I saw Andy and Bill observing us from a distance. Bill stood up and tugged on Andy’s hand to follow.
“My friends are coming.” I warned Eryx and David. “Eighty-six the formal talk and act like teenagers…
if
you can.”
I smiled at Andy as she approached. Eryx, Andy and Bill did a double take at David’s and my hand joined together. David seemed pleased with the attention that we were receiving from all the onlookers.
“Hi,” Andy said, wrapping her arm on to Bill’s arm.
“Hi,” I said trying to slide my hand out of David’s. “Guys, this is David and his brother, Eryx; and that guy coming out of the office…” I used my free hand to point, “That’s their other brother, Galen.”
Bill and Andy turned to view Galen strutting toward us. I elbowed David while they were distracted in an attempt to dislodge my hand, but the blow didn’t seem to phase him.
“Hi,” David beat Eryx in the exchange of words with Andy and Bill.
“Hello,” Eryx followed David’s lead.
Galen stood next to Eryx with one arm folded and the other over it, holding his hand over his mouth. His eyes followed a triangular pattern as he glanced from David, to me, to our hands.
“Galen,” Eryx put his hand on Galen’s shoulder, “these are Andy and Bill. They’re friends of Isis.”
“Bill?” Galen stretched his arm. Bill took Galen’s hand and did some boyish handshake. “‘Sup, Galen?” Bill put his arm around Andy. “This is my girl, Andy.” You could almost hear the emphasis on “my girl” when Bill said it. In male code, Bill made it known that Andy was off the market. He must’ve felt threatened by Chios boys’ appearance.
“A pleasure, Andy.” Galen took the hint and didn’t even bother to raise his hand.
“Hi!” Andy said enthusiastically. “Why don’t we all go sit at our table?” she suggested, pulling on Bill’s arm.
We let Bill and Andy lead the way to the table following far enough behind that we were not within their hearing range.
“Let me go,” I spoke through my teeth.
“Why?” David asked offended. “You had no opposition yesterday. What makes today any different?”
“You have issues.” My tone was scornful.
Galen cackled behind us, “Is this part of your ploy, little brother?”
“Mind your tongue,” David snapped at Galen. David glanced at our hands and reluctantly released mine.
“Forgive me for acting this way, Isis. You have no idea just how difficult and different this is for me.” David tried to apologize.
“I don’t really care,” I said in an angry whisper.
“Isis, please…” David’s voice rose.
“Shh…” Eryx signaled David to lower his voice with his finger over his lips as we were nearing Andy and Bill.
The cheerleaders’ table gawked at the boys at once, seeing them walking with perfect poise down the table aisles. I sat next to Andy at a rectangular table. David sat between the twins on the other side of the table—horizontally form me. His face was sour.
Andy and Bill quickly queried the brothers. Eryx did most of the talking because Galen seemed too intrigued by the exchange of stares between David and me.
I knew Andy was dying to know what the deal was between David and me. She kept hitting me with her foot under the table every time she noticed David and I scowling at each other.
During the conversation, Eryx told Andy and Bill that they had been living abroad in Greece for the last two years and had been tutored privately. He said they were excited when their father announced they’d be moving to the U.S. because it had been a very long time since they had last visited or been enrolled in a public school.
“But why not live in a big city? Why Los Fresnos? The town is practically invisible, it’s so small.” Andy questioned the brothers, offering me a piece of her pre-packaged Danish. I raised my hand, declining the piece as I listened to them speak.
“We prefer the quiet and tranquility,” Galen answered. “Something there is an abundance of here.” He was being sarcastic, but Andy and Bill didn’t notice.
David’s face finally took on another appearance: ashamed and repentant. He seemed to be in deep thought for a while, staring blankly at me. He lifted himself from the seat. I knew he’d be coming over to my side. I immediately stood up and pulled Andy out of her seat.
“We’ll be right back. Ladies’ room.” I excused us from the boys.
