(Evie)
The incessant sound of light tapping was more than likely grinding the nerves of everyone in the room, but Evie couldn't bring herself to mind the irritated glances sent her way, she was way too anxious waiting for a specific person's arrival. There were far too many feelings constantly coursing through her whenever she thought of Mal; attraction, confusion, delight, frustration, hope, anger. And that definitely wasn't the end of the list, she was positive the girl had already made her feel every emotion ever recognized and given a name, and then some. Currently, she was confused by the girl's behavior this morning, and anxious for the girl's arrival, thoughts of how she was going to attempt getting the girl's attention running rampantly through her mind and creating the slightest ache in her temples.
She didn't know what to believe with the girl anymore. When she had seen the girl this morning it had only been a brief glance, but somehow she knew Mal had been watching her for some time before she had gotten the urge to glance upward. Despite having no actual information on what she had been doing that morning on the balcony of the dorm lobby, Evie couldn't help but feel as though Mal had been hoping to avoid her. She had no idea where these sudden, strong feelings came from, or how she was always so sure they were correct, but with how often they were something she would rather not know about she was beginning to wish they would simply disappear.
At some point between the last time she had spoken with the girl and this morning, Evie had decided to try to be more relaxed in her presence, showing more of herself than the cautious, nervous girl hoping to make a friend that she had been in the past. She didn't know why her confidence waned with Mal, she just knew that it did, and that she wanted to push passed that awkward phase and move into comfortably being herself in front of the girl, something inside her telling her that it would be received better than the nervous façade.
Her heart faltered and her fingers became immobile when a flash of purple caught her eye, and – making no attempt to act as though she hadn't been waiting for the girl – she turned to face the table behind her as the girl dropped into her seat. She's wearing the jacket. The sight of the neatly sewn replica molding to the girl's shapely body placed a smile on her face, and she honestly couldn't tell if it was because she was delighted the girl was wearing it, or if it was because she appreciated the way the material hugged her body perfectly. She decided it was both.
When Mal arched her eyebrow, Evie snapped herself out of the inappropriate thoughts bombarding her mind to lift her gaze to the girl's eyes instead of her body. Goodness, it might be a lot harder to think of her as just a friend. She knew she'd be capable of doing it, she just didn't know if she could control her mind from delving to places it shouldn't with the girl.
"You're here," those definitely weren't the words she had been preparing for the last ten minutes, and she nearly groaned at how idiotic she sounded; nearly.
"Great observation," Mal replied, leaning her elbows on the surface of the table.
Good job, Evie, she scolded herself. Despite the feeling coursing through her that made her wish she could curl into herself, she held Mal's fierce stare, the intensity quickly reeling her into a daze. Those eyes. She couldn't help it, Mal's eyes were just too enticing for her.
"You feeling any better?" Evie cleared her throat, lowering her gaze to where the girl's fingers lightly scratched the marble table.
"I was feeling better yesterday, but that didn't stop that woman from keeping me locked away in the infirmary," Mal's voice held anger, and lots of it, but it wasn't targeted toward Evie.
"You weren't technically locked in there," Evie stated calmly despite knowing disagreeing with the girl was often a terrible idea. "You could have left at any time."
There was a bright flash in Mal's eyes, the bright-green flickering with a deeper, more vibrant shade. Evie found that she had to stop herself from leaning her elbows on the table as well, her desire to get physically closer to the girl surpassing her mission to get emotionally close, in that moment. Come on, Evie, you're not like this, she reminded herself, clearing her mind; you're the one who flusters people, not the other way around.
Before she could open her mouth to say something else she caught a glimpse of the girl behind the effective mask she constantly had thrown up, reminding her of the time in the infirmary when she had managed to break through completely. Confusion had taken place of the dangerous flash of unusual green, making it seem as though she were bewildered by something Evie had done; or something she hadn't done.
"I know the feeling though," Evie continued, deciding to ignore the look despite her craving to know what it meant. "I don't particularly enjoy being in the infirmary either."
"You've been in there?" Mal questioned, seeming genuinely surprised.
"That's an odd question to be asking me since I was obviously in there with you," Evie replied smoothly.
Mal narrowed her eyes. "You're annoying."
"So are you," Evie responded honestly, knowing they meant it in completely different ways.
"Then why do you keep talking to me?" Mal asked, her voice clipped and venomous.
