Jared could be the most annoying brother in the world at times. This was one such instance. I’m not much of a morning person to start with so his teasing bugged me more than it would have later in the day. “Knock it off, Jared,” I snapped. “Give me the milk or I’ll be forced to do something very unpleasant to you.”
“I’m so scared.” Jared pretended to shake with fear.
“Enough you two.” Mom, who’d been busy making our lunches, came over to the table and took the milk from Jared. She poured some into my bowl. She then looked at each of us in a way that said we were walking a fine line. Mom isn’t much of a morning person, either. “Jared, stop bothering your sister or I’ll take back that new video game I gave you.”
Jared opened his mouth to protest, but Mom held up her hand to stop him. He slumped down in his chair in defeat and then started to eat. Mom turned to me and nodded her head approvingly. “Mika, you look great. It’s nice to see you in that outfit. I knew it would look good on you. It’ll make you stand out in a crowd.”
That, I didn’t want to happen. I almost considered going back upstairs to change into something I normally wore, but when I glanced at the clock I saw there wouldn’t be any time to switch. I quickly finished my breakfast and shoved the bagged lunch Mom handed me into my backpack. I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and then headed outside to my car.
* * * *
I managed to arrive at school early enough to have my pick of parking spots. I chose one close to the lot exit and parked the car. As I crossed over to the school, I looked up at the sky. Even this early in the morning I saw it would be a bright and sunny day. I knew that would soon change. With fall came the rain. At least I didn’t have to worry about standing outside in a down-pour at the bus stop anymore.
Once inside the school I went straight to my locker to grab the books I needed for my morning classes. I took my time since I had fifteen minutes to kill before homeroom started. After I had everything I needed in my backpack I closed the locker door and snapped the lock back in place. The sound of a group of girls headed my way made me look up. I silently groaned to myself when I saw who walked in the center of them.
Silvia Michaels was the bane of my high school existence. Popular, pretty, as well as the captain of the cheerleading squad, Silvia made sure everyone around her knew how much better she was compared to them. Me, she loved to single out and ridicule at every opportunity she got. I couldn’t understand it since I’d never done anything to warrant it.
Silvia sneered at me as she slowed on her way by. “Nice outfit, Mika. Did your Mommy pick it out for you?” She laughed. “It shows.”
I gritted my teeth, determined not to let her rub me the wrong way. I didn’t expect anything better from her. Since grade nine Silvia had tried to make my life miserable. She was part of the reason why I didn’t try to dress to impress. If I did I usually ended up being the butt of one of her jokes at my expense.
At my continued silence, Silvia stopped walking and turned to face me. “Don’t you have anything to say, weirdo? Or did the cat get your tongue?”
“Leave her alone, Silvia.”
Both Silvia and I looked over in the direction the deep voice had come from. Trent stood a foot away with a scowl on his face, which he seemed to have directed at Silvia. My heart rate sped up. Has Trent just stood up for me?
Silvia gave Trent a big smile as she walked over to him. It was common knowledge she wanted him as her own. When she reached him, she swung her long, auburn hair over her shoulder and batted her green eyes.
“Hi, Trent. Since when do you care what I say to the weirdo? A girl has to have her fun. Now that her little friend’s gone, she’s all on her own. Don’t you think that’s pathetic?”
Trent’s dark brows drew closer together. “There is nothing wrong with being alone. You should try it sometime. Maybe then you’ll see how much of a witch you are.”
At Silvia’s gasp of outrage, I decided to get out while the getting was good now that Trent had distracted her. I didn’t know why he had done it, but it sent a little thrill through me knowing he had. The only other person who had ever stood up to Silvia on my behalf had been Cathy. I hated confrontations and tried to avoid them as much as possible.
I arrived at my homeroom class with no further incident. I slipped into my seat at the front of the class and watched as the rest of the kids trickled in. This time Trent arrived before the teacher. His gaze settled on me as he walked farther into the classroom. I quickly looked down at my desk as I felt my cheeks flood with warmth.
