Chapter 2
I watched Echo walk off the field with Jimmy and Ryder flanking her. She didn't seem the least bit affected by me when she picked up her shoe again. Weird, I thought, trying very hard not to let my ego be bruised by her aloof attitude.
She was laughing at something the twins had said, her long brown hair tumbling down her back effortlessly. Shaking my head I turned and grabbed my stuff before going to change. If she was friends with the twins then I'd be seeing more of her.
Don't flatter yourself
I scoffed silently at her words while I changed. I nodded my head at something Ezra was telling me while not really paying attention.
"So do you think you can come?" he asked me, looking hopeful.
I creased my eyebrows as I looked at him, trying my best to recall what the hell he was talking about.
"Yeah sure. I mean I think can" I said grinning and patting his shoulder before sidestepping him and leaving the changing room. When I took the flights of steps up to the main building of the school again I saw Echo sitting leant against a wall with her eyes closed, her face turned up to the sun.
I took a moment to appreciate her pretty features, the sun annunciating her high cheek bones and shining brown hair. When I heard the other guys emerge from the changing rooms I hurried over to her.
"Hey shoe tosser. You're gonna be late to your next class if you sunbath the whole day" I said resting my shoulder against the wall beside her.
She shielded her eyes against the sun, peering up at me with steely grey eyes.
"It was an honest accident. I swear" she said, dusting off her pants as she stood, "and I wasn't planning on staying here the whole day. Teddy said she would come get me to show me to my next class" she said, tilting her head back slightly to look at me despite her considerable height.
"What's your next class?" I asked her, snatching the schedule out of her hands.
"Biology I think" she said, readjusting her bag.
"I'm heading there too. Teddy will figure that one of us took you" I stated, handing back the schedule and leading the way down the hallway.
"One of you guys?" she asked, coming up beside me.
"Yeah one of us in our group. We're six all together." I said, pushing my hair out of my eyes.
The hallways were crowded, filled with shouting teenagers rushing from one class to another. I glance down at Echo as she moved easily with grace, her eyes flickering between the different people, taking in the scene.
"How long have you been here?" I asked her for the sake of making small talk.
"We arrived three days ago. Just moved here" she stated simply, moving closer to me for a second to avoid running into someone. I grinned slightly as she involuntary pressed up against me.
Hey what can I say? I'm a guy, she's a pretty girl.
"Do you play any sports, beside throwing your shoe at people?"
"Are you going to let that go?" Echo asked exasperatedly looking up at me.
"Nope" I laughed, holding open the door to the classroom.
"Yeah I do play a normal sport. I play basketball" she said, her eyes roaming across the classroom in search of a seat.
I rested my hand on the small of her back and steered her to the back where my seat was.
She tensed slightly at my touch before relaxing and moving.
So I do affect her I thought contently.
"How long have you been playing for?" I asked her dropping into my seat and pulling out the chair beside me.
"Eight years" she replied easily. She didn't brag about it or even look at me, unpacking her utensils instead.
My eyebrows shot up at her response, "Are you going to play here?"
She hummed in agreement. "Do you play?" She asked after some time, finally looking at me again.
Her eyes held an unfamiliar depth, the grey in them growing darker as she peered at my face.
"Yeah I do. I'm captain of the boys basketball team"
She bobbed her head looking impressed as she leaning back in her chair.
When the bio teacher stumbled into the classroom with his glasses askew she straightened and focused on the nervous man.
He stammered his way through the usual new year's introduction to the class, stressing the importance of knowing complex concept seeing as he thought all of us would end up becoming biology professors.
I sighed as I slumped further in my seat. I hate biology.
"As you all know you had summer homework. And because I've been teaching at this school for ten years I know that none of you did it, so to save your from having to embarrass yourself coming up with excuses, I'm assigning it as a partner project. Pairs!"
I chuckled at him, loving the fact that he already knew no one did the work. He began calling out names from a list, pairing people up.
"Archer pair up with Melody"
"Natalie pair up with our new students Echo Lee please"
I groaned, immediately feeling bad for Echo.
"What's wrong?" she asked me, leaning closer.
"You're paired up with Natalie." I said, resting my chin on my forearm.
"And that's a bad thing" Echo stated more than asked.
I nodded my head.
When Mr. Braxton was done calling out the names Natalie's fingers snapped up in the air.
Braxton sighed audibly, "Yes Natalie?"
"Mr Braxton. Could I please partner up with Mel instead?" she asked in her obnoxious high pitched voice, twirling her hair around her finger.
Braxton rubbed his eyes. "Yes of course. Melody will you please pair up with Natalie's partner. And Archer will you please pair up with Echo?"
I hid my grin as I nodded my head at my teacher.
Echo sighed and leant back in her chair, "I don't even know the girl" she said looking Natalie.
