As soon as our first class is over, I make a move to pick up my book. Before I can start reading, Benji calls my name.
‘Flo! Come over here!’ I raise my head to find him waving as if we were miles apart instead of a few feet.
Without my permission, my eyes travel to my friend’s right. See that? He’s staring at me again! My heart does a little dance as I get up and walk over to the guys.
‘Hey flower girl,’ Jamie greets me with a bright smile. Out of the six guys, I probably like him best. Along with Benji, of course. And there’s Elija, though that is different. I know him the least so I can’t say I like him more than my friend. What I can say is that I prefer the way he acts at school. While his friends are loud and sometimes obnoxious, Elija’s mostly silent. He smiles along with them and sometimes speaks but he knows what an appropriate volume in a classroom is.
‘Hi, Jamie. What’d you call me over for?’ I ask Benji.
‘You looked so lonely over there.’ He winks and I get the feeling this is him trying to be a wingman. I try to stifle a laugh.
‘I was just about to read,’ I tell him, clearly disappointing him with my answer.
‘So, no scratch from the accident earlier? All limbs still attached to the right place?’ Jamie asks before we can fall into an awkward silence.
That’s what I like so much about him. He always knows how to keep a conversation going and tends to make the people around him smile. He throws his head back to get his hair out of his eyes and kicks his feet on the table in an easy matter.
‘Yes, sir,’ I say with a fake salute. Then, catching myself, I quickly put my hand back down and try to cover my embarrassment with a laugh. I know Elija is looking at me which just makes my face burn up hotter. Good to know he’s seen every moment of me making a fool out of myself.
Besides, what I said wasn’t technically true. My shoulder’s still throbbing and hot while my arm from the elbow down feels weirdly cool and tingly. Oh well.
‘I would sue that bus driver if I were you. Of course, if I were you, I wouldn’t have gotten hit in the first place but you’re always tripping over things, aren’t you?’ Liam asks from where he’s sitting. I let my eyes trail over him quickly; brown, slicked hair, grey eyes, and always dressed nicely. A bit overdressed for school but I couldn’t imagine him wearing anything else. He’d be handsome if it weren’t for his need to act like he’s better than the rest of us simply because of daddy’s money.
Benji rolls his eyes before burying his head in his arms, no doubt done with the day. I look at the way his orange curls splay against the sleeves of his sweater before turning my attention to Liam.
‘I guess I am,’ I reply with a smile intact. He doesn’t bother me enough to affect my good mood. If anything, I feel bad for him. I think not even his friends truly like him. They’ve been rolling their eyes at him for as long as I’ve known them and I really don’t know why they still hang out with him. Not that Liam seems to care about them any more. I’m pretty sure he only uses them for invites to parties or because it looks good to the rest of the school to be friends with Marcus.
Speaking of the devil. ‘You’d sue anyone for no real reason,’ Marcus reminds him. For a popular guy, he’s quite nice. Okay, that sounds very judgy. Of course, popular kids can be nice, I’m just saying they don’t have to be. As captain of the academy’s soccer team, he could probably act like a jerk and still be drooled over by the to-men-attracted students.
Not that I blame them. His brown, wavy hair that almost reaches his neck paired with those hazel eyes do make a good combination. The workouts and practices he attends almost every day don’t hurt the image either.
He’s not as easy-going as Benji or as sweet as Jamie but he seems down to earth. Very intimidating at times but not mean.
‘I guess I am,’ Orion mocks me. I really don’t know what his problem is but it doesn’t seem personal. You’ll see him mocking people for no reason whenever he gets bored so I just ignore him.
He too is a ridiculously good-looking guy. Their whole friend group seems to consist only of those. His hair is a light shade of blonde and his eyes are as blue as the sky on a clear day. He’s attractive in a slightly dangerous way with those sharp features and angles.
‘Sorry, as you can tell we haven’t yet succeeded at teaching our parrot proper manners,’ Jamie interjects, causing his friend to glare at him. ‘Oh, don’t worry Cupcake, you’ll get there,’ Jamie adds sweetly. In a flash, Orion has gotten up from his seat and started chasing his friend through the room.
There’s some laughing amongst our classmates until the teacher for our next class arrives and puts a stop to the show.
The rest of the morning passes blissfully uneventfully.
When the bell finally announces the start of our lunch break, I feel the usual anticipation growing. Everyone files out of the room while I start on my homework. Less than ten minutes later Elija sits back down at his desk along with Benji. They eat their food in silence, both of them wearing headphones like I am.
Since I feel no eyes on me, I’m able to focus on the worksheet ahead of me. When I’m done, I consider getting my book out to read. Instead, another urge takes over and I find myself taking a seat opposite my friend. Benji smiles at me before taking off his headphones without a word and placing them on my head. I pause the music playing on the one Airpod I’m still wearing to listen to whatever he wants to show me. He’d do that sometimes; letting me listen to a certain song he likes while he gauges my reaction. He doesn’t talk much but I think this is how he shows affection. I love it when he does it.
Today’s song is R&B soul like always and I enjoy the vibes with my eyes closed, not caring what I look like with those big speakers on my ears. When it’s over I hand the headphones back to my friend, trying not to wince because of my shoulder, and take his phone to show him a song I’ve been listening to recently. When he shuts his eyes I get painfully aware of someone else’s attention. I meet Elija’s gaze with a smile before he reaches for me. I’m completely confused for a second, thinking he’ll touch me or something, but he reaches for Benji’s phone instead. My heartbeat slows as he types something into his own and sits back down.
‘It’s a song I like,’ I explain quietly since I’m pretty sure he starts playing it himself. I know the two guys listen to similar songs so he should probably be warned that this is one of mine.
‘I know,’ he says, surprising me. Then his phone captures his attention and I tear my eyes from him.
Not once have I been nervous about showing Benji something I liked but with Elija listening to it, I suddenly feel self-conscious. It doesn’t matter if he won’t like it, I repeat to myself. Still, I really hope he does.
‘I like it,’ Benji tells me suddenly. I smile at him before glancing at Elija again. He meets my eyes at the exact same moment, smiling and causing my cheeks to grow warm.
‘It’s lit. I love the beat,’ he tells me. You hear that? He loves the beat. It takes everything I’ve got not to squeal like an idiot.
Our interaction of the day ends at that and I return to my own desk since the other guys return. I try to focus on reading but, as usual, they talk too loudly for me to hear my own thoughts.
‘Elija, you’re coming to the gym after school, right?’ Marcus asks and I give up on trying to read. Instead, I stare at my book, trying not to look like I’m listening to them.
‘Can’t today,’ he tells his friends.
‘Why? You always tag along on Tuesdays and Fridays,’ Liam pushes. I honestly didn’t know he worked out. He’s always wearing hoodies that conceal his body beneath. All I know is that he’s a few inches taller than Benji.
‘I have a doctor’s appointment to get that birthmark on my side checked,’ he mumbles.
‘Listen to me, Cupcake. We’ll get through this. You won’t die on my watch,’ Jamie says dramatically. I try to stifle a laugh but know I failed miserably when Elija turns his eyes to me. I meet his gaze for a beat before looking back at my book.
Smooth, Florence. Real smooth.
