THE CAFETERIA was filling up fast, the smell of food wafted around us as we neared.
Our table was filled to the brim with the squad, conversation centred around the game coming up in a couple of weeks between our school and our rivals, the Baxter Beavers.
The Beavers were from the town fifty miles to the north of our town, Baxter, and ever since forever they'd been the ultimate rivals against our school, whether it be basketball, soccer or football.
The game in a couple of weeks was the most anticipated game of the year. It didn't matter who won the state championships, all that mattered was who won between our two teams.
"So Lisha," I started but didn't get to finish it as she cuts me off, her eyes glued to the entrance.
"Is that who I think it is?" Lisha's gaped mouth and widened eyes kept me from finishing up my turkey sandwich.
Whispers and excited murmurs soon echoed in the cafeteria.
I didn't need to turn around to know what she or the rest of the student body was getting excited over.
I remembered what they'd told me during freshman year. I remembered the stories about the fourth kid that had moved away. I remembered the whole F4 example she'd told me of.
I finished up my sandwich, trying not to look the least bothered by the sudden excitement in the cafeteria. After all, you see one guy, you've seen them all. Or in this case, you've seen one self-obsessed knucklehead, you've seen them all.
I know I was rushing into classifying Zac as someone just like Ian, but can you blame me? Isn't it an universally accepted fact that hot guys have hot friends, and so why can't I assume that jerks hang out with other jerks, therein where Zac came in.
"Zac? Is it Zac Bonfils?" Gianna wondered as she too imitated Lisha's gaped mouth expression.
"That's who I thought it was too," Lisha gasped out in shock. "It does look like him."
"If he's hanging out with Ian and them, then it seems Zac's decided to come back to our little, old town. You can't forget that face."
"So," I decided to intervene in their ogling fest. "If you're done drooling, girls." They both threw me a dirty look even though they soon turned their attention away from the commotion. "I was thinking that since Coach is not going to be here for another month or two, we should work on the routine for the pep rally and maybe..." I sighed in frustration as soon as I saw Lisha's eyes dart back to the commotion happening behind me, where I guessed Ian and his crew had now located themselves. "Lisha..."
She held up a hand, slanting her head at a thirty degree angle before she arched a brow as if something amused her.
"Lisha..." I tried again, hoping we could discuss our routine for the pep rally before classes began again.
She held up a hand to cut me off. "When did you and... Zac meet?"
"What?" I asked, totally caught off guard by her question.
"When did you and Zac meet?" she repeated, now drawing Gianna's focus back to the group of boys sitting at the table behind me.
"Zac?"
"Uh-huh," she nodded, before focusing her eyes back on mine. "Zac, the new guy, slash number two of the F4... This ringing any bells for you?"
"Oh," I muttered before taking a drink from my bottle, knowing that I might as well tell them about him being my lab partner. "Bio," I added, trying my best to look like I didn't mind.
"You really do know how to make first impressions, girl," Lisha smiled before she grabbed the last grape on her tray and chewed on it.
"What do you even mean?"
"He's staring at you," Gianna filled in.
"No, he's not," I argued despite not knowing myself whether he was or wasn't.
"He is. See for yourself."
"No, I'm not going to turn around and look for myse-" Just before I could finish my sentence, Lisha grabbed my face and forcefully turned it around so I could look behind me.
True to their assumptions, Zac was staring at me.
His waves of dark hair looked almost gold as the light from the ceiling shone down on him and his eyes held amusement. It wasn't the cocky one that Ian wore more times than not, it was simply amused.
I could feel myself flush red at being caught staring at him, despite it not being my fault at all.
Just before I turned back around to glare at my friends, I caught Ian staring at me too. His expression indecipherable.
Immediately, I turned back around.
"Seriously?" I snapped with just a hint of deadly sarcasm laced into my tone.
"What?" Lisha asked innocently as she pouted her lips together as if my tone was uncalled for.
"Forget it," I grunted out as I grabbed my bags. "See you at practice." I got up, knowing that by then I would already be calm and ready to continue where we left off, which was to discuss our pep rally routine.
"Warm up time girls," I called out to the squad once everyone had come out onto the field dressed up their training outfits. It was already practice time and thankfully I had long since calmed down.
Everyone was still talking about Zac.
I had expected the excitement from his return would have died down by now, but it hadn't.
The fact that no one had started warming up was a testament to that. Instead their attention was on the football team that was slowly gathering on the north of the field.
"Did you see the way he looked at me during History?" Alysha Daniels exclaimed to Janisa as she jumped up and down with glee. There were shrieks of agreement and 'you're so lucky's'.
"He asked me for a pen during first period," Janisa added right before Alysha and her did their rendition of a High School Musical poster.
I checked my watch and noted that practice should have started five minutes ago, and it didn't help that Gianna had texted me ten minutes before that she wasn't feeling too well, nor that Lisha had to run to home to babysit her kid brother.
I was left on my own today and I didn't particularly like it. In fact, I liked it so much that I was slowly losing my temper over the fact that Zac had taken over our practice time.
"Girls!" I called out.
No one paid me any attention.
I grabbed the blow-horn on the bleachers and turned it on. "Girls!" I called out, amplifying my voice loud enough that I soon gathered the attention of Grey and the soccer team and the football team save for Ian or the coach.
"Great. Now since I have your...attention," I began, turning the blow-horn off before setting it back to its place. "How about we actually start the practice and do some warm-ups, okay?"
Only half of the team nodded affirmatively.
"Okay?" I raised my voice louder.
They all nodded in agreement.
"Good. Now do some stretches before you take two laps around the field. Mild then sprint."
As soon as everyone had finished stretching, they started a mild jog around the field.
I grabbed my water bottle from my bag before I checked that my shoe laces were tied properly and followed after them.
After ten minutes and one round, just before I sprinted a lap around the field, I spotted Jessica and a couple of girls lagging behind.
"Still on your first lap, girls?" I called out to them.
They pulled their eyes away from where it had been before they shook their heads and starting to sprint.
Once I finished my second lap, I noticed that the girls had started stretching again.
"I have to admit girls," I exclaimed as I smiled, "I'm bloody impressed."
Maybe they were starting to understand me. Maybe they w-- "What the..." I cut my thoughts short when I finally realized what had caused the sudden burst of enthusiasm in my squad.
Not far away, across the field Ian and Zac had appeared, chatting with Coach Hurst.
Figures he would join the team. Football players hang out with other football players.
"Come on girls, just ignore them," I said, "They're not worth it."
"But, they're like hot," Chloe said.
"Yeah. But..."
"And not to mention, as sexy as Johnny Depp," Janisa added as everyone broke off into little fits if giggles.
"Not helping Janisa," I snapped in her direction.
"Oh, come on Sky, don't be a spoil sport," Jennifer, a good friend, said as she came over and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, "Just look at how bloody gorgeous they are." She turned my face towards the guys with a finger.
I stared at the guys, now both immersed in conversing with Coach Hurst.
Deep within me, I had to admit that Zac was quite cute, maybe even hot.
Still dressed in his black shirt, he looked dashing. I admit that black really looked great on him. It made him looked dark and mysterious, and besides it definitely worked well with his skin tone.
Sensing my gaze on him, he turned his head in my direction and suddenly grey orbs of amusement and curiosity pierced into mine.
I stared him down, waiting for him to look away. But he just smiled at me then winked. His dimples were so adorable that the entire squad sighed.
Newsflash...There was another heart-breaker walking the halls of Iyllar High other than Ian.
Zac.
And I just didn't know what to do with this one.