The Island Princess

Chapter 28. Act 2: The voyage

{Location: Silverthorn high school theater}(Skylor's POV)[When Skylor was in her Senior high school year]

"Zip!" Sam half-claps her hands while aiming them at me.

Really, in a circle of 5, she had to pick me? "Zap!" I point my hands to Das, still doing a weird half clap thing.

A small cheer erupts when Das doesn't respond with, 'Zow.' He looks up, glancing at me, "Is it my turn?"

"It was." He's been acting weird lately. I smirk slightly at him, "We can play again."

He shakes his head, "I-i-it's fine." He walks backward while pointing his thumb at the stage, "And whoa, would you look at the time. It's tech week, SO, I've um..gotta...bye!" After tripping over a seat, he runs to the electronics closet.

Sam snickers, "I think someone has a crush."

"Who Das?" I lick my lips, trying to ignore a wired tugging feeling in my gut, "Yeah. I thought that too. But he won't say who when I want to talk about it."

Sam half covers her mouth, now holding down her snickers and snorts very well, "I wasn't talking about Das."

I fold my arms as I raise an eyebrow.

Jessica, tosses her long brown hair back before adjusting her thick purple glasses, "You. You have a crush on Das."

"Pfft," I roll my eyes, "Am not."

Taylor covers his heart with his chest, "Girl, please. It's so obvious you like-like him."

"What are we? Middle schoolers?" Who even came up with the term, 'like-like.' My mouth starts to feel dry despite me sipping my water constantly. Ugh, why is the back of my neck so hot right now? I try not biting my lower lip, I don't have a crush, I don't have a crush. "What makes you think I do?"

Jessica warms up her voice, "Because," her voice travels to a higher pitch then what was previously known to man, "How the way your voice fluctuates around him."

Taylor starts playing with his hand, a lot like how a girl does when she's nervous, "And the way you suddenly start fiddling with your hands or your hair or your hoodie zipper."

"And," Sam slides up next to me, pocking my cheeks, "How deeply red your face gets once you lay eyes on him."

I push her off, half snickering, this is a joke they're pulling on me. Right? I fold my arms, "First, I haven't been drinking a lot of water, which is why my voice fluctuates. Second, I'm still not so good in social circles. Fiddling with stuff on had just calms me down. Third, it's hot in this theater. I mean geez, I like the heat but this is too much."

"So just take your hoodie off then," Sam wiggles her eyebrows, "And mabey those gloves too."

I grab her hand as she moves to take my gloves off, "I'm fine. I'll get use to the heat."

She shrugs as she pulls her hand back. "All right."

The sound of a speaker and a mic screeching nearly breaks my eardrums. Ok, not really but I like being a little dramatic now and then. "Check. One, two, three." Das' voice echoes through the surround sound system. He puts his hand over the mic, shouting from behind the curtain, "CAN YOU HEAR THE MIC?!"

"YES!" Tayor heads to his direction, "Hang on. Don't do them all without me."

I lean up against the chair, "So now that we have established that I do not have a crush on Das. Who do you think he likes? I'm thinking-"

Both Sam and Jessica sigh at the same time, "You."

My stomach feels like it's swallowed a herd of butterflies, "Jessica. W-what do you mean me? I mean, pfft, no way."