“Don’t worry,” Jaelyn said, pulling Raven along the halls of their high school. “I swear Biology isn’t that bad.”
Raven gave her an annoyed look. “I didn’t say it was bad, I said I would prefer physics.”
Jae looked to her then, raising her brows. “Who prefers physics over biology? Physics over chemistry? Okay. But biology?”
“I’m just used to physics, okay?” Raven said, shaking her head. “You know how I feel about new classes halfway into the semester… especially when—”
“Your parents,” Jaelyn responded. “I know. How’s your mom doing, by the way?”
“She’s good,” Raven responded. “After the attack,” her eyes darkened, “she managed to get away unlike my dad…” but her gaze went back to their usual amber again, “but the doctors said she’d be home by Tuesday.”
“So you’re home alone until then?” she said.
“Yeah, I guess. I am sixteen, so I can take care of myself until she gets back.”
“I’m surprised CPS or the police haven’t moved you somewhere else yet.”
“CPS?” Raven echoed.
“Child Protective Services,” Jaelyn explained.
“Mom will only be gone until Tuesday, Jae. I doubt they’d butt in now. If she died, too…” she took a deep breath as something cold consumed her, “then I guess they’d move me to someone’s home….”
“Hey,” Jae said, still pulling her along the halls, “I’ll get my parents to get custody over you, alright?”
“Good luck with that,” Raven said, a sad smile forming on her lips. “I guarantee someone from my dad’s side would take custody over me.”
“Why not your mom’s?”
“Well… it’s complicated… She’s had a quarrel with her family… they kind of disowned her….”
“Odd….”
“Now a days,” Raven responded, “nothing’s odd.”
“True.”
They were silent for a moment.
“I’m glad you moved to biology, though, Raven,” Jae said. “I think it’d really help if you had someone you know in your class.”
“I moved because of overcrowding,” Raven said. “Not because the consulars are sympathetic toward me, okay?”
Jae only smiled.
But they made it into class, Jaelyn leaving Raven’s side and settling in her seat towards the back of the room.
Raven just stood awkwardly at the teacher’s desk, feeling all of the student’s eyes on her, but tried to ignore it.
Where is he? she mouthed to Jae.
Late, she mouthed back.
Raven rolled her eyes.
She looked to the clock, seeing it five seconds before the bell rang…
When she exhaled a sigh, she looked to the board on the wall, noticing that it said, Studying human behavior.
This was biology, not psychology…
Did they somehow mix the classes?
Ugh…
She didn’t want to talk to anyone today.
Almost half-a-second later, the bell rang, the teacher rushing in the room with stacks of papers in his arms.
After setting them on the desk, he looked to the class… almost everyone was screwing around and talking… some boys were throwing balls of paper at others, though the teacher didn’t really seem fazed by it…
He rose his hands, clearly about to clap to get everyone’s attention, but he stopped, eyes fixed on Raven.
She attempted a sweet smile, but his expression didn’t waver.
“Umm…” he said, “can I help you?”
“She’s a new student!” Jae called from the back.
“Oh,” he said, “are you… new to this school?”
“I switched classes,” Raven explained.
“This late in the semester?”
She shrugged.
He looked around the room, scanning for open seats, and his eyes caught on the front of the room, where a boy sat, leaning back casually in his chair.
“Go sit next to Malachi there,” the teacher instructed.
Raven looked to Jae, who seemed shocked for some reason, but nodded.
She then walked over to the boy and settled in the seat next to him, resting her arms on the table.
He had golden hair that was slightly wavy, and his eyes were dark enough to look black… though despite his bright hair, he wore a black T-shirt and grey jeans…
Great… she thought, he’s one of those.
His eyes moved to hers then, and before she could look away, he smiled.
Though not a kind one… a menacing one…
She stared down at the desk, heart pounding.
“Alright, class,” the teacher said, “today’s lesson is of course,” he pointed to the board, “human behavior. And I’d like to do a group assignment where everyone would have to write down traits of their partner.”
Oh, great…
“And no,” he added, “not stupid crap like, favorite color or food. Something interesting. Like their interests, what they do in their spare time, what shampoo they like to use, alright? Get on with it.” He clapped, and every student started pulling out their notebook along with Raven.
She opened the spiral she used for physics to a clean page—other than a small sketch of a human face in the upper right corner—and set her pen on it, staring down at the paper like it’d start writing itself.
The boy was quiet, but she wasn’t sure what he was doing… so she just returned the silence.
This surely was… awkward…
Silence spread along them for a moment, the air growing so thick that she started breaking a sweat.
After a moment, she took a deep breath and spoke, “Hi, I’m Raven.”
Shock rattled through her when he shot up from his original position, stealing her pen and scraped down in his notebook, “And she can speak English!”
He dropped the pen, leaning back in his chair and looked to her, eyes glowing with amusement.
Anger burned her inside at his sudden sarcasm, but she said, “What’s your name?”
“Malachi,” he answered, lips tilting, “but my friends call me Mal.”
“Mmm…” she responded, purposely sounding passive-aggressive.
“You?” he said then.
“I told you,” she shot him a look, “my name is Raven.”
“No,” he said despite her sharp tone, “I asked for your nickname.”
“No, you just said ‘you.’”
He only looked to her, waiting.
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t have one.”
“Liar,” he responded, smirking, “it’s ‘Ray,’ isn’t it?”
Something cold stirred inside her. “Only my parents call me that.”
“Your friend, too,” he pointed a thumb behind him where Jaelyn sat.
“Let’s get to the assignment, shall we?” Raven interrupted, shoving the questions she wanted to ask away.
How did you know my nickname?
How did you know my friend calls me that?
“Be my guest,” he said, gesturing to his paper.
There was an entire paragraph written, and her eyes widened when she stared down at it.
When did he…?
How did he…?
But when she tried to read the first sentence, he ripped the page out of his notebook, folding the paper in half and stuffed it into his backpack.
Something inside her burned, but the other half grew cold.
“What did you write?” she demanded.
“It’s not your assignment, Raven. It’s mine.”
Her cheeks burned. “Is that all stuff about me or are you just messing with me?”
He only smiled.
“Fine,” she said, stealing her pen back and scraped Malachi, on her paper. “What’s your shampoo?”
“Using the teacher’s questions?” he said, making an impatient noise. “Lame. Be creative, Ray.”
“Don’t call me that.”
He didn’t respond.
“What’s your favorite artist?”
“Lame question, Raven.”
“Can you just answer?”
“I don’t listen to music.”
“I find that highly unlikely,” she said angrily. “Stop dodging the question and tell me what your favorite artist is.”
“You.”
Shock rattled through her. “I don’t make music.”
“You draw beautiful pictures,” he said, gesturing to a sketch that rested in the upper right hand of her paper.
She drew that two weeks ago…
And… why was he complimenting her?
“You know that’s not what I meant,” she answered.
“You’re also a good singer,” he said then, looking to her.
She could feel her cheeks burning. “I don’t sing.”
“And you just lied.”
“What do I sing then?” she said, testing him.
“Your favorite song is Tired, by Serenity.”
She blinked, heart pounding. “How did you know that?”
He didn’t respond, just looked her up and down. “You’re tense. Is something wrong?”
She managed to clench her fist under the table. “Who even are you?”
“I’m Malachi,” he said again, “but you can call m—”
“Mal,” she answered sharply, “I know.”
“Nope,” he said, making her look at him, and he tapped his wrist, “call me.”
She looked to her arm to find nothing there, and when she glanced up at him he slid a piece of paper to her…
His number…
The bell rang, rattling her ears…
She looked up to question him…
But the spot he once sat was empty…
What the… hell…?
