Fire & Snow

Chapter 6

Aydan’s POV

I was not going to lie. Ever since I caught Neva, staring at me and checking me out, I knew she was not as innocent as she claimed she was. She was like every girl but there was something about her. Something I had not seen in any of the girls that I usually hooked-up with.

“Yo Aydan,” James and I snapped out of my thoughts. I had no idea why I was thinking about Neva and comparing all the girls I have ever hooked and or dated with her.

“What’s up dude?” I replied as I dried my hair with the towel draped over my shoulders. I had to get back to how things were but each time, my mind would wonder to Neva and that was not how things worked. Liav and Faith had clearly stated she was out of bounds and I was not looking forward to both of them ganging up on me and coming up with something really bad to screw me over.

James tilted his head to the side and analysed me, which made me wonder what the hell it was that he was looking at and trying to analyse.

“You have something on your mind and if I am not mistaken it is about a girl,” he said.

What the f**k? Was he a mind reader or something?

I stared back at him with the same analytical expression he was giving me. “Why do you assume it’s about a girl?” I asked instead. I did not want to give him the impression that he was indeed right and I was thinking about a girl. A girl who by no means I wanted to have anything to do with. However, when I caught her staring at me and literally checking me out, something in me became so sure that she was more than she let out and had many things hidden that I wanted to find out and explore. Did I really that have such a thought about her.

“Just an observation,” James finally replied and I snapped out of my head once more. “Whenever you are thinking about a girl you always have that face. I don’t really know how to explain it but you get it.”

“I don’t have a look. That isn’t even a thing,” I said with an eye roll.

“But you have it and if you saw it then you would have to agree with me,” James replied and then turned to Jake.

Jake was hunched over his phone texting away. If I did not know any better I would have to say that he was texting his girlfriend. The guy was whipped and there was no going back once that happened, which was why I avoided being attached to any of the girls that I dated. It was all about having a casual thing, something to get my mind off things and when stressed.

“What?” Jake asked but his eyes were still glued to his phone.

James rolled his eyes but continued talking anyway. “Haven’t you noticed that Aydan gets this certain look when he is thinking about a girl and how he plans to get his claws on her?” he asked.

“Yeah, he does,” Jake looked at me as he said that and he went back to texting.

“See, even lover boy here sees it,” James replied with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes. “What would he know, he is always too busy texting his girlfriend every single time that you really cannot believe his word over mine,” I said in my defense.

“Uh-huh,” James said with a knowing smirk.

“Whatever dude, I wasn’t even thinking about any girl right now,” I replied. “Just let it go and stop talking about this ‘apparent’ chic look I happen to have, that I know for a fact I do not have.”

“Okay, whatever makes the great Aydan happy,” James replied sarcastically.

                                                                             **********

Brown eyes staring straight at me as though staring at my soul as though they had already figured me out.

Her brunette hair was swept to the side but there were some strands hanging loose and covering part of her face. I do not know what it was but there was something about the look she was giving me that made me feel self-conscious about myself, which was a first. I was never one to get  self-conscious about anything but there I sat with her body towering over and feeling as though I was being judged for everything that I had ever done in my life.

She used the back of her hand gently to caress my cheek as a smile tugged on her face at the way my body responded to her touch.

“You are so beautiful,” her voice was velvety soft as she spoke and my whole body felt the vibration of her voice. “But yet you have such a darkened soul that finds comfort and pleasure from hurting those around you. Why is that?” she asked. “Why would such a beautiful soul as yours want to be tainted and darkened?”

I was so mesmerised by the colour of her eyes that it took me a while to finally process what she had just said. My mouth opened but yet no words came out. I tried a few more times but still nothing. Her words caught me off guard.

“It’s such a shame really, to see such a beautiful person as you but yet their soul is tainted with the cries of the innocent,” she said whilst still caressing my cheek and looking deep within my eyes. “Oh what a shame.”

Her eyes, there was something about them that felt so familiar but I had no idea where I had seen them before. Who was she and what did she know about me?

“You are trying to figure out who I am, aren’t you?” she said but her voice now sounded distant. “But you will know in due time.” She leaned over and placed a kiss o lips before she fully disappeared.

