by Jason Vasha
"Ah, well that explains a lot then." Olta said, thinking of the murmuring in class, Mr. 's reaction and the fact that Niall actions and evasive answer probably meant the brothers didn't get along too well.
“By the way, keep talking with . In his classes you'll never remember the beginning and you'll die at the end.” Niall told her.
As they walked Niall was greeted by virtually everybody on the way. Olta noticed she was getting glared at by all of the greeting girls, quite like with that Altea girl earlier.
"Mr. Popular." Olta heard herself mumble and she hoped Niall hadn't heard it. Unfortunately, she heard him speak.
"Excuse me?" Looking up at him shyly and meeting his gaze, Olta repeated herself:
"Mr. Popular."
"You seem to be a popular guy around here, the ways clear as the Red See and hoe everybody seems to be or at least want to be your friend." She added. Niall kept her gaze a little longer, his face serious.
"Yeah, I think you could call me that, sort of." And he turned to look forward. Olta noticed his tone had lost his amusement. Some sort of silent defeat seemed to ring through.
"So how does the system work around here anyways. I mean all I know about this kind of thing is from what I've seen on television and that didn't look all too promising." Niall let out a small chuckle and the amusement had returned to his voice as he answered.
"That will have to wait 'till after French, Tirana." And with that he turned into another class room. Olta felt herself blushing once again. She really liked the nickname.
“How do you know the capital of Albania?” She asked.
“Anything for a hot girl like you.” He though to himself
Niall was still chuckling as he took Olta over to introduce her to their French teacher, who was writing things on the blackboard as the class was filling up. He liked Ms. Aliton a lot. Well every guy liked Aliton a lot. She was one of the few teachers under thirty and was exceptionally fair, both in teaching and appearance, so what was there not to like. As Ms. Aliton turned around she smiled warmly at Niall and Olta.
"Ah yes, you're the new girl, OltaMehmeti, right?" Olta smiled and nodded. "Says here you're from Albania. I've been over there a couple times, you see." Ms. Aliton asked with genuine interest.
Feeling no longer needed, Niall sauntered off to his usual table. He felt a familiar hand on his shoulder. Turning around he saw Peter grinning at him.
"Peter, my man. Missed you in history. Monday morning getting to you?"
"Well.." Peter said, scratching the back of neck and still grinning.
" Not quite, I spent the night at Alice's." Niall started grinning too as he slapped Peter on his arm. They took seats behind their tables and Niall wanted to ask more but Peter started.
"So, that's the new girl? Buzz is you've taken her under your wing."
Peter was pointing at Olta. She and Ms. Aliton were still talking and it looked more like conversation between good friends than between a teacher and a student. Niall smiled, that was Ms. Aliton for you.
"Yeah, that's her, OltaMehmeti. Rume thought it funny to give me baby-sit duty. Sponges the record clean and all. But she's ok. Think I'll be calling her Tirana." Peter raised his eyebrows slightly, but he was still grinning like crazy.
"Two things." He said.
"One, why in the world does Rume keep going out of her way to keep you record clean and two, you've given her a nickname already? What's with that? You liking her?" The last thing he added in a slight conspiring tone as he leant in towards Niall.
"Yeah, I like. I think she's ok." Niall replied, not taking his eyes of Olta's back. Her dark blonde hair swayed around her shoulders as the conversation between her and Ms. Aliton became even more animated.
"Yeah, you like." He heard Peter say beside him.
"And if she is as fine in front as she is from behind, I can see your point." He chuckled and leant back into his seat.Out of blue, a tall blonde girl swooped herself unto Peter lap; accidentally hitting Niall in the head with her knee.
"Ow, that hurts Al." Niall moaned scornfully while he leant back rubbing his forehead. Alice leant over from her boyfriend's lap and gave a quick peck on Niall's sore spot.
"There now, mommy kissed it all better." She then turned her attention back to Peter. Giving him anything but a small peck on the mouth.
"Well, actually I 'm bruised allover, you need to kiss them too." Niall replied playfully. He got a glare from both Alice and Peter, but before they could say anything they heard Ms. Aliton cry out.
"But this is fantastic!"
As everybody turned their attention to the front of the class they saw Ms. Aliton hug Olta. Niallraised an eyebrow and exchanged looks with his no longer intertwined and equally surprised neighbours. Looking back at their teacher and Olta he saw Ms. Aliton had let go and looked at the class with a flush of embarrassment on her cheek. She quickly and with a big smile motioned to Olta to sit down and moved behind her desk.