Andy paced quickly away from the table. We were half way to the restrooms when she asked, “What is the deal with you and the new kid? You guys are together already? You just met him like two days ago!”
“We’re not together,” I corrected her assumption, opening the door to the lavatory. “He’s just a friend.”
“A friend who holds your hand and looks into your eyes the way he does?” She raised her brow and put her hands on her hips. “Yeah, right.”
“Andy, it’s nothing. Really. We just hung out a little over the weekend and that was it. Innocent, friendly socializing.” I fixed my hair in the bathroom mirror as we spoke.
“Sunday morning we had breakfast in town and then his mom invited me over for tea in the afternoon.”
“You met his parents for tea?” Andy gawked at me.
“Only his mother. His dad is out of town or something.” I shrugged casually.
“Isis, he introduced you to his mother. Girl, you are either—and don’t take this the wrong way—but you are either blind or stupid. This guy is into you. And if you don’t mind me saying it—don’t tell Bill I said this—the guy is hot. What are you waiting for?”
“He’s not really my type.” I was careful not to bite my tongue for fear of massive hemorrhaging.
“Are you wearing your contacts today? What do you mean he’s not your type? Those three boys are every girl’s type. Have you
seen
them?” Andy waved her arms around as she spoke. “Don’t tell Bill I said that either,” she warned with a raised finger and a hand on her hip.
“Let’s head back,” I sighed. “It’s almost time to get to class anyway.”
Upon leaving the ladies’ room, I spied Jean Murphy talking to Galen. Marie Shannon, the co-captain of the cheerleading squad accompanied her. Galen looked annoyed. He rustled with his hair and crossed his arms with an uninterested expression. I couldn’t blame him. Jean’s high-pitched voice was an acquired taste. Eryx and Bill were deep in conversation ignoring the cheerleaders while David looked over his shoulder at us on the edge of his seat. He was waiting for me.
“So, Greece, huh?” Jean giggled in a deafening pitch as we reached the boys. Her long, perfect legs bouncing a little as she spoke.
“Yes.” I heard Galen’s teeth grind. “May I ask you a question, Jean?”
“Anything.” Jean smiled with her bright pearly teeth, twirling her black bouncy hair. Poor Jean. She had no idea her flirting was in vain.
“I was wondering, would you please be so kind as to leave us now?” He swayed his hand in the air motioning to her table. The Chios family was very direct, I found.
Jean wrinkled her nose and turned her attention to Eryx. “Eric, what languages do you speak?”
“The name is Eryx. E, R, Y, X.” He spelled it out for her.
“I was gonna ask you about that,” Bill addressed Eryx, interrupting Jean’s attempt to flirt with deities that were off limits.
“Yes, it’s unique, isn’t it?” Eryx disregarded Jean’s question.
“Eryx?” Jean sounded annoyed that she was being ignored.
“Yes, please excuse me Jean. I speak Greek, Italian, French, Spanish, Latin and a few other dialects.” Eryx answered.
Galen poked Eryx on the shoulder three times. “Brother, if you feed the cats, they’ll keep coming back. Please. I beg you. Stop.”
Bill and Andy broke out in laughter. I bit my bottom lip to keep from smiling at Galen’s rude, yet humorous remark. Jean and Marie took half a turn and walked away.
David maintained his stare on me blocking out the boys’ ongoing conversation. He rose from his seat and walked over to me.
“May I speak to you privately?” His eyes pleaded.
I glared at him, keeping silent. I hoped he was smart enough to interpret my silence as a “no”.
“Please.” He insisted.
“Fine.” I said flatly. I knew he wouldn’t desist if I didn’t have words with him.
I moved several seats down to the end of the table. Andy widened her eyes and twisted her neck in the opposite direction from us, pretending she wasn’t paying attention.
David spoke in a whisper. “Isis, I am not one to act out with such posture. Please accept my sincere apology, as I have nothing else to offer.”
