Rebel

Chapter Twenty Six

I woke up to something wet and warm repeatedly rubbing against my face. I could see the golden rays of sunlight through my eyelids, signaling that it was time to get up. "Just a bit longer." I moaned, rolling over so my back was to the light. It was quiet, so I decided whoever had woken me up gave up, until I heard a thump and the weight on my bed shifted. Next thing I knew, two giant paws were pressing into my arm and a slobbery wet tongue was all over my face.

"Ugine." I laughed, "Get off, you giant dog." I sat up, and my dog jumped off of me, landing with a thump on the floor. "What's the big hurry? It's only..." I trailed off as my eyes found the clock sitting beside my bed, "It's only 9:15! I promised Alexsandra I would help her fix her bag today during breakfast! Crap!" I scrambled out of bed and threw on some clothes. I ran out the door and slid on my socks around the corner.

"I'm coming, Alexsandra!" I yelled down the hall that leads to the dining hall. I ran as fast as I could, though it was difficult with my socks. Soon enough I made it to the doors and threw them open so they crashed into the wall. "Don't worry!" I yelled, so my voice echoed through the giant room, "I am here, there's no need to panic!"

Alexsandra giggled from her spot by our usual table. "Oh good, I was so worried."

I grinned and walked over to the table, "Thanks." I said, plopping down in the seat next to Alexsandra, "It sure feels good to have someone who cares about me."

"Any time." Alexsandra said, popping a slice of banana into her mouth.

"Now," I said, pulling a plateful of waffles towards me and grabbing a bottle of syrup. "I was thinking about what we're gonna do today and I came to the conclusion that we must master the triple 360 on the hoverboard."

"The triple 360?" Alexsandra asked, "I can't even do a single 360."

"Well then we'll start by teaching you a single 3--"

"BOO!"

I jumped, and without checking with my brain first, my fist turned into a ball of iron and I swung it behind me.

"Ow!" A voice behind me said, "What was that for?"
I spun around in my chair to face Harvey holding his jaw, though there was a grin on his face. "That was for sneaking up on me you Doof!"

Harvey's grin widened, and he winced with the effort, "Well that's what you get for being so fun to sneak up on." He said, sitting down in the chair next to me, "I mean, besides the part where you punch me in the face with an iron fist, I can't say I like that part."

"Well isn't that just tragic." I muttered. Everyone on the table was laughing, "Guess you missed the price tag."

"Guess so." Harvey retorted, reaching across the table and grabbing a blender full of a smoothie.

I rolled my eyes and went to say something snarky back, but then Olwyn started talking.

"Hey Harvey," she said, "Is your hair naturally that color, or did you dye it or something?"

"Oh yeah, it's natural." Harvey said, taking a swig of his smoothie, "Everyone in my family had it besides my Mom. I liked to say that it was our family trademark." He grinned, but there was pain behind his eyes. I wanted to ask about it, but Alexsandra beat me to it.

"Was?" she asked, "What happened to them?"

Harvey's smile looked painful, which it probably was with that growing bruise on his jaw. "Oh, er, well I'm here now and I'll never see them again, so..."

Alexsandra seemed to accept this answer, but I could tell there was something off with the way he held himself. There was something he wasn't telling us, but I decided not to pry.

That seemed to mark the end of that conversation, and soon Bailey, Aiden, and Alexsandra got into a conversation about how to treat bullies. I didn't really care for the subject, so I settled for stuffing my face with waffles in silence.

"Hey Sage." Harvey said, getting bored of the conversation after a while, "I think you're gonna get yourself kicked outta here."

I eyed him suspiciously, all the reasons why I could get kicked out running through my head. There were a lot of them, but I don't see why he would speak them freely in the middle of the dining hall. "Why?"

His grin grew, and I knew trouble was heading my way, "'Cause you're making all the other girls look bad."

I sighed and put my head in my hands, shaking it. "You're an idiot, you know that right?" Just then, I was struck with an amazing idea, and before I could give it any extra thought, I was putting it into action.

I sat back up and scooted in my chair, getting as close to Harvey as I could without gagging. I cleared my throat and spoke in the most seductive voice I could pull off, which wasn't that seductive. "Do you want me to tie your shoes?" When Harvey gave me a look like I was losing my mind and it was kind of bothering him, I scooted a little closer and grinned at him, "Because I don't want you to fall for anyone else."

I could see the exact moment when Harvey discovered the meaning for my words, then his face broke into a grin and he laughed, "I've met my match." he said as I scooted back my chair and admired my stack of half eaten waffles. I looked up briefly to see Alexsandra laughing beside me, Olwyn looking annoyed, Jace and Aiden still arguing, Bailey staring at Dario, and a look of horrification on Dario's face. I laughed at the look and continued eating my waffles.

At least I managed to make some people laugh.