Falling For Kael Noir

Chapter 3

EVELINA

“And I was like, you punk, why do you have to go for the things I like? She can’t tell me she isn’t doing this on purpose” Naomi mutters beside me, filling me in on her conversation with Vanesa. “She kept going on and on about how he came on her, that she was only doing me a favor. Yeah.by having s*x with him. Urgh… I wanted to punch that sassy smirk off her stupid face.”

Naomi and I were both making our way to the cafeteria. Just as we promised, we met at the hallway right after second period and had the remainder of the classes before lunch together.

“Shouldn’t you be pissed at him too? What was his name again..”

“Douchebag” she said with a cheeky smile. “Not relevant anymore; lost all interest in him.” She sighed. “I’m pissed because of all the girls it had to be, he chose Vanesa. I feel insulted at the downgrade.”

“He is clearly not worth it, leading you on just to fall into Vanesa’s trap.” I placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

“I just don’t understand her need to compete with me. She goes after every guy I show even the slightest interest in and tries to do things to make me miserable, and makes it like I’m some spoilt brat to our family” Naomi sighs, and I know despite how much she tries not to make a big deal out of it, Vanesa’s behavior towards-her was taking a toll on her, Especially since they had been really close in the past. I placed both hands on her shoulder, halting our steps as I turned her to face me. “You are anything but a spoilt little brat: I, your best friend, would know that.” Her lips stretch in a smile. “And if you need help knocking some sense into that family of yours, I would gladly do it.”

“You know, knocking some sense into them would require a lot of strength, and you, my dear Evelina, are as weak as, a sloth.” I gasped, dramatically, might I add, at this, while Naomi’s head bopped back as she laughed. “Take that back”

“Wish I could, babe” She carries on laughing. “And that is why you and I need food if we want to knock every sense of reasoning to every relative of mine on the side of Vanesa. “This is my way of saying I’m freaking starving.” I laughed, shaking my head. “Same here” I looked behind her, a smile still on my face, when I caught sight of a familiar hooded figure emerging from the counsellor’s office. Judging from the way he banged the door, he seemed quite upset. As if sensing my eyes on him, his hooded form turned in my direction, and my breath caught in my throat. It was astonishing how, even though I couldn’t see his eyes, I could feeI his gaze burning into my skin, holding me captive. It was as if I were in some kind of trance, unable to look away. The hallway, usually bustling with students, seemed to fade into the background, leaving just the two of us. The intensity of his presence was palpable, despite the distance between us. My mind raced with questions. Why was he upset?

It’s none of your business Evelina and yet my heart pounded in my chest, a mix of curiosity and apprehension swirling within me. I tried to look away, but found myself inexplicably drawn back to him, like a moth to a flame. There was something about him that I couldn’t ignore-a mystery that begged to be unraveled.

“Evelina” Naomi calls out, her voice soft and concerned.

“What’s wrong?” I turned towards her, snapping out of my daze, and forced a smile onto my face. “It’s nothing; let’s go.” When we walked in, the cafeteria was filled with chatter, the clinking of cutlery, and the occasional burst of laughter. With hands locked together, we navigate through the seas of students, exchanging polite nods and smiles as we make our way to the line forming at the counter.

Once it got to be our turn, we picked our tray, browsing through what food to have before settling on classic chicken salad, while Naomi went for spicy tofu stir-fry with our tray of food in our hands, we made our way over to the table. We began munching on our lunch as soon as we sat down, conversations flowing freely.

“I feel like we’ve spent the first half of the day talking about me. How about you? Did anything fun happen during the holiday?” Naomi pouts. “I hate that we didn’t get to spend most of the holiday together, so how did your trip to Rome go?”

“Hmmm…” I bite on my lips, not sure how to tell her I wasn’t able to go on the trip. One being, it was supposed to be a family bonding time, but my parent as expected to canceled at the last minute, and I couldn’t find the courage to go alone, knowing I would probably be depressed most of the trip. So, I had decided to go back home, lock myself inside, munch on some snacks, and binge-watch my favorite movies.

“Earth to it, you’ve been spacing out a lot today.” Naomi knocked on the table, snapping me out of thought. “What’s going on? Is there something you aren’t telling me girl??” She asked worriedly.

“Oh..it’s nothing. Just trying to get through some math questions bugging my head.” I lied, giving her a fake smile. I know I could easily just tell her the truth, but I didn’t want her feeling bad or guilty for having gone on a family trip as well. Naomi stares at me for a while as if to check if I was telling the truth before grimacing and muttering. “f*****g nerd.” I laughed at this, sticking my tongue out. “Now how did the holiday go? Any boy, boys, or girls.” She winks at the last part, making me shake my head, laughing.

“There was no boy or boys..” I tell her. “And l’m certain for a fact that I don’t flow the other way. I think.”

“Come on, you can’t tell me nothing exciting happened. I mean, you’re drop-dead gorgeous.” She said, letting out a slow whistle. “You are definitely getting head turns in every direction.

