ODETTE | MOETTI
I WAS COMPLETELY out of my depth.
I looked at my cousin for our next step — whether that was running away or facing the two head on — when she sighed and steeled her expression and I knew retreating wasn't one of her options. Even with the glimmer of recognition swimming in her browns, I didn't want her to feel forced to interact with the guys on the other side of the door.
I placed a hand on her elbow. "Les—"
She gave me a small smile that alleviated my worries somewhat. "It's okay, I know him."
Him? One or both of them?
She pushed open the door and I took her word for it. I'd make sure to keep a watchful eye out for anything the unfolding interaction would reveal.
"I knew it was you D."
D?
Locs worse a smile on his face that looked similar to the one he'd worn when ascending the staircase earlier.
Notably, Lesedi wore a small smile herself while she crossed her arms. "I don't know if I should be concerned that you recognise me so easily Neo."
The name triggered my memory and I looked at the boy with a more attentive gaze. Neo was the same name of the person she'd sent all those emails to.
So this was him?
"How could I forget someone like you?" His sincere tone had Lesedi looking away and I wanted to chuckle. "It's impossible."
There was clearly something between them and I had to cover my mouth to hide my smile. I'd definitely ask her afterwards for more details on who he was to her.
My wandering gaze led me to Grey-Eyes. He was leaned against one of the fridges and seemed content with his position despite nearly being taller than it.
Even with his baggy fit, it was clear he had a strong frame that came from hours of dedication in the gym. Black, baggy tech pants covered his bottom half and went with his black and white Jordans. A dark fleece jacket covered his top half, unzipped to his collarbone. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and emphasised his defined biceps and forearms.
A lone beaded bracelet sat beside the watch on his left wrist. The name for the brand currently eluded me, but I knew it cost up in the ten thousands; Uncle Mykel wore their watches often. Silver rings encircled his fingers and contrasted his tan skin tone.
He hadn't said anything yet but neither had I. The familiarity Lesedi had seemed limited to Neo so I didn't blame him. Still, I couldn't help but wonder if he was shy like me as Lesedi and Neo caught up but we stayed quiet.
The thought dismissed itself when his liquid-silvers caught mine and I fought against the urge to break eye-contact. Despite my thudding heart, I tried to appear friendly by giving him a small smile and wave. His blank expression didn't shift and I felt the curve to my lips shrink.
I went to lower my hand when his hand unfisted so he could give an awkward wave back. Two pricks of pink appeared on his cheeks and the tension to my shoulders slipped away as my smile grew back larger.
My eyes drifted back to Neo, noting the subtle accent to his voice. "Why didn't you get back to me in the break?"
Get back to him?
Lesedi's eyes widened and from the tautness of her spine, I knew it was from fear. "Sorry but we've got to be going; bags to unpack and whatnot."
My brows furrowed at her change in behaviour and I glanced towards Neo to figure out what had set her off. If Les wanted to leave, we were leaving no questions asked.
"Going without getting anything to eat?" His tone held no judgment and I wondered why he was so gentle with his question.
Regardless of his effort, I knew by her expression that she was going to say no.
Surprisingly, he caught on and pushed a sweet packet into her hands. "Take it, it's no biggie."
Lesedi bit on her lip but managed to let out a light, "Thanks."
She tugged on my arm. "We'll be going."
He didn't press any further though or look bothered at her no. "It was nice to see you—" he corrected himself quickly "—the two of you."
I wasn't offended at him forgetting I was present. It wasn't the first time and definitely wasn't the last time it would happen; Lesedi had a personality that filled up the room and I had one that faded into the background. Plus, he was obviously enamoured with her, I'd have to be blind to miss that.
Lesedi gave a quick nod of agreement but the smile on her face was genuine. "I'll see the both of you."
I settled on a wave to both boys and followed her footsteps as she made her way out. Despite her calm exit, she grabbed my arm and made us jog further down the hallway until we were completely in the clear.
She was the first to speak and mumbled, "Guess my plan to visit the kitchens wasn't that unique."
I slid my arm from her elbow to throw around her shoulder. I had no clue on what was safe for me to comment on so went with something light.
"You share a braincell with Neo, how do you feel?"
She scrunched up her nose, "Not good. The same feeling I felt when Zayn left 1D."
We both giggled and I gave her a light squeeze as I cautiously asked, "You want to explain what all that was about?"
I could tell she was debating on being truthful before she finally let out, "That was my psychology partner, Neo Moseki, from last year. The one I've spoken about before."
She had mentioned him a couple times. I remember her having some sort of project that was worth a large part of her grade and she was scared he wouldn't take it seriously at first. He was a renowned flirt whose priority seemed to be basketball while hers was her education. Despite her initial worries, they got a A* in the end so they must have sorted their differences along the way.
