Chapter Eleven
Kota
She's avoiding looking in our direction. Her shoulders are hunched up and tense, and from here I can see her jaw clenching, fighting the urge. My eyes flick back over to the girl who just dropped herself into North's lap. She's no longer there now, in fact North shoved her off him and onto the grass before her weight could even settle on him.
As the girl glares at North, wiping loose grass from her extremely short skirt, North's eyes move across the yard, settling them on Sang for a brief moment before looking to me, silently pleading.
"What the hell, North?" The girl cries.
"Go the fuck away, Jade. I've told you I'm not interested." North mutters, his eyes moving back to Sang. I look around the group to find them all watching her so I push myself to my feet, wiping my hands on the back on my jeans. I don't say anything as I move around the circle and start heading in her direction.
Pushing up my glasses, I observe her; her long blonde hair is hanging down her back and on either side of her face, her glasses sitting perfectly on her nose. Her clothes are too big for her small frame and I know Gabe has already said he wants to take her shopping and style her hair.
I breathe in a deep breath before sitting down next to her, raising my knees and loosely letting my arms hang around them. I see her shoulders bunch up more, tensing and I know she's registered my presence. Her head slowly turns in my direction and when her brilliant green eyes meet mine, I push my glasses up my nose and offer her a smile. "Hi, I'm Kota." Her eyes narrow, flicking over my shoulder before coming back to meet mine. "Sang, right?"
She jerks her head in a nod. Off course, I'm not expecting her to reply. I would love to know what her voice sounds like though; probably small and delicate like how she looks, sweet and gentle. She turns her head and focuses back on her camera. My lips purse and I wonder for a moment what to say. I'm not really one to talk to girls often and when I do, it's always in a professional manner.
I look back over at my group of friends and they're watching me expectantly. Jade, the girl, she's gone now. That gives me something to go on at least. "That girl, she means nothing to North." I say, turning back to look at her.
Her wide eyes find mine once again.
I keep talking. "It's our first day here; that girl has been chasing North since he stepped foot onto the premises. She thinks because he's going to be on the football team and she's a cheerleader, they need to date, but North isn't interested." I'm not sure what I'm saying, I'm just letting the words spill from my mouth and hope they make sense.
A couple of years ago, we met a team where there was one bird and five dogs –The Anderson Team- and it's something we thought about for a few months, only bringing it up on occasions, asking random questions about it. Then one day, about six months ago, we came to the agreement that what the Anderson team has is something that we could possibly be interested in when it comes to a relationship. Of course, we'll be older and wiser, not that we aren't already; for our age, we're really mature – My Mom is always telling us to be kids now and again, and we do, sometimes.
Anyway, that's what we agreed and I wonder for a moment if maybe Sang could be the one.
Would she agree to such a relationship? Would she be even interested in it, or us for that matter? I push the thoughts away. It's not something to think about now and besides, we all need to agree on that one bird – her I secretly hope. But it can't be just all of us interested in her, she has to be interested in us. Mr Blackbourne asked for us to become her friend because she doesn't speak and the last thing we want is to worry about any type of bullying, especially on a small girl like herself, but could it be more then that?
I shake my head and focus back on Sang. Her eyes are watching me carefully and I wonder how long I was lost in my own head for. "Would you like to come and sit with us?" I offer, that being the only thing that comes to mind.
Her eyes flick back over my shoulder and stay there for thirteen seconds; I know because I counted them, but when they come back to me, I know I'm going to have my offer rejected. The look in her eyes say it all. Slowly, she shakes her head and my shoulders sag. I nod and look to my sneakers. "Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find us. I make a half decent friend, we all do, if you can give us chance."
Her eyes drop to her camera but otherwise she doesn't react. I stand up, not wanting to leave but not wanting to push her either. With one long last look at her, I turn and walk away. No one pays any attention to me as I move by them, continuing to eat their lunches and speak with their friends. I don't know why I do it, but something in the back of my head tells me to look back at her, so I do, only to find her looking in my direction. I offer her a smile and my heart does this crazy flip in my chest when she sends me one back.
Reaching the others, I sit back in my empty space. "What did you say?" Nate asks, watching as Sang puts away her camera and pulls out her phone, her thumbs moving over the screen.
"I offered for her to come and sit with us. She refused, obviously." I say. I actually sound hurt by the rejection and I think some part of me is. I push it away and focus on my brothers. "Has anyone given her any problems?"
"No, not yet." Luke answers.
"But I don't think it'll be long." North says, turning back to look at me from looking at where Sang disappeared to through the cafeteria doors. "People are noticing her with that camera."
"Yeah, what the fuck is with that anyway?" Gabriel exclaims. "She's always taking photos."
No one says anything but I'm sure we all have our theories. I don't think it's because she's undercover or anything. I roll my eyes at my own thoughts. What a stupid one that was. I think it's more to do with people watching; something tells me she hasn't had much interaction with people in her life and I think she just likes observing; touches, smiles, laughter; all the different emotions people feel.
