Out Of This World

The campus was almost empty when Kim and I walked through its rought iron gate, over the footie oval and toward the courtyard. I tipped my arm, shrugging up my sleeve and checking the time.

“We’re early,” I started. Kim raised her eyebrows before grasping my wrist and checking my watch for herself, “I’m not lying…” I grummbled as she released my hand.

“Hm. We must’ve boarded the earlier train,” she contemplated, pulling her blazer tighter around her chest.

I started towards the lockers, breathing in the icy breeze as it whipped through my hair and sticking out my tongue to taste the pinpricks of drizzle at they dotted my face. My crunching footsteps were the only thing to be heard as I crossed the courtyard and took cover beneath the pathway’s shelter. I paused, looked to my left then my right before turning around and searching for Kim, who had apparently stopped walking with me. I spotted her back across the courtyard, staring intently at the wall. I cocked a brow and retraced my steps back to her immersed figure.

“Hey what’re you-“

It was the obnoxious fuscia that caught my attention first. My face squinted in confusion back and forth between Kim’s absorbed facial expression to the flyer, struggling against the wall as the wind fought furiously to rip it off.

“Kimmy…?”

She jumped as my hand came down to rest on her shoulder. Slowly, she turned to look at me with wide eyes, as if she had ony just taken note of my presence.

“Sorry,” she mummbled, squeezing her eyes shut and fluttering them open as if trying to get rid of a particularly gripping thought.

“Did…” I hesitated, “Did you want to go for…go for this?” I questioned incredulously. Kim’s face contorted into a look of disgust,

“What, to the formal?” she laughed, her face still held with a look of repulsion, “Ofcourse not. Why?”

“You looked pretty…engrossed. Are you ok?” I frowned. Her expression wasn’t right.

“Yeah, fine.” She breathed, “I was just thinking.” Something in her tone told me that asking exactly what she was thinking about would be a waste of time. I focused on searching the atmosphere for her thoughts, but her being only halfalien human made it pretty difficult when she was trying hard to conceal them. This ment that what ever she was thinking of was either really embarrassing or seriously personal, which made me even more curious as to what she was hiding from me. I smothered the growl of frustration brewing in my throat and pushed the subject into the back of my mind for later interrogation.

“When is it anyway?” I asked, Isabelle hot on my mind. Kim shrugged and gave me a look,

“How would I know?” she shrugged.

Maybe coz you were staring at the damn sign for ten minutes?

I stared at her apprehensively as she busied herself by rummaging for her gloves. She stopped and sighed, hands falling out of her empty pockets as she realised she’d left them at home.

“Here, take mine.” I said vaguely, pulling off my wooly hobo gloves and handing them to her. She smiled gratefully before muttering a thankyou and heading to the lockers. I watched her retreating back walk away without me, her chocolate hair being tossed around in the wind. I took a quick mental note of the formal date and hurried to catch up with her.

By the time we’d finished loading and unloading our books, the campus was filled with the sound of tired morning greetings and the bustle of late comers. The bell rang and Kim and I parted ways. I strolled casually to my form class, a nice change to the usual race against the clock and planted myself in a seat at the back.

Ben! My head swivelled round even before her lips had a chance to part.

“Ben!” she called, catching my eye. Isabelle was beckoning me over, gesturing toward a vacant seat behind her. I smiled crookedly before heaving myself up and making my way over.

“I saved you a seat,” she grinned, her green eyes radiant in the rare winter sunshine.

I know.

“Thanks,” I smiled again before accepting the seat and dropping my bag inbetween my feet. My eyes wandered round the classroom while I rummaged her thoughts for something she was interested in. Her thoughts were fast, blurring together and bubbling up uncontrolably. I fought to keep my expression casual as I struggled to pick out one, clear thought from her effervescent mind.

Something about a party…

I huffed internally as I realised this particular thought wasn’t something I should know of. I let it go, let it float elegantly back into her mind before starting to search for a new one.

Blessthefall are coming to town. She likes Blessthefall? Score!

“Hey you know-“ I stopped midsentence and smiled apologetically as I realised we’d both interrupted each other.

“You go first,” I nodded. Flashing her pearly whites, she continued.

“What’re you doing next Friday?” I watched her fingers trace patterns on my desk, her body twisted around in her seat to face me. Her eyes slowly travelled up from her patterns and I was met by an intensely seductive gaze. She might not have ment to, but for a second, I forgot to breathe. Sensing her wary thoughts, I snapped myself out of my stooper and dragged my voice back from Pussy Island.

