The Price of Protection

Chapter 3~ I Owe You

Céline Bouchard:

     "Hey, girl, heeey!" Quinn makes her way towards me in the hall. Her red hair looks so voluminous today! Can she get any more gorgeous?!

     "Hey," I half smile. It's the end of the second week of school and I'm already swimming in assignments which seems to be stalling any emotional energy I might normally spend on other humans.

     "Eww, what's that face for?" She looks repulsed as she studies me, "Did our foreign stalker say something?"

     "Quinn, you can't keep calling him that!" I whisper-yell as I look around to make sure no one heard, "He hasn't even spoken to me since the coffee shop."

     "But he's always staring and just...around where we are. Do you not have any self-preservation skills?" Her hands move animatedly as she speaks, her many thin bracelets clacking against each other and it makes me laugh.

     I reach into my locker to grab a textbook for my next class, "You spend so much time watching him because your 'bad vibes' thing and so every time he nods or anything you take it as stalking, but to me it looks like he's just being a normal human that has no interest in us."

     She sniffs, turning her nose up in disagreement.

     "And as for self-preservation skills," I add, "Did you not hear me tell you about all the poor life choices I made before we moved to Canada?"

     She raises an eyebrow and pursing her lips asks, "You aren't making me believe you more, you understand that right?"

     I giggle while nodding, "I gotta go, see you after class?"

     "I'm actually bugging out early for a dentist appointment, but we're going to do something fun later, right?"

     "What's later?" I ask raising my eyebrows.

     "It's a Friday night."

     "Yeah? And?"

     She groans, "You are a teenager right?"

     I offer a shrug, "Jury's still out on that one," I say nonchalantly.

     "Last weekend you didn't want to do anything so I'm not giving you a choice tonight."

     "Like what?"

     "Leave it to me. I'll text you in a bit with a plan."

     "I'm not sure... You know what today is." My voice is hesitant in case she forgot, and then I turn away, "I really gotta go though."

     She sighs, "Fine, but this conversation isn't over, C!" She blows me a kiss as she saunters in the opposite direction from where I'm walking.

     I'm headed to French class. It just made sense to take French with my background. Originally, I had considered Spanish to try something new, but it wasn't as interesting to me as the sounds and style that French seems to hold. It's a language with so much expression and finality. I think it's pretty sexy no matter who is speaking it. Now, I don't consider myself sexy at all but I hope that someday knowing some French will give me some sexy points. It certainly can't hurt, right?

     Quietly, I skip in just seconds late and earn a degrading stare from the teacher as I slide into my chair.

     He proceeds, "Now that everyone is here," he spares me another glance before returning his attention to the day's lesson, "I am happy to have a guest inv to help me today. A new transfer for senior year all the way from Lyons, France!" He makes sure to use his best exaggerated French accent as he does a slight bow holding both hands towards the corner where Marius stands and gives him a polite nod.