Elle and the Exchange Student

Chapter 3

Elle's Point of View:

Sitting down at our usual table, all I can think about is what the new trio must think of me after such a episode.

Bell rang and people are slowly making their way to the cafeteria. Fannie and Delilah already finished their lunches and are now engrossed in a deep conversation about which one of the new guys is hotter. I know what my opinion is, but I'm not participating in the debate.

I'm trying my best to keep calm, eat my grilled chicken sandwich, and focus on the fact that any minute now the trio would appear and most likely sit down at our table.

The girls did their best at prepping me and I am forever grateful. Together we came up with a story why I so suddenly ran away before.

Maybe it won't be so bad to talk to them. At least now I am little bit more prepared and the best thing is I can always hide behind my sandwich!

What a great idea once again.

Not a long after, I feel the chair beside me being pulled back and somebody sits down. I don't dare to look up; I keep my gaze on my very beautiful sandwich. But from the side view, I can tell that it is Damián who sat next to me.

I gather up all my courage and lift my head. At our table, Fannie is on my right, and on my left is Damián. Right across from me, Delilah sits with Dae-Jung on one side and Tilda on the other.

"Hey you" Damián said beside me, lightly nudging my shoulder.

Okay, this is it, Elle. You can do this!

I carefully look into his dark eyes and with a shy smile on my face I am able to answer a simple "Hi"

He chuckled, probably finding me so awkward and weird. I don't know if I should be honoured or offended that I amuse him.

"So what's your name then?" he continued.

"Elle" and right after answering I turned my head back down and took a bite of my fascinating chicken sandwich.

"What was with the sprint earlier?" This time he spoke more quietly and I was more than thankful.

"I...I had a scheduled appointment and I was late so..." I knew this was such a lame excuse but that was the best we could come up with only having so little time. We thought it was boring enough so there wouldn't be any further questions, but then again, detailed and simple enough to provide a solid explanation.

"Right"

"Yeah right"

Two almost identical responses at the same time yet with totally opposite meanings. The first one came from Damián, and I could tell he wasn't hundred percent convinced, but he was nice enough to let it go. I'm sure he could sense my discomfort.

But then there was Dae-Jung's 'yeah right' response. I had hoped that he wouldn't have heard our little conversation, but his tone made it clear that he wasn't accepting my lame explanation for what happened earlier.

Oh my god! What do I do? What do I say? One thing you should know about me is that I am not good at witty comebacks - not at all! I prefer thorough overthinking, going through every possible way of answering. Not to forget, I always try to find an answer that pleases everyone and doesn't hurt anyones feelings. Finally, I have to have a complete and perfectly formed sentence in mind before I even think about opening my mouth. Of course, then I have to practice saying it at least fifty-seven times in my head. By the time I have built up the courage to actually say what I want, the opportunity and moment has almost every time already passed.

Alternatively, in the heat of the moment, I might manage to say something back, only to regret it instantly and spend the rest of the month thinking about better alternatives I should have come up with in the first place.

Now I can feel my heart starting to pound against my chest and...

"Why the attitude, stranger?" And, as we all know, Delilah is quick with clever replies, unlike me.

"Very funny" he glared at Deli, unmoved by her words. He then leaned over the table, so he was closer to me "Can't even defend yourself?" he said, looking straight to my soul and pursed his mouth in a self-satisfied smirk.

"I can... I mean..." but nothing else came out of my mouth as his smirk deepened.

"Thought so" he stated proudly, as if he had just won a some sort of game.

"Stop it, Dae. Can't you see that you're making her uncomfortable" Damián defended me, putting his right hand around my shoulders. Though, in fact, it rested on the back of my chair, his actions were still clear and affected me nonetheless.

"Like I cared" he just shrugged and leaned back, but immediately after, Delilah punched him in the chest - not with full force but strong enough to deliver the message.

I was still trying to wrap my head around what just happened. First things first, I have never been so close to a guy before. Although I know Damián put his hand around my shoulders in friendly but somewhat protective manner, he couldn't possibly know the affect it has on me.

Sensing the uneasiness his light touch brings, Damián moves his hand away. And like the telepath she is, noticing ever single little detail, on my other side Fannie gives my thigh a little encouraging squeeze. She's touchy-feely, but I don't mind. She calms me down.

Secondly I have never encountered a person so rude and straightforward, like he can't read the room. Or even worse, maybe he can but chooses not to care. Yes, I am talking about the handsome bad boy. He makes me furious, but at the same time, he makes me so vulnerable, I want to crawl into a fetal position and cry my eyes out.

My head still spinning, I try to focus and then notice I never finished my delicious sandwich - what a shame. However, I didn't feel like eating anymore.

To my own surprise, I was the one who broke the awkward silence.

"I think I'm gonna go now. It was nice to meet you guys" I said, directing the last part only at Tilda and Damián. They smiled back at me not daring to say anything.

Standing up, Fannie was about to stop me, but I mouthed a quick 'it's okay' and gave her a hug. I wanted to hug Delilah as well, but she sat next to the beast, and no way I was going anywhere near him. So, I just waved her goodbye and left.

All the way as I walked through the cafeteria, I could feel someone staring at me, but I ignored it and didn't look back.

For the rest of the day, I didn't share any classes with Fannie or Delilah. I didn't run into anyone else either, which was good. It gave me time and peace to properly calm down and, once again, go through everything.

When school finally ended, I ran to the bus stop, eager to get home. Well, that's a first. Usually, home was the last place I wanted to be, but at the moment, I wanted nothing more than to be off the school property.

Arriving home and noticing that my mom's car wasn't there, I let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, I didn't need to deal with her. Tears began to fall as I dragged myself up the stairs to my room. Immediately after taking off my shoes, I jumped onto the bed.

This day was emotionally exhausting and before I even realised, I was fast asleep.