Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Shade's convincing words were partially true. The wild, heavy breeze was freezing instead, drying my lips since I'm free of any lipgloss. My gown is icing cold against my skin as I walk in sync with Shade beside me, rather looking fine, not at all affected by the air.

Mia meets us at the walkway into the entrance, beaming with smile. I inwardly wish I can be smiling as her when I see people I call friends, but it isn't possible for me because I'll always have that thought that I might lose my friends anytime due to my personality.

Shade is trying though to help me get with the ways of Murrysville, but it's not that easy for me. I don't have any glitch about the weather because where we relocated from — Montana has weather like this most times, the changes are the only problem I think I have.

When Mia greets me, I push the thoughts away from my mind.

"Hi, Rayne."

"Hey. Lovely morning."

"Hmm. I heard a gist from the students today." Mia's words are more directed to Shade than me. Maybe she finds you boring? Says my subconscious. This Miss owns-the-thoughts surely doesn't know her boundaries.

"What's that?"

"The school is accepting another set of students. Well, as of now, I don't know when they would attend, but the interesting fact is the new guy that's in the set."

"A new guy?" Shade ask.

"Yeah. That is what I heard." Mia confirms, glancing at Shade momentarily.

We get inside the school, to the hallway. Mia follows Shade to her locker, while I go to my mine. They continue to converse about the new, rumoured student when I interrupt, telling them my thoughts.

"I'm thinking of joining the cheerleading group in school. I'm not so sure yet, but what do you guys think?"

"I think it's a great idea." Shade says, smiling at me. Her eyes grow big. "That would teach Lydia a lesson if you can be the captain, and not her."

"I don't think Rayne should join." Mia says to Shade. She faces me, explaining more. "If you join, Lydia will never stop trying until she wins by causing your downfall. Trust me, it would be disgracing for you." Mia tells me, drawing the blood off my face momentarily. I regain myself and clear my throat.

"I will just try out how it works, for now. I'm only thinking of it, not deciding to join as of yet. Where's the coach's office?" I add. I place my hand on Mia's shoulder, indicating I will be safe from the evil Lydia. Luckily, she gets the message.

"Next to the ballers' coach's office." Shade directs. I nod at her, accustoming the path into my cerebrum.

"I will see you guys later. Go to class." I state simply as I walk away.

On the way, the bell rings and I hurry to the coach's office so I don't miss...him, or her?

"We have many list of cheerleading here. I will show you, but which would you like to join?"

The coach for the cheerleader group turns out to be a woman in her late twenties. She has a warm smile on her face as she looks friendly by her appearance.

She's sitting opposite from me, a desk for her studying is in between us. She's drinking a cup of coffee as her eyes lowers, her free hand is searching the drafts attached to the desk. For all I can see, she's wearing a orange, and white in partial patterns shirt, heavy makeup, making her look younger from aloof sight. Her brown hair is in a coiled, curly shape, scattering wildly across her head.

"Um, I'm not so sure, Mrs Meredith. Maybe if you would let me check. I'm a new student—"

"Yeah, I can see that." She says, interrupting me, but I'm not offended in the least.

"I'm only still thinking of joining."

"A-ha. Here it is." She closes the draft in a way that it emits frictional sound, and holds out a paper list before she outstretch it to me.

I look at the list, it contains the divisions of each groups of cheer-leading that's categorize by the list of sports, taking place in the school. I'm shocked momentarily when I roam the many contents; football cheerleading, baseball cheerleading, basketball cheerleading, lacrosse cheerleading, cricket cheerleading...the list goes on for few more spaces, and I stop at seeing it. I have little interest in cricket so, I think that will do just fine with me if I were to join.

I hand out the script to Mrs Meredith and she takes it from me.

"Do you see any interesting one you would like to join?"

"Yeah. The cricket cheerleading."

"Oh, that, luckily for you, there will be a match today. You can check it out, warm up on seeing how they play and you will see some of the cheerleaders there too. You can cuddle with them and learn, the more." Mrs Meredith says, her smile, growing wider, able to brighten her makeup, making her pink cheeks vibrant. I smile a ghostly smile back at her.

"I will do that. I should go to class."

"Yes, see you around. Rayne, right?"

"Yes, Mrs Meredith."

I sigh when I get out of her office and start to walk to my class. The first period is already near to getting over so, I will just change course to the next class instead.

