TIWIS

BETA: A Million Dollar Deal... 2.2

“Dude…” one of the jocks standing with the others who I didn’t know, groaned before continuing “… You just said that. She’s socially awkward not demented — wait! You’re not demented, right?” realizing his question was directed to me I shook my head again looking like a lamb being led to be slaughtered. I looked back at Axel, and he was still looking right at my face smiling that smile that could warm even the devil’s heart — assuming his heart was cold that is — I felt as though it would have been better if the ground would just open up and swallow me whole. I wanted to pull up my hoodie but as I was about to, I realize my hand was still in his hands. How the hell did I forget that? I concluded I was trapped. No escape. My life sucks.
After about three minutes of him staring at my face while I was staring at my hand busy contemplating how terrible my life was for me to end up in the situation and how I was going to end up killing Wailey one way or the other, he finally answered his friend. “Well… you know how much I like repeating myself now, don’t you?”
His friend looked as though he was about to kill himself, he banged his head softly on the table several times before saying, “well we’re all getting late so you better hurry up with your repeated words”. Just about then Wailey left the hall to answer a phone call, Axel’s friend after banging his head several more times on the table got up saying something like, ‘I’m done with this’, and left the hall. The other kids followed him out like sheep following the shepherd. I looked at Axel expecting him to get up and leave, but he just smiled until the last one of them left. I could see them through the window standing in the hallway.
“We’re all hanging out at the coffee shop, d’you want to come?”
He had just blurted that question without warning, and there I was again choking for air. A small ‘huh?’ managed to escape my mouth, “there’s a concert there, weird I know, daytime concert, but it’s The Authors, and everyone’s going, so do you want to come”
Wait! Seriously were these kids insane? Were they really ditching school for some concert? I mean, I love The Authors but ditching school, now that’s just taking things a little too far. Plus, everyone’s going to be there, like give me ninety-nine reasons why I didn’t want to go. I was finally given a way out of this mess and I would be downright stupid if I didn’t utilize it.
“E — Erm… I’m sort of having an Arts class, so I’m not going to be able to go… sorry”, he looked surprised for a second and muttering ‘she talks’, to himself before finally saying
“Wait! You have a class?” I nodded. “Well, that’s not possible. The teachers are having this weird get-together that the federation made compulsory so they wouldn’t miss it, –” he paused for about two seconds before continuing, “– you weren’t listening when they announced it, were you? – Still, school’s over, so are you coming?” I was still trying to grasp the fact that school was overall I heard was ‘are you coming?’, so I chose the next excuse that came to my head. “I still have to do my assignments, so I’m kind of busy”.
“Assignments.” I nodded as if he was asking me a question. He sighed then said, “Okay… so I guess you’re not coming that is?” I shook my head in response he just nodded looking disappointed I almost felt bad, and then he got up and left the room.
I sighed happily, relieved that I have successfully managed to get rid of both Wailey and her friend Axel. I looked to the hallway through the window most of the people outside were already leaving and I saw Axel give the head-banger jock a sort of cool handshake before they both started walking away. I waited a bit in the hall trying to play it safe by staying in there a little longer, so that when I do come out I’ll have absolutely no encounter with them whatsoever.
I sat in the hall for another ten minutes still trying to put my brain around where my mind could have been, when the announcement that could have saved me from a lot of trouble, was being made. I stood up absentmindedly and walked out into the hallway.
The hallway was almost empty. There were not up to twenty students in it. I charted my way out of the school in my head, having the school doors as the only image in my mind. I saw the people walking beside me, but they were just vague images. I continued down the hallway when my brain, suddenly told my body to stop moving. There was something in front of me. I moved to the side and it followed me, still blocking my path. I moved again and it followed me again. This time, however, it poked my head slightly. I was so out of it that this slight nudge on my head made me lose balance. I tripped. Just as I was about to fall something caught me, trying to get me to regain my balance back. I woke up.
It was Axel. He was holding my hands and pulling my back to himself, defying gravity. Okay, that was a bit dramatic but … I shifted uncomfortably out of his grip, steadying myself; I noticed he was looking at me attentively as if he was trying to record my every movement in his brain. I willed myself to look at his eyes trying to figure out where his thoughts were. I did and he met my gaze. Keeping his gaze was hard, as he had these eyes that looked as though at least a century had been spent crafting them.
