"Christine sure got tall."
Spock trained his gaze to the aforementioned blonde and hummed in agreement. She had indeed grown taller over the summer as had most of the girls. Maybe her height was more noticeable because she towered over the other girls in line beside her.
It was field and track practice for the girl's team along with the cheerleaders. Both activities had a large sample of the academy's male population in attendance. Kirk, Leonard and a few other boys had gathered around the field's fenced perimeter to see what they could after a whole summer of changes. Spock took it all with a passing interest but enjoyed the gathering's camaraderie more than the gawking.
Kirk was slung over the black railing of the fence, arms prompt along top of the black metal as he clutched his empty soda can. He was chewing at the straw, thoughtfully looking over the cheerleaders as they ran through their tumbling exercises. "Janice has a new haircut."
The five males surrounding him turned their heads not unlike spectators in a tennis match and nodded in unison. "It isn't a cut that I would choose for my girl but I like the longer length of it well enough."
Spock blinked and tilted his head at the comment. Were they supposed to be pairing themselves off?
"Rand has the nicest pair of legs in the whole school." Kirk said leaning heavily on the wall. McCoy hummed while Leslie chuckled with a nod at their friend's assessment. Spock peered out from the crowd over to where the girls were talking on the quad.
He had to admit the 'popular' girls did make quite an attractive sight. In the spirit of camaraderie Spock shocked them all, weighing in with his opinion. "Rand does in fact have nice legs but I believe Uhura has the most sexually attractive figure among them."
Kirk's eyes went wide, McCoy's jaw went slack while Leslie doubled over in hissy laughter. Spock turned his gaze to find all three of them were smiling over in his direction.
Hendorff stood off to the side, shuffling his feet and scowling down at the ground. He did not smile along with the others but said nothing, leaving Spock to speculate. Kirk drew his attention away before he could question Hendorff's sulkiness. "And what would you know about her figure, Spock?"
They leaned closer as he turned his head back towards the field. His eyes found her easily. Her bright brown skin shone like polished copper in the late afternoon sun. Spock found that the Sun and her presence both warmed him, albeit in slightly different ways.
He stalled a bit more on Kirk's question, not sure how much, if anything, he should divulge. Nyota and I kissed he wanted to say. He pondered what he should say rationalizing that the kiss had been for practice after all.
Neither wanted to go to their respected mates with no knowledge of how to kiss, he rationalized. But he also the experience had been momentous for him. His first kiss was his best friend's as well and he felt that the kiss had deepened their friendship. He wasn't certain to what extent but something between them felt like it had changed.
Be that as it may, he was bonded. Being spoken for it made his admission to touching Nyota feel sordid but no one in school knew about it. He hadn't been allowed to speak about it. His father, in his logic, strongly deterred him from discussing Vulkusu mating traditions. He said it would cause an upset with some of the human parents because they would consider it taboo. Besides, Vulcans do not speak of it.
Like mother, Spock thought, recalling the memory of the night before his seventh birthday party. She wanted him to be able to choose a bondmate. His father had pressed that waiting to do so would bring his possible chances of having a Vulcan mate down to nil. He didn't understand his father's urgency on the matter or why he had been so narrow-minded in this regard. Whatever his reasons, they all avoided the subject with terse conversations and long stretches of silence.
Perhaps his father's logic in the matter would prove him right and give Spock a sense of peace in the future. As it remained, he felt a gnawing sense of discomfort, like a pebble in his shoe.
"I know what her figure feels like," he answered finally, a reply that said nothing as to how long and where. He mentally complimented himself for his discretion right before he realized he had responded horribly wrong. His friends nearly leaped onto him as they set upon him with question after question.
"What?! You guys made out?" Kirk screeched with a cracking voice.
Leslie chanted a breathless mantra of 'Oh. My. God. Oh. My. God. Oh. My. God' between enthusiastic cackling.
"Get out of here! Spock, I didn't know you had it in you!" McCoy chuckled, clapping him on the back. He followed up with grabbing him around the back of the neck and gave him what Spock assumed to be a playful shake. "Guys ain't supposed to kiss and tell you know."
Spock felt an immediate sense of dread at his proclamation. Not supposed to tell? But they asked? And...why would they ask if he was not supposed to tell them. He bit at his lip hoping that because he did not admit to the kiss his predicament would be easily side-stepped but it was immediately apparent that there was no chance of that.
Leslie stopped chanting and rushed up closer. "What was it like? Didja get to touch her boobs?"
