"What? Francis did what?"- Dylan could feel his blood boil. The bastard had laid a hand in his sister.
"He almost hit her, that's what the rumor said! Apparently Jay's clique saved her. They even accompanied her to class."-Kyle explained.
Dylan couldn't believe this. "He's going to pay for this!"- he growled. "I will rip him apart."
"Relax, bra. She's okay!"- Kyle tried to calm him down. "But we will pay Francis a visit."
Dylan still couldn't believe that Jessica's "heroes" were Jay's friends! This wasn't helping his cause. Now Jay would seem more like the prince Jessica believed him to be. He couldn't have this. He looked for his mouth guard in his bag but couldn't find it.
"Arg!!! Shit, I left my mouth guard in the showers."- he told Kyle in frustration.
"Well that's disgusting!"- he said as he frowned. "Look I have to go. I have to pick up Vicki at her club thing..."
"Okay well, I will see you tomorrow."
"Make sure you get enough sleep captain! We wouldn't want you leading us to defeat, would we?"
Dylan made a careless gesture," We've got tomorrow's match in the bag."
Kyle laughed. Kyle had been Dylan's friend from the first day of primary school. Their grade one teacher had thought they were twins. The had similarities, Dylan had to admit but they didn't look the same. He noticed someone of the courts next to the showers, a girl. She was busy packing her sports bag. She looked fit but her body wasn't what he was used to. She had curves and they were luscious, inviting...
Happy
Oh, it just had to be her. He almost groaned out loud. He'd been thinking about her in his dreams... And the thought of it embarrassed him. He really had to get over this thing, whatever it was! He walked closer without even realizing it. She was beautiful not his type but still beautiful. She leaned into her back and it gave him a great view of her behind. He clenched his fists and his blood started heading south...
Even the little moments she made as she struggled to get her netball ball in her bag made him think of other things. She let out a heavy sigh after achieving her goal.
"Long day?"- he asked. She gasped at his voice. He'd startled her.
"Oh... It's you!"- she held her hand to her heart in relief.
"Disappointed?"- he enquired.
"Not really, I don't really pay attention to you"- she said flatly.
He suddenly had the urge to test this little theory of hers. Did she really not think about him? Because he thought about her, he thought about her a lot!
She picked up her her sports bag and was ready to leave but he blocked her way. They were standing inches apart. And he could hear her breathes coming slowly. So she wasn't as immune to him as she wanted to be. She looked up at him and the look in her eyes was of defiance. If she was attracted to him she would fight it, he concluded. He could try to fight it as well but it seemed futile. His body reacted to her and the only way to get ride of the ache is to satisfy it.
"I'm sorry, you are blocking my way."- she looked up at him. She had to tilt her head backwards in order to look him in the eye and happy wasn't a short girl which meant he was really tall.
"So, you really don't pay attention to me uh?"- he asked his voice suddenly deep and husky.
"I told you I don't."- her voice was barely a whisper. She didn't mean to sound so... so... affected by him.
"I think you are lying."- he drawled. "I could feel your eyes on me in the mall when we bumped into each other. You were staring at me. Eating me up with those pools of hazel heat."
"No"- she breathed. "That's not true."- she couldn't even recognize her voice.
She still wasn't looking at him his face would break her. Her gaze was on his chest and that didn't help either but it was better than looking him in the eye. She was afraid he'd be able to see the truth...
He trailed his fingers down her arm leaving heat in their wake. She shivered involuntarily. She could feel his smile.
"Okay then, look at me."- he commanded. She wouldn't, couldn't. "Happy, prove to me that I don't affect in anyway, just look at me."
Silence
"You can't can you?"- he taunted. He tipped her head back, forcing her to look at him. Instinct told her to close eyes but she would give him the satisfaction. Their eyes meet.
"I want you."
His eyes proved it. They were dark. He'd never seen what a male looked like when aroused but she could tick that off her list because the look Dylan gave her made her week at the knees.
"I have dreamt about you, kissing you here..."- he kissed her lips softly. And she let her head fall back, a sign of submission. "Here" he kissed the pulse at the base of her neck and she gasped. He brought her head forward and kissed her. Oh so slowly... His hand snaked around her waist. Her hands on his chest. His heart was pulsing just as hard as hers. It felt good, she had to admit. His hands moved further down her waist, caressing her thighs. She moaned and moved into him. Her hands left his chest and went around his neck. It made her stand on her toes. His hands were everywhere but she needed more.
