The Art Of Seduction ✓

|32| Anger

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"Every time you get angry, you poison your own system."

Alfred A. Montapert

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"MISS LEWITT CAN I have a minute of your time?"

I glanced up, my eyes spotted the cheerleading coach. She was often in sports gear as she doubled as the Third and Fourth years gym teacher but today she wore a dress, which felt as strange and odd. Waving goodbye to Tallah, Tassia and Grace, I made my way to coach. "Hey coach," I greeted. 

"I have good news for you," She said smiling, a bit away from my friends.

I smiled, "We got cheer back on?"

"Yep, I got you girls a space near the basketball court on Thursdays from two to four in the afternoon."

"Only on thursday?" 

"Unfortunately, most of the teams have moved there too, so we just have to make do with what we've got."

The coach looked genuinely happy and pleased with herself. If the smile and open body posture was any indicator. I wished I could look as delighted as her. But I tried forcing a grin on my face and nodding along enthusiastically as coach rambled on about the meeting. 

She had worked on this for a long time, so why couldn't she have at least gotten two dates in? The cheerleaders were needed for the basketball game and the football game. I tried not to be annoyed but it wasn't easy with the way coach was acting. It was times like these I wished we had a real cheer leading coach, someone that could push us and not leave it up to us girls. 

I was so relieved then the warning bell rang. 

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"THAT FUCKING SUCKS," Tassia whined when I told the girls. 

"Why didn't she call me in?" Rekha asked. "We're co-captains."

"Maybe she couldn't find you?" I offered. 

"Or maybe she's racist," Rekha whined, "She always seems to consult you more than me."

"I don't know, maybe she thought you were occupied with student government, with winters ball and everything coming up," Grace said, touching Rekha's arm gently. 

A pit of angry fire bundled in my stomach and not for the first time, I wanted to shout at Grace. These past few days, I kept getting angry at her. It was always unreasonable. Grace was a nice person. But I found myself getting annoyed with the amount of times she'd stop to talk to someone. I disliked the way she always ate something healthy. I hated the fact she hadn't lost her accent.

"It's okay being mad, Amber," Grace said suddenly to me, "I'm mad too, one day of practice is hardly enough."

"I know right!" Tassia said far to eagerly. "I can't believe her, if I was the captain, I'd just stand up and give her a piece of my mind."

"Thank heavens you're not captain then," I said. 

Tassia shot me a dirty look. It wasn't a secret Tassia wanted to be captain, but she didn't have what it took. She was too boy-driven. I wouldn't be surprised to find Tassia cancelling a practice just to hang out with a boy. 

Tassia didn't get to say what she was about to as Grace stood up, hitting Tassia's tray. Tassia caught the tray before it fell off the table turning to glance at Grace. Grace didn't seem to notice, a grin on her face as she strode towards James. My eyes were riveted on the american girl as she spoke to James. Her hands moving animatedly in a way that was hers. Minutes of them speaking and Grace was walking towards our table with James in tow.

I remembered a few years ago when Tassia, Tallah and Rekha all agreed he couldn't sit with us. The same girls who said I couldn't, didn't say anything as James Tan sat with us. He sat in the only space around the six of us, which was beside Grace and across Tallah. 

"Hey guys, have you met James?" Grace said, unapologetic about interrupting our conversation looking excited. 

"Um yeah, we have, James was paired off with Amber when he first came here." Rekha said, glancing at me. 

I shrugged, trying not to stare at James and Grace. The space between them was next to none, their arms kept brushing against the other. She kept glancing at him,  even when he sat beside her. 

Kaden had mentioned she was seeing someone else. 

I recalled her saying she was going with some lacrosse player to the Winters Ball. 

I'd seen her with him.

Why hadn't I connected it all? It was so clear, so obvious that I felt fucking stupid. 

Even though there was no way Grace could have known that I liked James, even though I pretended he didn't exist and even though I should be focusing on Kaden, I found this swell of anger bubbling in my throat. I wanted to yell at her to move away from him. To stop touching him. To stop looking at him like that because James Tan was my soulmate and she shouldn't even be looking at him.

I ignored her, pretending to be engrossed in a conversation about dresses for the winters ball, but secretly glancing at James. It felt like drinking Tabasco sauce. My eyes trailed away from Rekha but this time, moving to glance at Kaden, laughing with Cassian and Joey. They always sat together. I wasn't even surprised. I wished I was with them.

"Hey, Am," Rekha called. 

My eyes went back to hers. 

"So who are you going with for the Winters ball?"

It occurred to me then that no one had asked me. And the one I wanted to go to before was with going with Grace fucking perfect Chambers. I realised my table was a little more quieter, so I said loudly clearly, wanting to stab James, "Well, the one I wanted to go with hasn't asked me yet."

I resisted looking at James but he responded, so I found my eyes landing on him. "Well, that's such a shame. Maybe, he'd have asked you, if you showed any interest."

I raised my eyebrows. "Funny. Thankfully, he's not you."

I wasn't paying attention to anyone really, just James. His eyes were also on mine and it felt like everyone had faded out and it was just the two of us. We were both aiming to stab and I could see I stabbed him. Rekha pinched me under the table. I blinked, lured back to the present. 

My eyes went to Grace, already regretting saying anything. Her eyes were blank, so was her face. But she still sat ridiculously close to James. 

James Tan smiled raising his hands laughing lightly as though it would ease the tension in the table, "Fair enough. I'll mind my own business." He turned to look at Grace and he leaned down kissing her square on the lips. It was soft, gentle and everything I dreamt my first kiss would him would be like. When he glanced up, his eyes found mine in just a tiny second they held mine. Grace's eyes were still closed. In that brief second it felt like a big "Fuck you."