Kirk smacked Leslie across the back of the head and hissed at him. "Dude, rude!"
He turned and gave Spock a sheepish grin. "But really did you touch 'em?"
Spock was flustered, his mouth agape. He hadn't meant for this to happen. It was exactly what he was trying to avoid. His eyes darted from face to eager face before resting on McCoy's. "I am not allowed to kiss and tell."
McCoy twisted his mouth and nodded with a shrug. "Yeah that's true but since you started you can't stop now. It's the rules, you see?"
"Rules?" Spock sputtered. There were more rules to the rule? What were they? How many of them were there?
"You're a real dick you know that?"
The four of them froze and snapped their heads towards the accuser. Hendorff stood off to the side glowering at him, face red with anger. Spock blinked in shock and shook his head in confusion. "Why would you say that?"
"You think you're some big shot for hooking up with Uhura?!" he spat, foaming at the corner of his mouth. Hendorff's body trembled as he worked to contain his rage. "Think you're somebody now that you two go out now?"
Kirk's eyes went round while McCoy stepped out of the way towards the fence. Spock held his hands at his side and clenched his jaw. He had it all wrong but he was telling fiction as fact. "It's not as you say it is. We are not dating."
Leslie glanced between them as Hendorff leaned forward and balled his fists. "What? Why wouldn't you? You just said she's the hottest female in school but you're gonna sample her and toss her away like nothing! You're the one that's space trash if that's how you treat people!"
Spock's nose flared as he stepped closer to his fuming classmate. Spock had his share of conflicts back on Vulcan but his life on Terra had been relatively placid, until now. "Do not say you know something you know nothing about," he growled.
All too late did he realize he was sneering. He worked to fix his face while Leslie stood between them. "Not cool, Hendorff."
The large boy jabbed his finger angrily between the two of them while coming closer. "I know Vulcans cannot lie but I can't believe Uhura let you touch her!"
Spock sidestepped Leslie and raised his voice. "What are you insinuating?"
Kirk's brows furrowed as he noticed their group was gaining attention from others near the track's stands. "Hey guys, cool it."
McCoy, going a step further, placed his hands on Hendorff's chest to help push him back. "Hey, hey Jason. Calm down, we understand why you're pissed. But what do we know? Maybe it was Uhura who didn't want to be boyfriend/girlfriend with lover boy here because he was bad kisser or something?"
Hendorff shook his head and turned an even brighter shade of red. Knuckles white from the strength of his clutch, he launched into another tirade. "I wish! I see the way she looks at him though. Like he's the second coming and we're all Klingon Gagh!"
Spock wrinkled his nose at the reference and huffed. "She looks at me as she does because we are good friends. We are close."
"A little too close if you ask me! Do your parents know that you guys are making out? I'm sure your snooty daddy would pitch a fit if he knew," he spat back at him. His eyes brightened as he saw Spock's face flinch from his verbal assault. "Ha! Careful Spock, you might show everyone you care what we think."
Hendroff pushed past McCoy as if he were pushing away a clingy toddler to stand face to face with Spock. He was tall for a boy his age, stocky with a large head. Being short for an average Vulcan Spock stood eye to eye with the furious teen. "You too good for her? Is she not good enough for you? What? Did she not put out for you when you decided to pay her attention? News Flash! Earth girls aren't easy, you alien piece of shit! Uhura will never fuck someone like you."
Hendroff hit the ground and the crowd around them went silent. Spock stood breathing raggedly and glared down at him. There was an angry red swelling around the boy's jaw and a throbbing pain radiating in his hand. He...he hit him? When? He didn't even remember raising his hand?
Spock looked down at the split skin across his knuckles as a people rushed around him. A familiar voice murmured in the background before yelping in surprise. " What?!"
He jerked his head up and found Nyota standing not even ten feet from him with a look of shock across her face. No...she can't be here! She'll get it all wrong. I didn't mean it! I-
" Nyota…" he started.
She tore her gaze away and glanced at the scene around them. Kirk was helping a scowling Hendroff up off the ground. McCoy was looking over his face mumbling something about being lucky while Leslie held off some boys that were angry on her on Hendroff's behalf.
"Please…" he pleaded. He didn't know why he said it, only that he really felt it inside him towards her. He was ashamed. His actions had caused this and she would hate him for it.
But he didn't know what she felt that day until much later. She met his eyes again and ran off for the gym.
He was suspended for the next two weeks for the fight and didn't see Nyota for another month. When he did find her she walked by with her head bowed and without a word to him.