Evie shrugged, trying her best to seem unfazed. "Because I want to be your friend."
"You make no sense," Mal stated.
"And neither do you," one corner of Evie's mouth quirked upward as she finally gave into her urges, pressing her elbows into the cold surface of the table and leaning forward until there were only five inches separating their faces, maximum. "Are you going to talk to me? Or are you going to continue acting as though you don't need anyone in this place?"
Considering how nervous she had been for Mal's arrival she had no clue where this confidence had come from, but the way she responded to the girl in that moment was the way she spoke to others, so she was more delighted than confused that she was succeeding in her decision to act more normal with the girl. Before now, she had always side-stepped around the girl as if it were a routine, cautious not to press her the wrong way, but now she seemed to be returning to herself with ease, the girl's beauty definitely still affecting her, but in a different way. She was attempting to get under the girl's skin in a different way than offering her everything she might possibly want.
They held gazes, neither one backing away or closing the remaining distance. Evie could see the way Mal's jaw clenched, her teeth clearly grinding together in her closed mouth, but she could also see the slightest glint of something else in those breathtaking green eyes, something that resembled confused pain. Instead of asking Mal to divulge everything that was hurting her like she had done every time before, she simply arched her eyebrow, somehow knowing that being herself would get more information from the girl in the long-run. Once again, she had no idea why she felt so sure of this.
Unfortunately, the last bell rang and the teacher stepped forward to begin the lesson, meaning they would get in trouble if they remained the way they were. And so, offering Mal a soft smile, Evie pushed away from the table and turned around in her seat to face the front of the class, well aware that the girl continued staring at her even as the teacher explained what they would be doing today. With the light prickling of the right side of her face she could tell that Doug was also watching her, and she glanced over at the boy and offered him a smile as well.
Once the teacher had finished describing the lab they were to be completing in the next forty minutes, Evie immediately began gathering the needed materials, only stopping when the teacher spoke again.
"I know we've all already got our partners, but can someone please split off to pair up with the new student? Help her understand everything she's missed."
There was no hesitation in the raise of Evie's hand. "I'd be delighted to help Mal."
Part of the reason she had used Mal's name was because – as it would if it had been anyone else – she was offended the teacher had called her 'the new student'; and the other half was because she enjoyed letting the girl's name roll off her tongue more than she probably should. You don't want to date her, Evie, she told herself, feeling the need to remind herself since her body definitely wanted to pursue the girl; you just want to become her friend. Despite knowing that was true, she couldn't stop the section of her mind that added; for now.
"Thank you, Evie," the teacher looked appreciative, and Evie was pretty sure everyone knew it was because he didn't want to have to work with Mal himself; she already had quite the reputation of finding trouble.
Sliding from her seat, she left the materials she had already gathered on the table as she hooked her fingers around the straps of her bag and hoisted it over her shoulder to make her way to the table behind her. Ever since she had turned to face the front of the classroom the burn from Mal's stare hadn't disappeared, and, as she turned around again, her gaze was immediately met by bright-green, flashing eyes. There was a dangerous look swirling around the girl's eyes, but it didn't frighten Evie, and she noticed the slight glint of confusion flash through the anger once again, leaving her wondering why it continued happening.
"What, did you already miss me?" Mal questioned through grit teeth.
Evie knew she was being sarcastic, but at the same time she was enjoying working the girl up too much to not accept the perfect offer she had handed to her. "You're very easy to miss, Mal."
"I'm sure," Mal deadpanned, reaching to the bottom of her chair to scoot it further away from the one Evie plopped herself down into.
"Okay, do you have any idea what he was saying?" Evie questioned, deciding to move the conversation more into work than unfriendly banter.
"No, and I don't care to," Mal replied, once again leaning her elbows on the surface of the table.
"You sure do have impeccable interest in school," Evie said sarcastically as she reached forward to begin gathering the materials for the second time that morning.
However, her movements briefly faltered when snorted laughter reached her ears, and – the corners of her mouth curving upward – she glanced over at the girl beside her using mostly her peripheral vision, noting the way Mal was trying to cover the fact she had laughed. Why are you so against being my friend? What is it about me that you dislike? She wanted to ask the girl these questions, however, despite the fact that she had finally managed to be herself, she found herself too nervous to be that blunt with the girl, and so she remained silent as she began working, having little issue with completing the lab herself.
