Pariah ✔

2 - Falling Apart

★ ★ ★

From the corner of his eye Esai looked at her. Despite Jordan's attempt to intimidate her and the horrific scar across her eye, she didn't flinch and kept her head up. When his father told him this morning that a new girl would arrive at school and that it was his task to make her feel at home, his response had been indignant. He really wasn't in the mood to waste his time with some dumb chick who was too stupid to stand up for herself. The moment his father told him that her eye had been cut out, he had changed his mind immediately. 

Yeah, it was kinda sinister that a mutilation intrigued him. Yet, there wasn't much he could do about it. He was way too curious to the story behind the scar and the reason she moved to Oakland. He however knew better than asking about it. 

"Are you a senior?" he asked. 

Alesia nodded. 

"Cool. Me too. Why don't you show me your timetable?"

She stood still, stepped away from the flow of people in the middle of the hallway and zipped open her backpack. Esai's eyes followed the movements of her elegant fingers and for a moment he imagined how they opened some other zipper, stroking across something else than her books. 

She opened her agenda, took out a piece of paper and handed it to him. Her eyes were gray as the sea and kept his glance. Red spots crept up his neck. It was impossible, but somehow he had the feeling she knew very well which route his thoughts had taken. Since he didn't want to fuck up his assignment by having heated thoughts, he quickly turned his attention to the note. 

"We have a few classes together," he said. "You start with biology, I see. You want me to take you there?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Sure." He held out the piece of paper. Their fingers touched when she took it and a paralyzing feeling shot through his arm. Quickly, he shoved his hand in his pocket. What the hell was that? 

His eyes shot to the side. Subconsciously he expected a blush on her cheeks, but there wasn't, as if he had been the only one feeling that spark. A little confused he started to move again. 

"Come on then," he said a bit gruffer than he'd meant to. 

"You don't have to show me around if you don't want to," she answered. "I'm grateful that you stepped in when that guy was bothering me, and a little bit of company on my first day of school isn't exactly an unnecessary luxury, but if you believe you've been compassionate enough for one day and rather spend your time with your friends instead of hanging out with the local freak, I get it. No hard feelings okay?"

On a whim he grabbed her shoulder and turned her around so she was leaning with her back against the lockers. He stared into her left eye, the only one which could stare back. 

He swallowed. Yeah, what now? What the hell did you plan to do anyway?

Esai had no clue, and a little awkwardly his fingers loosened around her shoulder. 

"You're not a freak," he said eventually. Before he knew it he raised his hand. Lightly, his thumb brushed the scar below her eye. "Even with that scar you're fucking beautiful."

It was no lie, she really was a beautiful girl. Her skin was smooth, her lips full, her eye enchanting, her nose cute. And if he was honest, that scar made her look bad ass.

"Who the hell are you? The kind of guy gettin' off on scars?"

The snark was so unexpected he stepped away from her. Despite her cute face she had a sharp tongue. He shouldn't be surprised; why should the club care about a fragile little thing?