Street (Urban Fiction)

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

It had been a week since I agreed to Trey's proposal, yet he still hadn't taught me anything. He claimed he wanted to make sure I didn't go back on my word. I hate to admit it, but that's exactly what I would've done. Mario just complicated everything, he wasn't a part of my plans. I was ducking and dodging him whenever I was around Chris. I even started eating lunch in the library to avoid any awkward situations.

Even if Mario wasn't involved, I would've still felt awkward around the group; Chris and Maria specifically. Her feelings for him were so obvious, and though I wasn't sure where his feelings stood for her, I knew he often entertained thoughts of them together. Not that he mentioned it, but the way he smiled and shook his head at certain things she did, and said, I could tell. It helped that I didn't have any classes with them this semester, but I still had classes with Trey and Mario. Trey was a pain in my butt, but Mario was sweet enough.

"Hey, where do you usually eat lunch? I never see you." Mario leaned over and asked. We had two more minutes until the bell rung. Usually we'd be doing work up until then, but I think the teacher was feeling nice since Valentine's Day was the next day.

I glanced over at him. He was always so happy, always sporting a smile. His chocolate eyes danced with joy as he waited for my reply. "I've been eating in the library," I answered. I didn't want to lie.

His eyebrows furrowed. "Don't you usually eat with Maria and the others?"

I chuckled. "Maria and the others? Am I usually a part of the 'others', or do I get my own?"

He smiled. "Always. You always get your own."

I smiled back, but had to look away. His eyes were too intense and his tone too genuine. I didn't know what to say.

"Are you blushing?" He laughed a little.

"Pshhh, no. I don't blush." I looked back at him to prove that.

"Sooner or later I'll get you to start blushing, and once you do, you won't be able to stop." He tilted his head to the side and waited for my reaction.

I couldn't help smiling. He looked like one of those puppy's that always got their owners to say yes with just the tilt of their head. Not today puppy. "Don't hold your breath on it," I replied.

"Why? If I do, will you blush just to keep me from dying?" He asked as his eyes crinkled with amusement.

The bell rang. I opened my mouth to answer, but instead, I grabbed my bag and started walking towards the door.

"No answer?" I could hear his chair scraping as he got up. "Aw man, you're cold."

It didn't take him long to catch up and fall into step with me. It's not like I was walking fast anyways. I purposely took my time walking during lunch. It was always amusing to watch the other students bustling around, either speeding to their next class, or trying to get a good spot in the lunch line. Half of the time they weren't even aware of their surroundings; never watched where they were going.

We turned a corner, and low and behold, one of those non watching students almost ran into me. Almost, but Mario was quick. He put his arm out in front of me and prevented the collision. The girl looked up and her eyes widened with fear, while my brows furrowed in confusion. She looked down at my hands, and then back up at me. That's when it dawned on me, people still remembered that fight from the first week of school. I rolled my eyes and stepped around her, resuming my walk to the library. All I could think was, "how the hell was Mario so quick?" That had to have been faster than an average reaction time. We didn't even see her, so what did he react to? It was like he felt it.