Paracosm

Introduction Part One

I hated every second I was here. I hate being around people, especially those from school. I'm only here because my friend Darcey had convinced me. The only reason she is here is because her crush is here. She's fallen head over heels for him when he doesn't even care to look her way. It's a shame she doesn't realize that.

They all sat in a circle in the living room, huddled around a glass bottle. They took turns spinning and two by two the couples would walk upstairs, hands together. I sat on the barstool in the kitchen only a dozen feet away, just watching them. There'd be no chance in hell I'd play that game. I was antisocial and very proud of it.

Right now there was only seven people around in a circle. One was Mary-Kate Chapman, the same girl who put gum in my hair at the beginning of primary school. Her blonde hair was beyond curly and I swear I could smell the gallons of perfume from where I sat. Next to her was Tiara Tanner, if that was even her real name. She sat in a position that was not flattering for wearing such a short skirt. On the right of her was Lavender Faulkner who I thought never had a brain. She was smacking her gum way too loudly and twirling a strand of her hair with one finger. Then there was David Fischer and his buddy Andrew Gardiner. The two of them were always together like brothers, you never saw them apart. Of course they were dressed in the school's gear, I'd expect no less. Then there was Jaymes. Jaymes Harker. I couldn't look at him longer than a second because he had some power that just knew. He'd look right back at me. That's why I moved my eyes to Darcy. Darcy Swan, the angel of Colton Academy. Her red hair was curling around her and she always had a smile on that freckled face. I never knew why she wanted to be my friend but she stuck around.

"Jaymes," Mary-Kate drags out his name. It took a lot not to throw up over hearing her voice. It was like some five year old little girl who didn't get the doll she wanted for Christmas. "Your turn! Who do you think you'll pick?" She asks, moving her forward in some strange way a tiger crawls on the ground towards its prey. She had her shirt unbuttoned two buttons down further than dress code, but we weren't in school and those things were just about ready to pop out like popcorn.

His friend Andrew whispers something into his ear, causing him to grin and say something back- something I couldn't catch. Then just like that- his power- his golden brown eyes look up to meet mine. "You aren't playing, Nina?" He asks me.

I feel my stomach clench and my mind telling me to say something before I make a fool of myself. "I told you I don't want to play," I tell him, my voice quieter than I thought while my gaze went down to the floor.

"What was that mumbler?" Mary-Kate scoffs, laughing with her two friends.

I try to remind myself to breathe, because breathing's good, but that flew straight out the window when Jaymes stood up and began to walk over to me. Looking past him I meet Darcey's green eyes, giving me a sympathetic look. The look that I'm screwed. He leaned against the counter facing me and stared. His gaze was like burning lava into my skin and I hated it. To think I loved it once was beyond me. "I decide not to spin and just chose. And I chose you," He says.

Damnit.

Mary-Kate scoffs. "Why chose her? She doesn't even want to play, she's got a stick up her ass," She snaps.

"I mean," Lavender says through chomps, still twirling her hair. "He can do that." Her words got a smack in the back of the head by Mary-Kate. "Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"Don't make me look like a fool," Jaymes says while everyone is distracted by the small cat fight going on.

I meet his eyes once more. They glowed like chestnuts in the dimly lit small cabin. My chest was closing so much I thought I wouldn't be able to breathe anymore if he stayed this close to me. "I'm not going upstairs with you Jaymes," I say just as quiet.