We Are Infinite

f i v e

m i a  /  f i v e

Monday morning sees me late at school, hair pushed into a topknot on the top of my head, wearing an oversized hoodie and black leggings. Face free of makeup and dark bags under my eyes on full display, I walk into the school cafeteria and watch as the tables quiten.

"See? I told you! It's working!" Caitlyn clutches my arm, "They're going to leave the hobo girl alone and then Kade Lawson will stop trying to get your attention."

I grumble, "Yeah, after getting his mom to try getting him a date."

Caitlyn rolls her eyes at me and pulls me toward a table, on the far end of the cafeteria. "Just let that go, Mia. That was last week."

I sigh, "Well, so? He's the one who got me into this whole mess in the first place."

I tear open the wrapper of a protein bar, taking a bite as Caitlyn laughs at me. "Oh yeah, the Kade thing. Maybe you just have a thing for Kade's?"

"Not funny." I glower at her, wanting to bury myself out of the utter mortification of the weekends events. I rethink about the short message I'd sent to Kade on Instagram, and the reply that I'd received the next morning. It wasn't what I was expecting at all, to say the least.

Because I'd direct messaged a Kade Ryder, instead of Kade Lawson.

I groan again, the memory still fresh in my mind. If it were possible to die out of embarrassment, I'd be six feet under. God knows what Kade Ryder must have thought, whoever he might be.

He did sound the tiniest amount amused, though.

"Sorry, I'm a bit lost. Who are you?"

And then,

"Anger issues much?😉"

I'd replied with about a hundred monkey covering-face emojis, thereafter shooting off another quick DM telling him that I must have messaged the wrong guy. Although I'd never intended, this seemed like an opening for an actual conversation, because he wondered out loud how that could have happened.

I sigh to myself, ignoring Caitlyn as she babbles on about my "Kade curse", when Cameron Black, Kade Lawson's best friend and teammate, walks up to our table and slides into the seat next to me. Caitlyn and I look at each other, our eyes exchanging quick WTF looks.

Excuse me for that bad reference.

Cameron Black places his arms on the table, resting his chin in the palm of his hand as he grins at me. I'm taken aback by this whole thing, because I've never spoken to Cameron Black in all the five years that I've been at this school. I may have borrowed an eraser from him in around the second grade, but that's about it.

Caitlyn clears her throat, and I shoot her a quick glance. She eye-motions to the surrounding tables, and I internally groan as I realize that the attention of the entire cafeteria is now on our table.

As well as Cameron Black being a pretty good player on the soccer team and being the best friend of Kade Lawson, Cameron was admittedly quite handsome. He had his fair share of admirers, no doubt girls angling to wear his soccer jersey at his matches. With clear green eyes the colour of moss and a mess of golden curls, he pretty much had his own thing going for him.

"Mia, right?" Cameron tilts his head, clear green eyes zeroing in onto mine.

I'm hesitant upon talking, but Caitlyn pokes a finger into my hip. I shoot her a glare, then focus back onto Cameron. "Yeah. Cameron, is it?"

As if I don't already know. Cameron raises an eyebrow, "Yup, that's me." He grins, "So Kade isn't here today, because he's busy training for soccer, but he'd said to pass on his number."

"Oh, I don't need it. Thanks anyway," I say, but Cameron is already leaning over. He wrap his fingers around my arm, turning it around, and then with a quick uncapping of a black Sharpie, he writes down the number on my arm.

When he's done, I look to Caitlyn, who is watching this exchange with her eyebrows raised. "Um. Okay. I didn't need it, but thanks . . . I think."

"You should say yes." Cameron laughs, and I roll my eyes at him. Before long, after making useless small talk, Cameron gets up and walks back to his table. I slowly turn my head around to look at Caitlyn, and she stares back at me.

"Kade's not even here today. This whole thing failed!" I accuse, but Caitlyn shakes her head.

"It didn't fail. Cameron still came over to chat . . . But I suppose that could be because he hadn't seen your get up yet." She smirks, and I let out a heavy sigh.

This is going to be hard.

. . .

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