Especially if they were emailing each other through the Summer.
I hummed and didn't comment on how what I'd seen in the kitchens made it seem like they were more than past partners.
Lesedi rolled her eyes. "Go on, spit it out."
"You seem more than just class partners. . ." I tried to not let a smile shape the words but I wasn't successful and she let me go as we approached a staircase.
"And that's where you're wrong." She didn't sound very convincing as she skipped ahead of me on the marble staircase.
A laugh escaped me as I trailed the clicks of her YSL heels. "If you want to be in denial just say so."
I didn't miss the sound of her kissing her teeth but she didn't say much more. I caught up to her to reach over and lift her arm with the sweet packet in. I was able to get a closer look at what Neo had given her and was impressed. Could never go wrong with Midget Gems.
Still, there was one last thing that was niggling at the back of my mind. "D'you know the name of the other guy who was there?"
She chewed her lip in thought. "He's mentioned him a few times, I know it begins with a k."
"It's okay if you don't remember, clearly a different boy was taking up your memory space."
I was nearly shoved into a bronze statue as I dissolved into a giggles. A warning if there ever was one.
I speed walked ahead, out of her arm's reach, and made sure to stay away from the any sculptures and benches. "Alright, I'll leave it."
I didn't exactly keep my word as my mind went back to the emails I happened to come across. "Wait one more thing."
I turned around and tried to not laugh. "So about those emails on your Mac. . ."
My cousin's footsteps paused and the embarrassment pressing down on her was unmissable.
Feeling like we were nearing her breaking point, I let her be. "Okay, okay, okay I'll stop pecking your head about it."
She shot me a look. "You sure about that?"
"As serious as Neo was about giving you food."
Our stare-down barely lasted five seconds before we laughed and I made my way back to my rightful place beside her. Her reaching out to loop arms with me let me know she wasn't holding any grudges.
The Upper Sixth floor in the East Wing had multiple girl-groups dotted around, catching up and chatting about the new dorm situation. Given that the only things closest to friends I had were the swim team, there wasn't any one who stopped me to approach me on our way to our dorm. Lesedi, however, was another matter.
She couldn't go a few feet without being greeted or saying hi to someone. I kept quiet and settled for pasting a weak smile on my face as she dragged us through the hallway. It just highlighted just how stark our differences were in a way I couldn't ignore.
Didn't mean I didn't try to.
I shifted my gaze to the ground and tried to figure out what I'd say when I was introduced to our dorm mates. My brain could only half focus though and when we finally entered the room I didn't feel any more prepared.
We weren't the first girls inside; two had reached before us. They were talking with ease with each other. I hoped they'd be open to being friends, or at least aquatinted, with us.
One of them was dark-skinned, with her hair pressed and dyed brown so it flowed like waterfall to her shoulder blades. Her heart-shaped face was mellowed by her brown, upturned-eyes and her two-toned thick lips. A subtle pink blush dusted her soft cheeks and the bridge of her button nose. When she smiled, like she was now, it was like she glowed.
The other girl wore a hijabi in pale lilac that complimented her tanned tone perfectly. Her face was a diamond and helped show off her high cheeks— and dimples when she spoke. Despite her upward eyebrows, her heart-shaped lips worked to softened her face and make her seem approachable.
They were both so pretty.
They didn't do the awkward pause thing and stop talking when they spotted us, instead they both smiled and introduced themselves.
"Hi! I'm Aerona, fellow athlete and captain of the cheerleading team." The brunette reached us first and held a hand out to me that I took after a stunned moment.
The warm vibes that she exuded threw me off because she was directing them at me. I knew immediately that I wanted to be friends with her, I just didn't know how. But the first thing I could tackle was returning her handshake and not looking like a goon.
"Um hey! It's, uh, really nice to meet you! I'm Odette Moetti."
At least I didn't butcher that up too bad.
"Swimmer girl, right?" Her smile let me know it wasn't a teasing comment and I glanced away from the ray of sunshine just long enough to notice her Dior earrings. "And it's nice to meet you too."
She turned to Lesedi just as the hijabi arrived. Up close, I could see her wide, hazel, eyes went well with her downturned nose. I couldn't help but be in awe at how her unique features came together.
Never mind pretty, they were Pinterest pretty.
She held out her hand too and I accepted it more quickly than I had Aerona's. "Hi I'm Odette Moetti, it's great to meet you."
"I'm Noor Taleb, I'm new." She missed the shock on my face as her eyes shifted to her feet. "But I'm not an athlete or anything close."
I smiled and relaxed at her clear nervousness; at least I wasn't alone in the feeling.
"That's alright. Not everyone who does a sport as an extracurricular wants to go pro, some do it for fun or because it'll look good on their personal statement." I let her digest it and waited till she nodded to continue. "D'you know why you were roomed with us then? I thought Garreth — the Deputy head —wanted the two groups apart."
