Max.
"Hey, can you pick me up? Mia had to go to work early today," I asked Alex on the phone. At four-thirty in the morning, Mia swung open my door and yelled that she was called in and I needed to find a ride. I looked at her for a few seconds and then went back to sleep.
"Uh, yeah, give me a second though, I'm getting coffee. Do you want one?" Alex asked, yawning. Alex was not a morning person; he had to have either coffee or an energy drink.
"Sure, get me whatever you get," I shouted across the room while getting dressed.
"Alright, I'll be right there," he said and hung up.
I put on my shirt and went to brush my teeth, looking at myself in the mirror. My hair was everywhere and my shirt was a bit wrinkly. I smoothed my shirt with my hands and attempted to fix my hair. I sighed, feeling too tired to care.
I grabbed my bag from the living room and heard a honk, it must be Alex. I grabbed my keys, locked the door, and headed to Alex's car. He had music blasting and was chugging whatever was left from his cup. I opened the door and he turned the music down, "dude, they must have put crack in my coffee or something. I should not have this much energy right now!" Alex basically shouted.
I laughed. "Morning to you too."
Alex pulled out of my driveway and sped off. I grabbed my cup and took a sip, almost burning my tongue. "Damn, it's hot."
"I hope we're not late, the coffee place took a while," Alex sighed, looking at his watch.
I shook my head, "Nah, I only live a few minutes away."
We were indeed late - five minutes late.
___
Second period came and I sat next to Chris, "Hey, have you seen Ares?"
My eyebrows furrowed, "no.. why?" I was hoping he missed today, last night I didn't text him back. Mia freaked me out with her three 'Y' comment, she made me nervous.
As soon as Chris was about to say something Ares walked in and locked eyes with me. I wanted to look away and act like I didn't see him but he headed our way. I felt my body go hot and my hand started getting clammy. Am I nervous? No. Am I Scared of him? Not really. Why is my body reacting like this then? Maybe im getting sick.
"Morning," he greeted and sat behind me.
Chris turned around and started talking with Ares, I on the other hand didn't want to face him. I now feel bad about not texting him back, what if he was just being nice? This whole crush thing is freaking me out, Chris really got into my head. Finally I turn around in my seat and join in on their conversation.
"Did you really fight Dom?" Chris asked, eyes wide with disbelief.
Ares nodded. "Yeah, for about five seconds before he ran away crying."
"No way," Chris said, shaking his head as if trying to dispel the idea.
"How did it start?" I asked, now genuinely curious.
Ares' gaze flickered to mine, a smirk playing on his lips. "He was being an asshole."
His eyes lingered on me for a moment longer than necessary, and the atmosphere shifted slightly. Chris, eager to break the tension, jumped in with another question.
"Does anyone have a video of it?"
Ares shook his head. "His friends were recording, but I'm pretty sure he made them delete it. Total coward move."
"Wow!" Chris exclaimed, still trying to wrap his mind around the image of Dom ever backing down. Dom was notorious for being a bully, particularly to the freshmen.
"Let's hope he learned a lesson," I said, shaking my head in disbelief.
Ares chuckled. "Guys like him never learn anything, and he's probably gonna wanna fight me again."
He was probably right. Dom would never learn, and he wasn't going to change. Finally, the teacher appeared and quieted us down, launching into her lengthy lesson. My mind began to wander. I found myself thinking about lunch and how Alex was going to ask Ares if he was seeing someone. Anxiety bubbled up inside me; I didn't want the guys to make it seem like I was eager to know. What if Ares thought I liked him? I felt my face heat up, and I slumped in my chair with a sigh. Glancing at the clock, I realized I still had two periods left until lunch. It felt like an eternity, but once it arrived, school would be halfway over, and I would finally feel a sense of relief.
___
"Party this Friday!" Chris shouted as he came into view of our lunch table. I sighed—great, another party I was going to get dragged to. I settled into my usual spot, Chris plopping down next to me and Alex taking his seat across.
"Party?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow as he sat down.
"Yup! This Friday, and we're going," Chris declared, practically bouncing out of his chair. For a moment, I thought he might leap onto the table. He suddenly pointed at Elio, who was walking in with Ares. "You're both going too!" Chris yelled.
Elio and Ares approached the table and took seats, Ares squeezing in next to me between Chris and me. I shifted over a bit to make room. "Where are we going?" Elio asked, opening his soda can.
"A party this Friday! Come on, Elio, keep up!" Chris exclaimed, his energy uncontainable. Elio rolled his eyes, every time he got drunk a 'new Elio' came out. He hates going to parties but once he has a drink in his hand he turns into a beast. I on the other hand just hate having everyone surrounding me sweating, dancing, smoking, drinking, grinding, and bumping into me. Overall the whole idea of it, I do like the drinking part though.
"Will you come with us?" Chris asked Ares.
Ares looked at all of us and nodded, his gaze lingering on mine for a few seconds longer than necessary. I forced a smile, trying to ignore the flutter in my stomach. Suddenly, I felt someone kick me under the table and saw Alex making a face that screamed mischief. My eyes narrowed at him; he better not.
"So... Ares," Alex began, his tone overly casual. I kicked him again, and he jumped slightly, but thankfully Ares didn't seem to notice.
"Sup?" Ares replied, turning his attention to Alex.
"Do you have someone special back home or nah?" Alex continued, acting as if my previous kick had never happened.
Ares tilted his head, a curious smile forming on his lips. "What makes you ask?"
Oh god, he knows. I could almost hear the smirk in his voice.
Alex's face dropped slightly, clearly unprepared for the intensity of Ares's gaze. "Umm, I was just wondering," he stammered.
Ares smiled wider, clearly enjoying this. "To answer your oddly worded question, no."
Then, unexpectedly, Ares turned his gaze to me, his expression shifting to something more serious. "What about you?" He let his eyes wander to the others around the table. "Do all of you have someone special?" The question hung in the air, thick with unspoken tension. My heart raced as I felt the weight of Ares's gaze lingering on me, waiting for a response. The sudden shift in atmosphere was palpable, and I could sense the curiosity radiating off everyone else at the table.
"I, um..." I stammered, suddenly filled with self-consciousness. "Not at the moment." I tried to keep my voice steady, but it wavered slightly at the end.
Elio jumped in to rescue me, his ever-present sense of humor shining through. "Yeah, none of us are exactly winning any relationship awards," he said with a chuckle.
YOU ARE READING
The Fire of Ares
RomanceMax had always kept to himself, even around his closest friends. He was the school's mystery boy, completely unaware of the air of intrigue that surrounded him. Ares, on the other hand, was confident and outgoing. He was someone who always got what...