His eyes were blue. Yes. They were definitely blue. However, the edge of his irises was this shade of blue that was so dark, it almost seemed black. It looked as though he had light bulbs at the back of his pupils because the part of his eyes between his pupil and his limbal rings had an icy blue colour that was so frozen it seemed as though his eyes were glowing. It would have been alright if his eyes were cold due to his solid eye colour, but his eyes had this eerie warmth in them that made them look like two jewels on his face. His eyes were a huge contrast to mine which was this dull shade of grey that almost appeared white. The only thing that gave my eyes form, was my limbal rings that looked somewhat light-greenish.
Noticing I had been staring at his eyes for quite a while now, I shifted my gaze away. He chuckled softly. “You’re a clumsy one now, aren’t you?” He asked me playfully. I looked at him shocked.
“I thought you had left?” I asked annoyed at myself for not spending enough time in the hall before coming out.
“Nope, I told them to go ahead without me, I did after all make you miss the bus — well you would have missed it anyway being that you never listen, – but still someone has to make sure you got home alright”
He was talking to me so casually as if he was talking to someone close to him. The sound of his voice was inviting making you want to talk back to him in the same measure of casual voice. I saw a void. One that if I walked through would be the end of me. I went through in my head what he had said to try to find the hidden motive after all he could still be trying to pull a prank on me, and if I just went along it might be easier but then my mind would never let me do that. He had said he told the rest to go without him. Okay, that’s alright — no problem there. He said it was his fault I missed the bus but I would have missed it anyway — true and also true, no problem there. Then he said someone had to make sure I got home alright. Okay. Wait. What? Is this dude crazy? And I suppose by that someone he meant himself? I was so furious inside. I looked at him he was wearing the same expression he was earlier; watching my every move, a bit too attentively. I got self-consciously scared. What’s with this look? All the fury I had earlier vanished. I managed to ask, “What?” as his stare was making me uncomfortable.
He chuckled, “you really are dense, where does your mind even go during these times?” he looked at me carefully probably trying to ensure he had not offended me. My expression was blank, so he just continued, “Since everything needs to be spelt out for you… I was apologizing for making you miss the bus and I offered to take you home”. He finished his sentence with a sort of fulfilled smile on his face. He looked like a little baby, happy that he had said something right.
“I think I’m capable of taking myself home”, I had wanted to say this nicely, but as the words came out they had a slight bit of rudeness tied to every syllable.
“Whoa…” Axel said smiling taking a step back. “I knew you were not that un-lively”, he said the ‘un’ in the un-lively so velvety, that it was obvious he was teasing me. I was frustrated. He continued, “Oh and yes, I knew that it’s just that you’d have to walk home whereas I could drive you”
“Well you don’t have to, I’ll get home just fine, thank you”, I replied curtly. “And I actually prefer walking” I added, so he wouldn’t try to push the conversation any further.
“There’s nothing I say that’ll change your mind now, is there?” he asked. I shook my head at his question. “Alright!” he said, standing back clearing my path finally.
I walked toward the hall door as quickly as I could without being a potential hazard to my surroundings or myself. It was hard but I managed and I successfully made it through the school door and out of the school grounds without tripping on anything or myself.
My house was not that far a walk from the school. It took twenty or thirty minutes tops to get home from school if I walked. I had completely left the school premises when I noticed someone was walking behind me. The person kept a safe distance from me, when I slowed down so did the person, and when I increased my pace so did the person. I kept walking and then suddenly curiosity took over my body and I turned back to see who it was. It was Axel. Again! Like why the hell was this dude following me? He had stopped walking as I had turned. I was now glaring at him. I looked right at those beautiful eyes of his and then asked, “Are you really following me?”
He looked at me sort of shocked by my question, “No…”
That was all he said, and he sounded kind of confused like ‘he didn’t know where he was’ kind of confused. “Well that’s not what it looks like”, he looked at me eyebrows raised at my statement, so I continued, “that’s just because you said you wanted to give me a ride in your car, and now you’re walking behind me… you tell me how this looks”