Coterie of Darkness

Chapter 7: Shadows

“You guys coming to the party later?” Nathan asked the trio, nudging Sammie in the side, making her blush slightly.

“I dunno yet, I already have so much homework to do already. I’d rather stay on top of it.” Jamie spoke, sighing slightly, earning a look from Sammie who signed in return that they should go.

“C’mon, don't be such a stiff Jim” The taller of the three girls chimed into the conversation, ruffling Jamie's hair after slamming her locker. The four of them continued to walk through the hallway towards their final classes of the day.

“I told you not to call me Jim, it’s a stupid nickname.” They rolled their eyes at her frenemy as they walked, rolling their eyes at her and pushing her away from them, moving closer to Sammie to hide behind her slightly.

Carmen rolled her eyes. “Just us going then Sammie!” The two girls high fived over their shorter friends head, who just waved their arms above their head, swatting their hands. Nathan laughed at the three, feeling like a fourth wheel.

“I'll see you girls later then.” Nathan finalised before turning to head to his class. “Bye guys, later Sam” Nathan smiled and pointed towards her as he walked backwards, bumping into his teacher who just started to walk into the classroom, and giving him a funny look making him laugh nervously.

The trio walked their way to their own class, sitting together near the back for a small group project they had to do. “Sooooooo, Sammie. You and Nate huh?” Carmen nudged at her, enjoying her friends embarrassment as her face flushed pink. Sammie tried to hide her face while signing to the two, brushing away their relationship as nothing. “C’mon it’s obvious you two like each other! Maybe ill give him a hint to ask u out?” The Spanish girl laughed out some more, a slight accent sprouting through a little as she spoke. Her words only reddened her friend's face, making her wave her hands dramatically to deny the notion of even doing it.

Jamie pulled at Carmen's tie, their faces getting slightly closer “Stop teasing her Carm, or ill start embarrassing you instead.” They spoke, lifting an eyebrow to tempt her. Carmen’s face reddened slightly also, both her and Sammie becoming nervous messes.

*Oh yeah Scotty? How so?” Carmen challenged the blonde who just held her gaze, their face staying neutral, only a slight smirk growing the more pink Carmens face turned, attempting to look normal.

A slight squeal came from beside them, the two turned their head to their muted friend who held her hands up in a heart shape, fitting her friend's faces inside the heart. Carmen and Jamie looked back towards one another before pushing each other away, seeming to try and get as far away as possible. Murmuring denials came from the two, both now with pink cheeks and ears.

Jamie paused for a brief moment and looked back towards Sammie. “Hold on, did you squeal just now? Was that you?” They asked, leaning more onto their friends desks behind them. Sammie also started to turn red again, this time grabbing large clumps of hair and hiding her face behind her hair. Carmen and Jamie looked at each other in disbelief but just grinned at one another, dropping the subject for now.

“Look at us, we look like tomatoes probably” Carmen laughed, the other two looking at her and smiling before facing the teacher as he walked in. Each of them are used to feeling strongly for one another, despite not being related by blood, they already felt like family to one another. It was hard to separate them, even when they separate from each other sometimes, they always find their way back to one another. Carmen and Jamie have been doing their own things a lot more recently though, Jamie is always putting their head in their books and studying, and Carmen just disappears without a word for hours.

The class dragged on, the french teacher throwing words around the room, nitpicking whenever someone wrote something wrong or said something without the proper accent. Carmen was basically asleep the whole class, already getting good enough grades that the teacher ignored her incompetence to pay attention in class. The loud ringing of the school bell awoke her, startling her enough to almost fall out of her chair, making the other two of the trio laugh at her.