“Apology accepted,” I said standing up. “Is that all?”
“No.” He removed a strand of hair away from my face. “I have to confess something.”
I winced away from his touch and crossed my arms.
“Just, tell me what you have to tell me.”
David took a deep breath. “Isis, I am envious of every male that sets his sight on you, and if I could, I would tear out their eyes.”
Chapter 5
David didn’t look like he was kidding. I glanced over my shoulder to see if the others were observing us. I knew he was capable of not only tearing eyes out, but tearing limbs, as well. Nyx had been right about David. This was a flare of uncontained jealousy.
“Envious?” I refused to believe it as I sat down.
“Irrepressibly.” He asserted with a creased brow.
I studied his perfectly, flawless face. His stare lingered on me awaiting a response. I was speechless with shock. There was a part of me that felt flattered and pleased to know that he was indeed smitten. But there was also the rational part of me that knew better than to give him or myself false hope for something that could never be.
“I think you’re confused.” My eyes were fixed on the table as I spoke.
David lifted my chin with the tip of his fingers. “No.” He gazed at me from under his black lashes.
“Hey, David…” Bill cried out from the other end of the table. “What’s your first class?”
David sighed, bothered by the sudden interruption. He pulled out a folded piece of paper from his back pant pocket and surveyed it.
“English Literature, A.P.” He answered loudly over the rest of the voices in the cafeteria.
“Why are there only four classes on here?” He asked, puzzled.
“That’s the way our school system works. Four classes, one semester, and then another four classes the second semester.” I explained. “What classes do you have?”
He handed me his schedule to look over. His first and last periods were the same as mine.
“We’ve got two classes together—first and fourth,” I breathed deep, knowing I would have to find a way to keep my distance from him.
I saw a pleased arc form on his lips.
“You have all advanced placement courses like me. You should’ve taken a study hall. You’ll be up to your neck in homework and projects with these.” I handed the paper back to him.
“I doubt that,” he voiced arrogantly, folding the sheet neatly and tucking it into his pocket. “Now, as I was saying…”
“Oh, David, c’mon.” I broke his attempt to reinitiate the topic. “We’ve just met me. We hardly know each other. Whatever you’re thinking can’t exist. It’s unthinkable.”
“And if there were a way? Would you have me then?” He searched my face for an answer.
“But there isn’t, and I’m not interested, so you might as well forget any hypothetical angles.”
“I see.” He bit his lip and lightly hit the table with his fist several times as if in an attempt to control his emotions. His face grew glum, shortly after.
I felt horrible, being so cold with him, but the fact of the matter remained, and I couldn’t set us both up for heartbreak. What could not be just would not be, and that was the end of it. There was no point in stringing him along when Nyx had specifically touched base with me on that subject. I would have to be the strong one, as she had put it.
“We’d better get to class.” I stood up, unable to look at him directly.
David shrugged with indifference; upset over my words, I was sure. His lips were in a straight line, his stare burning through me.
I turned to signal Andy that I was headed off to first period. She grabbed our things, pecked Bill on the lips, and joined David and me.
“May I?” David said, offering to take our tote bags.
“Absolutely.” Andy smiled.
David took the lead in walking out of the cafeteria area. I wondered just how deeply I had wounded him.
Andy subtly rotated her head, speaking silently. “He’s no Gabriel, I’ll tell you that.”
“Who’s Gabriel?” I was caught off-guard by Andy’s comment.
“Gabriel Betancourt… your ex-boyfriend?” Andy giggled. “The one you’re obviously over…” She nudged me.
“Oh. Right,” I murmured. I wasn’t entirely over Gabriel. I still sometimes wished he hadn’t graduated and moved away. I missed him. Especially when I saw Andy and Bill together. Gabriel and three others from our group graduated mid-year, reducing our group from seven to three after Christmas vacation; Patrick, Krystle, Sheila—they were all gone. That made it harder for me to assimilate. Still, I had Andy and Bill—great friends.