"Please..."- it was a plea. She didn't know what she wanted, what she was pleading for but he knew...
He moved away from her, a conflicted look on his face or was it a regretful one? She took two steps back she wasn't sure her feet would carry her, the after effects of the kiss. She needed space but her shame wouldn't leave her.
"Are you happy?"- she asked, her eyes never leaving the ground.
"No, I didn't mean to... I just wanted to..."
"Prove a point?"- she added for him. "Prove how easy I am"- she let out a bitter laugh "or how irresponsible you are."
"We got carried away. I don't know what came over me!"- he ran a hand through his hair.
"What you didn't think you could be attracted to a black girl?"- she asked.
"Damn it!!!!!! This isn't about the color of your skin. Why is everything about race to you?"
She had an exaggerated look of shock on her face, "you can't be serious! You are the one that caused the segregation of our school! You wanna talk to me about race???"- she took a step forward, her confidence was back and her shame a thing of the past. "What were you gonna do to me had you found me the woods, Dylan?"- her voice was cold and purposeful.
"Nothing! We just wanted to... To..."- the truth was he didn't know and happy took advantage of that.
"To what? Should I fill in the blank space for you, Dylan?"- she taunted. "Was it gonna be murder, rape? Oh I know..."
"Enough!!!!"- he growled, his voice harsh!
She stilled! His voice scared her a bit. She'd been angry no not angry livid!
He closed the distance between them. "You know what your problem is? You hate the fact that you attracted to me. You hate that you responded to me like..."
"A whore?"- tears where threatening to fall.
"I wasn't going to say that!"
They stood there. The silence stretching out and torturing the both of them.
"I'm not a bad guy, Happy!"- he finally said.
She let out a humorless laugh, "you could have fooled me! Trying to destroy your sister's relationship, beating a guy till he was unconscious and chasing a girl into the woods!"
"I was trying to protect her!"- his voice was higher and harsher than expected. "He will break her heart! I know he will."
"What about your other transgressions? Don't you have an excuse for those? Or are they just minor ones cause no one you cared about was involved?"- she asked.
He'd acted like an ass, he knew that but she made him sound like something out of a demonic movie. "I was protecting my own..."
"Your own...? White people?"- she wanted to be frank.
Silence. She took it as a yes.
"You are such a hypocrite! Don't ever talk to me about race."
She took her sports bag and headed for the gate of the netball courts.
"What about you Miss Perfect?"
She stopped.
"You are gonna go home and wash my scent off your skin? You stand there and judge me when you can't even admit your attraction to me even after you let me touch you the way I did. You won't even admit that you liked it. And then you wanna defend your best friend who, by the way, is also responsible for the segregation in our school! Yes, I'm not a saint but don't stand there and act as if Jay is. We are both responsible for what's going on in this school!"- he was determined to make his point. And maybe he did.
"Stay away from me!"- she whispered and walked away.
He wanted to, he wanted to stay away from her and he'd try. But a part of him knew he couldn't not after what just happened.
*Rugby Match*
"Hey, what are you doing here?"- Jay asked Happy. She was sitting in the grandstands that were reserved for the executive committee. She sat with their PRO.
"I could ask you the same thing."- Happy smiled. She hadn't seen Jay at a rugby match before and she never thought she would. She knew how Jay felt about going to a Rugby match, "it's like stepping onto the enemy's territory"- he'd said. She'd thought he was insane and a bit hyperbolic. But he had stuck to his word, he'd never attended a Rugby match until now and Happy was curious about what made him change his mind.
"I know you wouldn't come here willingly so the question is, who forced you to come here?"- she asked.
He smiled to himself as he looked at something, "she did!"
Jessica. She was coming toward them, snacks in hand.
Happy smiled. She'd never seen him like this. He looked smitten with this white girl.
"It was more persuasive than forceful..."- he gave her lazy smile.
She laughed!
"Hello Keitumetse"- Jessica greeted her as she took a seat next to Jay.
Happy almost laughed in surprise, "did she just..."
"Yeah she did"- Jay answered before happy finished her question. "She kept on nagging me to help her pronounce all our names!"
Happy raised her eyebrows involuntarily, "all of us? Le ma bitso a bakgotsi ba hao ( even, the names of your friends) ?"
Jay nodded.
"I wanted to get to know everyone and for me to do that, the process included referring to them by their indigenous names."- Jessica explained. "Everyone agrees it was good idea, Even Thato is starting to come around!"- she smiled. "Mazimba (chips)?"- she offered. Now happy couldn't help herself, she laughed.
