Violet's Delight

Chapter 6: Lunch Part. 1

~Marco's POV~

"Why do you look like you're walking on sunshine?" Kai asked as I neared him and Noah.

"Violet Hart," I replied like the name solved any equation.

"Oh? The Goddess? What about her?" Noah questioned as I sat down at the table beside him.

The table was an outdoor picnic table secluded in the quad from the rest of the school that we sat at every lunch.

"She's in my literature class and my chemistry class," I stated.

"What? You lucky bastard! Tell us everything!" Kai exclaimed, keenly listening.

And so, I told them about how she stole my seat in lit class and I sat beside her and we talked despite her not wanting to and how we got to leave because of the fifteen-minute rule. I briefly went over what happened in the hallways skipping over the parts that felt more intimate that I didn't want the guys to twist. Like when she asked me if I believe in love at first sight or when I leaned into her and whispered "this time" against her skin. But I kept in the fun parts like where she shoved me away and then flipped me off. Then I moved on to chemistry where I told them we got partnered up for a project and that gave me the excuse to get her phone number.

"You lucky son of a bitch! You got her phone number!" Kai said as he slapped my shoulder with the back of his hand.

"I can't believe she actually physically shoved you away then flipped you off and threatened to get a restraining order against you if you kept following her!" Noah said through fits of laughter.

"Honestly, neither can I," I admitted. "Violet's an enigma. What more can I say? I have the bruises to prove it."

"For real?" Noah asked.

"Yup. She's a lot stronger than she looks," I replied.

"What's your plan, Marco? Like, where are you trying to go with her?" Kai questioned.

Huh. What are my intentions? She clearly didn't want anything to do with me. But... I couldn't stop thinking about her. Was I just flirting like I always did, or did I want something more? I knew that I wanted to get to know her more. I wanted to find out why she was the way she was. So many unanswered questions.

Why doesn't she want me to get to know her? Why did she learn self-defense to that extreme? Why didn't she want me to come to her house for the project? Why do her eyes flicker every time I mention her father?

But most importantly, I felt drawn to her. Standing over her in the hallway lit a fire inside me that I didn't know I had. Sure, I've dated my fair share of girls. And I've been much, much closer to them than with Violet. But being only inches away from her was intoxicating.

There's much more to her than her beauty, which is not something I can say about any other girl I've met.

I'm selfish, and I want her for myself already.

"Earth to Marco? Are you still with us?" Noah asked, waving a hand in front of my face.

"I don't know yet," I lied, answering Kai's question.

"Maybe you should get a girlfriend and stop being so bitter," Noah said under his breath, but loud enough for Kai and I to hear.

Why was Violet the first girl to come to mind?

"I don't think it's worth it, dude. Girls like her will chew you up then spit you out," Kai said.

No. Not her. She might act like it, but that's not the real her. But I can't tell them that. They had only seen the quad scene. That was what she wanted people to see. Not the girl with big, curious hazel-colored eyes.

"That's exactly why she's worth it. You know how much I like challenges. What's life without the chase? The anticipation? And you know how competitive I am. Look around Kai. We are those guys. Guys that never get into serious relationships. I think your masculinity is threatened by a strong girl like her," I admitted with a smile.

Kai looked astonished. He knew I was right. Kai, more than Noah and I, had been through more girls than he could remember.

I turned to Noah to confirm, but he was looking at his hands, eyebrows furrowed in thought.

I wondered what got into him.

"Noah? Are you okay?" I asked him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I– I think... I want to tell you that... I– I have to go," he struggled to say then got up pushing my hand away as he grabbed his backpack and walked away from the table.

When he was far enough away, Kai broke the silence and asked, "What the hell was that about?"

It was true, Noah had been acting weird ever since we started school again, but I thought it was best to give him some time and not push him into telling us whatever he wanted to.

"I'm not sure," I admitted truthfully.