Inescapable Attraction

Chapter 2

"That is it for today. Class dismissed."

The bell rang and my classmates quickly went out. They are probably hungry already. It's lunch time now and I'm still contemplating whether I'll go to the school's cafeteria or just skip lunch.

As I was putting my things inside my bag, I noticed someone looking at me so I looked up. The girl seated beside me smiled when I matched her gaze.

"Do you mind having lunch with me?" she started. I was taken aback of how straightforward she is. She's brunette and her hair is tucked in a half ponytail. Her lashes are obviously long and her eyes is a rare green one.

"I'm Maeve, by the way. Maeve Anne Tuffin," she's still smiling at me, a force one. I'm just looking at her, I don't know how to react. I can't say if her intention is good because of her forced smile.

"Hey, I'm harmless. I'm sorry. I just..." she trailed. I waited for her to finish her sentence. "I'm scared to go to the cafeteria... alone," she finalized, her voice decreasing.

"Sure," I gave her a warm smile. Well, I'm also scared going to the cafeteria alone. And maybe this is an answered prayer. "I'm Keirra Mariano."

"Let's go?" she said when I carried my bag. I nodded and we left the classroom together.

Wow, she really have a lot to say. She started talking as we are on the way to have lunch. It was just random things.

"Hey, do you know the most five popular men in our school?" she started another topic.

"No, why?" I answered and she put her hand in her mouth to cover her shock.

"No! Really? Are you frigging serious?" she exaggerated.

"Really. Why? Are they important?"

"Oh my gosh girl! I can't believe you," and she started her storytelling again.

"There are five most popular in our school. One of them is the grandson of the owner of Eastwood High."

"You sure you don't know anything about them?" she squinted her eyes at me and I shook my head.

We arrived in the cafeteria and Maeve is still not done blabbering. She's now telling me the names of the five popular boys in Eastwood High.

"There they are!" then she pointed at a table consumed by 5 boys.

We ordered our food and sat at a table. She now stopped talking. She probably got hungry. We began eating our foods when a thought came to my mind.

"How do you know them, anyway?" I said in-between my munching. Their chicken sandwich is delicious!

"Well..." Maeve trailed and now she can't look at me. She grabbed a table napkin and wiped her mouth.

"Well, you know."

"Yeah?" I arched my brow while drinking water. She forced a smile and drinks in her water.

"Raven is my brother," she said while playing with her fingers, nervously.

"Who's Raven?" I said and bit on my sandwich.

"My head is aching 'cause of you, girl." She put her hand on her head like her head is really aching.

"Well, I'm sorry. I'm just a newbie," I chuckled.

"I already told you their names a while ago. You didn't listen," she pouted.

"I'm listening now." She rolled her eyes at me but she set aside her food and started talking again.

"Look at that table. The one I pointed at when we got here."

"Yeah? You said they are the 5 popular boys in this school?" I also set aside my food and focused on listening to Maeve.

"You see that guy that's wearing a gray hoodie?" she pointed again.

"That's your brother? Raven?" she nodded.

"And that guy on his left with a red shirt is Elijah and the one who's laughing beside him is his twin, Noah."

"There are twins?!" I couldn't hide my shock. She only nodded and continued.

"Next to him with a dark hair and reading a book is Beaumont, and then the next is Isaac."

I followed her pointing finger and looked at Beaumont. He's got a really dark hair and chiseled features. I could also see from here his hooded eyes and thick brows that are furrowed from being so focused on his book.

I turned my gaze at the guy beside him, Isaac. Compared to Beaumont, Isaac have a black-brown hair but they both have chiseled features. He is just listening to what his friends are talking and sometimes laugh with them.

I don't know why I keep staring at him and I don't know how long I did and I just realized it was long enough to make him look back at me. The moment I am staring at my own reflection, my own eyes.

"Hey, you okay?" Maeve turned me back to reality. I looked at her and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Yeah."

"Let's go? We'll be late for our next class." She started standing up and grabbing her bag. I did the same and we walked to our next class.

"Can we go to the bathroom first? I want to pee," Maeve said as she give me a puppy eye. I checked the time and we still have 30 minutes before our next class start.

"Let's go."

I slid inside a cubicle to pee, so did Maeve. I am almost done when I heard the bathroom door opened and someone came in.

