Drake's POV
As soon as I say goodbye to Taylor my mind is whirling with ideas about how to prove to her that I'm not the colossal jerk that I appeared to be when we first hooked up. Roman was standing by the bus door clearly not wanting to board just yet.
"What was that all about?" Roman asks me waving a hand at Taylor's retreating car.
"Nothing. We were just talking." I say trying to get past him but he blocks my path.
"It sure looked like just talking to me, especially the part where you kissed her forehead." He punched my arm, not hard, but in a mocking way. I look at his face and see him smiling at me.
"It was nothing." I insist again though my voice makes it sound weak and unconvincing.
"I'm happy for you. If anyone were to benefit from the integration program I'm glad it's you and my sister." He says indicating Sophia and Lukas behind me. They were sitting on a bench, talking and holding hands. I looked away hating to spoil their moment if they saw us watching them.
"I just don't want to scare her away. I don't know how to treat a girl like Taylor. She's way different than anyone I've dated before. There's this fire in her that I'm both incredibly turned on by and at the same time it scares me. Then there's the fact that her parents are from a different lifestyle than I am and..." I stop hearing how panicky my voice has become.
"Relax. I'm sure anything you do to make an effort to be nice to her will be noticed and appreciated. That's what women really want; someone who tries to do things for them but not in the pushy 'I'm doing this specifically for you.' kind of way." Roman suggests this and for once he makes sense. I nod to him and finally he lets me pass and I sit in my usual seat staring out the window.
The next morning I wake up extra early. I hadn't slept really well but I think that was due to how nervous I am about today. I hope Taylor doesn't reject what I have planned because that would totally suck. I planned a lunch date for us and had gone and bought a bouquet of flowers that we grow in the Sector that smell like vanilla, a scent I know she likes because she wears it. I spent an abnormal amount of time looking in the mirror trying to calm myself down but then I realized it wasn't helping. I walked down the stairs and grabbed a piece of bread off the counter and my backpack from the living room and was out the door before anyone else was awake. I was the first one on the bus so I set the flowers on the seat next to me hoping the other students would take the hint and not sit there.
It seemed like forever but the other students finally trickled in and we were off to school.
Taylor's POV
Last night was probably the most stressful night of my life, and I'm not even talking about what happened at the party! Drake haunted my dreams and wouldn't leave my thoughts alone. I even had Justine, my housekeeper, make a cup of my favorite tea but it didn't help. So I woke up before the sun rose and decided to do some extra prepping when I saw the deep circles under my eyes. I stood in front of my wardrobe and looked at my clothing options. I looked at my designer dresses and skirts, but decided today was a day for shorts and a blouse. I thought about my makeup choices and decided on a natural look. I took one more glance in the mirror and decided I was ready.
I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder. I walked down the stairs and saw Justine waiting in the kitchen with a plate full of eggs and sausage.
"Morning Miss Taylor. How'd you sleep?" She asked me setting the plate down at my spot at the table.
"Not very well. I couldn't stay asleep after I finally fell asleep."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Now what do you want for lunch?"
"I think I'll just eat in the cafeteria." I say feeling bad that she always has to cook for me.
"You know how I feel about cooking for you. You're like my family and I love cooking for family. Don't feel bad about requesting something special." Justine said patting my head.
"I'll be fine." I say digging into my plate. The food tastes good and I quickly finish. I stood up and hugged Justine and headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth.
I jumped in my car and headed off to school nervous of what would come. I didn't want Drake to think I was so desperate that I freaked him out but I didn't want him to think I didn't care enough.
I was thinking about what to say to him when I pulled into the parking lot and saw him standing by what everyone usually calls my spot. I don't claim it to be mine but I park in it almost every day. He wore a simple black wifebeater and jeans and in his hands were a bouquet of flowers. The shirt showed off his muscles and his markings and I stared at him for a few seconds before pulling into the spot. I took a deep breath and turned off the car.
Drake opened the door for me and offered his hand to help me get out. The gesture was both charming and utterly cheesy. I smiled and let him help me up even though I didn't need it. I laughed at how incredibly tall he looked when I was wearing my flats instead of my heels. Usually we were the same height but now I'm at least a foot shorter. He smiles and laughs too as he realizes what I'm laughing at. He bends down comically and chastely kisses my cheek.