Passing by the ballers' changing room again, turning at the next corner, I stop, gasping in embarrassment which is unknown to me as to why I'm feeling so, and shock at what my eyes caught.

Lydia opens her eyes when she notices that the bad boy isn't kissing her anymore. Her gaze shift and fixate on me, sending me evil glare. The bad boy stiffen, raises his gaze at me for a second. Lydia takes his forearm, and wraps it around her waist, snuggling closer to him as though protecting him in some sort of way.

"What are you staring at? Leave." She snaps lowly at me. I take few steps back, scared by her tone, or rather still shocked from what I saw, that Lydia's words has an effect of such on me.

The guy looks me up, and down, no source of embarrassment on his features, neither on Lydia's and here I am — saint and yet, being the victim. You're getting wiped girl and that's stupid of you. As much as my subconscious will like to insult me, she's glaring at Lydia currently in utter hatred.

"What are you still waiting for?"

"I'm sorry, I was coming from Mrs Meredith's office." I state in a shaky tone. Lydia's eyes widen in realization. I don't know why I just explained myself to her.

"You think you scumbag can win me? Oh, you wanna join the cheerleaders? Ain't happening?" She makes a tsk sound.

Oh, no. I just gave myself out. Lydia knows even before I joined at all. Well, she will know either now or later. Am I scared of her, or why am I bothered if she knows or not? I can do whatever I want to.

"Don't talk to me like that. At least I was doing something good, not having sex in school." I say out of anger, but in a rather low tone, that makes me seem less intimidating compared to how I would have wanted.

Lydia walks forward, but the guy grab her by her waist. She looks back at him, and so did I — he has an amused smile on his lips, as he is looking at me. His eyes, a different colour than I knew them to be, which are usually blue, but now, a bit scarlet. Lydia follows his gaze, landing her eyes at me.

I walk away, passing by her as fast as I can. The way he watches me pokes out something in me, and I need to quench whatever it is. It's because of his beauty, I'm certain that's why I'm feeling this way towards him.

I text Shade before my next class begins. "Meet me at the cricket practice today during closing hours."

I turn the screen of my phone off, just putting it inside my hind pocket when it chimes. I turn the screen on again. Shade has text back.

"Okay. How was it?"

She doesn't clarify, but I get she's asking about the cheerleading conversation.

"Fine. It went okay. I need to go to class. Also, it isn't a good thing to chat, while in class. Focus on your studies, Miss Shade Cole."

"Okay, Miss Rayne Miles."

When the physics class finishes, listening to half of what Mr Peter is saying, while the rest is disturbed by the earlier scenery at the ballers' changing room; Lydia and the bad boy. I take my bag and walk out of the class to the field, and find a space at the bleachers where the crickets team will be practicing as Mrs. Meredith had informed..

Minutes away from occupying my seat, waiting for Shade — whom seat is available to next to me— when I've gotten to my destination, Lydia stops me on my track as she appears from behind. She stands opposite from me, towering over me with her frame that's of assumably an inch taller than mine is. Her friends stands like a bodyguard behind her, more robust, and more intimidating than Lydia, herself.

"Excuse me?" I try to act unfazed.

"What if I don't?" Lydia questions. Her dark eyes, roaming my figure as if I'm nothing, but a mice to her.

"I don't care. I have something else to do — something that matters than having a fight with you." I manage to say with a frown. She looks taken aback by my words, but regains herself. She recompose herself and laughs a devilish laugh.

"You think you are important, don't you?" Lydia takes predatory steps towards me. I take two steps back. Okay, she's crazier than I thought. Says my subconscious from her imaginary hole.

"You want to take my boyfriend from me by pretending to join the cheerleader group so, after you did join, you'd bring out your presumptuous acts out, don't you deny it." She state in a firm tone as if she is damn so sure of what she's saying. "Don't you look so shock, girl. Now you've proven yourself to be someone I can try my tricks on. If anything injurious happens to you, it is me, Lydia." Her finger is pointed at me, directionally.

Her tone is damn threatening to me that I'm forced to remain dumbstruck. If she tells me that my mouth is agape, I won't take it as a lie. I'm extremely shock that she's able to do this to me, that she was able to get at me, that she makes me feel so bad of myself, that I'm so idiotic that I can't talk back at her until I hear Shade's familiar voice from behind me.

