Cyberwitch Academy: Learn or Burn

Chapter 6

"Hello." She says again. Giggling a little, eyelashes fluttering.

I pause, just a second too long. I'm off balance, but I can see her tense slightly around the jaw.

"Oh, um hi. Nice to meet you." Why am I doing a Brit accent? Awkward.

"I'm Sienna and, well you're famous now so you don't have to tell me your name."

"Oh god really? Famous?"

"Don't worry, it's a good thing. Everybody thinks you're really mysterious and you're from New York. You're officially the only American in the whole school. We've got loads of Asians now but none of... you."

Ty at my left side is visibly shrinking into himself. This girl seems really nice but I'm just panicking. Failing so badly at being invisible. More than one face in the room watching this meeting.

"I'm so not cool. I'm like the biggest nerd. I win science fairs."

She does a stage whisper and when she crinkles up her nose it's pretty cute.

"I know some people call me plastic" Flashes Ty the briefest glance.

"But I'm really not so shallow that I only make friends with girls with good makeup. Come over and meet my peoples! Most of us here, we grew up together. We're like family."

I notice among her friends a stunningly beautiful queer boy, who gives me a wink. They're a hyperGlam crowd but they don't seem so arrogant right now.

Ty is starting to edge away from me. Slipping off into the crowd. I think of his face when Sienna threw his art across the room. That resignation. I can see it in his face now, like he always new I would be stolen from him. Just waited for it to happen.

I look her up and down, making a show of it. Noticing how ridiculous it makes her look to roll up her school skirt pretending it's a mini, like a toddler in her mom's high-heels. Look mom I'm a woman, the boys are staring at my thighs!

"Look, I just, I don't think we'd have all that much in common."

Sienna broadcasts every nuance of emotion as it happens, live and direct across her face. And I realize then, just how genuine she is, and how much she risked in offering me her friendship, in front of the whole school. And I'm judging her rolled-up-skirt like some kind of puritan.

She takes a few seconds to recover, to react. But she directs her reaction against Ty, not me. It's a theatrical look, spite and rage with a twist of angry puppy. I turn to Ty; his smirk disappears just a moment too late to go unnoticed.

Sienna spins on her cyberleg, skirt twirling out as she skips away to join her gang. The moment has passed, and I'm just looking for a hole to swallow me up. My mouth is dry and I'm dizzy, I feel sick.

"You just called the most popular girl in year 8 a bimbo. You're mad. I love you." Ty whispers as he hooks his arm around mine.

He drags me into what he calls the house office...

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