"Good morning," Drake says simply as he brushes a piece of hair out of my face that the light breeze had blown out of place. He holds the white flowers out to me and I stare at them before lifting them to my face. I inhale their pungent scent and am surprised by how familiar the flowers smell.
"Vanilla?" I ask inhaling again.
"Yeah. We grow them in the Sector and I knew you liked vanilla so I bought them this morning when I couldn't sleep." He shoves his hands in his pockets nervously waiting for my reaction. I smiled and gave him a hug.
"Thank you it's really thoughtful of you. What are they called?"
"We call them Angel's Trumpet because of the shape and the color." Drake explained fingering one of the blossoms.
"You guys believe in Angels?" I asked. I was curious about the Atrians and what we learned in school wasn't nearly informative enough.
"Some of my people do." He paused when he finished speaking and we both realized what had happened. There would always be that fine line between us. I'm Human and Drake's and Atrian. We are not the same, but we are not entirely different.
"Do you think there will ever be a day when we talk and we just say 'our people' and not Atrians and Humans?" I ask curious about his answer.
"I really hope that someday there will be, and Atrians and Humans will work together to create a better world for everyone." We hear the warning bell sound and turn to go inside.
I walked up to my locker and placed my hand on the scanner. I swapped out the few books I didn't need for the ones that I did. As I reached for my Calculus book I saw Drake had leaned against the locker next to mine and was watching me intensly. I blushed and pulled part of my hair in front of my face to block his view. I quickly grabbed the book and closed my locker.
"You know people are staring." Drake said matter-of-factly.
"Do I care?" I asked back lifting my head a little higher and squaring my shoulders. "They probably think you are going to beat me up or something."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Drake asked defensively.
"Nothing. It's just..." I fumbled for the right words and when nothing came to mind I turned away from Drake and walked off.
"It's because I'm an Atrian." Drake said softly but I could still hear him. My heart clenched painfully but I kept walking.
Drake's POV
The bus ride to school felt especially long and I kept having to adjust the flowers on the seat next to me. I tried to stay calm but my hearts were racing. I tried to steady my breathing like what the clan teachers told me to do when I got nervous. It's one of the perks of being a warrior, we have trouble sitting still for long periods of time. I looked out the window as we finally arrived and saw that Taylor's parking spot was still empty. I stood with the flowers and carefully made my way out of the bus.
The guard put his hand up and stopped me before I left the bus.
"What are those for?" He said pointing to the flowers.
"They're for a biology project." I lied thinking that I would be more likely to get off the bus with them if I said it was because of a school project than if I said I planned on giving them to a Human girl.
"They better not be poisonous." The guard said eyeing the flowers.
"If they were I wouldn't be touching them." I pointed out and the guard looked at me stupidly. "Can I go to class now?" He nodded and stepped aside. It was always going to be like this in one way or another. Some moron was always going to think we wanted to take their planet hostage and recolonize it with our race. I wish there was a place where I could go where there weren't ignorant people who put us down because we happen to be different. There's always Eljida some small voice whispers in the back of my mind. I shake my head at the thought though. Taylor couldn't come with me, humans aren't allowed in and they definitely aren't supposed to know about it.
I'm still gathering my thoughts when I see Taylor pull into the parking lot. She sees me and stops the car for a few seconds before she pulls in. I walk to her side of the car and open the door. I knew she didn't need help out of the car but I remembered what Roman had said about girls wanting a guy who would do stuff for them just because they could so I held out my hand. She smiled and took my hand and stepped out of the car. Taylor started laughing for some reason and it wasn't until I noticed how far up she had to look up that I laughed too. She's practically a dwarf without her heels so I bend down and kiss her cheek.
"Good morning." I say still laughing and I can see the gleam in her eyes.
I hold the white flowers out to Taylor and she stares at them before lifting them to her face. Taylor inhales their pungent scent and a look of surprise crosses her face.
"Vanilla?" She asks inhaling again.