"See what I have to deal with?"- Jay asked. "A white woman who's obsessed with a language she'll probably never really understand."- he was teasing Jessica.
"Whatever, Jabulani"- Jessica said as she took a might of her Tex. "who's winning?"- Jessica asked.
Jay laughed, "well I hope it's..."- he was about to finish his sentence when Jessica glared at him. "...Dylan's team!"- he whispered. Happy almost laughed, this wasn't... No, couldn't be her best friend.
"Well lucky for you we are leading with 20 points!"- she couldn't help but enjoy this.
"Heyyyyyyyyyy"- he fake cheered.
Jessica focused on the game now. And Happy did the same. Her focus on Dylan. Her mind lingering on yesterday's event. His lips, his touch, his scent his skin his body... HIM! Closing her eyes made it feel real. Her body reacted to the memory.
"Yesssssssssssssss"the sound came from everywhere. That's when she realized she was closing her eyes. Her eye lids fluttered open. Jessica was on her feet screaming and Jay... Well, Jay was just being Jay.
"What happened?"- Happy asked.
"They won, isn't it great??"- Jay answered, sarcasm dripping from the question.
"Yeah it is!"- her eyes weren't focused on Jay though. They wandering around the field. And then she saw him. He was cheering with the crowed. His team mates thanking him, their captain. Girls wanted a piece of him, one in particular was touching him and he didn't seem to mind and then she felt it, the sting in her heart and the anger rolled through her. He smiled at her, let her touch him! How dare she touch what was hers! Then the whole world stopped, she'd thought he belong to her... What had gotten into her? He gave herself a mental shake. Dylan was nothing to her. In fact he was just some jerk who irritated her. He was an ass... She couldn't finish that thought because now his eyes met hers. He was on the field but she felt the strong connection from where she sat. The skank he was with noticed that his attention wasn't on her anymore, his gaze was laying on someone else. She turned, looking for what took his attention from her. She didn't wait for the other girl's gaze to find her. Happy stood up suddenly feeling unstable.
"Happy, o ya kae(where are you going?"- Jay asked, concern written all over his face.
"I... Er... Bathroom!"- she didn't wait for him to reply, she started making her way off the grandstands. She could still feel his eyes on her but she didn't have the guts to look at him. She started walking to the bathrooms thankful to see not many people were on that side of the school. She didn't stop walking until she was certain she was alone. Her legs were still wobbly and she couldn't trust them to keep her up let alone walk any further. She was hurt! But she didn't understand why. It shouldn't matter who Dylan was with, who he let touch his biceps! She let out a heavy sigh, but it did matter. She leaned against the wall, her forehead against the wall, the world to her back. She had a feeling someone was looking at her. She turned and found him there, behind her. Dylan with his rugby attire on looking like something that came out of a movie.
"Who is she?"- she asked, the words sounding harsh.
He raised a mocking eyebrow, "jealous?"- he asked.
"Curious."- she corrected. "She must miss you."
"But I don't miss her. I mean I came after you didn't I?"
"Why did you vele?"- Happy asked. Despite what he was, a jerk, she was glad he followed her.
"You... Intrigue me. I find you attractive and... And... I don't know!"- he told her honestly.
"You don't know??"
"Yes and that's the intriguing part. I don't know why I'm drawn to you."
She thought about saying something about the color of her skin but she decided against it. The race agreements had worn out.
"Aren't you gonna say anything?"- he asked.
She looked at him. For a long moment and said, "I am jealous!"- there was no room for lies and denial. "But I think it will pass. This infatuation I have with getting your attention will pass. You are an attractive guy and you are probably used to this... You..."
"Shhh..."
He stepped toward her and a familiar shiver ran down her spine. He didn't stop until he was inches away from her. He smelled like a man, she smiled to herself. He was a man. He probably had the scars to prove it.
"You like me!"- it wasn't a question.
"Yes"- it was a whisper. " but you are a jerk and an ass..." - her words faded. "But I like you."
"I'm not a jerk Happy. I just didn't give you my best first impression and if you give me a chance... If you give me a chance I'd like to change your perception of me."- he tiled her head and inched his lips closer to hers. "And maybe we could enjoy being with each other."
And he kissed her. He kissed her like they weren't at school. Kissed her like no one would see them and even if they did he didn't care. He kissed her like they were the only Two people on this earth. She'd given him a chance when she first saw him and that was the truth.