Chapter 8
1008words
"Damn. I'm so sorry. I'm rushing to practice and I didn't see you. Are you okay?"
"I bet she is now," Nina answered in her usual teasing manner. Sophia giggled softly besides her before turning her head to avert her eyes.
"It's... It's.. Okay," I stuttered. There was a lingering electricity on my arm where he had caught me. My heart raced around in my chest that I thought it would move to another part of my body.
"Let me make it up to you. Sit with me at lunch?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck as his eyes filled with hope.
I heard when both my friends gasped but they played it off as if they had been minding their own business all along.
"Your friends are invited too," he added quickly when I looked to them for approval. They nodded yes.
"Okay. See you at lunch," I responded.
"Awesome," he said and continued on his way.
A squealing Nina and Sophia ran towards me.
"OMG. I can't believe we're invited to sit with Jevan at lunch."
"I think he's starting to like you, Blossom."
"What? No. Jevan is just being nice," I covered but I was bursting with delight internally.
"Why is he being nice to you though? It's not like he owes you anything," Nina said and we started our walk to class again.
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I couldn't focus in class. I kept daydreaming about Jevan and his lips, how close it was to mine and how it would have been to have kiss him in his car.
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Eventually, the bell rang, ending class and starting lunch. I leaped from my seat and rushed through the door and met my friends in the halls. Together, we walked into the cafeteria.
There was no sign of Jevan anywhere.
Sophia, Nina and I joined the food line and simultaneously selected our food and cast our eyes out to locate Jevan.
Still no sign of him.
"I can't believe he would stoop so low," Nina frowned as she stabbed her fork into a bed of salad. The meals today were not tasty.
"Let's give him the benefit of the doubt here. Maybe he's caught up in practice. You know that coach is a pain in the ass," Sophia said.
I was silent as a lamb. Too hurt to speak.
"Excuse me. Nina, Sophia and Blossom, right?" a voice came from behind us at our table. It was one of Jevan's friends.
"Yes," we answered.
"Follow me," he said.
We picked our food trays up.
"Leave the trays and just follow me," he said again.
"But.. But.. Our food," Nina pleaded but her words fell on deaf ears. We followed Connor out into the halls and up a flight of stairs I never knew existed.
Higher and higher we climbed until we emerged into a private room with air conditioning units and a big wooden table already set for six. And behind the table, at the seat on the right, sat Jevan.
I couldn't stop the smile. He smiled back at me and waved me over to him.
We sat down next to our significant other.
"I must admit. I've been here since freshman year and I never knew this room was existed," Nina started.
"Most unpopular students don't," Nick responded, his words doing a bit of damage.
An awkward silence fell into place until Jevan cleared his throat.
"Oh.. I didn't mean anything by it," Nick apologised in his own way.
"It's fine. We know we don't fit into the power ups category," Sophia said now.
"Power ups?" Jevan asked.
"Yeah. That's how we call you guys," she answered.
"Why?" he asked again.
"Because of your money, and your influences at this school and your popularity," she responded.
"I had no idea that there was a special name for us," Connor chimed in.
"Me too," Jevan said with the shake of his head while laughing.
"You guys know you're super popular. Don't try to be humble with us. You're basically above everyone around here," Nina protested.
"I can understand why you feel that way but I like to see myself as everyone else. As a regular student," Nick said.
"Well do you see any regular students up here?" I asked now.
"She does have a point," Jevan answered with a loud laugh that was surprisingly cute.
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The food before us was in abundance and it was a mystery as to why this wasn't served in the cafeteria. I filled my plate with roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, and veggies, some fried potatoes wedges and salad, and to wash it all down, a glass of chilled orange juice.
After we stuffed ourselves, we chatted to each other as if we were all best friends until the chatters turned into private conversation.
Nina was the corner with Connor and Sophia was speaking to Nick and smiling at his words.
Jevan's hand found mine underneath the table and my attention immediately turned to him.
"Tell me something about you."
"What do you wish to know?" I asked him.
"Anything. As long as its about you."
"Well... for starters.. I come from a country in Africa. I'm a scholarship student. I don't have any siblings," I was going on but he stopped me.
"No. Tell me something about you. Like what do you like to do for fun? Where do you like going to have fun?"
"Nowhere. Since coming here, it's just been school and home. Nina and Sophia are the only friends I've ever had."
"You had no friends in Africa?"
"I had family. I came from a village where nothing was ever enough. In other words, I grew up very poorly. My mama cried and praised God for days when I got this once in a lifetime scholarship education to your country and school. And mama found a job with some good people as well."
