The schoolyard is very green, too green to my eyes, very fresh, too fresh for this weather. I stand beside the court, watching the football team practicing. Lately, Irin has wanted me to wait for her here. I can pick the pieces; she's really into one of the football players, and I can see that guy with shiny curly hair, almost almond color—the shiny that is freshly harvested without smoking it. He's also into her. I smile lightly, watching her flirt with him. She looks so fucking happy. Then, Irin shifts her eyes to me and waves at me. I tilt down my head to the side a little and smile widely at her, and an almond guy looks at me, and then his friend looks at me and another.
"Zia!! Come here for a sec!" Irin shouts from far away.
She knows I don't like attention, but she does it anyway. She loves to joke with me, but not in a bad way. She knows my boundaries, and I also know hers.
I walk to her as a few of them look at me.
"James will take you to the garage." I look at her instead of James because I don't know who the hell James is. "With me, of course." She adds.
Then, an Almond-haired guy smiles at me. "I'll go wash off. I'll be right back, " he says.
Irin holds my hand and takes me to the side seat.
"Don't tell me you hang here all day," I say.
"No, I just finished my class thirty minutes ago." She replies. "We're dating." She tells me. "But not officially change to 'in the relationship status.' " She adds. "I haven't told you because I want to ensure it." She explains.
"Is he good to you?" I ask.
"Yes, he's been consistent for the past two months." She opens up. I look at her. "After that, I gotta wait and see." She smiles.
"You never know until you try, right?" I support.
"Hehe, yes." She chuckles joyfully and holds my face to kiss on the cheek.
I always support her in every way and situation if it makes her happy and genuinely happy.
"But if he…" I say. "If he hurts my feelings, you will hurt him too," Irin speaks my mind.
"Only you tell me to do it." I correct her.
She chuckles so hard and hugs me so tight. "You're a sweet girl. How can you hurt him, honestly." She secretly asks.
"I will punch him in the face," I respond. "Hahahaha, I think I'll punch him before you do, Zia." She laughs loudly and swirls my hair at the back.
Actually, I lied. I will probably stalk him, search for who is interacting with him, and try to figure out the real reason why he would have hurt her, and I would do the same to him but harder.
Irin would do the same for me but in her own way. She's fiercer than she looks. She's the one who speaks her mind and doesn't care what people think, just like me, but her tongue is faster than the fire gun. She will handle it instantly and doesn't wait, plan, or play any tactics to pay someone back; this part differs from mine. I don't like to play games, but I want to make them feel like the way they treat others.
They—who are sure of themselves that they're the predators, but actually, they're the victims.
"Now talk." Irin says, "Tytas." She calls the name.
"I think you guessed it wrong, Irin. He doesn't show any interest in me, so he doesn't ask me out. I don't know why they think we're dating. We rarely talk to each other." I explain calmly.
"You know you are the only one who doesn't see him that way." Irin smiles sneakily. "He asked you to see him play a couple of times, but you denied him, right?" She gives me a look. "So he stopped…and he stops Vik every time he bothers you…and asked me if you would come to the party after the game…"
"When?" I ask. "Yesterday." She glances at me.
"Why didn't he ask me himself?" I mumble. "You will deny him again." She says while flicking her legs up and down.
"Trust me, boys can not handle the denial from his crush…again and again." She tells me while looking at the empty green yard. "It hurts his pride." She turns her face to say to me.
I still don't think all of that because he's interested in me. Tytas is a top-tier student and the son of the Oskar family, the richest and oldest family in this town. From what I heard, he's the captain of the polo team, and his grades are excellent. He's handsome, like Greek mythology, with scandalous ginger hair and green eyes. I can say his copper hair is more fancy than the golden sun. The perfect boy needs to be with the perfect girl, doesn't he? I am not perfect, and I am far away from that. I know no one is perfect, but someone can be nearest to that word, and I think it is Tytas Oskar.
He's reserved just like me, not loud like his teammates, but he tends to be more talkative than me. Good at socializing and engaging with people; olds, same ages, especially young kids. Boys see him as an Idol, and girls see him as a dream boyfriend. Due to his high status and his treatment, he knows how to be proper in society and how to keep his manners in public. Because of all those reasons, I assume he did it because of just manners.
"Uh-ah," I make a sound and shake my head.
Irin exhales, holds both my cheeks, and shakes my face. "Your brain is too intellectual. That's why…" She tells me upsettingly and sighs at me again.
"Ready?" Then, James comes in between.
James, the almond guy, gets into the topless fancy car in silver color. He reverses his vehicle for us so we can get in properly. Then, I hear the sound of bumbling monkeys babbling about something that I can't hear clearly. Irin glances at the back where the sound is coming from. She holds my hands and pulls me closer.
"Felicia and Vik are watching you." She whispers. I shake my head, irritated about this child's behavior.
"Get in," James tells us with the widest smile on his face and glances at the group behind us. He exits the car, opens the door for Irin, and quickly opens another in the backseat for me.
I glance at Irin, and she smiles sneakily. Okay, he's a gentleman.
"Thank you, James," I tell him with a smile.
"You're welcome." He closes the door after I sit down properly. I decided to turn my face to look at them.
Felicia hugs Vik tightly. He wraps around her waist with only one hand as they sit on the top of his posh car, bronze, almost gold-like his hair. What a unique, hideous choice—too bright, it suits him. Felicia's besties are on her left side, and Vik's buddies are on his right side. They are all doing their things, giggling and watching. But there's no captain.
