Zaria's Pov (Tracey in media)
I was still reeling from Dewayne pulling me into his seat. The heat radiating off of his hand was something serious. Not to mention, when we locked eyes, he was staring at me with an intense gaze. It was the type of stare that could create shivers all the way down to my toes. Having him and everyone else looking at me felt overwhelming.
Stacey and Candace helped to lighten the pressure and I felt I would be the most comfortable if I just sat with them.
But I was already sitting in a seat by Dewayne. Even at respectful distance, I was nervous. "Why have you been avoiding me?" He asked curiously, glancing at me.
I froze. I honestly hoped he wouldn't notice, or care about me avoiding him. Why was is he even worried?
I couldn't tell him why, especially with him this close. I am doing him a favor. As I was devising a plan on how to avoid this conversation, he picked my chin up with his finger just like he did once before.
The hell? I looked up and saw his faced covered in emotion. It seemed like mixture of concern and something else I couldn't quite pinpoint.
Because I knew I would have to face this, I decided to tell him why. He waited until I finished my statement before Dev, Tre and him basically said they didn't care what people said, and gave me the choice of actually wanting to be friends. While I was relieved that they seemed genuine, I didn't want to trust them too soon, so I decided to still be cautious. I know better than anyone that people's words and actions have to match before I give them my trust.
So I decided to try not to think long term and enjoy the moments while they lasted. I actually enjoyed hanging out with them. So I wasn't against the idea of that continuing, I just didn't want to deal with everyone's eyes on me. After thinking about it I decided we could be friends and just hoped all would go well.
For the rest of the ride, we all talked until we got to school. Topics like homecoming, and the upcoming senior activities were what was discussed.
"Damn right we're going! I've been to other dances and events, but I just have a feeling everything this year gone be live because it's our last year!" Stacey beamed.
"For sure! I can't wait to go, I'm going to look good, and with all the upcoming post-graduation stress, it's going to be nice to just have fun!"Candy chimed in, with a bright smile.
"You already got this year on lock. I'm quite sure you're going to make great memories." Tre smiled at her gently.
Candy looked at him and gave him a smile, "Thanks Tre."
"No el problema hermosa." He said instantly.
Candy's skin flushed, and I could tell she was caught off guard. Shit I was too, that was smooth.
"And Z you gotta join us this year ! We gotta make this year count!" She said quickly averting attention back to me.
Stacey let and small giggle, I think she seen how desperate Candy was to recover from Tre's comment. "Definitely we doing all types of events! Especially the ones in spring.
"We'll see. Hopefully I can get time off." I said shrugging.
"All I know is Homecoming is going to be around the corner before we know it! And I'm beyond excited!" Stacey said excitedly.
The atmosphere around us was mixed. Our friendly group exchange and taken on a different vibe, especially with Candy and Stacey hitting it off with Dewayne's friends. I could tell just how interested they were. I couldn't help but shake my head. They talk about me, but now they are in a similar situation. Being around a person you find attractive affects your behavior, and from there nervous state. I knew I wasn't the only one who felt that.
It was my turn to give them a taste of their medicine.
The bus pulled into the school parking lot and stopped. Once the doors opened, I got up grabbed my backpack and duffel bag. Knowing I wouldn't be able to carry both, I slung my backpack on my back and placed the duffel back on my shoulder. When I turned around to walk and accidentally ran into a warm, hard chest. I looked up and saw Dewayne smirking down at me. His cologne hit me in a wave, once again attacking my senses. Having his tall muscular frame tower over me, made me feel nervous. I feel my cheeks heat up.
I'm always running into him.
Discretely, my eyes wandered from his face to his torso. He wore a graphic t-shirt, some jeans and some air forces. His tattoos on his arms peeked out on his exposed arms, and I felt the urge to know see the rest of his tattoos trapped under his shirt.
I need to stop. "Im sorry! I was just getting off. I'll see you later? " I said glancing at him.
I put extra effort into keeping my gaze neutral. I wanted to be nonchalant but it was hard to focus with his scent basically hypnotizing me at this point.
He raised his eyebrow too and then chuckled.
"You're fine. I was going to ask if you needed help going to class especially carrying that duffel bag. I figured with us being friends, my first official act would assist you with your walk to class. Are you okay with that?" he said eyeing the duffel bag weighing down my shoulder.
I tried to stand up straighter so my weighed down arm didn't look so obvious. I opened my mouth to protest but he cut me off.
"I won't take no for an answer. It's obvious that bag is weighing down on your shoulder. It would be rude of me not to help. Come on, we gon be late. " he said before swiftly lifting up my duffel bag and walking towards the door.
He looked back and motioned for me to follow him, flashing a quick smile. Perfection, I thought dreamily.
To catch up, I quickly followed behind him, and he actually ended up walking with me to class. Thankfully we weren't late.
He sat the bag down in the empty chair next to me. "All good?" He asked me, as I slid into my seat.
I felt a few pairs of eyes staring at us, but class wasn't yet full. Feeling uneasy, I spoke quickly. " I'm okay thank you for helping."
"No problem. And please, just ignore them. Trust me, you'll have a good day." He said flashing me a friendly smile.
I sighed and gave me a nod. I hope he's right.
He turned around walked out of my class into the hallway.
I heard whispers start up making me sink deeper into my seat.
Positive thoughts Z. Just ignore them, I try to ignore them.
Shortly after, class finally began.
*mid day*
After my morning of dealing with
The first half of my fourth period class ended signaling lunchtime. I was so hungry, it began to distract me in class. In addition, I was also trying to calm my nerves when Dewayne had sat behind me in English.
I was kinda worried about him. This morning, when he walked me to class he seemed to be in a good mood. But when I seen him later that day I noticed a change in his mood. By the time we made it to fourth period, he looked beyond pissed. While I didn't know much about him or have any right to ask, I could tell something was wrong.
And I hope he is okay.
During transition, I went back to my locker to put some textbooks away. As I came closer, I saw Tracey and Mikeyla standing right in front of my locker.
I felt my face drop. I wasn't interested in dealing with today, and I damn sure didn't want Mikeyla anywhere near me. Wack ass bitch.
Mikeyla loudly popped her gym typing away on her phone , and Tracey stood rigidly frequently looking both ways down the hallway. When I got close, both of them focused their gazes on me.
I took time to notice Tracey's outfit. It truly amazed me how this girl was able to just completely disregard dress code and get away with it.
I tried to just ignore them, attempting to slide into the space between them to unlock my locker. But I soon I got close enough, they tried to get in my face.
Here we go...
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Tbc.
I love you guys. :*