"Trust me, you don't want to. She thinks she rules everything here because her parents are stinky rich and basically control the school. She embodies the term 'queen bee'" I said, looking at Echo.
She wrinkled her nose, before straightening and pulling her hair up into a ponytail. I took my time appreciating her face while she tied away her brown curls.
"So what's this project thingy? Is it difficult?" She asked, plucking a pen out of her pencil case and twirling it between her fingers.
"Not really. It's the basics of genetics, just stuff from the chapter in our textbook. Shouldn't take too long" I said pulling out my stuff.
Twenty minutes into class, with Echo leaning over her papers and focusing with a tiny frown on her face, the pointy edge of a paper airplane smacked me in the temple. Picking up the paper plane from the ground I looked up trying to find the person who had tossed it.
Michael. Of course. Who else.
Unfolding the paper I read his messy handwriting.
You gonna tap that?
I shot him a flat look across the classroom.
'I don't even know her' I mouthed to him.
Second later a second plane came flying towards me. I caught it and read the message.
Can I have her then? She hella fine
I crumpled the paper in my hands and shook my head no at him.
He shot me a confused look but I only shrugged.
"So is that still a thing for you guys here? Sending paper airplanes with 'secret' messages?" Echo asked biting the cap of her pen with a grin on her face.
I felt the heat in my face as I met her gaze. "Michaels' a moron. Only he send them" I said trying to safe some face.
She raised her eyebrows and nodded her head, amusement dancing in her clear eyes.
"I don't know if we can finish this by the end of class" she said, frowning at the paper.
I looked over our work and noted that we really did have a lot left to do.
"We could meet up after school if you want." I suggested shrugging my shoulders.
She pulled out her phone and handed it to me, nudging her chin.
"All you have to do is ask for my number" I said winking at her.
She laughed, shaking her head at me.
It was surprising how easy she was to get along with. Her carefree open attitude allowed me to feel comfortable with her, despite her still being a relative stranger.
*
Teddy stood outside in the hallway looking slightly distressed as she leant against her locker. Ryder was beside her, talking about something while her eyes kept flickering up and down the hall. When she finally saw the two of us making our way towards them she came rushing forward.
"Echo! I'm so sorry! I got held up after first period and I couldn't find you when I got there" she blubbered, grabbing the new girl by her shoulders.
"Hey its okay. Archer and I had the same class afterwards so he took me there. It's all good" Echo reassured Teddy, patting her hand.
"Oh geez. I felt terrible. I'm sorry" she apologised again.
Echo laughed it off and side hugged Teddy.
"So you met Archer huh" Teddy said, sending me a cheeky look.
"Yup. We had an unlucky accident during P.E." Echo said, meeting my gaze at the word accident.
I chuckled at her, taking her schedule from her hands once more. We had fourth period together again.
"I have English with you now" Teddy said, after snatching away Echo's schedule from me.
"That's good, somebody I know" Echo said smiling.
Teddy didn't give me a chance to say anything else to Echo as she grabbed her arm and dragged her away from me.
Ryder who stayed back, socked me in the shoulder.
"So? What do you think?" he asked looking at me with his arms crossed over his chest.
I ruffled my hair, rolling my eyes, "Yeah she's hot" I admitted.
He laughed, pushing me forward towards art. "Did you get to know her better?" he continued probing.
I shook my head no, "we didn't really talk about that. Found out she plays basketball though."
"Yeah yeah I know, Teddy told me. She can hardly hold her horses. Says she's got a good feeling about her"
I looked over at him and met his blue eyes, "Yeah?"
He hummed in agreement.
We moved easily down the corridor our height instantly prompting people to move out of the way. At the end of the hallway Natalie stood, smacking together her cherry red lips.
Ryder clapped me on the shoulder before slipping past her into the art room.
"Hey baby" she purred, walking up to me.
"What do you want?" I asked her, crossing my arms.
Looks had deceived me in the beginning and I'd had a short fling with her, but soon her ugly personality came through and I was revolted by what she became.
"What do you say we meet up after school?" she asked, trailing her red fingernail down my chest.
I wrinkled my nose at her, "No can do. Not that its any of your business but I have work to get done."
"But baby..." she trailed off, her eyes fixing on someone behind me, a cruel smile slipping onto her lips.
I turned my head to look behind me and saw Echo and Teddy standing in the hallway. Echo's grey eyes were fixed on me as she gauged Natalie's hand on my chest.
Shrugging her hand off of me I turned to start towards them, but Echo cocked her to the side assessing the situation. Before I could get any closer to them Teddy pulled her away again, whispering something to her.
I sighed, turning back to face Natalie. "Look Natalie, I don't know what the hell I was thinking last year, but whatever we had is over. So stop being so desperate and leave me alone. Please"
I gently moved her to the side and followed my best friend into the classroom, blowing out an annoyed breath.
For some reason the fact that Echo saw me with Natalie annoyed me.