I felt my cheeks burn, praying to the heavens that no one was listening. “I mostly spent the holiday locked in my hotel room, so yeah, nothing exciting.”

"Knowing you, I definitely believe that. " She replied, shaking her head in playful disappointment. "We've got to up things this year It's senior year, which means we need to get our lives more exciting. Away from the boring dinner parties we have to go to and this make-believe prison we are forced to go to. Without our consent by the way. " She yells the last part out.

"Naomi! "

“What" She shrugs her shoulder. "You know it's the truth. " She sassed, and I shook my head at this, trying to ignore the stares of students focused on us. While Naomi carried on unaffected. "By the way, that's beside the point. "

"And what is the point? " I asked, playfully rolling my eyes. That I've had my own shares of dating, breakups, and the like.

While you, my dear, dear, sweet Evelina, have none. None at all, and we've got to change that. You need love in your life, and maybe some actions.” She winks again. I tapped at her table; my cheeks flushed at that. “I don't think I'm interested in any actions,” I whispered. "I haven't even held hands with a guy for more than thirty minutes or done much of anything...you know... "I blushed even more, intense.

"Aww. " Naomi coos. "I've forgotten how crazily innocent you are"

I bite on my lips, fighting back the blush, scared that at this point my whole face was red. "Besides, I'm not interested in anyone.”

"Ah...ah...ah... I won't say that." She smirks, leaning in. "Not when a certain blond-haired, blue-eyed person has been staring in this direction since we walked in.

I feel my heartbeat escalate at her words, "What.." I muttered, letting out a breathy whisper.

"Don't look too fast, but Ethan has been looking this way, more specifically at you, since we walked in.” She carries on with a smile. "He has barely taken his. eyes off you.”

I slowly turned my head to look towards the direction where lan usually sat, surrounded by the members of the football team. My breath caught in my chest when my eyes locked with his. An adorable, heart-warming smile locks on his face as he lifts his hands up, waving in my direction. I bite on my lower lip, putting a strand of my hair behind my ear as I shyly wave back at him, which causes the smile on his face to grow even more, and my face flushes even more.

"Nowww look who is all crimson red, Naomi teases, making me look away shyly as I tried giving her a stern stare, but it didn't work. Instead, my cheeks get hotter.

I placed both hands on my cheeks in the hopes of calming them down while Naomi had an amused look on her face. After managing to keep my emotions in check, I turned again to stare at lan. He was talking with a couple of his friends, and as if he felt my eyes on him, he turned towards my direction, his eyes locked on mine again. I watched him slowly bite on his lips, a smile stretching across his handsome face.

Naomi lets out a squeal at this. "Oh...my God, you guys are just too cute; I can't deal with it." She gushes out, and I smile even more. “I don't understand why you guys just don't give in to your feelings and date. I mean, you've known him far longer than you have me. You guys practically grew up together.”

I fudge with my fingers, shaking my head. "I guess we are both scared to ruin what we have" My heart tightens. "What if we start dating and things don't work out between us? What if.."

"What if it does, and you guys end up having one of the best relationships of all time? " Naomi says softly. "You won't know if you don't give it a try" She pauses, nudging her head.

"You might also want to act fast, because queen bee over there has her claws on him." My gaze returned back to the table to find Loren taking a spot next to lan, her fingers interlaced tightly with his hand, as if she were holding on for dear life. Her expression was one of triumph, a smirk playing on her lips as she cast a sideways glance in my direction. It was a look that spoke volumes, a silent communication meant for me alone.

Loren leaned in further, resting her head on lan's shoulder with a casual familiarity that seemed out of place. Her body language was a declaration, a bold statement that she had no

intention of relinquishing her position. Ethan seemed oblivious, or perhaps simply indifferent, to the drama unfolding beside him. His focus remained on the conversation at hand, his demeanor calm and composed. “This isn’t the time to overthink things, it’s senior year, you’ve got to grab the moment. Get out of your comfort zone.”

The sound of something hitting the floor caught not just our attention but the attention of everyone in the cafeteria. We all turned toward lan’s table, where the commotion had come from, to find Kael standing there with food splattered across his clothes. His tray of food lay on the floor, giving us a clear indication of what had transpired.

The jocks at the table erupted into laughter, their voices echoing through the room. Jeffery, one of the guys, got to his feet and walked over to where Kael stood. With a disdainful look, he spat in Kael’s direction and sheered, “Creep!” loud enough for everyone to hear. His words hung in the air as he bumped into Kael’s shoulder, sauntering out of the cafeteria, followed by some of his fellow jocks.

The room fell into an awkward silence. The incident left a bitter taste, the laughter fading into hushed whispers and uncomfortable glances. Those of us who remained exchanged looks, unsure of what to do next as Kael stomped out of the Cafeteria.

“This is going to be one hell of a semester” Naomi says just as the bell rang, signifying the end of the break. Naomi and I both get up to our feet, discarding the leftovers before making our way out of the cafeteria, but the thought of what happened remained in my head.