                                                                            ***********

Fridays, I always looked forward to them but today was just not one of those times. For starters, I had a really weird dream and I did not know what the heck it meant or who the heck the girl was.

Secondly, I had a Math tutoring session with Liav’s new assistant who he and Faith seemed to have taken a major liking too. Something that I did not understand. There was nothing special about Neva and her weird dressing. In fact, I thought she looked more like a guy than anything.

“Are we still up for that football match in the afternoon Captain?” Ryan, one of the guys I usually hung out with asked. He had a cigarette his hand while he puffed out the smoke.

We were sat on the bleachers staring at our screens and not being motivated to attend any of the class that we had.

“I don’t know man, but you know football is my life,” I replied. I loved football with a passion. No matter how many girls I screwed around with or whatever major food I tasted, nothing could ever beat football. I lived and breathed it. It was something that always took first priority over everything in my life, school included. “Of course, I’m up for the game otherwise I would not be your captain.”

Ryan chuckled and stretched his hand to me with the cigarette in it. I shook my head and Ryan shrugged. “I know man. I am sure you would even marry football if it was possible,” he chuckled once more at that.

“I have been thinking about that actually,” I replied truthfully. It was why I decided to settle for Computer Science as my major. I was determined to create a program that allowed humans to do whatever they wanted, even if it was with in a game. I know it sounds really weird and maybe even inappropriate, but that was what I wanted.

“You are weird one,” Ryan replied while shaking his head. “I don’t know why all the girls seem to always want to go for the mentally weird and unstable guys.”

I laughed at that. “Maybe it’s because I am handsome and I know how to chuff them the right way,” I replied with a smirk.

“Or maybe it’s because you have a way with words,” Ryan said thoughtfully. “This is why I always tell you to do English Lit, you would make such a great poet and get all the girls that you want.”

“Not a chance in hell Ry, English sucks and it was one subject I tended to never understand while in high school,” I said with a shrug. “Besides, English sucks and I have no time to waste on things that suck,” I added as an afterthought.

“Look at me, I thought I would never study History but here I am,” Ryan said.

I scoffed, “Dude that is different. You have a knack for History but I have no knack for English Lit and will never have it. Come rain or come sunshine.”

Ryan chuckled as he took a puff from his cigarette and blew the smoke out.

***********

The day flew by so fast that before I knew it, it was already past noon and the guys were getting ready for the football match against the rival school. It was going to be the best and toughest game we would have this start of the season.

As captain it was responsibility to make sure that we represented the school well and won each match that we had.

“All right team, huddle up,” Coach shouted and everyone moved closer. “This is the game that will determine if we are good enough to make it to the semi-finals.

From the locker rooms, I could hear the crowd already cheering and the cheer squad prepping them up.

“You will go out there and play with your hearts. I do not want any of you to be selfish and keep the ball to yourself, pass it to the others. This is about team work and not greed,” Coach shouted. “Do you understand me?”

“Yes Coach,” we all yelled at the same time.

It felt exhilarating to be a part of such a group of guys who loved playing football with everything in them.

Coach turned to look at me, “Aydan, you are the Captain and as such I expect you to make sure that everyone plays according to strategy and does not go MIA on us. We do not need anyone pulling a Matt on us again.”

Everyone cringed. Matt was someone who we never talked about and the fact that Coach had brought him up meant serious business.

“We will go out there and we will win, is that clear?”

“Yes Coach.”

Coach nodded his head and then left us.

“I can’t believe Coach brought in he whose name shall not be mentioned,” James said from the corner of his mouth as we walked out of the locker rooms and onto the pitch.

The entire place was packed with students from both schools. Everyone went all out with the insignia and colours of each school. This was definitely going to be the toughest match yet.

“I know,” I replied just as we stood in front of the other team.

Both captains from each school moved in front while the referee tossed a coin and decided who was going to start. Landon smirked when he saw me.

“Watch your back Winters,” Landon said as we shook hands. “If I were you, I would not be so comfortable just because you have a home advantage.”

I balled my other hand into a fist. Landon and I went to the same high school and played ball together but he always envied me and could not take the fact that I was better than he was and decided to apply to a rival school. “I would not be so cocky if I were you,” I replied through clenched teeth.

“Let the better man win,” Landon said as he turned and went back to his teammates.