Her hand fiddled with one of the white bows clipped onto her hijab. "When Mama applied, we were told that this year group was quite full and my brother and I would have to dorm where there was space."
"Oh right." That made sense.
I let her talk to Lesedi and made my way over to the bed second closet to the door that had my things stacked around it.
What could I say to have a proper conversation with the girls? They both seemed so interesting but I didn't want to seem weird.
Before I could open my first suitcase, the sound of a drum-set trickled into the room and I jumped. Looking to the opposite side of the room to the bed, just before the bathroom, Aerona guiltily held up a bluetooth speaker.
"Sorry, I should have asked first— is it okay if I play some music in the background? I don't cope well in silence."
She waited until she'd gotten everyone's approval before pressing play. It didn't take me long to realise she'd put on the Arctic Monkeys. It took me an even shorter amount of time to place that it was 'Snap out of it' that was circling the room.
She had great music taste.
The yearn for her friendship grew stronger — I wanted to know what her fave songs by the band were, which other musicians she liked. But I put my mind to a task I had to get out the way first: unpacking my things.
It was a job that had made me sweat more than I'd thought it would, so I slipped my beanie off and tossed it onto my bed. 'Snap out of it' had finished and 'Batphone' was part-way through when Noor spoke up from beside me. She was on my right, having chosen the bed closet to the door.
"Um, I really like your hair."
The compliment caused me to freeze before I mentally shook myself. Heat rose up my face and I turned to her to find the shy curve to her lips.
It was the first time someone had said that who wasn't Les. I felt warm and I tried to accurately articulate my gratitude.
"Thank you," I almost stumbled over the words. "It really means a lot. I, ah, really like your bows by the way, they're really cute."
The grin I earned made the racing muscle in my chest worth it.
"Thank you Odette."
I had an urge to tell her she could call me Odey or Ode like my friends ( Lesedi ) did, but I didn't want to be so forward so soon. Instead, I bottled it and settled for returning her expression and saying it was no problem, just the truth.
With such a welcoming environment and one of my favourite artists filling my ears, I had no choice but to relax as I finished unpacking. I didn't bring too much like Lesedi had; she usually brought so many clothes that she wouldn't even wear them all. Everything that I'd had dropped off here — my hair products, swimming gear, school equipment, clothes and bags — I would use at least once this year.
It was when I was positioning my pillow against my headboard — now I'd covered it with a silk case — that our last roommate made an entrance.
"Sorry I'm late, I was talking to Deputy Prescott."
She jumped straight into introducing herself whilst she adjusted her grey, cashmere turtleneck. "I'm sure you've heard by now, but I'm Akira Jae Yamada— but I go by Jae. I'm Head Girl, but the volleyball team couldn't resist making me deputy head this year. It's nice to meet you all, I hope we can all get along."
I would have thought she was the incarnate of confidence, if it wasn't for how she adjusted her grey slacks, eventhough they fit perfectly. It eased my anxiety slightly to know she wanted this to go perfectly like the rest of us.
Aerona spoke up from where she sat cross-legged on her bed, flicking through a book instead of finishing her unpacking. "Girlies, don't let her 'I'm Miss Unstoppable' vibes scare you, Jae's a softie."
The ginger rolled her eyes but didn't deny it.
I wonder how the two knew each other.
"Whatever Aer, I can see Aaron Warner's stealing your focus again." Her arched eyebrows made the cheer captain roll her eyes.
Still, the short girl took it in her stride and flopped back onto her bed. "He's the love of my life— and you'd understand if you read the Shatter Me series Jae."
"The Shatter Me series?" Lesedi's voice piped up like I knew it would, I'd heard the girl ramble on about it numerous times since she'd started reading it during summer break. "You've read it too?"
Aerona sprung up from her bed like she was electrocuted. "Have I just found someone who loves Aaron Warmer in real life? Jae, pinch me so I know I'm not dreaming."
Jae ignored her and began to organise her things on her bed in between Aerona and Lesedi. I chuckled at her effort to stay as least involved as possible.
I turned to Noor who'd been pretty quiet for a while. I found her flicking through a book of some sort near her bedside table.
"Are you a reader too?" She jumped at my question and I tried not to smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
She waved a bronze hand and moved so she perched on her bed, facing me. "I read every once in a while, but I prefer music texts and writing scores."
I didn't have a creative bone in my body, except for when it came to photography. It was why I struggled so much with pulling together outfits if I wasn't allowed to dress formally. It was either academia or trackies and a hoodie so Lesedi was saviour in the fashion department.
"So you write your own music, do you want to go into the industry then?" I back-tracked as I realised I'd assumed. "It's okay if you don't, I find it really cool that you create your own stuff."
