Angel's Wings

Chapter Two: Boys and Horses

"If you never know who you can trust, then trust me you'll be lonely." -Panic! At the Disco

Trying to shake the feeling of discomfort from off my shoulders, I threw myself into looking for my other closest friend, Delylah Frank. Tyrone had left to go flirt with some boys and sign up for a musical audition, so I was left to fend for myself in the jungle we call high school. I scanned the halls as I trudged through, finally seeing Delylah's gorgeous face shining by my locker.

If I didn't love Delylah so much I would probably hate her. Social, beautifully blonde, and smart, she was everything I wasn't. But we'd been close since birth, so I was comfortable with her in a way I hadn't felt with anyone else. She batted her eyelashes at me as I put in the locker combo. "Vael, babe, I thought we talked about presentation."

I rolled my eyes as I grabbed my purple Human Anatomy binder. "Okay, Del. You got me there," I snarkily replied. By some miracle, Delilah was able to get up every morning and make herself presentable for school. I just didn't get it. Why make yourself pretty for math? There were no cute guys at school anyway. I guess I just wasn't like my friend, and maybe I never would be. Other people were a mystery to me.

With Delilah still chattering, my eyes wandered past her shoulder and observed the people walking by. There was a jock, big and bulky with Chelsea, the most popular girl in school at his side. I moved my eyes farther past them in disgust, only half listening to Delylah's rant about her grade in English. Suddenly, my eyes found a boy sitting shyly on the bench in the hallway. His spine was turned away from me, but I was drawn to look at him nonetheless. He had sandy hair, like dry dirt ready to be plowed for a harvest. Even from far away I could see his vibrant, grass-green eyes.

Who is this boy? I thought I knew everyone at the school, but evidently not.

"Vael!" I heard, making me jump. I snapped back into focus and looked at Delilah. "Sorry sorry," I said, "I'm just tired is all."

Before Delilah could respond, though, the bell signaling the start of the school day rang. "Off to Human Anatomy we go!" I said with fake cheerfulness.

***

"Now class, I know you love your friends, but today I decided to switch things up and make a new seating chart." Mr. Stephens was always cheerful and kind, but this news did not bode well for me. Talking to other people was not my exact forte, and Delylah was the only person I knew in Human Anatomy. With his big blue eyes and dimpled smile, Mr. Stephens was normally a favorite. Today, though, I was thinking that might change.

"Okay, now first up we have Delylah and Sam over here," he said, gesturing to the table closest to him. Delylah frowned in my direction and I shrugged, pretending not to care. My eyes narrowed at the back of Mr. Stephens' head in frustration. After a couple more tables, he finally said my name.

"Vaelyumme, you will sit here. And Joesephe, you'll be at the same table."

My eyes widened as I took in the sight of my new seat partner. He had black, luscious hair falling over his face in a nonchalant way, instantly signifying a daredevil. As I moved closer I caught a glimpse of his deep burgundy eyes, holding some sort of danger within them that was just waiting to be tapped. His jawline was straight as a ruler and just as pronounced, and his skin was about as fair as mine.

This is going to be torture.

I immediately knew this was the type of person I did not want to sit with. He gave off an entirely too dangerous vibe, and all I wanted was to learn Human Anatomy, I sat down with a huff and dropped my backpack to the floor, angling my body away from his slightly.

"My name's Joesephe," he said by way of introduction. "I just moved here from Scotland."

So moving suddenly makes you interesting? I thought. By that logic, I must be intriguing too!

He didn't have an accent when he spoke, or much inflection at all. What he did have was a face that was screaming to be hated. I could tell the next couple weeks would be a rough time for me.

***

"—and then I didn't even get to sit next to Delylah with the new seating chart! It was terrible."

Some people might call me odd, but my other best friend is my horse, Thunder. I made it a point to visit him at my grandpa's farm as often as I could, and I told him everything. Something in his big green eyes was so intelligent and understanding, I felt like I could trust my horse with everything. Animals have some sort of magic about them that lets you know they care.

I was standing in the hay next to his stall, petting his mane as I ranted. Today had not been a good day, but maybe saddling up for a ride would help me feel better. I began to prepare for a ride around the farm, when I heard the door to the stables swing open.

Turning around quickly, I saw a silhouetted figure walk in, his back to the sun setting far in the West. I assumed it was the farmhand, so I shrugged and kept preparing for a ride. The farmhand was quiet and never judged me for being in the stables all the time, so I kept preparing. Suddenly I heard a voice behind me clearing his throat.

"Yes?" I sang as I turned around.

The sight that greeted me was not one I had expected or wanted. Instead of the farmhand, it was none other than Joesephe. I felt my eyes narrow on their own as I heard Thunder whinny. "What are you doing here?" I asked again before Joesephe could respond to my earlier question.

"I could ask the same of you," he said with a cocked eyebrow. I folded my arms and answered, "My grandfather owns this farm. This is my horse." As I spoke, Thunder whinnied again. I looked at my horse in curiosity, seeing that he looked distressed. His eyes were almost angry, it seemed, but I knew that couldn't be true.

"It seems he's a great judge of character," I told Joesephe pointedly, looking back at him. Joesephe's eyebrows furrowed as he said, "I don't think horses are often referred to as judges of character."

Looks like my comment stung. Ha!

I noticed an apple in his hand, then looked back up at Thunder. "I'm the new farmhand," Joesephe finally explained. He seemed slightly hurt by my callousness, but I still felt angry since he'd stolen my chance to sit with Delylah.

"I guess the old one quit for good reason, though," Joesephe said with a smirk. Any remorse I might have felt at being mean instantly went away at this remark. "You're saying I'm the reason the old farmhand quit?" I asked indignantly. He shrugged as he stepped forward. "If the shoe fits."

I noticed his lips from this closer viewpoint, and realized how red they were. The light coming through the cracks in the roof shone on his face and, for a moment, I was entranced. My frustration returned instantly, though. Without another word, I stormed out of the stables and on my way home.

First he steals my best friend, now my horse. Some day this is shaping up to be.