Page 5

Austin lifts his head and looks me in the eye at the right time. My stomach feels weird.
Lyra, calm down.
I turn my head away from Austin and look at Zeke instead. When he sees me standing in front of him, he stops painting.
“Hey,” he says slowly, looking me up and down once before focussing on my eyes. I shudder at the way he looks at me and the way he acts.
“I was wondering if I could get Kira’s number,” I say to him. Those brown eyes are looking at me with a piercing gaze, and I surprisingly like it.
I look into his brown eyes, even though I’ve never had the courage. They look empty. Why is he so careful? You can’t really read him. I try to sneak a peek at Austin’s painting while Zeke takes out his phone and scrolls through it.
Whoa.
The painting he made was beautiful. Sad but beautiful. He had painted an ocean too, which was surprising. Mine was calm, but his had angry waves. I couldn’t stop looking at the painting because the feelings of anger and sadness were so strong.
He had only used shades of grey for colours.
When did I start to like paintings that make me sad?
When I look back at Zeke, I hear someone clear their throat and smile. He gives me the phone number.
“Give me yours,” Zeke says, a small smile on his lips. Oh no.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t feel safe giving it to you,” I say, trying to be brave.
Zeke says, “We’re friends,” and his eyes sparkle. I don’t feel good.
I say, “Maybe later,” and that’s it. I say “thank you” and leave, but not before looking at Austin one last time. His face shows that he is amused, but he is still looking at the canvas in front of him. As soon as I look at him, it’s gone.
The day was long and tiring. I put my things in my locker. Skye is telling me about a party we are going to tonight, but I’m really tired from everything that has happened today.
“I think it will help you forget about everything that happened today,” Skye says carefully. I look at her.
“Do you really think so?” I ask with a small sigh.
“Of course. You can hang out with me, meet new people, and maybe even get a date,” Skye says with a wink.
But I don’t want any of the things she said.
“But it’s okay if you don’t want to,” she says with a smile.
“I-” I begin, but Skye stops me. Her eyes are wide and her mouth is open. I turn around and know that my face looks the same as hers.
“I’ll wait for you outside, Lyra,” Skye says, and then she leaves me with Austin. He makes everyone stutter, so I’m not the only one. I close the locker and try to get past him, but he stops me.
“Name,” he says in a rough voice. He is standing tall in front of me and staring into my eyes. His stance is scary, and I feel a chill run down my spine. I feel tingly and happy.
I say, “Huh?” even though I know what he means. I’d like to hear his voice.
He pushes out, “Your name.”
“Lyra,” I say in a soft voice.
He doesn’t say anything. He just shakes his head and walks away with a stern look on his face.
“Stop,” I tell him. He turns around, and his face is as closed off as it always is. I wish I could understand him.
I say, “We have an assignment together,” and I play with my fingers. His eyes are on my face, and I can feel my cheeks getting hot. Why do I feel embarrassed for no reason? I groan inside.
He only tilts his head a little bit.
“Earlier, you were asleep in English class,” I remind him.
“Do it on your own.” He looks at me one last time, then turns around and leaves.
I finally get a hold of myself after a minute or two. When I go outside, I see Skye standing by the door. When she looks at me, her smile turns into a small, playful smirk.
“I’ve made up my mind to go to the party,” I tell her. I need something to do. Desperately.
And all of a sudden, I’m excited about it.
She screams.
I look at myself in the mirror that goes all the way to the floor.
“Skye, I can’t wear this,” I yell from my room for the umpteenth time. Skye walks into the room and gasps.
“I don’t feel good. I don’t know, it’s not me,” I say to her, looking at her shocked face in the mirror.
She looks at me in the mirror and says, “Nonsense, you look beautiful.” If wearing clothes that show off your body makes you look “beautiful,” then yes, I was looking “beautiful.”
I agree that the dress is pretty, but I’ve never worn anything like it before. It is a bright red colour with a sweetheart neckline that shows off more of my breasts than I would like. The waist is tight, and the skirt flows down to my mid-thigh.
Skye brought this for herself, but she said it would look better on me. I see Skye and know she won’t make me, but maybe I should wear this because I’ve never worn anything like it before.
Not because I want to impress anyone.
“Skye?”
“Yes, babe,” she says as she looks through my wardrobe.
“Will Austin be there?”
She turns away from the wardrobe and looks at me.
“I haven’t seen him at parties, but he might be at this one because the host was his best friend as a kid or something. They don’t talk much anymore, so I don’t know, maybe?”
Skye looks through my closet and says, “I love your n**e dress. I think I’ll wear that.” I’m glad someone will wear the dress; I don’t know why I bought it in the first place. It’s like the one I’m wearing, but it fits all the curves and isn’t as flowy as this red one.
We use Skye’s hair curler to style each other’s hair. She brought a big bag with her that had everything we needed, just so you know. I was a little embarrassed because I didn’t have much. Forget that; I didn’t have anything for tonight. That n**e dress is the only thing.
My hair is curled loosely and goes down to my waist. Skye makes my eyes look smoky, and the colour of my lips matches my dress. I ask her if it’s too much, but she just laughs and says it’s nothing. I feel bad that I’m not helping her much when she does her makeup.
We take our first selfies before we leave once we’re done. I feel like a different person now that I look like one.
“So… you don’t have a flatmate,” Skye says as we sit in her red Porsche.
“Nope.”
“Do you want me to find one? I know the rent is high,” she says as she starts the car. I think about it.
“Sure, but only girls,” I say.
“Understood.”