I wonder if she notices her own sad eyes? The way she hides behind her hair and the glasses Gabriel is sure are fake. They suit her either way. She wants to be invisible, that's what I believe anyway.
We sit in silence for the rest of the lunch hour, doing our own watching. After all, we are here for a reason and that reason is to find ways to improve the school and find out where all the council donations are going as money is disappearing from accounts, the money that should be spent on the school to improve it in many ways. An extension would be good, more classrooms that are not in trailers. New text books; I don't think I've seen so many scruffy and vandalised books in my life and for me, someone who loves books, it's horrifying to see.
When the bell rings, we get up and go to our next class. As I move through the halls, my eyes land on Sang. She's leaning against the wall, her eyes moving over the crowd in complete wonder and curiosity. I wonder what her story is. When her eyes meet mine through the crowd, I hold them and she doesn't look away. Something passes between us, what it was, I'm not sure, but it causes my heart to do weird flips in my chest and bees to swarm in my stomach. The connection is broken when I round the corner.
***
Sang
I make my way to biology, my thoughts stuck on the boys as I weave through the crowd. It was so hard refusing to go with Kota at lunch to sit with him and his friends. Why it felt so hard, I don't really know. All I know is that the more I learn about them, the more I want to actually spend time with them and I can't allow myself to do that.
Everyone leaves, one way or another, eventually anyway.
I don't want to be hurt. Avoidance is the best punishment for me; avoiding them, Mr Blackbourne, and I'll even avoid Dr Green if I have too, knowing that he's also apart of their group. I know he's my advisor for the year, but I can make do if I have to. Maybe I could write a note to my father, asking him to speak with the principal and see if I could communicate with the teachers directly through email. But then if I do that, my father is going to know that something is wrong and I don't want him playing 'Dad' now when he's neglected me for so long.
I walk into my biology class, feeling a presence follow me straight in. I move down the back wall and take a seat in the middle row right in the corner. A chair causes that horrible squeaky noise the same time mine does and I look up, straight into the dark eyes of the boy from this morning. The giant teddy bear. I don't even know his name.
He grins at me, flashing those pearly white teeth. "I see we meet again." My head tilts to the side. He followed me in here because it's his class otherwise he wouldn't be in this room, he was also the one that followed me to these seats. And, is he flirting with me? I feel my cheeks heat at the though and I quickly duck my head but by his chuckle, I guess I didn't duck it quick enough.
I sit down in my seat and face the front, removing my notepad and pen. When I feel warmth a my neck, I slightly turn my head, trying not to jerk away when I realise how close he is to my face. "The name's Silas, by the way." He holds my eyes for a moment and in those few seconds my body reacts in every way I didn't think was possible for someone like me; my breaths start coming quicker and my mouth feels dry, a new emotion, something I'm not familiar with settles low in my belly and when I see his eyes darken just a fraction, I jerk my head in a nod and turn away.
What was that? My mind filters through all the emotions in my head, some different images I've taken throughout the years and when desire and lust come quickly to the top of my list, I bite my tongue hard. Attraction, that's all it is. It's normal for two teenagers to feel some sort of attraction right? I want to slam my head on the table to knock whatever just happened out my memory and then continue to knock some sense into me.
Half way through the lesson, I shift my feet when I start to feel my muscles seizing up from just sitting still for so long. My feet knock against something and I look down, thinking it's my bag but when I see a large pair of feet under my seat, I turn in my chair and look at Silas who slowly brings his legs back to under his own table, his kneecaps hitting against the wood of his desk. I quickly turn in my seat, pick up my pen and scribble on some paper.
Keep your feet under my chair. It's okay. You just startled me, that's all.
I don't sign it, I just rip the paper from my notebook and put it on his desk, sliding it towards him. He reads it, his lips tugging up into a smile as his eyes come up and meet mine. Slowly, he moves his feet back to under my chair and I turn back around, facing the front. I keep my feet away from his, but not even ten minutes later, my feet have shifted and rest against his with his between mine.
When the bell rings, I pack away my things and hike my bag up onto my shoulder. I flee from the classroom, not acknowledging Silas as I leave. I have Japanese next with Dr Green so I head for the classroom, just as my phone vibrates in my pocket. Removing the device, I see a text from my father.
Father: I'm sorry about this morning, Sang. I'll be out of town for the rest of the week. I've left cash in the kitchen drawer for any groceries.
Disappointment hits me hard but I push it away and slip my phone back into my pocket. I'm not surprised he's now going out of town, well, that's what he says. I've known him to still be in town but stay at a hotel. It's just the way it is between us now.
Reaching my Japanese class, I find Dr Green at the door greeting students as they enter his class. Beside him is a boy, the last and final boy I haven't met yet in the group. His eyes, they have fascinated me since I first caught them on camera; fire eyes. Amazing. His hair is wavy, not really styled but not really mused either, a perfect wave. A medallion is around his neck and he's dressed in a dress shirt –sleeves rolled up- and black slacks.
Dr Green notices me first. "Ah, Miss Sang, I want to introduce you to the person I have paired you up with the this year. Sang, this is Victor."