Page 7

He mumbles a quick “yes.” I nod and get up, leaving Austin shirtless behind as I walk to the toilet. I’m never going to a party again. Not when I have school the other day, at least.
Austin cleans up in my bathroom after me and then decides not to go home because it would take too long. Seeing you at school together makes me feel a little tingly. He doesn’t seem to care. I have no other choice but to walk and get to school late on the second day.
I wear blue jeans and a plain white shirt, and I tie my hair up in a messy bun. It doesn’t feel strange to have Austin in my flat, which is strange. You know what I mean.
But the ride to school is really awkward because we keep looking at each other and then looking away when our eyes meet. The air also gets really thick. I quickly say thank you and walk away after Austin parks the car.
He doesn’t show that he doesn’t talk at all, even though people know him for it. He doesn’t seem like “bad news” either. He has saved me two times.
I meet Skye by the lockers. She hugs me, which surprises me.
“I’m so sorry, Lyra,” she says. “I shouldn’t have left you alone last night.”
I don’t mind that she’s only been my friend for a day. But maybe she should have come with me since it was my first party? But… She stayed there all night.
“It’s not your fault, Skye. Thank you for being there all night; it means a lot,” I tell her. It really means a lot.
“People are spreading stupid rumours about Austin. He was really worried,” she says. I nod along, and when she says he was worried, I get butterflies in my stomach. I get my books out for the first class. Skye and I are taking calculus together.
As we walk to class, she tells me about this girl named “Trixie.” I don’t really pay attention to what she says because I’m thinking about what happened last night, but I know that Trixie is the school slut, not my words, and I need to stay away from her.
The lunch will be here soon. I grab my tray and walk to our table, ignoring the people I know who are looking at me. But before I get to my table, I’m completely soaked. The tray slips out of my hands.
I hear a voice say, “Oops.” I wipe my face with my sleeves while I look at the person who did it. She has strawberry blonde hair that is curled, and even though she has blue eyes and the pinkest lipstick, she looks just like a Barbie. She looks nice.
Also, she doesn’t seem sorry at all.
Everyone is watching us and waiting for the drama to start. Sorry, but no one is getting anything.
“You’re not going to do anything?” the girl asks, putting one hand on her hip. I’m shy, but the Barbie won’t scare me. If I hadn’t been so tired, I might have done something. Like telling her that what she did wasn’t nice.
I give her a little glare and then go to the toilet. Skye comes with me. But even though everyone is shocked, I can see people looking at my shirt. When I get to the hallway, I look down and groan.
Why did I put on a white shirt? And a pink bra on top? Barbie’s water makes it see-through, so now my pink bra can be seen through it.
That’s great.
I ask Skye, “So, I’m guessing that was the Trixie you were talking about?” as I look at my wet shirt in the mirror.
“No, she’s actually one of her friends,” Skye says as she gives me a shirt. I groan when I see the piece of cloth. The fact that it’s black isn’t the problem. It’s so small that my stomach will show, and I’m sure it will be a little small for me.
Not to mention how tight it is.
“Lyra, this is the only thing I have,” Skye says firmly as she shoves me into one of the cubicles. This or the soaked white shirt. I give it a try.
“I don’t feel good; it’s just too tight,” I mumble.
Skye says with a roll of her eyes and a small smile, “It’s not my fault that my boobs are smaller than yours. We don’t want you to get sick, so go now.”
“You look hot, so stop worrying. Austin will probably drool over you,” Skye says in a teasing voice as she looks at me when I’m done.
I choke on my own spit.
“But they say Austin is gay because he hasn’t been with a girl,” Skye says. What kind of reasoning is that? I start to cough a lot, and Skye pats my back and laughs the whole time.
Oh God, is it really true?
“Let’s eat before the bell rings,” Skye pulls me outside, and I feel a little weird because some guys are looking at me. It’s not hard to get people’s attention, is it? Just show some skin and voila! You have their full attention.
Almost everyone is looking at me when we get back. I follow Skye to the table, silently groaning. I blush when Jude whistles softly. I know he’s not trying to hit on me or anything; he’s been acting like an older brother I never had. It’s a nice whistle.
But Zeke has an evil look in his eyes as he looks at me. I shudder when I look away. Kira isn’t here today.
“Another dumb rumour,” Skye says quietly as she looks behind me. I turn around and see Austin looking at me. He’s three tables away, but his gaze is so intense and piercing that other people notice it too. I turn my head. I see that Jude and Zeke are also looking at Austin, and it seems like they can read each other’s minds. I eat my lunch without talking. That really rhymed.
The day goes by pretty fast. Because of Skye’s tee, six guys have hit on me. Please note my sarcasm. I walk to my locker with a sense of relief that the day is over. Yes! I’m excited to go to Austin’s house.
“Lyra, I almost forgot,” Skye says as she runs up to me.
“I got you a roommate,” she says, taking a deep breath. She didn’t need to run to say this.
“It’s Kira,” she says after she catches her breath. My eyes get bigger.
I cringe when my voice gets high-pitched and I say, “She doesn’t seem to like me.”
Skye rolls her eyes. “She isn’t that bad. Most of the time, there is a reason for how someone is. She’s had a hard past,” she says in a low voice.
If Skye says Kira isn’t bad, I should believe her because she is her friend.
“Okay. When is she coming?” I ask.
“Right now, actually. We can go in my car,” Skye says, and I sigh as she pulls me to her car. I hope she’s not that bad.
Kira is waiting outside when we get to my flat. I smile at her a little, but she doesn’t notice. She’s really rude to me. I show her around, and she looks completely blank.
Austin and Kira would be a great couple.
When I think about it, my heart starts to race and my chest starts to burn. I sigh because I’ve been feeling strange things.