Mysteries

Chapter Two: Lela

It was lunch. Finally. 

I had my chemistry book out, studying for my quiz the next period, and gnawing on an apple. Granny Smith. 

Tracy plopped down beside me at the round table, our other friend Veronica in tow. 

"Okay, I found out their names. The major hottie's name is Ryland Blackwell. The two guys behind him are Jake Hamilton and Brandon Gwesi. Jake was the blonde one, and Brandon was the black one. The black girl's name is Celeste Gwesi and she's Brandon's cousin. The final person's name is Kelly Nalicone. They're all from some small town in North Dakota and transferred here because they all have some kind of sports scholarships lined up at UCLA," Tracy said in a rush, stealing a strawberry from my fruit salad. Veronica gave me a blank look.

"She's been going on about them for the past two periods," she said without emotion. I smiled at her annoyance. I loved Veronica. She was sassy and took nobody's bullshit ever. We became friends when some douchebag wouldn't take no for an answer and she threatened to call the police on him but not before she castrated him. I knew from that day on, we were going to be good friends. 

Tracy huffed and pouted. 

"They look like they belong in a teenage drama film. I can't be the only one intrigued. It's not every day that we get new people," she whined. I laughed at her and continued to laugh even though the cafeteria had gotten quiet like earlier. I turned to see that "infamous" group walk to an empty table and sit down. Everyone was whispering and pointing. 

Okay, I'm fed up. 

I stood up and slammed my hands on the table. 

"Can you people stop being annoying? They're new, we get it! Move on! They're still people, goddamn!" Everyone, including the group, stared at me. I hear someone clear their throat. I looked up to see my bald principal frowning at me. He handed me a pink slip. I groaned and sat down. 

Detention. Awesome. 

Not like I was new to this. It was as if he had a slip with my name on it ready in his oversized jacket pocket. 

"I don't know why you can't go through a day without getting in trouble," Tracy scolded. I smiled maliciously at her. 

"Why spend the day being boring?" She sighed and continued eating my fruit salad. I just pushed the bowl towards her and gave her my fork. Tracy took it and nodded in thanks. 

Tracy and I have been best friends since we were babies. She was always the responsible one bailing me out of trouble. She practically lived at my house since my parents were never home and her parents didn't want me alone all the time. I don't think I have any memories where she wasn't in them. We did everything together. 

Before I knew it, the bell rang signifying the end of lunch. I gathered my textbook and calculator and said goodbye to my friends. They wished me luck as I walked to my chemistry class. I sat at my desk and started skimming my notes quickly. I could not fail. 

Although I got detention at least twice a week, I was ranked top of my class. My grades were spectacular, as they should be. I realized from a young age that the only way I could truly be independent and free from my parents was to get into a good college far, far away from California. 

"Okay, class. Put all materials except for a pencil and a calculator away," my teacher said and waited for us to do so before passing out our tests. I scribbled my name on my paper and started working on the complex problems. 

A knock on the door interrupted my train of thought. Being the one closest to the door, I got up to answer it. That guy was standing on the other side of the door. My eyes widened seeing him up close. His eyes were a bright copper color with a hint of green with the darkest and longest eyelashes I had ever seen. He had a bit of stubble on his face that matched the dark brown curls on his head.

He let out a little cough and I realize I had been staring. I immediately step back and return to my seat. That was so embarrassing! 

My teacher perked up and walked over to shake his hand. 

"Class, this is our new student, Ryland Blackwell. He's absolutely brilliant and I know he will do extremely well with you all! Please welcome him!" The class muttered out greetings before looking down at their tests quickly as if to avoid eye contact with him. I don't understand why everyone was intimidated by him. For me, it was quite the opposite. Something about him had me wanting to know more. He was mesmerizing. 

"You can sit next to Lela," my teacher responded, pointing at the desk beside me. Ryland's eyes followed the direction that he was pointing in before meeting mine. I let out a shaky breath. I don't know what he was doing to me but I didn't appreciate it at all. 

He took a seat and nodded his head at me. 

"Hey," he said. I nodded back but something triggered in my mind. Where had I heard that voice before? 

I suddenly remembered that I was taking a test and let out a little gasp before continuing to work. 

When I went to turn in my paper, my teacher stopped me. 

"Lela, because you are doing the best in the class, I would like for you to share all your notes with Mr. Blackwell and catch him up on what we're doing," he said and I groaned internally. It seems as if the world was working against me. 

I saw that Ryland had moved to a lab table, reading our textbook. When I walked over to him, I saw he already had five pages full of notes and was scribbling furiously in neat, square handwriting. 

"Here. This will make it a little easier," I said, holding out my notebook. He looked at the notebook and then at me. He took it slowly from me and flipped through the pages. 

"Thanks." I nodded and sat across from him. 

"So right now we're doing thermochemistry, which is-"

"The changes in enthalpy, entropy, and free energy in a system," he finished. My eyebrows rose in surprise. 

"Yeah, exactly. So you already know everything then?" He shrugged and continued reading through my notes. 

"I suppose you could say that. Or I could say that I don't know anything so you keep speaking to me," he said with a smile that made his eyes twinkle with joy. I let out a giggle and immediately frowned. Where did that come from? 

"Hm. Why would I waste my breath and energy?" I answered back coldly. He didn't seem phased. 

"Because I'm incredibly charming and you're very beautiful," he responded just as quickly. I almost fell off my stool. 

"You know what I think you are? A huge fuck boy," I said and crossed my arms. His eyes followed my movements and stayed there for a moment. 

"Hm. Is that what you think?" I scoffed and snapped my fingers to get him to look at my face again. 

"Yeah, I do, especially after you just stared at my chest. I know the kind of person you are and I won't be one of your conquests," I said firmly and with finality. He cocked his head, a move I swear I had seen before, and smirked. 

"We'll see, princess." Suddenly, he was right in my face, his minty breath touching my nose delicately. I shivered at the closeness and he grinned, showing dimples. 

"Do I make you nervous, babe?" I shook my head and rolled my eyes but inside, I was screaming. He stirred something awake in me and I was afraid of what control he already had over me. 

"In your wildest dreams," I whispered grimly.

"Oh, babe, you don't want to know what I'm dreaming of," he answered seductively. I gulped but remained silent. We stared at each other. I couldn't decipher the emotion in his eyes but what I did know was that I didn't want to stop looking at him.

The bell rang, interrupting our staring contest. He blinked and looked up at the ceiling as if he were cursing the bell for making class end. I went to my desk to grab my things. He did the same. 

"See you around," he said with a wink and exited the room. 

What was happening?