Though she felt a sharp sting from the harsh way Mal spoke to her she couldn't bring herself to be surprised. If considering the way she had treated the girl that Monday before Mal dropped to the ground before her unconscious, not even blissful ignorance could make her surprised. If anything, she deserved this kind of treatment, but that didn't stop her from wishing the girl would talk to her the way she had in the infirmary before everything had happened, before something had seemingly possessed her.
It seemed that – despite the fact that Mal had done nothing but reply sharply and insult her – she couldn't seem to stand the thickening silence between them.
"What are you even doing?" Mal questioned, shifting in a way that let Evie know she was uncomfortable sitting so close to her.
"The lab," Evie answered, not taking her eyes off the work she was doing.
"Thanks for that answer, smartass," Mal rolled her eyes, letting an irritated huff of air escape her lips. "You know what I meant."
Evie did, she just didn't want to answer the question. Instead, she stopped her work to look over at the girl. "I'm afraid I don't."
"Come on, Evie," Mal's voice was a whispered hiss, a sound that most people would fear; but Evie didn't, not even the slightest bit. "I know you're smart, so stop playing this bullshit and answer the question."
Evie could see the burning fury present in the girl's eyes, but she could also see the wonder, the confusion. It was obvious to her that she was a wonder to Mal, and for some reason she wanted Mal to try harder to understand her, to sneak inside of her and settle in. Well aware that the girl had proved an ability to read what was present in her eyes, Evie turned away from Mal and back to the equipment in front of her, not wanting her to see the desperation in her eyes. However, as she shifted, her gaze slid over the boy she had left by himself, and she couldn't help but glance upward to find that he had carried his chair to the opposite side of the table, earning a perfect view of them. He was watching them. At first, she worried he felt abandoned, and that he believed she was ignoring him because of the invitation to the dance, but then she noticed something that irked her.
He wasn't watching them, or even just her; he was watching Mal. Closely, to be exact, closely and with caution. She was tired of everyone disliking Mal, tired of everyone being wary of her every move. She just didn't see how the girl could be dangerous. In all honesty, Mal seemed more harmless than Evie herself did, more talk than actual action. If you treat someone a certain way because you're expecting them to act in a way that deserves that judgment, then they'll eventually start acting like that. Her eyes narrowed the slightest bit when Doug failed to tear his gaze from Mal; if you treat someone like a villain, then they'll act like a villain.
Just then, a dull throb settled against her chest, mimicking the throb of the temples when someone got overwhelmingly angry. And she was angry, furious, though she didn't understand how she could have become this emotional within a short period of time. The pulsing intensified, its wiry fingers reaching through the shield of her chest and wrapping around her heart to increase her bubbling anger as she watched the way Doug's eyes shifted with Mal's movement. She watched as his body stiffened seconds before she felt a light grip on her arm, the unexpected contact causing her to bring her gaze to meet green, the girl's eyes calming her down immediately, quickly draining every ounce of unnecessary anger from her body.
Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed the way Mal's pupils dilated the slightest bit, well aware that pupils grew in size when there was attraction present. She internally scolded herself; pupils also change size according to the light. She tried not to think about the fact that the light was the same intensity throughout the room, and that one's pupils would remain the same size no matter which way they were facing. She tried not to think about the possibility of Mal clipping her words because she was afraid of being interested in her. She tried not to think of what it might feel like to press her lips to those inviting plump ones. She tried not to think of anything as she stared into the girl's bright-green eyes, the anger from earlier having vanished from them to leave behind curiosity, and what Evie read to be worry.
Was that…? With the arm that wasn't currently gripped by Mal, Evie reached up to slide the necklace into her palm, finding it completely dormant. It had to be, she thought, shaking her head; I wouldn't ever get that angry with Doug. Yes, his dislike of Mal irked her, but she wouldn't ever allow herself to get that worked up about it, instead she would work to change his opinion of her. It was like that time with Audrey; despite how much Audrey annoyed her she would never actually hurt the girl, let alone attempt to kill her – which is what those roots had seemed to be trying to do. The necklace was taking over her, making her dangerous to be around, and yet she couldn't bring herself to remove it. It had too strong of a hold on her.