I rested the side of my head over my hand watching David and Mrs. Lopez, our English Lit. Teacher, discuss where he should sit. Andy, who was sitting to my left, was courteous enough to point out the desk behind mine was empty—as if I needed to feel more uncomfortable around David already.
“Gee, thanks,” I said sarcastically.
“No prob,” She said without detecting my irony.
David’s mouth arched pleasantly as he took his seat behind mine. He leaned his desk forward.
“I’ll not tire until I’ve claimed your heart,” he whispered into my hair. “And that is both a promise and a threat.” I could feel his warm breath against my cheek as he spoke.
I tilted my head slightly so that I would be audible to him. “I told you, I’m not interested.”
“Trust me… you are.” He grazed my cheek with his pale lips and repositioned his desk.
Flushed and with a creased brow, I turned and leered at him.
“Ehem,” Andy cleared her throat to warn us Mrs. Lopez was watching.
I flipped my notebook open and started scribbling to divert the teacher’s attention. I didn’t want to get in trouble in front of my whole class for public display of affection. I crossed my fingers hoping she didn’t notice. I was relieved when a couple of minutes went by and she didn’t call our names. I let out a sigh of relief and started taking real notes as soon as I could concentrate on the class again.
After the lecture, Jean Murphy and two other cheerleaders swooned over David’s presence. Jean initiated a conversation with David that led to purposeful crossing of her gorgeous long legs and deafening giggles. She asked Andy, of all people, for a pencil and reached over in front of David to take it from Andy’s hand—highly unnecessary, might I add.
Jean’s charm bracelet got caught in my hair as she retrieved the pencil, pulling about twenty hairs out of my scalp. She didn’t even bother apologizing. David helped her untangle it. My curls were ruined and part of my hair was in knots.
Jean was putty in David’s hands by this point. And me, well, lets just say I was upset, to put it modestly.
Andy and David took turns untangling the knots in my hair. I pulled it back in a ponytail concealing the untamable parts. I gave Jean the stink-eye the rest of the period as she continued to pester David.
I stomped out of class infuriated.
“You look lovely,” David tried to lessen my aggravation.
“It doesn’t look bad at all,” Andy agreed with him.
Jean ran up to David in the hallway. She weaved her arm on his and slipped him a small folded piece of paper. I didn’t bother waiting for him.
“Walk me to class?” I heard Jean squealing as I walked away.
Andy tried to keep pace with me. “Geez, Isis, it’s not the end of the world that she ruined your hair. I promise it looks good. I wouldn’t lie to you.”
“I know that.” I was still mad.
“Calm down.” She put her arm around me. “Don’t let it ruin your day. You look beautiful.”
I heard someone calling my name from a distance. I stopped and twisted my neck to see who it was. It was David, hurrying to catch up to Andy and me. I turned and continued my steadfast pace—Andy struggling to keep up with me.
“Are you mad at him?” Andy questioned my unwillingness to wait for David.
“No,” I sounded defensive. “Why would I be mad at him?”
“Because of Jean.”
I came to a halt and lifted my index finger. “Wait a minute…” I started, “Are you implying that I’m jealous?”
“You’re sure acting like it.” Andy placed her hand on her hip.
“Ugh,” I huffed, rolling my eyes. “Whatever.”
David finally made his way through the crowd and to us. His dimples resonated the satisfaction his face wore. I guessed I’d be happy too if I was a guy and the captain of the cheerleading team gave me her phone number. What else could be on that piece of paper?
“Where’s your next class?” Andy asked David.
“Across the hall from mine,” I answered before David did.
Bill met Andy by one of the staircases, as usual, to escort her to her class. David and I walked together to second period. My irritation had simmered down, but quickly flourished when I saw Jean at the doorway to David’s classroom. Many unfavorable words came to mind as I scornfully eyed Jean. I meddled with my ponytail, making sure the part that resembled a bird’s nest was covered.