"Wait for me outside, bro." I heard her said before closing the door. When I heard one of the cubicles opened and closed, I came out. Maeve is already standing in front of the mirror fixing her hair.

I was washing my hands when the girl who just came in, comes out from the cubicle and we stared at each other in the mirror for a few seconds. I looked away and motioned for Maeve to leave.

We entered the classroom just before the teacher did. We chatted a few until the discussion started.

"Philosophy is the study or creation of theories about basic things such as the nature of existence, knowledge, thought and ethics."

"Yeah, right. Philosophy is the time for sleeping," Maeve whispered that made me chuckle. But I guess she mean it because she leaned in her desk and closed her eyes. Philosophy may be boring for her, but it is my favorite subject. It teaches you about a lot of things, about life. How life should be lived. It is mostly based on self-reflection and the way of living. I love it.

And it just so happens that what I love is followed by the subject the I despise. It is time for the two-hour Physical Education class.

"Gather around, class! I'll let you change to your PE uniforms for 15 minutes. I will be waiting in the field court. Minus points if you go beyond the allotted time. Now, go. Don't waste your time." That was the last thing our instructor said to us before he walked away.

All of us hurried to go to the locker room and change for only 5 minutes since the locker room is a little far from the field court. Nobody wants a minus point in the first day.

"Is everyone here now?" Mr. Russo, our instructor asked when fifteen minutes passed. We said 'yes' and he started giving us instructions.

"Our first lesson in Physical Education is about volleyball. Now, I will demonstrate to you the basics in this sport." Mr. Russo started. How fortunate of me. I have already played volleyball back in my hometown so I already knew some basics.

He is discussing the history of volleyball, briefly. Meanwhile, most of my classmates are busy checking the new arrived eleventh and twelfth grades. They passed by the field court to get to the covered court and gymnasium. The girls squealed and the boys whistled. Mr Russo noticed and scolded them. Then, he went on again.

"Alright, are you guys ready?"

"Do we have a choice?" Maeve whispered and rolled her eyes. I elbowed her and shook my head. She's crazy.

"The boys will be having their own game, so as the girls. So, I'll divide the boys into two groups same with the girls." He then started numbering one and two in his record book.

"Yay! We're groupmates!" Maeve exclaimed. I smiled widely at her. Good thing.

The boys will be playing first. They gathered in the court and we climbed in the bleachers to watch the game.

"Look, Isaac is really hot in his swimming trunks!"

"They all do! Their bodies are like Superman's."

"Gimme a handkerchief I think I'm drooling."

"Yuck, how gross." Maeve commented and made a face. I laughed and she did too. This girl is so crazy and she's got an attitude. I'm glad I'm her friend.

Wait, are we? Can I call us friends already? It's so embarrassing to ask her. I'll just conclude we're friends.

The game ended pretty fast and the next thing I knew, I am already standing in the left side of the court with my teammates around me.

"Go Lei! Beat them all!" shouted the boys from the bleachers. They are cheering for the other team. But most of the cheers is for the gorgeous lady in the middle. I can't blame them; Lei is the boys' standard. Tall, fair and pretty face.

"Go Lei! Go Lei! Go Lei!" the cheers continued all throughout the game.

But, lucky us. Our team won on the first round of the game. The opposing team got the pretty face, ours got the sporty ones. I didn't mean me and Maeve, though.

While changing courts, I observed that the swimming lessons was already done because the students are already packing and in their dry clothes. My gaze went to Isaac again. I looked away immediately, scared he might catch me watching him again. The game started again and I focused on it.

I can feel the building tension caused by the cheering and it's really a bad timing to be distracted. Lei is already mad because they are losing. She kept on smashing the ball to our side. And some of the twelfth grade is watching our game. It will be humiliating if they lose. I caught Isaac's gaze. His brows are furrowed like he's concentrating on the game.

"OUCH!" A loud cry reached my ears and I immediately turned to see who got hurt. The crowd was silent and Mr. Russo is pacing quickly towards Lei. She got hit by the ball she was smashing to us. I looked at her state and she is sobbing so hard; her hands and face are red. Mr. Russo was asking her when she fainted.

My eyes darted towards the person who lifted Lei. I couldn't see his face properly because his back is facing me but I can recognize the black-brown hair. And when I turned to confirm it, Isaac was no longer in his position when I last looked at him.

Mr. Russo dismissed the class before rushing to go to the clinic.