REVISED PROLOGUE, PLEASE READ SO THERES NO CONFUSION [2/11/19]
"Leaf, can we talk about what happened last week?" my friend Misty asks, exchanging a look with May. I sigh before I turn around in my seat to look at them both. Their eyes stare into mine with anticipation, making me uneasy. Ever since I came back from France, Misty has been on my case about the whole thing. She's heard bit and pieces, but for the most part, she's been in the dark.
"What's there to talk about? Grace harassed me and I retaliated then like usual I got burned," I state as I remember the uncomfortable look my mom and Henry gave me. She felt bad about my torment, but I was still out of line. So here I am, grounded from extracurricular activities except for my gymnastic practices. No friend dates, no shelter days, and absolutely no recitals despite continuing to practice every day.
Your father would be so disappointed. The words echo in my head. I feel a sharp pain overwhelm my nose and I try my hardest to contain my tears. I don't need to embarrass myself anymore.
"At least your mom let you come on this field trip," Drew pipes in with his signature perfect smile as he rubs my back.
"Yes, and going to the Museum of International Folk Art to write a ten-page paper is my definition of fun," I grumble sarcastically, running my fingers over Wellington Prep's breast patch on my blazer.
"Who knows, maybe you'll find something you didn't know you liked," May offered with a shrug.
As the buses pull up to the museum, a sense of dread settles at the bottom of my stomach. I couldn't tell if it's because I wasn't looking forward to the assignment or if I'm still bummed from the France incident, but the only thing calling out to me is my bed. Without giving it much thought, I grab my book bag and my blazer before exiting the bus with my friends. I look in my bag to make sure I have everything and the next thing I know I smack into May as she straightens out the red skirt to her uniform. She stumbles to the ground, spilling her own stuff everywhere. I turn to apologize and help her pick her stuff up, but somehow end up swinging my bag into Drew's stomach, causing him to double over. Panic falls over me as I try to apologize and comfort my friends. How can I perform a perfect full-out in the gym, but practically fall over my own two feet everywhere else?
"I'm sorry!" I say to my friends, before looking to Misty for help but only to find her doubled over laughing. She shakes her head as she tries her best to catch a breath. Apparently, my lack of coordination is amusing to her.
"What is wrong with me," I wail, burying my face in my hands. Drew clears his throat as he adjusts his red tie before patting me on the head like one of his dogs. I glare through my hands but still feel the embarrassment consume me. Please world, swallow me whole.
"Many things, young one, but not enough hours in the day," he says with a cheeky smile. This time, I purposely stomp on his foot before heading up the stairs behind the Professor. Misty's roars of laughter meet my ears and for the first time today, I feel a smile creep on my face.
In a few minutes, everyone gathers in the lobby of the International waiting for our next instructions. As my group makes small talk, I notice how small the lobby feels. Taking a look around, I see teenagers I've never seen before, not in our schools' usual red and gray uniforms. I back up to get a better look at the situation and see a crowd of students trailing out the door.
"Shouldn't Wellington be the only school here?" I ask my friends, still looking around. They stop their conversation to take a quick glance around to assess the mass of people.
"Looks like it's a public school," Misty says and soon, turns around to a boy wearing a red baseball cap, "Excuse me, what school are you from?"
The boy turns and openly checks out Misty before answering, "Lincoln High School."
The rest of us stare at him with our mouths practically open from shock and disgust. Misty, on the other hand, scoffed before ripping off his hat. The boy shoots her a glare and tries to snatch it back, but luckily she dodges his attack. I literally hear a low growl from the latter and I almost laugh at how ridiculous he sounds.
"I'm sorry, but I don't tolerate animals looking at me as prey," Misty sneers, stuffing his hat in her bag.
"Don't you know if a girl steals a guys hats, she's basically flirting? Give it back." The boy rolls his eyes. We look to Misty, expecting her to have a witty comeback, but only see her stuffing a piece of paper in his shirt pocket.
"Who said I wasn't flirting?" she winks, "If you want your hat back, call me before you guys head out."
Without missing a beat, Misty turns around and heads closer to Professor Niche, leaving everyone baffled. I glance at the boy and see a swirl of emotions written all over his face; surprise, confusion, uncertainty, curiosity but most of all amusement. We follow after Misty and once we were all together once more, May grabs her shoulder, forcing her to face us. The three of us can practically see her shaking from nerves but before I can comfort her Drew's thundering voice pierces through the lobby.
"What the hell was that?"
"Uh-oh... Daddy's mad," May whispers to me. My face heats up and I curse my tainted mind for being so weak. She just meant Drew acted like the protector even though we are very capable young women.
"I actually don't know," Misty sheepishly says, playing with her fingers.
"In the five years I've known you, you have never ever-"
"I know! At first, I was appalled at first but then I remembered this episode of Criminal Minds where the girl comes onto the guy and next thing I know, my inner tigress came out."
"There is so much wrong with what you just said," May says with a shake of her head.
"On Criminal Minds?" Drew shouts, "Do you know what happens on Criminal Minds? People DIE!"
I know I need to be serious, but I couldn't help laughing at his statement. I threw my head back letting my emotions take control, but ended up hitting a passerby, making him stumble. I feel ice and liquids spill on my white shirt, making me screech and curse.
"Jesus Christ, I just need to put them in a box," Drew groans, looking towards the sky like God was going to drop one down.
