Chapter 3: Bestie...what are you doing?

Chapter 3: Bestie...what are you doing?

It had been almost three weeks since I transferred to Ravenshire Academy, and surprisingly, I no longer felt like the lost foreign girl constantly hiding from everyone anymore.

I still felt a bit insecure about my eyes but have learned to not hide them too often.

 I knew which staircases to avoid during lunch rush, which teachers assigned impossible homework, and which vending machine stole people’s money half the time.

 Even my neighborhood no longer felt cold or unfamiliar anymore. Uncle Matthew had gotten busier at work lately so I spent most afternoons alone, but somehow Luca had managed to fill that loneliness every single time.

We had become ridiculously close in such a short amount of time.

Almost every day after school, Luca would either come over to my house or drag me over to his. Sometimes we studied together. Most times we didn’t. We spent hours arguing over movies, making fun of terrible songs, or playing games while Leonardo silently existed somewhere in the background looking as intimidating and unfairly attractive as ever.

And for some reason, every single time I saw him, my stomach still acted stupid and my brain just shuts down.

One Tuesday afternoon during break, I stepped out of the classroom for fresh air.

My literature notebook rested across my lap while I highlighted important lines for tomorrow’s paper, trying desperately not to fail my assignment because Mrs. Fransesca clearly enjoyed torturing students.

My phone buzzed beside me before I could even begin.

A smile immediately tugged at my lips the moment I saw Luca’s name flash across the screen.

Luca:

Deadpool marathon tonight. Location: My house. Mandatory attendance!( Swimming emoji).

I snorted quietly to myself. I've tried to teach him how to use the right emojis but the guy was literally from Einstein's period.

Me:

I actually enjoy passing literature you know.

A few seconds later another text arrived.

Luca:

Boring.

I laughed under my breath before replying with a ridiculous crying emoji and another message explaining that I still had an essay left to finish. After sending it, I tossed my phone beside me and returned to my notes.

I started writing my essay on the new novel we're analysing

Then suddenly—

“Shit!”

A soccer ball came hurtling across the garden out of nowhere.

Before I could even react properly, the ball slammed painfully against the side of my head and pain exploded through me instantly.

“Oh my God—!”

I grabbed the side of my face with a gasp, wincing hard as my notebook fell from my lap onto the grass.

Footsteps rushed toward me quickly.

A tall guy in a soccer jersey jogged over before snatching the ball from beside the tree carelessly like I wasn’t even there.

“Watch where you’re kicking you butthead!” I snapped angrily, still clutching my head in pain.

The boy paused then slowly, he turned toward me with visible irritation.

I recognized him almost immediately.

Maxson Denver, the principal’s son.

He was popular, arrogant, rich, and according to half the girls in school, supposedly attractive. Personally, he looked like every overconfident guy who had ever annoyed me in my entire life.

“You should mind how you speak to me newbie,” he said coldly.

I stared at him in disbelief. “You literally hit me with a ball!”

He raised the ball and continued in that insanely stupid calm voice. “And you’re still talking?”

Before I could respond, Maxson suddenly shoved me backward harshly.

My back hit the tree painfully enough to force a startled gasp from my lips.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I snapped. My hands crawl into my pocket where a small bobby pin was. I remove the pin from its case and waited patiently for him to get closer so I can stab his stupid face with it.

Like the dummy he is, he stepped closer.

Too close.

Something ugly flashed across his expression as his gaze dragged slowly over me before his hand landed against my thigh suddenly.

My entire body froze in shock. I drew out my hand from my pocket and stabbed the bobby pin into his shoulder instead, driving it in as much as I could.

A dismantled yelp scorched his throat as blood ran down from his shoulder, staining the blue jersey.

Then rage exploded through me. I don't know where I found the energy to slap him but I sure as fuck did.

The slap echoed sharply across the garden where some other students also were.

Maxson’s head jerked sideways and for one terrifying second, I eased up. I knew he was going to retaliate so I thought of sliding in-between his legs then make a run for it.

Maxson slowly looked back at me, his eyes burning with pure fury while holding the side of his face.

“You little—”

He raised his hand to hit me but before he could touch me or I could escape,

Someone grabbed him violently from behind.

Maxson barely had time to react before Luca spun him around and tackled him straight onto the ground with one heck of a punch.

“What the hell—!”

Luca’s fist collided with his face before he could finish speaking.

Then another punch followed.

And another.

Everything happened so fast I could barely process it. The fact that it was my softie bestie Luca beating up a guy made it even more impossible to believe my eyes.

Students nearby started screaming, hooting while others rushed toward the scene immediately.

“Luca stop!” I shouted as the crowd gathered but Luca looked furious.

Like actually boiling-pot furious.

His curls fell messily over his forehead as he grabbed Maxson by the collar and punched him again hard till his nose turned purple.

Finally, Luca shoved himself off him roughly before turning toward me.

“Run,” he barked.

I blinked.

“What?”

“Run, Aveline!”

Luca grabbed my hand and yanked me to run with him. The two of us bolted down the garden path without looking back. 

A little distance away, I could hear Denver's barking then angry footsteps chasing us.

'Oh no, if he catches up to us then we're really toast.'

I turned to look at Luca but he tightened his grip on my wrist while leading the way toward the botanical greenhouse near the back of the school property.

Which before I forgot was off limits to any person of any ancestry and except school authority.

The glass building was hidden behind taller hedges snaky scrubs. Flowers and plants crowded the inside in soft bursts of color while thick vines curled around parts of the outer walls.

We hurried behind the building breathlessly before ducking beside the thick shrubs lining the glass walls.

For several seconds neither of us spoke we just stood there listening carefully.

When no footsteps followed, Luca finally exhaled hard.

“I think we lost him.”

I nodded slowly, still trying to catch my breath.

Only then did I realize how close we actually were.

My back rested lightly against the glass wall while Luca stood directly in front of me, close enough for me to feel the warmth radiating from his body. His hand still loosely circled my wrist, and once again that familiar scent surrounded me completely.

It made my thoughts foggy every single time.

Without meaning to, my eyes drifted toward his face.

Tiny freckles dusted themselves beneath his eyes carelessly almost hidden against his skin unless someone looked closely enough. The strands of dark curls that clung messily against his forehead from running and his chest still rising unevenly beneath his black hoodie was too tempting to ignore.

Damn has my bestie always looked this good?

Luca kept looking ahead carefully through the bushes, completely unaware that I had been staring at him for far too long.

Then he turned.

“I think the coast is—” but his words stopped immediately when our eyes met.

Something shifted in his expression instantly and I saw it.

His throat bobbed slightly as he swallowed hard, his gaze slowly dropping toward the small cut near my lip where the tree bark had scraped against me earlier.

Without saying anything, Luca lifted his hand carefully toward my face.

His fingers brushed lightly against my jaw.

My breath caught.

The touch was impossibly gentle for someone with bony fingers.

“You’re bleeding,” he murmured softly.

My lips parted slightly and a gasp escapes me as his thumb lingered near the cut. Suddenly the space between us felt dangerously small; every breath mixing together in the narrow space behind the greenhouse.

Luca’s eyes flickered toward my mouth briefly before returning to my eyes again.

Then slowly...very slowly...he leaned closer.

And closer.

Lowering his head toward mine until...