The chair beside mine scrapped against the floor when someone pulled it out from the desk. I glanced up at the sound. I felt my face flush even more when my gaze collided with Trent’s.
Trent smiled. “I forgot my math textbook in my locker. Do you think I could share yours?”
I nodded and mumbled, “Sure.”
“Great. Thanks.”
I yelped with surprise when Trent grabbed the leg of my desk in one hand and the back of my chair in the other. He easily pulled them both closer until our desks were together. He chuckled as he placed my math textbook in the center of our two desks. The teacher arrived before I could say anything else.
Mr. Morrison eyed us as he came to stand in front of the class. “Is there a reason why your desks have been moved together, Mika and Trent?”
Trent spoke up before I could answer. “I forgot my textbook and Mika was nice enough to share hers. I thought it would be easier if we sat closer.”
A couple of girls who sat behind me snickered. Mr. Morrison shifted his gaze to me. “Is this okay with you, Mika?”
“I don’t mind,” I replied in a quiet voice.
“All right then.” Mr. Morrison turned back to Trent. “If you forget your textbook again, Trent, we’ll work something else out. Without you having to move desks around in the classroom. Just make sure you put them back where they were at the end of class.”
“Not a problem.”
Mr. Morrison walked over to the chalkboard and wrote out some math equations. I tried to concentrate on what he taught, but with Trent sitting this close I found it too much of a distraction. I kept giving him sideways glances, unable to keep myself focused on the front of the class. Trent didn’t seem as distracted. He kept his gaze forward, a look of concentration on his face.
When the teacher told the class to open our textbooks to a certain page, Trent and I both reached for mine at the same time. As our hands touched. I quickly looked over at him to apologize. The words froze in my throat. He stared back in a way that made my heart pound. After a few seconds, he looked away and focused on the textbook as he opened it to the right section.
I scanned the page and realized I really had no idea how to do the equation. Trent seemed to have no such problem as he went to work solving it. While I worked on it, I prayed Mr. Morrison wouldn’t ask me for the answer. I didn’t want to look any more like an idiot in front of Trent than I already did.
I grumbled under my breath as I tried to wrap my brain around the math problem. Trent nudged me with his elbow and pushed his binder closer so I could see his work. In a quiet voice he said, “I get the feeling you don’t like math very much.”
I kept mine equally quiet. “I hate it.”
“It’s one of my best subjects. Do you want me to explain how I got my answer?”
I nodded. I didn’t trust my voice when Trent shifted his chair even closer and our shoulders touched. His arm brushed against mine as he pointed to what he had written in his binder. As if he knew I hadn’t been paying attention to a word he said, Trent stopped talking and cocked a brow in my direction. I gave him a sheepish smile as I forced myself to concentrate.
Once I was able to focus, I found Trent’s explanation made more sense than Mr. Morrison’s had. I even managed to do the second question on my own, and ended up with the correct answer.
“You’ve got it now,” Trent said encouragingly.
“Only because you showed me a
n easier way to do it. I still would be lost otherwise.”
“If you need help again just ask.”
“I’ll do that.” Before Trent turned back to his work, I said, “Ah, I guess I owe you thanks for earlier as well.”
“You mean Silvia?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I’ve somehow managed to end up on her hit list.”
“She needed to be put in her place. She’s just jealous of you. Try not to take what she says seriously.”
I gave Trent a look that said I didn’t believe him. “Sure. Silvia’s jealous of me. I don’t think so. I’m just the weirdo with no friends who has nothing going for her. What could Silvia possibly be jealous of me for? She’s everything I’m not.”
“Exactly.”
“Exactly what?”
“You’re everything she isn’t in a better way and she knows it.”
“So my being plain, unpopular and on the shy side makes me better than Silvia? And you think she wishes she could be more like me?”
Trent smiled and shook his head. “You really think of yourself as plain? Hardly. As for Silvia, she may be popular but the girls she hangs out with really aren’t her real friends. They just want to be seen as members of her crowd. You have a real close friend, something Silvia will never have.”