Wait, why am I looking for him? Because of you, Irin, you mention him too much in one day. I'm about to turn my face ahead. I notice the orange hair, wearing a light blue shirt with black jeans, and holding the polo team jacket in his right hand. He changed his clothes. Then, I realized he also noticed me, so he paused his left hand before bumping into another guy's fist.
Really? The proper, neat guy over there? Have a crush on me? I ask in my head if we lock eyes too long, and then I feel uncomfortable. I turn my head as James drives away.
Not even thirty minutes until we arrive at the garage. James gets out of the car and opens the car door for me again.
"Thanks," I tell him with a little chuckle. Irin sprints herself up and leans towards me. She holds me with one arm because she uses another to support herself. "Text me when you're home."
I nod.
"Hey, if you're not dating anyone…"James says, "James." Irin calls him. "I'm sorry, but Holland is losing his shit right now," James explains loudly.
I raise my eyebrows and look around the surroundings. I notice the huge black sports bike. The rider is also wearing a black outfit and a helmet. His body is pretty, pretty buff. I don't know if he is watching me or not, but his helmet is straight directly at me. I quickly shift my eyes back to James and Irin.
"Who's Holland?" I ask.
"James's friend, I told you in class. He wants to—" Irin says, "He wants to ask you out." James interrupts. "Do you have anyone?... You're not dating Tytas, right?" James tries his best to help his friend but also tries his best not to cross the line, the line that he doesn't even know where I draw. "James, come on." Irin hits him lightly.
I chuckle. "Why do people who want to ask me out badly but not even ask me directly?" I ask, and then I gently manage my hair with my fingers and flick them in the back before I put my bag over my shoulder. I look at my black stockings that almost fall to my knees.
"Because…of…" James stutters. "If Tytas asks you out, will you?" Irin interrupts this time.
As I pull my stocking on the right up to my thigh, I laugh lightly in my throat. "I won't answer for the messengers." I reply, "Thanks for the ride." I tell them and walk away.
They should man up and ask a girl out. How hard it would be. I don't bite.
I walk to the garage, where a few usual clients are waiting outside. I bet they might hear our conversation. I stop myself before I get inside. I look down at my left leg and realize I forgot to fix my stocking. I pull it up to my thigh. I face up and realize the black helmet guy is beside the garage.
When I see a helmet, my body is slightly stunned, like an electric shock under my skin. I ignore him and go inside, which is an open garage. People can see through it what's inside and what they are fixing and doing.
"Hey, hey. Come to check your baby, Miss Letizia." The manager of this garage approaches me with a big smile.
"My baby?" I repeat, "More like my sister." I chuckle.
"Hahaha, yes, yes." The manager.
He looks happy today. He's mostly quite grumpy with all his staff, but with me, he tries to keep it inside. But today is not that day.
He leads me to my father's car, in the second row, near the helmet guy on his bike, sitting quietly under his mask. I try to ignore him, but I feel his eyes on me.
"We just changed the oil filler and come here. I'll show you something." The manager leads me to the car's hood. I face the car with him, and he opens the hood and shows me the engine.
My eyes go wild.
"H–How… where did you find it?" I stumble. I lean inside to see the dark green emerald engine that shines through my eyes. It reflects me beautifully.
"It was transported here yesterday…It was Kay." He tells me with a smile.
"Kay? Wow…" I'm still flabbergasted. "Your father's order?" The manager asks. I shake my head. "No, it's mine." I'm still smiling. "I should Thank him. Where is he?" I ask.
"Turn around." Kay's voice from behind. I quickly turn around and run to him.
"Hahahaha." He laughs, catches me, and holds me up. "Are you pleased?" He asks me while holding me up. "Yes," I answer. He smiles widely and puts me down.
"You don't have to come here every day, Zia. She's under my care." Kay tells me. "Ahem." The manager makes a sound. "And him when he has time after his bike." Kay teases the grown man. "Hey, come on." The manager shakes his head and leaves us.
"Can you take care of her longer?" I ask. "I don't want to ride her just yet," I tell him the truth but not in detail.
"Of course…but how long?" He asks.
"When it's time," I tell him vaguely. He looks at me gently and puts his hand on my head. "Tell me whenever you are ready." He tells me.
"Thank you." I smile at him. "Then, I'll go. I have so much to do."
"Homework?" There's a bit of teasing in his voice. "Yess." I drag my voice.
"I'll take you, "he offers. You just arrived," I tell him, but he ignores me.
"Kay, I can go home by myself." I say, "I know you can," He says.
I sigh, and before he heads to his car. I quickly get out of the garage.
"Hey!" Kay shouts.
"Get back to work before you get fired," I tell him, leaving him hanging there. I shift my eyes at the guy in the helmet who is still on his bike, probably waiting for something or someone.
Is he watching me? I might be paranoid.
Then, I leave the place.
"Did you let her go home by herself?" the manager asks the man with the washed-off brown hair standing still.
"I offered...But she ran out."
"Fuck, man...Kay, you're such a loser," The manager says.
"I managed to have that tank for her, man. You know how hard I have to find." Kay turns around.
"You're not going to win her heart because of the car, " the manager tells him, then walks to the man in black, the rider of the superb sports bike.
"I apologize for letting you wait. Here." The manager gives him a big toolbox to cover all the seats.
He takes it, puts it in the engine tank before him, and rides off instantly.