“Er…nothing I guess,” I replied, drumming my fingers on the table top in order to keep them from lashing out and grabbing her face, “Why?”

“Roxy’s having a party at her boyfriend’s brother’s club, strictly invitation only, and I’m inviting you,” she said simply.

Party. Roxy. Me?

“Um, is that ok with Roxy?” I tried to make my voice sound confident, cool, but I don’t think it worked so well. Thankfully, Isablle thought it was cute. No need to question how I knew.

“Yeah, she’s fine with it. Just don’t invite anyone else, kay?” I knew who she ment by anyone else, and a growl rummbled in the depths of my stomach. I looked up, ready to tell her that I wasn’t so keen anymore when her hand rested on my forearm and I forgot what my name was.

“So I’ll see you there.” She told me, pink lips tweaked into a smirk. I nodded -the only movement manageable to my stunned hinges- and she giggled, at my cuteness again no doubt.

“Awesome.” And with that, she smirked and turned to a blonde girl next to her to tell her the news. The word ‘date’ leapt negligently from her thoughts and I allowed a soft smile to mask the overwhelming amount of pride that washed into my belly.

The bell rang again to announce first lesson and the class stood up in unison before dragging their feet to the door. Outside, I searched the crowd for Isabelle, zoning in on every mop of dark, choppy hair, every flash of bright green radiance, every-

“Ben! Guess what party I’m not invited to!” A heavy uneasiness settled in my chest as I turned to Kim and forced a smile.

“Roxy’s party?” I ventured innocently. It was always Roxy’s party.

“Yeah! How’d you know?” Kim said sarcastically, “Look, they even gave me an invitation to not come to it!” She said bitterly before producing a purple sheet of laminated paper and fluttering it in my face, “Its laminated.” I raised my eyebrows,and tilted my head in attempt at reading the unintelligable scrawl .

“Talk about fourth grade.” She muttered, before chucking it into the nearest rubbish bin. The sallow taste of misery fluttered with Kim’s too-pissed-to-be-guarded thoughts and more guilt washed into my chest, pulling at my ribs and fighting to immerse my heart.

“Why do they hate me?” she said quietly, “I’ve never even looked at them!”

“I think that’s why, Kimmy,” I consoled, “They’re used to everyone wanting their attention, everyone wanting to be like them. You’re too unique for their liking.”

“Unique is just a kind word for freak.” She quoted. I sighed, opening the science block’s door for her and gesturing for her to come through.

“What’s wrong Kimmy?” I said, putting my arm around her shoulders and pulling her to my side in an awkward, side ways, walking embrace.

“Nothing. Why?” she said flatly.

“You usually don’t care what they think of you. Why the sudden change?” Kim looked at me, a mixture of signals in her eyes and suddenly her thoughts were deaf to my ears. I stared at her, searching the depths of her expression and she did the same to me. She turned away, stepping out of our embrace; I was left staring at the back of her head, worry furrowing my brows.

We entered the science lab and took our places at our respective seating arrangements. I looked up from unpacking my books and saw that she too was sitting in silence. I continued watching as Alice strode in, plopped herself down next to her and chatted away at an unhealthy pace. David walked in a little while later, sat himself down next to me and began looking through the apparatus placed at our table. Shortly after, Dr. Newton arrived and the class’ volume declined to a hush. Everyone was listening attentively to the Dr’s instructions-everyone except Alice who continued to whisper excitedly at Kim. Kim didn’t look as if she was paying the least bit of attention to anything.

“Alice Burke!” All heads turned to Alice who was silent now, lips pulled together in a thin line.

“Yes sir?” she inquired. My gaze flickered to Kim, who remained oblivious to everything. Dr. Newton pursed his lips and pointed towards another table with his white board marker.

“Swap with your brother.” He said simply, wavering the marker at Hayden’s table, “Hayden, next to Kim.”

I watched as Alice huffed, picked up her books and crossed paths with her sibling in the centre of the room. I felt a sharp pain in my jaw and was surprised at how tightly clenched together my teeth had been. My attention wavered curiously back to Kim, who seemed to be fully focused now. The sound of my teeth gritting together made me wince in discomfort and I was surprised to see the bright blue tongues of flame licking mischievously at my sleeves.