David walked me to my classroom door. The lab tables were already full; a sign that the tardy bell would ring shortly. Simon, my lab partner, had his book opened and ready for the class to begin.
“May I accompany you during lunch?” David asked, following me into class. “Otherwise, I’ll be obligated to join your friend, Jean—Deus have pity on me.” His eyes rolled back into his lids.
I walked to my table and set my tote down. David grimaced as he saw who I was partnered with.
“Sure,” I smiled at his disapproval.
“See you after class, then.” He took me by surprise raising my hand to kiss it. I hated these feelings he awakened in me. I gazed at him as he held on to my pinky.
A loud thud made me come back to reality. I pulled my hand away from David. I looked behind me to see what had caused the loud noise.
“Sorry,” Simon sneered at David, picking his book up from the floor.
David raised the corner of his upper lip, giving Simon a scornful look. Simon pulled my lab stool out from under the table just as the tardy bell rang, and patted the seat as an indication for me to sit. David’s jaw clenched.
“You’re late,” I remarked.
“I’m new. I have an excuse.” David glared at Simon again. “Excuse me.” He winked at me and rushed out the room as Mr. Ybarra, my Physiology teacher, entered the class.
Simon raised his brows once and tightened his lips. “So, the new guy’s already on the prowl, huh?”
I shrugged, evading the subject and searched my sack for my book.
“I heard you were dating,” Simon continued. “Not him, but in general.”
“Nope.” I flipped through my spiral notebook, avoiding eye contact. I knew what he had in mind already.
“Hmm…” Simon sighed. “Uh… I was wondering…” He tapped his pencil nervously on his book, “ . . . if you’d like to go out sometime? Not on a date or anything—as friends.”
“As friends”? Yeah right. Simon had asked me out right after he learned Gabriel and I had broken up. I wasn’t buying into the whole friends bit he was trying to sell.
“Um… I’ll have to get back to you on that. I’m not really going out a lot these days. Got several projects to work on.” I tried to let him down easy.
“Oh, ok.” Simon bobbed his head. “Well, think about it.”
“Sure.” I pressured myself to smile.
Mr. Ybarra started the class with a lecture based on an article on human stem cell research. I sat silently listening to the rest of the class contribute to the subject. Their voices slowly falling into the background as my mind wandered to David and his tenaciousness toward me. I visualized him with his wings spanned, in his golden skin as I had met him in my dreams—Terrified then, confused now.
After class, in the hallway, David and Jean seemed to be hitting it off quite well. Not that I minded…
much
. Jean was very touchy, feely with David and I didn’t have the stomach to watch. My appetite diminished thanks to her. I went in to the restroom to take a look at the disaster that was my hair. Andy was right; it didn’t look that bad. I readjusted it a bit and it turned out looking fine. I dabbed on a little lip shine and slowly made my way to the cafeteria.
Our newly assembled group was present at our table by the time I arrived. There were a few other people there as well—all girls, Jean included. An extra lunch plate was set beside David. I wondered if it belonged to one of the twins or maybe Jean.
Andy discreetly pointed to the plate. “Yours,” she mouthed motioning with her eyes that David was responsible for bringing it to the table. I started walking toward David, a little enthused that he had thought of fetching my lunch for me.
Two steps away from the table, David arched his lips in my direction. Just then, Jean slid the plate away from beside David’s and took her seat in the place that was designated for me. David’s lips protruded in displeasure at Jean’s action. I breathed deeply and took a seat next to Andy across the table instead. David looked at me with sulky eyes, to which I replied by raising my shoulders casually. I didn’t want Jean to notice the slightest bit of agitation on my side. That would only give her pleasure.
“Excuse me.” David lifted both trays of food and left Jean sitting by her poor, lonesome self. He transferred himself over to my side of the table and lay the plate in front of me.
“Hungry?” David asked.
“A little.” I smirked, watching Jean out of the corner of my eye having a hissy.