "Don't point. It's rude."
River narrowed his eyes on his blue-eyed friend. Nico just smiled innocently, like he didn't have a care in the world.
I turned to glance at Zion. His dark eyes were fixed on something in the distance, and I followed his gaze. A girl was laughing with two guys standing on either side of her, her charcoal hair gleaming an orange hue from the bonfire. Her eyes were squinted as she smiled, but when she turned away from the men, something changed on her face. Her smile fell, and I knew it had been fake.
"Is that Pearl Raven?" I asked Zion.
He furrowed his eyebrows and turned to me. "What?"
I raised my eyebrows, blinking at him. "Don't what me. You heard. Do you have a thing for her?"
Zion clicked his tongue and threw an arm around my shoulder, turning us both around.
"Yallah, tell me," I urged him, grinning at his confused face. [come on/ hurry]
"I don't. There's just something wrong," He shook his head, sparing another glance behind us and back to Pearl. She was speaking to a guy with tattoos on his neck.
"Who are those guys?" I speculated.
"Not sure," Zion replied. "But they look familiar."
I squinted my eyes to get a better look. Something about them seemed eery, like they might be involved in something bad. I didn't want to judge them based on how they appeared, because that would be wrong, but the way the man next to Pearl stood still made me feel weird.
He looked similar to the guy beside Pearl, and I guessed they were siblings. He appeared to be paranoid, always checking his surroundings.
"We shouldn't stare," I mumbled, diverting my gaze back to Nico and River.
Zion sighed and I felt his arm tighten around my shoulder.
"You know," I cleared my throat, feeling my face go warm. "If something's up with you, I want you to tell me."
He tipped his head, clenching his jaw. Something was troubling him, and I knew it was home stuff.
"I don't care if you think it's a small problem, you can still tell me, Zion," I moved my arm around his waist and tapped his back with reassurance. "Yeah?"
Zion nodded once, rolling his bottom lip into mouth. He was thinking about it.
A loud booming sound caught me off guard, and I jumped. The sound of Nicandro's loud cackle made me sigh in defeat. He was going to use that against me.
"Aw, you poor baby," Nicandro cooed, walking to me with grabby hands.
Zion pulled away with a soft smile, and I was suddenly grateful that I got scared. If it made him smile, it was worth it. But then Nicandro was pinching the sides of my face and I almost tackled him into the sand, trying to get him off me. I would've pulled at his blonde strands to get him off me but-
"Hey," A strong, feminine voice made me pause mid-tackle.
I snapped my head around, coming face to face with a beautiful woman. Her dark hair rippled against the soft wind, some strands covering her face, framing the deep contours of it. Dark eyes met my hazel ones, and I smiled out of politeness.
"Hello," I replied, momentarily forgetting Nicandro was standing next to me as I straightened myself before her.
"I'm kind of new to town, and I got a little lost," She smiled, her straight, bright teeth peeking underneath her full lips. "As you can tell."
The lady pointed downward to her red dress, and I could tell she most likely just had dinner at an expensive restaurant or something. It hugged her curves, clinging to her body. I didn't stare for too long. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable.
"I can show you around," Nicandro rested his hand on my shoulder, moving me back a little. "If that's what you want."
"Oh," She chuckled lightly, never moving her eyes from me. "I was kind of hoping you would."
My eyes widened, and I opened my mouth to say something, but I knew I would stumble on my words.
"Ah, I see," Nicandro tightened his grip on my shoulder and dragged his words out. "He most definitely will show you around, isn't that right, Gabby?"
I inhaled sharply, shrugging Nico's hand off my shoulder. "Um, me?"
"Yes, please," She said, biting down on her bottom lip excitedly for a moment, waiting for my response.
"Sure," I nodded, reaching a hand out for her to take.
She easily slipped her petite hands into mine, and I felt my heart pick up at the feel of her soft skin on mine.
"I'm Gabriel," I told her, smiling wider as she grinned at my introduction.
"Nice to meet you," She shook my hand once, and unexpectedly entangled her fingers through mine.
My attention on her was cut short when a girl walked behind the woman in front of me. Her eyes locked with mine, and I stood still as she frowned at me. Her blonde hair was tied into a high pony-tail, revealing her heart shaped face.
I'd seen her before, at school, in the halls. But I didn't know why she was frowning at me. I didn't recall doing anything to her.
What caught my attention the most were her eyes. One was brown, and the other was a mix of brown and blue. The girl had heterochromia on her left eye, and my breath was stuck in my throat looking at her.
Then I remembered she was frowning at me. I frowned back. Blondie widened her eyes and moved them away.
I was pulled back to earth when the woman in front of me held my hand tighter and began to walk me away.
"I'm Zandra," She glanced up at me, and I saw the reflection of the bonfire burn like wildfire in her dull eyes. "Nice to meet you."
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a/n: ahh I'm not ready for this one
anyway, love Zion and Pearl <3
p.s. quotes at the beginning of each chapter are kinda important :)
esprit de corps = spirit of body
[french] a feeling of pride and loyalty uniting the members of a group