When the lunch bell rang signaling the end of the fourth class, Evie hurried to shove her books into her bag in an organized manner, having spaced out for the second part of class. It was hard enough to believe Mal had all the same classes as her before lunch, and it definitely didn't help that the girl seemed to be constantly staring at her, the lure of meeting those irresistible green eyes often too tempting for her; though she wouldn't want to admit that to anyone. However, despite having spent the entire class staring at her with a narrowed gaze, Mal immediately shot from her seat once the bell sounded through the room and made her way toward the door, leaving Evie highly confused about what was going through the girl's head; again.
Once she had managed to get everything back into her bag she threw the strap over her shoulder and hurried after the purple-haired girl, hoping to catch up to her, which didn't prove too difficult despite the girl having been the first one out of the classroom.
"Hey," Evie fell in step with Mal, her movements more graceful than the girl beside her. "Why don't you ever bring anything to class?"
"Because I don't plan on doing anything," Mal replied with little hesitation, stopping her steps abruptly. "Why are you following me?"
Evie stopped as well, a few steps ahead of Mal. "I'm not following you," she laughed lightly, though she knew it was debatable. "I'm walking with you. In fact, I was just going to invite you to have lunch with me."
"As tempting as that sounds," Mal started, the sarcasm lacing her voice pricking Evie's chest. "I'd rather not."
By this point – after four classes spent with the girl – Evie was growing irritated, completely and utterly frustrated by Mal's behavior toward her. She no longer knew what to do, what to try in her attempt to get the girl to become her friend, and that frustration pushed her temporarily over the edge.
"Just tell me why," Evie huffed in exasperation, finally allowing her desperation to seep through into her voice.
"Tell you why I won't have lunch with you?" Mal arched her eyebrow; voice steady, movements awkward.
"You know what I mean, Mal," Evie stated, knowing it wasn't a lie; she could see it in the girl's eyes.
"I'm afraid I don't," Mal whispered, repeating Evie's earlier lie back to her, green eyes looking completely different with fear present in them.
"Tell me why you don't like me," Evie further detailed despite knowing she didn't actually need to. She stepped closer to her, invading her personal space. "That's all you have to do. Just tell me why you're so against being my friend, and I'll leave you alone."
Those words started what felt like the longest silence they had ever had spreading between them, it somehow feeling thicker with the shortened distance. Neither girl looked away, their gazes holding strongly as if they had been permanently locked together, forever doomed to remain studying each other for the rest of their lives.
Mal said nothing, she didn't even try.
The only thing that broke them apart was the sound of Jay's voice, the boy calling for Evie's attention, anger evident in his voice.
"Yeah," Evie breathed out quietly, well aware that the girl could feel her breath on her face. "I didn't think you could."
And with that, Evie tore her gaze from Mal's and head toward Jay, leaving the girl to stand there staring after her as she came to a halt in front of the boy. She could tell he was angry that she had been talking to Mal, and she knew it was because he didn't trust the girl, but she didn't care; she ignored it.
"Ready for lunch?" Evie asked, the look present in her eyes daring Jay to bring up the fact that she had been talking to Mal. She wasn't in the mood to be questioned by any of her friends.
"Yeah," Jay replied, seemingly seeing the silent threat swirling around her eyes.
Just like every other day, Evie and Jay made their way through the line together and journeyed to the table to sit down, Doug and Carlos already eating their food. Evie sat down next to Carlos and across from Doug, well aware that if she sat beside the nerdy boy he would bring up the topic of Mal.
"Hey, how was your day so far?" Carlos asked her, scratching Dude with one hand and using the other to eat.
"It was alright," Evie answered honestly, situating herself more comfortably on the bench.
However, as she shifted her gaze landed on someone sitting down at one of the tables nearest them. Mal's gaze met hers almost immediately after she sat, almost as if she had sat in that particular spot just to gain Evie's attention; well, good job, Mal. It worked. She was angry with the girl, but also in the middle of a rush from the knowledge that the girl hadn't been able to give her even a single reason why she didn't want her around. There was a part of Mal that had admitted she liked Evie in at least a small way, and now that Evie knew that she planned on reaching that part of the girl and spreading it to the rest of her. She wanted the girl to like her, and she would try everything she could to get to that point, or until Mal could give her a reason for disliking her.
"How was yours?" Evie asked the boy, tearing her gaze away from Mal so she could look at Carlos.
"Pretty good, actually," Carlos replied, chuckling softly. "I got an A on my first engineering project."
"Of course you did," Jay smiled brightly, reaching across the table to lightly punch Carlos' shoulder in congratulations. "You're a genius when it comes to building stuff."