"Ok class, let's begin." And so the lesson started, well overdue. Niall looked at Olta and pointed at the empty seat in front of him. Her face was a mix of utter surprise, confusion, and merriment. She sat down and quickly picked out her notebook. Niall leant forward trying not to put too much pressure on his bruises and asked whispering into her ear.
"What was that all about." He could smell lavender on her.
Olta shot up as if something had bitten her.
Then she turned around and mouthed "later". Niall saw her look away from him and smile shyly at someone. He followed her gaze and saw Peter, again grinning broadly. He turned back to Olta, only to find that she turned her attention to Ms. Aliton. The rest of the lesson Niall found himself paying more attention to Olta than to Ms. Aliton. He was just dying to know what all the fuss had been about, he convinced himself.
Him leaning over to Olta every fifteen minutes or so and asking the same question in the same whisper had absolutely nothing to do with fact that his nose would brush her hair ever so lightly. Nor was her mock glare she would throw back and the mouthing of "later" any reason. Although it did make him notice her mouth. She had an enticing mouth, he suddenly noticed by the third time she had responded. But before he could assess what it was exactly he found so attractive she had already turned away again. He resisted the urge to repeat his actions immediately.
"Ok," he confessed to himself silently. "It is safe to say that I think she's attractive, very attractive even. And that, from what I've seen so far, I think she's nice. Yeah, I like." He pondered his own confession for a couple minutes.
Girls liked him, they swooned over him. Not because of him personally per say, but because of what he or more accurately his family symbolized. Money and Power.
Daniel popped into his head and he recalled the incident in the hallway. Daniel had now definitely noticed her and Niall hadn't handled that situation too well. He decided that he would worry about his brother's shit later. Now it was time to give in to temptation and he leant forward once more.
This time however she didn't react immediately and Niall felt his ego bruise very slightly. Hadn't it been a fun game? He was just about to repeat the question when Olta did turn around. She put some five or six notes on his table.
"Voîla, monsieur." she mouthed and she turned back again. Niall heard a laugh escape his lips. Every one of the cards read 'later' in a different language. He looked at Olta's head and the slight rocking of her shoulders he could tell she was enjoying her own joke. He felt a nudge from Peter, but a loud "ahem' from Ms. Aliton halted Niall's reaction. Shortly after the bell rang and as soon as he could muster Niall was standing beside Olta's desk. He stepped on Alice's toes in the process and she yelped.
"Sorry, want me to kiss it better?" He asked suggestively with his back turned to Alice and looking down at Olta.
Olta seemed completely oblivious as she calmly noted down the homework and packed her books. Alice pushed Niall teasingly in the back. Caught off-guard he stumbled forward. He landed with one ha
nd on Olta's shoulder and one on her desk and found himself looking at a surprised Olta with just some eight inches between them. There was a small smile on her mouth. He could clearly see why her mouth was so nice.
Her lips were nice and full and with the smile they were a little perched, which made them very inviting. Niall saw no reason to break this contact and he traced his gaze over her face, before settling on her eyes. A deep crimson blush was covering her cheeks. Olta met his gaze and Niall managed to suppress a blush on his own cheeks. Her eyes seemed greener than earlier and they were full of surprise and something Niall could only read as insecurity but it was very deeply rooted.
"So, Tirana, please tell me what that was all about." He said in a low and soft voice. Olta kept his gaze for a couple of seconds and said glancing down at his hand on her shoulder.
"I think that is better discussed outside of this class room. So if you please."
"It's discus Albania and… Okay." Niall said and left the classroom in under a second. Alice and Peter were waiting outside.
"These are my friends, Alice and Peter." Niall said as he felt Olta come up next to him. He had to fight the urge to put his arm around her.
"Hi I'mOltaMehmeti." Olta said, stretching her hand out.
"PeterJane." Peter introduced himself shaking her hand rather roughly.
"Peter, I think she might need that intact a bit longer." Alice reprimanded, before stretching her hand out.
"Hi, AliceStone. If you have any questions Niall can't handle, you just come to me." She said smiling and Niall could see it was genuine. After ten years of friendship he could tell those things.
"But please, first you must tell us what that was all about." Alice finished.
Olta smiled at three of them with that same shy smile and the look of confusion returned. "It seems Ms. Aliton and my brother a sort of seeing each other."
"Excuse me?!" Niall, Peter and Alice all yelled together.
"But how does that work, you just moved here and she is like over ten years older than us." Alice was the first to ask the questions popping up in their heads. Olta shook her head in confusion as she said.
"No, the age difference isn't a big deal, my brother is 28, so no Ms. Aliton is no pedophile. Apparently they met in Paris over the summer. He was there with friends and she was there on holiday. Apparently they hit off and they've kept in touch since. He did mention something about an American girl but...." Olta explained, although the last part seemed more of a personal reflection. They all were silent for a moment pondering this bit of cosmic coincidence.
