Words Unspoken

~Danica~

“OW! What the hell?!”
A sharp pain exploded in my head, and my hand immediately flew to touch the spot where I was hit. Swear words were already escaping my lips as I turned to glare at the basketball now rolling on the ground, looking oh-so-innocent. I ran my fingers through my hair, attempting to brush the dark strands back into place, all the while trying very hard not to lose control of my temper.
“Whoa!” My best friend Aria looked torn between laughter and concern. A cheeky grin split her face as she helped me fix my hair. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I guess so. Being hit on the head with a basketball hurts, but I’ll live,” I muttered. “But whoever threw that basketball...”
“...won’t,” Aria finished, smirking. “Jeez, chill out, Dani. I bet it was an accident anyway. Like you said, you’ll live and your hair is fine now.”
I ignored her, bending down to pick up the basketball. “I wonder who it belongs to,” I said. “Let’s...go find out, shall we?” I grinned mischievously at her and she simply rolled her eyes in response. “Maybe it’s a hot guy or something...”
“It belongs to me.”
We turned around at the sound of the voice, and found ourselves face to face with a lanky boy. Judging by his caramel skin, he was mixed, with afro textured black hair and forest green eyes. It was actually a nice combo, but he looked so awkward and out of place, and his build wasn’t exactly flattering. Not my definition of “hot”, really.
“D-Declan?” Aria blurted out, her tone of voice suddenly sounding small and meek, and her slight British accent slipping through. She bit her lip nervously. “Um, what are you doing here?”
Declan? Was this the guy that was always hanging around our friend Jezebel, who also happened to be the object of Aria’s affections? Looking at Aria’s reddening face, I had to bite my lip to keep from grinning like a madwoman. Yep, this was definitely him.
A dimpled smile appeared on his face and I nearly took a double take at how – surprisingly – cute it was. “I was just practicing my shots,” he said, his hands brushing mine as he took the basketball from me. I examined my nails coolly, trying not to look bothered by the brief contact, although inwardly I had flinched. “And you?”
“Um…w-we-“
“Mind introducing me to your friend?” I interrupted, giving her what I hoped was a pointed “don’t screw this up for yourself” look.
“O-Oh!” Aria let out a nervous laugh. “Um, Dani, this is Declan. Declan, this is my best friend, Danica.”
“Um, hey Danica…” he said awkwardly. Obviously, he isn’t used to social situations, I dryly noted in my head.

“Hi,” I replied. “Aren’t you that kid that’s always hanging around Jezebel during lunch?”

“Yeah...” he said, raising an eyebrow. “And you’re that girl who’s always hanging out with Aria and Jez. I’m not a kid, by the way.”

“Funny,” I said. “We do know each other, but we’ve never had the...pleasure of talking.” Note to self: Keep the smart aleck attitude to a minimum around Declan. I didn’t want to ruin it for Aria.

He looked taken aback for a moment, but then he smiled again. “True,” he said, his tone casual. “Probably means we should talk more.” He spun his basketball on his finger thoughtfully for a moment, then tucked it back under his arm and nodded at us. “Guess I’ll see you two around. I shouldn’t keep my friends waiting.”

“Um, y-yeah,” Aria stammered. I felt a tinge of amusement, and pity for her. Poor girl was absolutely clueless when it came to interacting with the guys she liked. “See you later...”

“Hold up,” I called after him as he started to walk away. I crossed my arms across my chest and glared at him disapprovingly. “I believe you owe me something.” He simply stared at me, his green eyes clouded in confusion. With an exasperated sigh, I pointed at my head. “Hell-o? Your stupid basketball hit me in the head.”

“Oh. Right.” He smirked. “Well, sorry about that. I try to keep her under control, but she has this habit of getting away.”

It took me a moment to realize that he was referring to said “stupid basketball”. “You’re hilarious,” I snapped. “A riot. I’m practically dying of laughter here.” I heard Aria mumble under her breath, but I didn’t quite catch what she said.

Declan’s smirk was replaced by a sheepish grin. “Really, I’m sorry. It was an accident.” He seemed so honest about his apology that I almost smiled back. Almost.

What was wrong with me?

“Forgiven,” I muttered. “Let’s go, Aria.”

“Y-Yeah!” Aria agreed. “See you later for real, Dec!”

~*~

After we parted ways, I immediately turned to Aria, whose face was still pink. Her hazel eyes were downcast, and she was fidgeting, her hair twisted around her finger as she bit her lip. “Ari, is something wrong?” I asked softly.

All she did was smile. It wasn’t one of those fake smiles that you plastered on when someone asked if you were alright but you weren’t; it was a genuine smile, despite how nervous she looked. “Nah, I’m fine,” she said, then added, a hint of mischief twinkling in her eyes, “Actually...”

“Actually...?”

She laughed. “I think you two would make a cute couple.”

“...What the hell?” Me? With Declan? Impossible. I had already begun to picture him with Aria and I just couldn’t imagine me in her place. Not to mention, we had very little compatibility to speak of, at least as far as I was aware.

The idea itself was so absurd, that I couldn’t help but laugh with her. Moments later, we were gasping for breath, me clutching my aching stomach, her wiping tears from her eyes. “Idiot,” I said, breathing out a sigh and then grinning at her. “Don’t even suggest something that stupid again.”