"ALL mine?" Cypress teased, giving her a cheeky grin.
Tuntun shushed him playfully, feeling her face starting to blush. "You're gonna get us in trouble."
"I thought I already was." he quipped, hiding behind his book.
"You dork." she giggled.
-
Classes went painfully slow for both Tuntun and Cypress, especially when they had to go their separate ways. Tuntun was far from popular, most kids thought she was a freak for all the years she was mute and from the rumors about her being a foster kid. She was often awkward and clumsy around people and when she was alone, you would find her dancing to her music like no one was watching. She started coming out of her shell when she met Cypress, the popular jock type who played on the school's rugby team. He was far more outgoing and liked by most, the last person Tuntun expected to give her the time of day.
At first she thought it was a prank when he started talking to her, something he would take back to his buddies to laugh about later. When she wasn't wearing her headphones, she'd hear a lot of the jocks call her "two ton" because she was on the chubby side. She didn't let it bother her but Cypress was quick to scold anyone who made fun of her.
He was charming and something about him that Tuntun had yet to figure out was the reason why she started talking again. She knew something was different about him because of his long, pointy ears and it was comforting for her. She didn't feel so alone.
The small teenager was walking through the halls to her next class, headphones on and music blaring, when she felt a tap on her shoulder.
"Hey, you!" a chipper, high pitched voice cut through the crowd as Tuntun turned to see her friend Dizi.
"Sup Dez." Tuntun smiled as she pulled down her headphones to rest around her neck.
"Where's that man candy of yours?" said Dizi with a sly smile, putting an arm around the shorter teen.
"Uh-" she paused to look at the time. "Math."
"Fun." Dizi scoffed. "Listen, I have a history project coming up, you wanna help me do some research for it? It's due next week and I haven't started."
"Y-yeah, 'course." Tuntun stuttered, unsure how much help she could be considering she wasn't from Earth. "Tomorrow, promise."
"Thanks, luv!" Dizi smiled and slapped the teen hard on the shoulder, shoving her forward a little.
Time seemed to speed up a little after lunch and before Tuntun knew, she was ready to head home to help her siblings get ready for their game. The short teen pushed her way through the crowds building up in the halls to make her way to her locker where she assumed Cypress would be waiting for her.
Sure enough, he was leaning up against the metal door and gave her that spine tingling smile she loved so much. "Hey, shortstack."
"Hey. Just wanted to see you before I left, wish you luck with your game." she replied, wrapping her arms around his thick waist. He had to bend down a little to return the hug and gave her a little peck on the cheek. They had gotten in trouble for public displays of affection before so they had to be careful. It made things more exciting when they would sneak off to an empty part of the school to spend time together and it made her look forward to seeing him later even more. He smelled so good and she loved running her fingers through his messy silver-blue hair. "I'll see you later." she purred into his ear and gave him a quick kiss.
Feeling her lips on his always made his head swim and watching her leave was both disappointing but nice to watch.
-
The sun was setting when Tuntun's brother and sister's soccer game finally wrapped up. She helped her parents load the car with gear, keeping a close eye on the time. They still had to go home and have dinner which wouldn't leave much time for her to see Cypress.
"Got somewhere to be?" Tuntun's father asked with a raised brow, noticing her constantly looking at her phone.
"Sorry, Daddy, I was hoping to see Cypress tonight." she replied, setting out plates onto the table.
"Oh well I'm sure we can handle dinner without you." he stated, giving his wife a glance of approval who nodded in return. "Just be back before curfew."
Tuntun beamed with a bright smile. "Thanks, Daddy!" she replied happily and gave him a hug before heading to the front door.
"Have fun with your boyfriend." her younger brother Sammy teased, doing kissy faces as she put her shoes on.
"Why don't you go see if Blake needs help with her homework." Tuntun chuckled, rolling her eyes at her younger sibling.
On her way out, she sent a text to Cypress and started walking toward their usual hangout spot half way between their houses, her headphones firmly in place. She glanced up at the sky to see some dark clouds among the pink and orange clouds. The smell of rain was in the air, one of her favorite. Something about the sound and smell of rain was soothing, even better if there was rolling thunder in the distance.