I had to collect my thoughts before I spoke again. I was having a hard time getting past the part where Trent had said he didn’t think I was plain. “You mean I used to have a real close friend. Cathy moved to Vancouver Island with her family over the summer.”
“But I bet you still keep in touch with her.”
“Yeah, I do.”
“So you’re still friends.”
“Yeah.” I then said under my breath, “But that won’t stop me from being alone at school.”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
The way Trent looked at me I knew he didn’t believe me. Before he could say anything else the bell rang. I collected my textbook and binder and crammed them into my backpack. As I stood, Trent pushed my desk and chair back to their original places. I murmured a quick goodbye to him and hurried out of the classroom. I knew that would be one math class I wouldn’t soon forget.
Chapter Three
Science and English turned out to be not as exciting as math had been, mostly because Trent wasn’t in them. In science especially, I found myself daydreaming more than I listened to the teacher. My mind wandered as I thought of what it would be like to have Trent as a boyfriend. Not that I really thought I stood a chance, even though he’d finally done more than acknowledge my existence. I also thought of what Silvia’s reaction would be if Trent actually did become my boyfriend. That part made me smile. Oh, how it would piss her off to see that the school freak had managed to take the one boy she wanted and couldn’t get.
Once the bell rang at the end of English, I hurried to the cafeteria so I could get a table I wanted, preferably one in the back corner. Today I’d remembered to bring a book. I planned to sit out of the way and read until lunch period ended.
I was lucky this time and managed to get a table in the general area where I wanted. I pulled out my lunch and the book I’d brought from home. Over the summer I’d gotten hooked on reading romance novels, particularly paranormal romances. Anything that had to do with vampires, werewolves, ghosts, shapeshifters, time travel or anything along those lines, I’d read. I couldn’t get enough of them.
I’d just gotten to a good part in the book when a now-familiar deep voice asked, “What are you reading?” Before I could answer, Trent pulled the book out from under my hand. I tried to grab it back, but he picked it up before I could stop him. He read the back flap of the book. “Werewolves, huh?”
Judging by how hot my cheeks felt, I knew my face had to be a lovely shade of red. “Can I have my book back, please?”
Trent sat in the chair across from me and flipped the book over to read the page I’d been reading. My face grew even hotter. “Werewolves and romance. What a combination.” He put the book on the table and pushed it over to me. “What about cats?”
I snatched up the book and shoved it into my backpack, not bothering to mark where I’d left off. “What?”
“I take it you like werewolves, but what about cats? In particular cat shifters. Do you like those as well?”
“I’ve read a couple of cat shifter romances before. I thought they were pretty good.” I couldn’t believe I was actually having this discussion with Trent of all people.
“So you could see yourself falling for a guy who could shape-shift into a cat and it wouldn’t bother you?”
My brows drew together. I had no idea where this conversation was going. “I guess. Not that I think there are real werewolves and cat shifters out there, mind you.”
“Let’s say there is such a thing as a cat shifter. Would you still not be bothered by it? Wouldn’t you run screaming in the opposite direction?”
“In all honesty, I don’t think I would. I like to think I’m more open-minded than that.” I shook my head. “Is there some reason behind all these questions?”
Trent gave me a crooked smile. “Not really. You seemed to be enjoying your book so I thought I’d come over to see what you were reading. I’m just trying to make idle conversation. Is it okay if I sit with you?”
Of course I had no problem with Trent joining me. “Are you sure you want to be seen sitting with the weirdo?”
As we sat talking, I’d noticed more than one set of eyes in the cafeteria staring our way. Trent may be a loner but he was by no means considered an outsider like me. Silvia, who sat a couple of tables away, shot daggers in my direction with her eyes.
“I don’t think you’re a weirdo, Mika. I really don’t care what everyone else thinks. I’ll sit where I want and with whomever I want.”
