Butterfly Years

Chapter 11

“But I won’t be able to pick you up after school so you’ll have to ask Sabby or someone to give you a ride home…”

I blinked, struggling to pull my mind out of it’s semi-conscious state and concentrate on what’s going on.

Unicorns…pink ribbons…enchanted forests…Archie…flowers…

Archie. Right. Archie.

“Syaz?” my brother asked, his eyes fixed on the road as he avoided another accident.

I nodded sleepily, “Yeah. Go on. Who won the match last night?”

“I was saying,” Archie stresses, rolling his eyes as he swerves to the left yet again, “That I won’t be able to get pick you up from school today. We have a Founder’s Day Function at college and I won’t be home until five or something. So you’ll have to get your own ride home.”

“Oh,” I said, trying to keep thoughts of talking cats away from my mind, “Yeah. Sure.”

The car screeched to a halt outside school and I struggled to grab my folder from the backseat before opening the door and stepping out. My limbs were hurting from the lack of rest, and my forehead was throbbing.

Never again will I ever watch Harry Potter at one in the morning with a cute boy every again.

I waved as Archie’s car pulled out of the school gates, before turning around and walking into a wall of stone.

Aaarggghhh, my sleepy mind whined, What now?!?

The wall of stone moved back, and I looked up to see Cedric, grinning at me.

“Am I that irresistible?” he asked, smirking down at himself.

Oh God, somebody tell that guy that cheesy was so last year.

I glared up at him, but was surprised to be met with a black eye.

Wait. That’s wrong. I’m aware that Cedric’s eyes are a bright blue. So what’s with the black…

Oh right. He has a bruise there.

“Are you okay?” I asked, concern slipping into my voice. How on earth did he get that bruise? That has to hurt.

The smile fell off his face. “Yeah,” he laughed nervously, “I’m alright. Why?”

“Oh, I can’t possibly be asking because you have a bruised eye,” I reply sarcastically, “because that would be way too obvious.”

I rolled my eyes at him as the both of us made a beeline for our homeroom. At least, I was making my way to my homeroom. I wasn’t not exactly sure why he was following me.

“I fell,” he stated, and I snorted disbelievingly. “Yeah, sure,” I said sarcastically, “You fell. How obvious. Why did I even ask?”

“Hey,” he said, stepping back and raising his hands in mock surrender, “What’s with the sarcastic mood?”

I sighed. It wasn’t exactly his fault that he got to experience Miss Cranky Pants – a result when Syaz June doesn’t get enough sleep.

“But how did you get your bruise?” I ask finally, as we made our way past a couple of girls ogling Cedric as if he was the best thing since iPods.

He shrugged. “Someone hit me,” he said casually.

Too casually.

“Who hit you?” I asked in surprise. I thought street mugging and stuff like that didn’t happen anymore.