She laughed a little and it settled my overthinking mind. "Thank you. I do want to go into the industry but not in a mainstream type of way; I want to compose nasheeds for my religion; things that praise Allah and the values of Islam."
I loved that she was so passionate about her faith that it moved her to be so creative— and I told her so.
Her cheeks flushed with rose and she dipped her head but I still caught the upturn to her lips. "Ah, thank you Odette. And what about you? Do you have any idea of what you want to do after Sixth Form?"
I remembered then that she was new. She didn't know that I starred on the school's leaflets when they spoke about the physical excellence that was achieved here. That I was on a few sports posters that were dotted around the school. That my parents made me speak at opening days in an attempt to bring more children of the wealthy here. She didn't know I was a swimmer— no, the swimmer that St Everfields expected success from.
"Um." I pretended to think about it. "I'd like to win gold at the Olympics and other international competitions before I'm twenty-six."
Her eyes widened and I let out a nervous laugh. It was always a little awkward explaining my future plans to a non-athletes; my plans seemed a bit too impossible and 'out there'. But it was doable. With hard work, dedication and if I met all my milestones I could get there.
Female swimmers peaked in performance from twenty-one to twenty-six and I didn't want to compete in the biggest swim of my life after that age range. That would be foolish of me. Besides, I was on track since after winning gold in the British Summer Championships this past summer, I'd been offered a place on the official English team — and I'd taken it of course.
Lesedi had competed in the same competition but wasn't scouted. She didn't mind because she didn't share the same goals I had. She wanted to be a therapist for athletes who'd ended up out of their job due to injuries or accidents. I glanced over to my cousin and where she was giggling with Aerona and smiled to myself.
Noor followed my gaze. "Lesedi said she was a swimmer, is she going pro too?"
I shook my head as I pulled my attention back to the girl opposite me. "No, a sports therapist."
Noor let out a intrigued hum and I had to hide the curl to the corners of my lips. I went to ask her something in return when a container on Lesedi's bed began to move on it's own. I was ready to put it down as a figment of my imagination since I'd caught it in the corner of my eye— when it shook again and I swore I heard a few squeaks.
What's she gone and done now?
"Can you hear that?" I hoped Noor didn't think I was crazy.
Instead of giving me a look, her head dipped. "Yeah— what is it?"
"I don't know." I kneeled on my bed until I could see over the untouched array of bags and boxes— and almost fell off my bed. "Les!"
She did not.
She stumbled up from where she was sat beside Aerona and her sunglasses slipped off her nose. "What?"
Her wide eyes landed on me and I had an urge to laugh, but I held it in. "Why did you bring Flopsie and Cotton-tail here?"
The tension in her shoulders melted as if it wasn't a big deal. "I couldn't bring one, they'd both be lonely and I'm pretty sure that's unethical in some countries."
I could only blink at the fact that she thought it was completely fine to sneak in her two bunnies into the school. Nevermind I'm sure the pet you weren't allowed to keep alone were guinea pigs.
Of course, there was a low chance of her getting into trouble: it wasn't like anyone outside this dorm would know. That and the fact our parents held such power here that we'd only really get a verbal warning. Still, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at how she didn't think to tell me on the ride over at least.
My thoughts were disrupted Jae leaned over from where she was standing between her's and Lesedi's bed to look. "Was there anyone who didn't bring a pet to school this year?"
"A pet?" It was the first time Aerona had placed down the book in her hands.
Her browns lit up with excitement and I was grateful we were roomed with girls who didn't mind or weren't allergic.
Les didn't even bother to hide the bunnies, instead choosing to open up their hutch and take Flopsie out. "Not pet, pets, as in plural. My lil' rabbits."
"Lesedi." Her name escaped my mouth in disbelief; the least she could do was not make it worse by mentioning there were two of them.
She only stuck her tongue out before mouthing "lying is a sin" in my direction. I returned the gesture as Aerona gushed over the black and white carrot-munchers. Noor headed over for a closer look at the animals in the girls' laps but Jae remained where she was, resolutely folding her clothes and putting them away.
Her green eyes met mine and we shared a look. I couldn't help the slight upturn of my mouth, and neither could she.
Maybe this year wouldn't be so bad after all.
EL SPEAKS !
↬ so sorry for the late update but thank you all soooo much for the birthday wishes your all the sweetest 🥹🥹 i cant believe im 18,, its such a blessing from God to reach this age when i doubted i would when i was younger ❤️
anyways,, thoughts on the chap? next chapter will be from kaede's pov 😋
what do you think of the characters? i wanted them to be as real as possible and aerona is 90% of booktok's population 🙏🏽
i really hope you enjoyed the chapter, please like vote and comment lovelies 🫶🏽
( posted; 21/01/24 )