"Shit, I'm sorry!" a male voice panics. I turn around to see emerald eyes staring at me apologetically. I try to give him a reassuring smile, but with the cold drink and the a/c working perfectly I just shiver.
"Here, your blazer."
May wraps my blazer around my shoulders, trying to warm me up, but I only feel gross and uncomfortable now. I let out a sigh and move to grab my bag, but a hand beats me to it. I raise my eyebrows at the brazen, yet the very attractive guy in purple.
"Let me buy you a shirt in the gift shop. I feel really bad and you might get sick," the boy says with a sigh, holding my bag for me. I'm about to decline his offer and get my bag back, but May beats me to the punch.
"I'll go check if there's an extra shirt on the bus, but I think that's the best opinion."
"I agree," Drew nods, "I'll let Professor Niche know. Misty, come on and contain that damn tigress."
Before I get another word in, I'm left alone with the boy in the purple shirt. He smiles and leads me to the shop. I wrap the blazer closer to my body and follow after.
Once inside, I quickly got distracted with the small knick-knacks and gizmos playing to my interest. I stop at every table and examine the figurines and dishware, not only admiring the design but also the time and effort put towards the designer's craft.
"Handmade," I say to myself in wonder, looking at the bottom of the blue mug. My hand runs over the surface and I feel the imperfections of the clay art piece, making me love it even more. It's perfect for my collection. This is one of a kind.
"Do you want it?" Mr. Purple Shirt asks me, studying me with interest.
My face burns red and I put it back immediately. I saw the price tag on the bottom and 39.99 was pricey for a twelve-ounce mug. Many girls at school might not bat an eye at the expense, but my dad taught me better. Money is a fickle thing and we didn't need to spend it on everything we laid our eyes on.
"No, the shirt is more than enough."
His eyebrows raise in surprise before chuckling to himself. Did I say something weird? As he turns around towards the large section of clothes, I grab his shirt to make him look at me. His emerald eyes catch mine and it takes everything in me to speak.
"What's so funny?"
It takes him a second to realize what I'm asking and soon he's laughing again. "Sorry, sorry. I just didn't expect you to deny my offer."
"Because I'm from a private school?" I challenge, taking him by surprise again.
"Are you trying to pick a fight with me?"
"So what if I am? You're going to assume I can't take you on, too?"
"Woah. Settle down, fireball," the boy laughs, receiving another glare from me, "Let's just pick out a shirt, shall we?"
He extends his hand to me like some knight in shining armor. My body is telling me to hold his hand, but instead, I glance at it, deciding to walk myself to the clothing area. I see the amused shake of his head out of the corner of my eye as he drops his hand and follows me closely. A sense of pride washes over me and I hold my head up a little higher.
"I'm Gary," he finally introduces glancing at me with amusement in his eyes and showing me a pink and white shirt with the museum's names and bird feathers around the emblem.
"Leaf, Leaf Green."
I show Gary a nice white shirt with a black emblem instead, giving him a cheeky smile. The only problem is the size, large. I scour through the white shirts and realize they don't have anything smaller. Shrugging my shoulders, I walk over to Gary and hand him the shirt.
"Isn't this too big? You're like maybe five foot, Leaf."
"For your information, I'm 5'2". The perfect height for my sport."
"Your sport?" he questions as he takes the shirt to the check-out counter, "Softball?"
As he finalizes the purchase, we walk back into the foyer. My eyes immediately search the crowd, but I don't see Misty or May anywhere. He hands me the shirt and my backpack as I give him an amused look.
"Let me change and you can try again," I say on my way towards the bathroom. As I change, I mentally kick myself for thinking he would stick around after he paid me the favor. Judging from his looks, he probably has a girlfriend or at least someone he's talking to, making me some clumsy girl at a museum in need of a new shirt.
Stupid.
I tie the excess fabric in a knot in front like I did when I was in cheerleading before checking out my reflection for any imperfections. Other than my brown hair being a bit voluminous, everything looked good.
Gary looks really good.
I shake my head as I try to knock the thoughts out. He was just being nice. I sigh as I exit the bathroom, asking Misty for their location.
"Gymnastics."
I look up from my phone in surprise to see Gary in the same spot I left him. His smile spread to his beautiful green eyes and I'm silently thanking God for letting this happen.
"How did you know?" I ask as I stand in front of him with a little sass and getting a whiff of his cologne. God, he smells great.
"Talent alone is not enough. I believe that a really good gymnast is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration," he quotes my sticker on my backpack, sending a wave of butterflies through my stomach. We look into each other's eyes, feeling something spark between us. I bite my lip and for a second I see his face slowly turn red.
"Gary! Come on, the teacher is looking for you!" Misty's hatless boy yells, grabbing our attention. I see disappointment flash over his face, but he quickly recomposes himself and grabs a pen from the strap of my backpack. I chuckle as he reaches over the counter and snags a piece of paper. Ever since I bumped into Gary, it's as if I can't stop smiling and as he writes his number on the piece of paper, I realize I'm not just some clumsy girl he dumped drinks on. I'm the clumsy girl with his number.
Torii: As you can tell, I'm trying to change my style. I noticed because I do a lot of technical writing for school and such, my creative writing is very rusty. So I tried to be more relaxed here and have fun.
Jenna: I like it a lot! Review please my pretties!