CHAPTER TWO

We got to school alright.

When Mae and I stepped in, we sighted Ashton, Isabel and Chris standing at a part of the walkway they were waiting for I and Maeve. We had this rule that we’d always enter school together every Monday. We saw it as us assuring ourselves and whoever happened to encounter us entering the school doors then, that no matter what kind of shit we get into or go through [yeah, school’s shit alright], we’re going to make it together. The five of us were going to pull through.

So yeah…they were waiting for us so we could perform our ritual.

It might seem dorky or immature but we didn’t honestly care and besides, we were all cool people according to school.

I just wish I felt that confident about my body.

I’ll elaborate on that later. It’s school time…

*******************

Yaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!! It’s lunchtime!

[Oh yeah, I’m a foodie alright. Is it weird that I prefer food to junk? I hope not. I have enough stuff to be not proud of already].

I just had Literature with Chris and we both headed for the cafeteria for lunch. Ash was looking as bored as hell while Isa and Mae giggled and chatted away. Well, Chris was here to rescue him.

“Thank God, You’re here! I have never missed you both any more than I do right now”, Ash cried out, obviously relieved.

“Nyeh!”, Maeve said, sticking her tongue out at Ashton. Sigh.

“Anyway”, Ash continued, ignoring Maeve’s remark. I don’t blame him. Maeve could be a child most times. She was pretty annoying.

As I and Chris approached our table, I happened to bump into a certain somebody…

“Hey! Are you blind or something?!”, Kirsten shrieked.

I swear I would’ve said sorry had it been any other person because this girl isn’t fucking worth talking to nicely. I’d rather reserve my manners for someone nicer and better-mannered.

“So you were hit. I was too. Suck it up and shut the hell up. Excuse me”, I spat back. And I left her there. She shouldn’t be standing there with such a shocked expression on her face. Everyone, at least in our grade, knows the kind of person that I am, seriously.

Kirsten is one of the grade’s most ill-mannered girls, if not the most. She’s so proud of her dad, he is the CEO of Soul Records. Soul Records has so many famous musicians under them; Layla Richardson, Albert Pegg, MariMark [ They’re a musical duo…you know them anyway, I mean, who doesn’t?] and so many more. So she’s pretty much got a lot of slaves in the school, even the seniors. Tch. She comes to school one day or the other flaunting a picture of a celebrity and the members of her clique gush over it.

Hey, I’m not jealous or anything, I know if I had the chance too, I wouldn’t shut up about the pictures, but Kirsten is mean and self-centred and bad-mouthed and, oh my…I’m exhausted already.

She’s also actually really pretty too… And she’s a slender beauty. I just wish she was as beautiful on the inside as well.

Anyway, where were we?

I left her there anyway and went to join my friends.

“Whoa, Ray!’, Ash cheered.

“Oh, she deserved it alright”, Maeve sneered.

“Chill girl! I told her off, so it’s okay”, I told Mae in between laughs.

I wasn’t aware that we’d gotten the attention of everyone in the cafeteria, including the lunch lady. Some were still staring at me, while others were laughing their heads off at Kirsten‘s red face.

Why was she still standing there?

“Buzz off doll face! You’re ruining our appetites!”, Ashton called out to Kirsten.

Our entire table laughed.

Then the cafeteria followed.

Laughter everywhere.

Until the remaining members of her clique and her adoring fans got to the cafeteria [Mind you, she has an insane amount of followers and they looked pretty angry]. Led by her best friend(yeah right) Ellen, they stormed in.

“Someone posted what was going on. Kirsten are you okay?”, she asked, looking angry.

Kirsten couldn’t possibly be any faker than she was right now, like, seriously.

“Oh my, aah! I could cry right now! Rayna’s such a mean and wicked girl! I mean, she bumped into me, didn’t say sorry and she began to insult me! She called me all sorts of names, she and her friend over there, Ashtray or something like that ", she moaned.

“It’s Ashton girl!”, Ashton yelled to her.