Evie chose this moment to zone out of the conversation, not being able to stop her gaze from wandering back to the purple-haired girl sitting at the table behind Jay and Doug. Mal was no longer looking at her, but that didn't stop her from watching the girl as she ate her food, well aware that it was creepy, but not caring.
It was a nudge on her hand holding the fork that brought her back to the conversation, only to realize that Jay had noticed where she was staring and was now – once again – angry. "Would you stop staring at her? Why are you even so interested in this girl?"
Evie shrugged, playing dumb as she had all last year. "I just want to get along with my roommate, Jay."
"Well, staring at her isn't going to get her to like you," Jay stated, glancing over his shoulder at the girl in question. "In fact, I don't think anything can get her to like you. It doesn't seem like she likes anyone."
"That's not true," Carlos chimed in, swallowing his food before continuing. "She's nice to me."
This information startled Evie, and she found her gaze traveling back to the purple-haired girl. So it is just me, she thought those words as if she were speaking to the girl; you have no issue being nice to Carlos, so what is it about me that makes you act the way you do? She had already stumped the girl by asking her to name the reason why she disliked her, but she had no idea how to go about getting her to explain why she was so hesitant to let her in.
"Evie!" Jay snapped again, knocking his fist against the table to get her attention. "Give it a rest."
Evie tore her gaze from the girl to meet Jay's, heat rushing through her body in the form of anger. No, she tightly gripped the necklace; I won't let you do this to me again. Forcing herself to take calming breaths, she nodded at Jay, deciding to listen to him for the remainder of lunch. However, that seemed to be impossible the second another figure caught her eye, and she looked up to find Ben sliding onto the bench opposite from Mal, not blocking her view of the girl, but effectively stealing her undivided attention, much to Jay's displeasure.
(Mal)
The second someone walked into her clear path of Evie anger began flowing through her, only intensifying when she realized who it was. So, King, we meet again. What are the chances. Though it wasn't merely by chance, the boy seemed to be seeking her out every day. In a way, he was doing the same exact thing Evie was doing, but the borderline stalker feeling was more welcome from Evie than it was from the sandy-haired boy.
"How have you been?" Ben asked, that everlasting smile quickly crawling unpleasantly under Mal's skin.
"If I have to hear one more person ask me that today, I'm going to punch them in the throat," Mal growled through grit teeth, already despising those four words strung together.
"I'm going to assume that means you're feeling much better," Ben laughed awkwardly, her violent nature clearly making him uncomfortable.
Good, she thought about his discomfort; maybe he'll learn to leave me alone. However, when she went to glance over the boy's shoulder to find Evie's gaze again she noticed something else; the majority of the courtyard was watching them curiously. That's when the realization hit her, making her feel nauseated within seconds. Everyone is suspicious of me. She remembered that Head had told her to stay out of everyone's suspicion; well, I've clearly fucked that up along with most of the bullet points of the mission. She wondered if there was anything she could do to change that fact. Just then, her gaze slid back over the boy directly in front of her, the over-sized crown resting on his head tempting her to laugh. No, not going to happen.
"Anyway, I assume someone's told you about the dance tomorrow?" Ben questioned, stealing her attention from her own mind.
"It's been mentioned," Mal answered honestly, lifting one of her eyebrows in curiosity; why is he bringing up the dance?
"Well," Ben began, his gaze finally averting to where his hands rested on the table, a light chuckle escaping his lips as if he found something he shouldn't entertaining, as if she had said something amusing, yet inappropriate. "I know you're not really fond of me, but I was wondering if you would maybe want to attend the dance with me? So we could get to know each other better."
As if it were a reflex, Mal parted her lips to throw an insult his direction, however, she found the will to stop herself, the prickling sensation of multiple pairs of eyes watching her once again catching her attention and reminding her that she needed to be careful. Okay, she blew out a breath; how do you turn someone down nicely? Just as she thought of something to say, a luring pull forced her to lift her gaze to meet red-brown eyes that often haunted her mind, effectively silencing her again. She held Evie's gaze, and her mind wandered to this morning as she remembered Carlos telling her he was going to the dance with Evie. Something unfamiliar surged through her and she snapped her gaze back to Ben's, finding that the hazel lacked something as she parted her lips to say something that twisted her stomach.
"Yes," Mal answered. "I will go to the dance with you."