Head Over Sneakers | on hold

[ 8 ]

PLOPPING ONTO THE wooden bench with a thump, I dropped my plastic blue tray onto the surface of the table.
Catching Byron's attention, I sighed and paused. My eyes travelled towards his tray and my brow lifted.
"You got carrots?" I mumbled, defeat was evident in my tone and he merely shrugged in reply, his blue eyes shifting to investigate the contents on my tray.
Byron shut his book and threw it onto the table, right into the centre.
I read the title and cringed, knowing I probably wouldn't understand a word written in the book.
It was some sort of physics book. Byron was a bit of a nerd. Nothing wrong with that though, it made our group a little more...different.
If we were doing categories, Mike was an artist; the golden boy, Byron was a nerd, Cam was a joker, Jay was a player; he played football and girls, I was an athlete and Devon...the most cliché category of them all, he was the bad boy...a troublemaker and a ladies man, all in one package of tall, dark and handsome.
He shook his head and lifted the packet of carrots, handing them politely to me with a sheepish grin. "I guess you can have mine." I grinned, reaching over and rustled my hand through his blond curls.
"So..." He placed his hand underneath his chin and watched as I ripped the packet open and began munching on the orange sticks.
"...how did your date go?"
I choked.
Whipping round to face him, my head shifting from side to side to see if anybody had heard what he had said.
My brows furrowed when I realised nobody was listening, but I wanted to know how he knew.
"He told you?" I whispered with a hiss.
"Yeah, I mean..." Byron merely shrugged. He paused for a second and began to draw circles on the table.
"You and Devon..."
Waiting for him to utter the words 'That was unexpected.' I nodded in agreement.
"About time." He mused and once again, my eyes widened like golf balls. My jaw felt heavy and I couldn't keep my mouth closed out of shock. 
"What do you mean?" I spluttered and I had to reach over to steal his water and drink, just to calm myself down.
Byron simply sighed and he patted my hand with an understanding look.
"You're telling me you never knew Devon had a crush on you?"
I didn't reply.
"Not even a little?"
Again, nothing.
He pursed his lips and his pale blue eyes left my own, searching the cafeteria. He lifted his head and waved his hand.
I turned and Cam began to make his way over, his jacket hanging over one shoulder and a tray in his other hand.
Cam sauntered over, nodding at the two of us before he reached over and snatched my open packet of carrots. I rolled my eyes but didn't say anything.
Byron's lips curled into a grin as he amusedly glanced at me and then back at Cam.
"Who shit in your cornflakes?" Cam grinned.
Byron pointed a finger at me. "She didn't know that Devon's had a crush on her for like—ever..."
Cam burst out laughing, the green specks in his eyes brightening as he placed a hand on his stomach. Byron joined him and I couldn't help but grow annoyed. My lips pulled into a straight line. "Laugh it all out, I have questions." I hissed and they did.
Eventually, after several minutes of constant laughter, wheezing and Cam, who kept poking at my sides in a teasing manner, they calmed down.
Cam was a clown...But he was my clown.
"By the way, how did your date go?"
Throwing my hands in the air with frustration, I shook my head in disbelief. "Who else knows?...Better yet, who doesn't know?" Sarcasm oozed from my words. It was then that I had felt someone was watching me and I shivered as I turned to look over, out of curiosity.
God. I thought on making eye contact with Devon's little group of fangirls. I say little, but that was an understatement.
The guy was so popular, that fan clubs of girls had formed everywhere for him. He was charming as hell and with one look alone, he could have anyone wrapped around his little pinky. Not me though.
"...So everyone knows?" Cam pat me on the back as I threw my head onto the table, burying it in the comfort of my arms as they rested.
"So Devon's...liked me for a long time?" I mumbled, my voice projecting directly onto the surface of the table.
Staring into completely darkness, I didn't dare lift up my head. Knowing everyone here had known about our little date, I felt embarrassed and truly, I wanted to run away and never show my face here again.
I was a confident person. Ask me to present to a class of people, I'd do it with no problem. Social engagements? They were a breeze! Chatting to guys? They were just guys.
But this was a whole different ball game. This guy was Devon Hunters.
I cringed at the thought in my head and it only got worse when I realised how cliché this was all becoming.
Girl and boy grew up together, girl is boy's best friends little sister, girl is 'enemies' with boy, boy likes to tease girl, turns out that boy likes girl, also turns out that girl doesn't know that boy likes girl, group of friends have known all along that boy likes girl, group of girls now out to get girl because group of girls like boy who likes girl...this was a huge amount of cliché and it was hitting almost every single cliché trope on the head.
Except one, the cliché-est of them all.
"Oh and Jay!" Cam piped up, pulling me from my thoughts.
"Jay?" I asked and Byron nodded.
Confused at the sudden mention of his name, my hands turned so that my palms suddenly faced the ceiling.
"Jay likes you too."
...and there it was, the clichést cliché of the all, a love triangle.

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