To Be Gifted

Sitting on the toilet, I tucked my legs underneath me and locked the cubicle, hoping that Rose wouldn’t be desperate enough to come into the male washroom. She was slightly mental when it came to school dances, it had something to do with how she met Tyler, but I had yet to see her so frazzled.

Okay, she was worried about me. And while I appreciated her concern, I didn’t like how she’d kept harping on how important it was for us to go for the Spring Formal with dates. It was easy for her to say when she had Tyler. It didn’t hurt that she was tall, skinny, strawberry blonde with light brown eyes. She was the type that boys gravitated towards whereas, clearly, I was not.

Suddenly, the cubicles next to mine were being slammed opened. I nearly screamed in shock. Later I would have realised that he was checking to see if they were being occupied.

When he reached me, I heard a familiar voice muttering, “Janitor must’ve forgotten to unlock this one again.”

My body burst in flames just thinking about what would happen if he found me. Drew Sutherland was supposed to be one of the nicest guys from the Gifted, and if it was anyone else he might have pretended he’d never seen them. But for some reason, he seemed to dislike me, going out of his way to mock me. So I knew he would never let me forget it if he found me. Hell, Drew might even tell the whole school just to watch me being mortified.

“What do you want from me, Sutherland?” asked another guy, sounding bored.

I knew this guy too. But it couldn’t be him. His animosity with Drew was well known, even amongst the Elite. Why would he be with Drew?

“Don’t give me that, Trent.” Drew sounded pleasant enough, but there was an undertone of a threat. “I know what you’ve been up to, conducting those blood tests on the Gifted and the Others… Why can’t you just-”

“Sutherland, if you’re here to warn me about how important it is to hide what the Gifted really are, which I know you’re trying to in your little roundabout way, don’t you think it’s a little hypocritical considering how you were trying to show off in front of Haley van Bridget just now? You should pay more attention to your own behaviour.”

I felt like asking Trent how Drew embarrassing me was supposed to be ‘showing off’ for me. But I knew that Trent wouldn’t explain. Once upon a time, he’d tell me everything. Now I was lucky if he ever nodded my way.

“No, I wasn’t and I know what I’m doing, unlike you.” His voice was openly hostile now, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to rise. It was strange hearing him lose his temper when he’d always seemed so calm and pleasant. “You’re pushing the boundaries, Trent. I haven’t figured out what you’re trying to do yet but if I do and if they have anything to do with those experiments, I’m telling James.”

James, as in our Headmaster? Since when was Drew on first-name basis with him? Granted, I didn’t know Drew very well but our Headmaster had always been a very formal, austere man. He didn't seem like the kind that would let students address him as James.

“Go ahead, tell him. You’ve always been his favourite, Sutherland. I guess even if you don’t have any proof as to whatever it is you think I’m doing; only a suspicion, I’m certain that he’d carry out an investigation on me.” Trent laughed lightly, more than a touch mockingly. “If there isn’t anything else, I need to go now. Some people have to work on their Gifts.”

Drew didn’t say anything but I heard Trent leave, the door shutting loudly behind him. A few moments later, I heard Drew swearing under his breath.

Their entire conversation had been so odd. We’d always taken the Gifted to be scholarship kids and hardly socialised with us. But they didn’t sound like the studious group everyone had taken them to be now. They sounded like much more. What did Trent mean by hiding what the Gifted really were?

Just when I thought everything was over, I heard Drew asking, “How much did you hear, Haley van Bridget?”

I squeaked, despite myself. I quickly slapped my hand against my nose and mouth, convinced that he could hear my breathing.

“I know you’re in there. You can either come out or I’ll knock the door down. I doubt the janitor will be happy with that.” Drew sounded bemused. Bemused at my embarrassment as always!

Aware that there was nothing else I could do, because Drew was freakishly athletic and completely capable of knocking the door down if he wanted to, I unlocked the cubicle door and stood outside. Drew looked calm, leaning against the cubicle I came out of. This was slightly scary considering how he’d sounded furious with Trent moments ago and how I knew I wasn’t supposed to have heard the conversation between them.

“So? How much did you hear?” He loosened his tie slightly, light brown eyes looking down at me coolly.

“Not much…” I smiled winsomely despite knowing that it didn’t make a difference to Drew.

The smile he returned convinced me that he didn’t buy what I said. “You heard everything then?”

“…Yeah.” Visions of Drew telling the whole school that I’d been found in the male washroom flooded my mind until I said, “But I wouldn’t tell anyone what I heard if you don’t tell them about how I was hiding in the guys’ bathroom from Rose. I swear I wouldn’t.”

Drew’s smile grew. I reflected that yes, his smile was as attractive as everyone said it was and yes, I was probably dead despite my promise. “Hiding from Rose? What’s she trying to make you do this time?”

I flushed but said nothing.

When he realised that I wasn’t going to tell him, he shrugged. Drew was giving up more easily than I'd thought. “Alright, can’t say that I thought you’d tell me. I’m fine with your arrangement but you’ve got to promise me something else, okay?”

I nodded warily.

“Promise me you wouldn’t do anything about what you’ve heard? It wouldn’t do you or the school any good.”

His eyes did look earnest and he did sound sincere. So I nodded, convinced that I wouldn’t have anything about it in the first place. Little did I know how this promise would be broken as easily as my friendship with Trent.