“You may survive this, but I have a feeling I’m going to pay for it later.” I looked over in Silvia’s direction.
Trent turned his head to see who I looked at. He gave Silvia a hard stare until she looked away. “Never mind her. Just ignore her.”
I figured that would be easier said than done. “That’s easy for you to say. You aren’t the one she likes to pick on.”
“No, but you aren’t the one she likes to undress with her eyes.” Trent shuddered dramatically.
I couldn’t help myself, I started to laugh. The sound of my laughter drew more stares. After I got myself back under control I said, “Sorry. I guess that’s one thing I should be thankful for.” I giggled. “I’m sure it’s killing her to see you here with me.”
“It’ll do her good. Maybe from now on I should sit with you every lunch. We could protect each other from Silvia.”
My jaw dropped in shock. I stared at Trent. He can’t be serious, can he? “We could?”
“Yeah.” Trent reached across the table and placed his hand under my chin and pushed my mouth closed. “That is, if you want me to sit with you.” He took his hand away and leaned in closer. “You don’t mind if I eat lunch with you, do you, Mika?”
“Yeah…no. I mean no, I don’t mind.” Flustered, I blurted out, “But why? It isn’t as if you even knew I was alive until this year!” I blushed and wished I could suddenly take back my stupid comment.
Trent shook his head and smiled a half-smile. “Is that what you think, Mika? That I hadn’t noticed you last year, or the year before that?”
I silently nodded. It couldn’t be true. Not once last year had Trent looked my way. I knew, I’d done nothing but watch him every opportunity I got. He never so much as acknowledged my presence, not even when we happened to pass each other in the hall. Could this be some new torment Silvia had somehow managed to cook up? It wouldn’t be the first time. In grade nine when she’d first seemed friendly, Silvia had gotten the name of the boy I’d liked at the time out of me. She then turned around and told him, and he then proceeded to tell everyone until it had become a big joke.
Trent sighed. “I can see you don’t believe me, ev
en though it’s true. I’m not like Brad, Mika.”
I stiffened. Brad had been the boy I’d liked in grade nine. Even after two years it still hurt. I’d hoped it had been forgotten, but obviously someone still remembered how I’d been ridiculed. I started to push back my chair to leave. “I have to go.”
Trent’s hand shot across the table and took hold of my wrist as he held me in place. “Relax, Mika. I didn’t mean to bring that up to throw it in your face. I know it was Silvia’s doing. I only brought it up to tell you I’d never do something like that to you. Brad was an idiot, but he did learn the error of his ways.”
I sent my thoughts back to that awful time. A week after Brad had started telling everyone how funny he thought it was that I liked him, he’d suddenly stopped laughing every time he saw me. He’d made a point to not look my way, let alone say anything. I also remembered around that time he’d been sporting an impressive black eye. I quickly put two and two together.
“It was you? You gave Brad that black eye?”
Trent shrugged as if it hadn’t been any big deal. “Someone had to teach him to keep his mouth shut.”
In a quiet voice I asked, “Why? Why would you do that, Trent?”
He shrugged again. “I don’t like to see someone getting picked on when they haven’t done anything to deserve it.”
My heart skipped a beat. I told myself Trent really hadn’t done it because I’d been the one getting picked on. He just liked to look out for the underdog. I’d be letting myself in for a big let-down if I took it to mean something other than that. “Then I guess I have you to thank for that as well. If you keep it up I’ll soon have to start calling you my knight in shining armor.”
Trent rolled his eyes. “I’m hardly that. You better hurry up and finish eating. Lunch period will be over soon.”
I glanced over at the clock. The bell would ring for the next period in ten minutes. Where’s the time gone? It didn’t feel as if an hour had almost gone by already. I figured it had a lot to do with how easy I found it to talk to Trent. I no longer felt nervous around him. I didn’t have to watch what I said as I did with other people. He put me at ease. I knew he wouldn’t use anything I said against me.
MikasBlackCougar Page 2