"Oh, please do try anything stupid, and see if you wouldn't rot in jail. As you've said, Rayne is still hiding her presumptuous acts, isn't it? What about you? What did you do? You let it out for every guy to get you laid like you are some stupid, eager-to-come-and-eat-some-banana, girl."

Banana? Does she mean...that...kind of banana?

A laugh booms out from a masculine throat the moment Lydia yells. "What—"

"Why don't you go find someone else to mock, doll or I'm going to make your life a living hell?" Snaps Lydia to a random guy that's obviously being eavesdropping into the conversation.

"Sorry." The guy rambles off to another seat at a far distance.

"That is sure funny, it's not the guy's fault. Rayne has class, Lydia. She's nothing like you." Shade continues.

Inwardly, I send a mental 'thank you' to Shade for helping me out. Lydia is left agape, while I'm smiling at Shade.

"I'll get back at you Shade. And you Rayne, be ready for me from today's on." Lydia threatens, leaving me to reel over her words. Would she really hurt me, like for real? Will she cause me injury? Where? When? How?

I'm confused that I can't think of much, losing my mind already. When I regain a bit of my awareness, I leave the place, noticing that Lydia and Shade are still arguing over the matter.

"Rayne." Shade calls after me. I can't stop walking. I just want to leave. I'm sure when I leave here, I would have more than ten comebacks for Lydia, but as for now, I have none.

And that's a tweensy, fucking, shit, right?

"Rayne, wait." Shade calls after me again. I glance to my side, but not behind where I'll meet with her eyes. From the side, is the team of cricket players, starting off their training. Their coach is there too, by the field, yelling at them in an un-understandable way to make them take their positions.

I hadn't realized that I have slowed my walk, because Shade meets up with me. "Hey, calm down, okay?" She stops my motion by a hand on my shoulder drifting me to a firm stand.

"I can't. And it's not okay." I look over her shoulders to the field where I see the bad boy. He's here as well, a part of the team, playing as a fielder. He's so hot in those blue net woolen jacket, having his number at the back, with same coloured nylon shorts, and sneakers.

I watch the way he plays, having forgotten myself that Shade is right in front of me, consoling me. But then, his blue eyes turns to my direction, and he smiles. I don't know why, but that smile has an opposite effect of what I could have ever anticipated. Rather, I'm angry at it, because a part of me tells me that he doesn't mean it, or probably he's flirting with me. I crink in an inward disgust and take off again, leaving Shade to a harsh, and coarse groan.

When I reach the bicycle parking space, I search for mine and Shade. When I see mine, I wheel it out. My hands are fidgeting on the handle, tears threatening to come out — as memories of Lydia's insults burns into my stupid head that wouldn't console myself — but I manage to hold them back. The painful parts of it all is when Lydia said that I'm being presumptuous, just to have an affair with the bad boy. I might have an attraction towards him, but it is not enough for me to want to invite him to my bed, or his bed. I can't help but replay Lydia's thinking. What if that's what many other thinks too? Lydia is a popularity, if she tells students those words, they might believe her.

Shade grips my forearm, and I'm too weaken to even shake her hands away.

"You don't believe her, do you?"

"Of course, I don't." Shade tells me in a serious-minded tone. It doesn't calm me in any way still.

"I will see you at home."

I cross my leg over to the other side of the bicycle in an attempt to wheel it soon.

"We came here together. Let's go together." Shade tightens her grip on my forearm, stopping me from being able to wheel the cycle.

"I can't. Please leave me alone Shade."

For a moment, Shade did not, but suddenly, she leaves my forearm. Her eyes are looking down at her feet, I assume. She raises her head to look at me. I glance behind her, seeing that Lydia is gone abreast with her friends.

"You will let that bastard witch spoil our friendship?"

"No, it's..." I trail off when his figure unfolds once again between the numbers of guys on the field. The bad boy, glancing at me before shifting his eyes to a side of the bleachers, where I see Lydia and her friends. Taking her eyes off him, she glares at me, and I have to look away. I can still feel him darting his eyes from Lydia to me. Of course he would be looking at her since she's his...well, whatever it is she is to him.

Suddenly, he glances back at me — his eyes are of a different shade that I can't decipher them since they are now darker, and they hold shock in them. He holds up his hand, to the top of his lungs, he calls me name.