Complicated You; Sophisticated Me

Two weeks of precious vacation went by so quickly.

Dylan frequented at the apartment building ever since he made such a weird declaration. He’d pointlessly left bouquets of flowers at Mika’s doorstep, and then bothered her and followed her around stubbornly every friggin' time he visited.

Mika got used to it eventually and added Dylan to the “closest people she regarded” just like Gran. She still got annoyed with him every now and then, though.

Someone knocked.

Dylan the idiot.

“You ready?” he asked, giving her one of his repulsive, acting oh-so-sweet smiles.

Dylan was wearing Fortsworth Academy’s uniform—a white polo with the school’s crest and black pants. Very simple, yet elegant looking.

Standing next to him made her look like maid, even though she was wearing her Fortsworth uniform too.

“Let’s go, go, go!” Dylan said with unnecessary excitement. “They say the early bird catches the early prey—oh wait, that doesn’t sound right…”

For two weeks of being with Dylan, Mika also got used to him idiotically claiming her as his girlfriend.

No one would believe that shit anyway, Mika thought. As long as he doesn’t touch me, I’ll just ignore it—as simple as that.

They dropped by at Gran’s place, and as usual, Mika brought her a basket of fruits. They started for school, which was a walking distance from the apartment.

The leaves rustled crisply as the wind blew. The day looked promising ahead of them, although Mika doubted it would be a good day for her. It was the first day of school after all, the dullest and most pointless time of the entire year.

She’ll be dealing with a bunch of goons again, like she always did everytime she was at school. Mika had had her fair share of group bullying after all.

She looked blankly at Dylan and contemplated for a moment. This idiot right here’s probably a magnet for crowds… I’d better not talk to him at school. Being with him would definitely trouble me—

He smiled sweetly, cutting her thoughts sharply, “Can I hold your hand?”

Definitely insane. Mika glared at him, “Don’t you dare.”

“Lovers do that, you know.”

“For the nth time, we are not lovers. I’m tired of playing your game, Dylan Sparks. I told you before, just leave me al—“

His hand quickly found Mika’s and caught her off guard.

Warm. Very warm hands, Mika noticed as his skin met hers. She looked up at Dylan, who had already looked away from her eyes.

Mika snapped out of it a few heartbeats later, and tried to yank her hand away from him.

It’s no use. He wouldn’t budge.

“Just let me hold your hand until we get to school, okay?”

Mika glanced at their entwined fingers. Protective, reassuring hands that wouldn’t let go of her…

“Do whatever you want,” she said shortly.

~

As promised, Dylan let go of Mika’s hand as soon as they’d reached Fortsworth’s entrance. He didn’t want to, but Mika’s glare threw ice picks at him.

Dylan looked at his classroom assignment, then at Mika’s, “Hey, cool. Our classes are next door.”

Mika just sighed, “When will I be free from you?”

Dylan rolled his eyes, “You are so not cute.”

“I’m not trying to be, you homo.”

Again with the homo thing. How did Mika see him anyway? Did he really look gay to other people?

No, that’s impossible. Girls follow me around like crazy, die-hard fans—Dylan glanced at Mika—except for this one particular girl, that is.

Even at this moment, girls were whispering about him. Dylan looked over them and smiled out of politeness.

The girls giggled madly like Zac Efron, or whoever hot sensation girls worshipped nowadays, just smiled at them.

Mika started walking on ahead. Dylan quickly followed after her, smiling to himself smugly.

“Hey, sorry about that,” he apologized. He figured he had to, since he ignored Mika for a moment and looked at other girls.

Mika replied nonchalantly, not looking at him, “About what?”

Didn’t she walk away because she felt jealous? Dylan wondered. “About those girls—“

“I could care less.”

Dylan sighed, “You are so not cute.”

“Whatever.”

~

First day of classes = one by one introduction.

Mika hated that kind of stuff—talking about yourself in front of people who don’t give a damn, and listening to her poser classmates babble on about their stinking, crappy lives.

Being able to read through people didn’t help either.

It was finally Mika’s turn. She sighed and dragged herself towards the front. Her classmates looked at her curiously.

First impressions are important, but Mika didn’t need to impress anyone.

“I’m Mikayla Trace,” she said tediously, her head slightly bent down and her hair practically covering her face.

The teacher chuckled stiffly next to her, “Mikayla, don’t you have anything to share to your classmates before you take your seat?”

Mika tilted her head slightly to look at the pretending-to-be-good-willed teacher, and with a very blank face, she said, “I’ll be taking my seat now.”

The class went still. Some of her classmates started whispering with each other. Mika ignored them.

It doesn’t matter, she thought.

“She probably cuts herself.” Mika heard someone say behind her back.

“An emo kid, huh?”

“Probably on drugs or something.”

It doesn’t matter, she thought again. I don’t care about whatever they say. People do that all the time when they don’t know you.

~

“Hey, I’m Dylan Sparks.” Dylan introduced himself in front, his grin almost reaching his eyes. Girls batted their eyes at him, the way they usually did.

I don’t like this class.

He scanned the classroom and caught sight of Kip Hendrickson, his best friend since middle school.

Kip gave him a thumbs-up.

At least Kip’s here, he mused. And Mika’s class is right next to mine.

~

“There’s a hot guy outside!” A damn cheerleader with heavy makeup squealed excitedly to her friend.

“Oh my God, you’re right!”

Mika sighed.

The 'hot guy' scanned their classroom and smiled when he caught sight of Mika.

Who else would it be, if not for Dylan the homo?

Dylan walked shamelessly into their classroom—what kind of person trespasses on the first day of school, anyway?—and approached Mika.

Mika didn’t look up and kept her attention on her doodling.

“Come on, let’s have lunch,” Dylan said in his usual, repulsive cheerfulness.

Whispers started again from Mika’s classmates.

“If you plan to make trouble, then please spare me from it,” Mika said with her usual monotone, but this time with acid in her voice that could probably shut people up in an instant—except for this idiot.

Dylan chuckled, “Not cute,”

I could say the same to you, Mika thought without thinking—if that was even possible, well, she was doing it now.

Mika felt death glares behind her back.

“Is she his girlfriend?”

“No way…a girl like that, are you kidding?”

“She seems cold towards him though.”

Mika was about to turn to them and tell them off, but Dylan said something that made them, and even her, surprised.

“Shut the fuck up, okay?” Dylan said with a cryptic smile on his face.

And they did.

This guy has guts, Mika mulled over. Honestly, she felt a bit amused and impressed.

Dylan turned to Mika again, his cryptic smile crumbling into his usual one, “Come on, okay? Let’s just get out of here,” he said as he offered her his hand.

Mika stared blankly at it.

“I’ll look stupid if you don’t take it, you know.”

Mika’s lips started to curve very, very slightly. Dylan’s smile slowly faded in surprise when he noticed it.

She didn’t seem to notice it herself too though, but she was—if you looked closely at her—almost smiling. It wasn’t very evident, but it was there, all right.

What is this idiot staring at? Mika wondered skeptically.

“Mika, you—“ Dylan finally recovered and abruptly broke into a wide triumphant smile.

She raised an eyebrow at him.

“—you’re smiling,” he finished.