58. Foreign
The first time she really notices the new kid is when he breaks out in a cursing tirade in the middle of calculus class.
It's swearing, she can tell by his tone and the impatience and frustration in his tone, and even though Reyna doesn't know one word of Spanish (which she's sure is what he's speaking) she would bet her life that that's the language Leo Valdez is cursing in.
Coach Hedge, the gym teacher who's filling in for Mr. Chiron, stands up to his full height of what must be about 5 foot 2 inches, and tries to look intimidating.
"Valdez," he says, trying to look menacingly at the teen who's just stood up and spoke a tirade of foreign words in exclamation towards the, admittedly difficult, test they'd just been handed ten minutes ago. "You better sit down and continue your test or else-"
Leo's hand twitches and Reyna 's gaze travels up his arm to his head, only to see him glance at her before smirking at the Coach. "I'm sorry," he bows his head and Reyna would bet money that the apologetic look on his face is false. "I'm not very good at math and this test is-"
"Expected to be completed and handed in by the end of the class." Hedge narrows his eyes. "Now sit down, cupcake, and if I hear even one more little peep out of you I'm sending you down to meet with Mr. D."
"Sir, yes sir!" Leo salutes the short man sarcastically but Hedge doesn't seem to notice the tone and preens to himself slightly.
Later, after class is done and Reyna's internally reassuring herself that no, she did not just fail that completely, she leaves the classroom with her binder and pencil case clutched against her chest, anxious to get home and placate her father who out ready to murder Hylla this morning for something she'd apparently done with a boy.
"Hey."
Before she knows what's happening Valdez is falling into step beside her as she heads towards their lockers and Reyna almost falters in her stride from surprise.
Nobody talks to her, not in years. Certainly not a boy. Ever since her father's hissed words in her ear ("You can't trust anybody, I don't want strangers coming into my home, if you even look at a boy I'll beat you so hard none of them will ever want to look back.") Reyna had made sure people knew that she preferred to be alone and that there was nothing they could do about it.
She'd assumed the new kid would pick up on it as well- that is, if he even noticed her. He'd seemed to have already found some friends in Jason and Piper.
So she gives him a look, then looks ahead once more. "What do you want?"
"I'm Leo Valdez." He says. "And you're Reyna. Right?"
"That must be right since it's on my birth certificate."
She didn't mean for it to be a joke but he gives a startled laugh. "Funny." He say. "Look, what are you doing later?"
"Nothing of interest." Reyna's sorry to be short because she thinks in another life she might like Leo Valdez, but she has to- at least until she goes away to University. "Goodbye, Leo Valdez."
Within weeks he develops the reputation of a bad boy. Within weeks she admits she's interested in the boy she brushed off in the hallway after math class.
(It doesn't matter though. None of it does.)
Maybe in another life it would have.