"Yeah. We grow them in the Sector and I knew you liked vanilla so I bought them this morning when I couldn't sleep." I shove my hands in my pockets nervously waiting for her reaction. She smiled and wrapped her free arm around me.
"Thank you it's really thoughtful of you. What are they called?"
"We call them Angel's Trumpet because of the shape and the color." I explained pointing to one of the blossoms.
"You guys believe in Angels?" She asked. I was curious as to why she was asking but I answered anyway.
"Some of my people do." I paused when I realized what I had said. I had unintentionally brought to light the difference between us again. There would always be that fine line between us. I'm about to apologize when Taylor speaks.
"Do you think there will ever be a day when we talk and we just say 'our people' and not Atrians and Humans?"
"I really hope that someday there will be, and Atrians and Humans will work together to create a better world for everyone." I take a hold of her hand and run my thumb over her knuckles. We hear the warning bell sound and turn to go inside.
Taylor and I walk up to her locker. I stood beside her and crossed my arms over my chest as she swapped out the few books she didn't need. I watched her move with a sort of fluididity that matched the females of my warrior tribe. She saw me watching her so she blushed and pulled part of her hair in front of her face to block my view. She quickly grabbed her last book and closed the locker slamming it slightly.
"You know people are staring." I said matter-of-factly. I had been watching the people in the halls and noticed they couldn't stop staring at us and talking.
"Do I care?" she asked. She raised her head a little more and that fire burned in her eyes. "They probably think you are going to beat me up or something."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I say reflexively. This conversation turned to a very bad place and I tried to think of ways that I could bring it back on track.
"Nothing. It's just..." Taylor stands there trying to recover but when she can't think of anything she shies away from me and walks off.
"It's because I'm an Atrian." I say softly to myself speaking the truth that neither of us could. It hurts to admit that this is a big issue with our relationship and I can't help but be frustrated that this is what keeps coming up and this might be the reason that we can't move forward in our relationship. I sigh and rub a hand over my face. This was going to much more difficult than I thought.
Luckily for me I had gym next period so I could burn off some of this nervous energy. Roman and I tossed a football back and forth for a while before he grabbed the ball and headed toward me.
"What's going on? You're not even trying to show off."
"I don't show off." I say throwing a punch at him. He ducks easily and then backs away.
"I was just trying to get a response out of you. Seriously though. What's going on?"
"I just have a lot on my mind. Something happened with Taylor and I don't know if this relationship worth pursuing anymore." I shift from foot to foot and not knowing what to do with my hands I shove them in my pockets and stare at the ground.
"What happened? I thought you were so excited that you didn't sleep the night before."
"I was but something came up and I don't know if Taylor and I can survive that." I look up at Roman and he has that look on his face that he only gets when he is thinking hard.
"What problem?"
"It seems like no matter what we do something always comes along and points out the fact that I'm different than she is. That our relationship isn't considered normal and nothing we do is going to change the fact that people think it's wrong that she would want to be with me. This morning when we came into school people wouldn't stop staring at us and then she said she thought it was because people thought I was going to beat her up. I didn't know what to say to that. Then she walked away and I didn't go after her."
"Why didn't you go after her?"
"I don't know." I say getting frustrated. I took the football back from Roman and throwing it across the field. It almost hits someone and for a moment I feel bad but then the situation comes back into mind and I'm angry again.
"That was a pretty amazing throw." Roman said clearly trying to calm me down. It wasn't working.
"Hey you two!" the teacher yelled while walking in our direction. I looked behind us hoping he wasn't coming for us. "Who threw this ball?" He says holding up said ball.
"I did. Why?" I say slightly annoyed with his pointless question.
"Have you ever played football?"
"We don't have grass in the Sector, let alone sports equipment."
"Well if you can figure out how to play football I'd love to have you on the team. We could use an arm like that."
"Thanks but no thanks coach." I say and then I take off toward the school wanting to be alone for a while.
Unfortunately I still hadn't cooled off by the time I reached the building and Erik was standing there. He took one look at me, saw my expression and tried to leave but I grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him back toward me. The rest was a blur until I felt a smaller set of hands try and pull me off of Erik. I grabbed the person's arm and twisted it behind them. That's when I noticed the person's blonde hair and the smell of vanilla.