"Weird." Niall finally muttered and the others only nodded.
"Okay, chow time." Peter exclaimed, putting the issue to rest. As they started walking towards the cafeteria, Niall noticed Olta wasn't coming along, twisting her fingers together. He stopped and held his hand out.
"Come on." He said softly, smiling at her.
"No, that's okay. I've brought my own lunch. I'll just go and roam this school on my own a bit, trying to get a feel for the place." She said, smiling nervously.
"Shall we say we meet back at the lockers at one o'clock?" she added. Niall nodded.
"Sure, you sure you'll be ok?" Olta frowned slightly and the nervousness disappeared. "Yeah, I think I'll manage. But if I'm not there at one fifteen, feel free to launch a rescue mission." She said as she started off in the other direction.
Niall watched her go, feeling somewhat unsure of himself but pleased with her show of independence. He turned to meet his friends waiting for him down the hall. "Is she joining us later?" Alice asked, slightly puzzled. "Nope." Niall said, smiling.
In the cafeteria line Peter asked "You like?"
"Yeah, I like. But not a word to the others." Then he spotted Daniel sitting at one of the tables and was relieved to know Olta wouldn't be running into him.
Chapter Five
Olta was astounded that she didn't get lost on her way back to her locker. Probably beginners luck, she thought. She checked the clock on the wall. Twenty past noon. Well that left her ample time. First a visit to the ladies room was required.
As she entered Olta saw Altea and her girlfriends doing their make up. Ignoring them, she went into one of the cubicles. She suddenly heard Altea saying loudly.
"Now, my poor Niall has to take that new kid every where he goes. And she's looking around likes she owns him. As if he'd even seen her if she wasn't shoved down his throat. Stupid foreigners."
Olta listened to the bashing intently. “Bitch.” She thought. It surprised her that it didn't disturb her as much as she thought in the slightest, if anything it made her laugh. This girl really could learn a thing or two when it came to putting people down.
Having been put down on a regular basis she knew how it had to be done, but unfortunately she had no clue as to how to do it herself. She stepped out of the cubicle and her face was passive with disinterest. Altea and her friends were still there.
They were glaring at her in the mirror but stayed silent. As Olta washed and dried her hands she heard them giggle and felt the looks they were exchanging. Ignoring them she headed out of the washroom. But standing in the doorway she turned back.
"I'll be sure to convey your sympathy to your poor Niall." With that she let the door fall shut behind her. She had no idea on whether she had just done a smart thing but at least she had showed her no fear.
"God, that girl is a whore and still you worry. How priceless you are." She scolded herself as she took her lunch out of her locker.
She decided she would go outside; it was a sunny autumn day. As she wandered the school grounds she came across a big oak on a small mound. It looked ideal for a spot of lunch. She nestled herself against it and began eating her tuna pasta salad. She marvelled over the past morning.
She marvelled over the fact that her brother Dennis was dating Ms. Aliton. That was just too weird to give much heed to. Perhaps when she spoke to him later it might become real, but right now she let the issue be. She marvelled over her own behaviour. Although some mess-ups here and there she thought she had done ok.
She particularly marvelled over her behaviour towards Niall and Niall himself. She could still feel the tickle of his breath on her neck and his hand on her shoulder. Unconsciously she placed her right hand with fork and all on her left shoulder. Had she been flirting with him, she wondered. Had he been flirting with her? Right, there was the getting carried away bit again. Realizing what she doing she quickly returned to her food.
It was just friendly bantering, nothing to get all whirled up about. But he did look so hot with those eyes and that brownish hair and that face. She saw his eyes looking deep into hers and the questioning look they held. She knew no guy had ever looked into eyes like that. And the way he had held out his hand just now. He seemed like a nice guy. Granted he had been a bit standoffish at first, but he had gotten over that. And then there was the rescue from his brother. She took the last bite from her salad and as she pictured Daniel's eyes she shuddered remembering the icy shiver it had shot trough her spine.
Closing the lid of her lunchbox, she heard a familiar voice.
"Lost again, are you, miss Mehmeti, was it?" As she looked up she looked straight into Daniel's eyes and she felt that same shiver.
"Not really, no, Mr. Foy." She said getting up. With Daniel now standing in front of her, instead of loitering against a wall, Olta noticed that he was slightly taller than his brother and bit broader too it seemed. He was commanding presence, she'd give him that. He was in the company of the same two friends and a mischievous smile played on his lips.
The sun suddenly disappeared, which made half of Daniel’s flawless face in shade. His lips were out, more than ever.