“I don’t even know which sucks more, your lies or your personality Kirsten”, Maeve told her so casually.

I just told the rest that there was no point bantering with Kirsten, she wasn’t worth it. So we finished our meal, despite our spoiled appetites, and we left the cafeteria.

***********

And there’s the bell for the end of the school day. The day was nice actually.

I went ahead to drop my books in my locker, got my bag from class and was on my way out of the

school. I was still in the hallway when I heard someone shout my name…

“Rayna! Hey!”, Kyle called. Kyle is another friend of mine, though not as tight as I and the gang, but we’ve got some pretty good vibes. We’re both seriously not serious people [we do know when to draw the line though].

“Hey, Kyle! What’s good?”, I replied.

He’d gotten closer. Okay.

“Well…. Uh….”, he began.

Weird. Kyle doesn’t stammer.

“Uh-huh?”, I urged.

“Nothing.”

The weird face went away quickly and a smirk took over his lips. He took my bag away and he began running away.

“Race you to the doors!”, he shouted, well ahead of me.

“HEY!”

I went after my school bag.

Did he hit his head somewhere today?

KYLE’S P.O.V

I thought I was the only one in the hallway.

Then I saw Rayna.

Urghhh! If only she knows how much she unnerves me every time I see her. We’ve been close for a really long time now, but never as close as telling her personal stuff. She hasn’t either, so I guess we’re equal.

I’ve been thinking about telling her how I feel about her, but I’m afraid it will ruin our friendship if she should refuse me. I mean, Rayna’s never been in such a relationship before, I don’t know why but that’s it. Rayna’s all I want in a girl. Screw me for sounding like this at fifteen years old, but what can I do? If I could put a leash on my emotions I’d have done so a long time ago. She’s pretty crazy, she’s quite fun, she’s brilliant and she’s not dull at all. She's troublesome when necessary, if that's a thing. Speaking of necessities, she’s not unnecessarily girly. Not a tomboy, no, but you should try to know what I mean. No hate or anything to girls like that, after all, I do have friends that way, and it fits them perfectly. I'm just saying what's true. I don’t know the foolish spirit that got into me to call her when I had nothing to say, but all I know is that in the next two seconds, her name left my mouth.

“Rayna! Hey!”, I found myself calling.

She turned around and smiled at me. Heck, it’s enough to make me wear mine on for the rest of the week, but keep it cool Kyle, I told myself. She’s got dimples as well. Oh...

“Heya, Kyle! What’s good?”, she called out, still smiling.

For some reason, I came closer.

“Well, uh…”. I had nothing to say.

“Uh-huh?”, she urged, searching my face like it had what I wanted to say written all over it. Wait, was it?

Ohh…

“It’s nothing”, I quickly told her.

I changed my expression to a smirk, snatched her bag and I ran down the halls.

“Race you to the doors Ray!”

She looked quite taken aback, but that look didn’t stay for that long.

“HEY!”, she shouted.

She’s a dog alright…mine.

Shhh, don’t tell her I said that…

RAYNA’S P.O.V

I dropped my bag on the couch. I went straight to wash my hands. I grabbed an apple from the fridge, took a large bite and set it on the dining table. I began to reflect on today’s happenings.

Encounter with Kirsten. Ha. I laughed when I remembered that one.

Biology class. Mr. Bart mistakenly read out a love letter from his wife. He mistook it for a printout of one of Shakespeare’s works. Honestly, we all did too, and we were hooked. I was lost at first because I didn’t know that Shakespeare could speak any other English that wasn’t old English, but I didn’t want to ruin the moment. It was when he reached the ending and read; ”From the love of your life, your wife, Marla”, that I figured out how Shakespeare could speak modern-day English; he couldn’t!

He turned beet red when he realized his mistake.

Of course, the classroom erupted with laughter and some awws.

A real kick.

Kyle and I laughed the loudest.

Wait, Kyle…

He acted pretty weirdly today. Was he… awkward?

It doesn’t sound like him at all.

Well, I won’t read meaning into it.

I’m sure he’s fine. I hope so.