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Yoda
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“Alright, you can spend the rest of the period working on your project with your teammate,” Mr Lawrence addresses the class. “And I’ll be coming around to see if you need help and how far you’ve progressed”138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzL2kIyAPlq
Predictably, there’s a shuffling of furniture, chairs scrape against the tiles and tables shift out of place as seats are swapped. I clear up my desk, ignoring how quickly my seating partner, Jeremy, sprints out of his chair to sit next to his team member. I didn’t like him anyway – his face is too freckly. I don’t know if I should be glad or not that working on the project means less worry about physics. This class stinks like a chemical reaction gone wrong.
My gaze catches Skye as he laughs with one of his friends, slapping his shoulder before making eye contact with me. He gives me a heads up and I just stare at him silently debating whether it’s wise to flip the finger. Letting it go, I watch as two girls interrupt his stride to flirt with him, their giggles so loud, I can hear it amidst the ruptures of the classroom’s chaos. Twirling their hair, I witness them openly flirt with him. Skye smiles and nods, then after a quick conversation he leaves them with a wink.
“Hey Woods,” Skye sits next to me without an invite, his smile in full gear. It’s a good thing he thinks I’m immune to his charm because a grin like that sends my heart thumping too fast for my liking. “About time we started with this crap”
I don’t make any mention if what just occurred there within a span of five seconds. Its none of my business.
I scratch the back of my neck guilty. “Sorry I couldn’t make it for Saturday”
Someone (ahem, Dex), made me sit through an interview on television, posing as a saviour of Skylight City. A bit of a stretch if you ask me. And for that, I needed up missing my meet up with Skye leaving a message with a feeble excuse.
“No stress,” He waves it off good-naturedly, eyes twinkling. 138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3NIAlEYMPt
Which only makes me feel infinitely more guilty. Why does Skye have to be so patient and attentive? So damn nice? I mean at least if he was a cruel guy I wouldn’t feel half as bad. No, Skye Stingworth is the very epitome of all the good in this world and then some. He makes me want to talk to him, smile with him. It’s bad for my health is what it is.
“So what do we have to do?” He asks, flipping to a blank page in his notebook and pressing the spine down. I do the same, lining my basic stationery items next to the spiral binding of my physics book.
“See this experiment,” I tap the back of my pencil on the printed assignment worksheet, reading over the instructions. “We have to research and investigate Coulomb’s laws by means of experimentation. Then we need to present a model showcasing our findings alongside a write-up and poster that Harry and Penelope will design”
“And-do-a-write-up,” Skye mutters to himself, repeating the words slowly as he joys them down before looking back at me. “What was that last part?”
“Didn’t you listen to anything Mr Lawrence said?”
I glance at the teacher, just in case, but he seems to pre-occupied with another group at the front of the class. Roughly by my calculations, he’ll only get through the first third of the class before bell rings and my table isn’t one of them. The two girls that were talking to Skye earlier glare at me and I roll my eyes.
“Uh … no?”
“Oh God, we’re failing, aren’t we?” I hit my forehead with my book, groaning.
“Yeah, pretty much,” Skye shrugs, accepting it in his stride.
“Penelope is going to kill you, you know that, right?”
Skye points his pencil, leaning his body towards me, so close, I can see the gold flecks in his eyes. I angle back, heat burning my ears.
“No, she asked you for help. So, if anything, you’re the one she’s gonna be mad at”
I don’t miss a beat. “Which in turn, means I’m going to be mad at you”
He halts, pencil mid-air.
A sheepish smile creeps on his lips. “You wouldn’t … you don’t get mad, do you Kourtney? Irritated yeah, but not mad”
“Try me,” I raise an eyebrow coolly. “Besides, there’s still Harry’s wrath to endure”
I don’t know if the last one is as much as a warning to Skye as it is to me. Harry seems to hate us both equally, however, the warning seems to work.
“Now that much is true,” He admits, holding out his pencil to me. “So we better get to work”
I accept his pencil as a peace offering, an olive branch per se. Skye turns his attention to the assignment worksheet anxiously and it’s kinda cute seeing him nervously bite his lip and run a hand through his hair.
Focus Kourtney.
For the rest of the period, we get to work making an outline and sketching our model. My calculations were correct, because when the bell sounds, Mr Lawrence still hasn’t approached us.
“So, Starbucks then?” Skye asks, slinging his bag across his broad shoulders.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to do a science experiment at a coffee shop,” I scrunch up my nose.
He shrugs. “Well, we can finish designing the first part then choose another place to make the actual model”
“Yo, Stingworth!”
A group of the most popular kids in school, mainly from the football team, counting the two girls from earlier, are huddled together are the door of the classroom. Most of the other students have left already, including the teacher. And those kids who haven’t left, are rapidly doing so. I don’t like the cold feeling that trickles my spine.
Skye nods in the general direction of his group. Jason, I think, gestures towards the exit with his chin. “Let’s bounce bro”
“Give me a minute,” Skye holds up his hand, eyes never leaving mine. “Meeting place?”
Jason and a girl I think is Meredith (or is it Mary?) gives me a look as if I’m the one telling Skye where to go.
“Forget that freak, man, let’s go”
Skye looks between them and me, torn, his eyes darting between. The atmosphere is tense with a thickening silence, looming above the room like a storm cloud.
“Just go,” I sigh. I don’t want his pity or whatever game his playing at.
“Finally,” Ezra mutters.
“Starbucks it is,” Skye says as he brushes passed me into the welcoming arms of his friends. Throwing me one lats dirty look, the group bundles out of the classroom, raucously joking and laughing.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡProeZFC95h
I let out a heavy breath, leaning against the table. I hate high school..138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9jCcsODzYg
Later on, in the locker room, I’m just about done tying up the laces of my gym shoes when I hear the stall next to me open. A few giggles echo along the tiled walls as zips are opened and shirts are changed. A lot of girls go into one stall at a time in the locker room to change, knowing its better than changing out in the open and revealing your assets to the world. Or, if you’re like me, and just trying to get five minutes of unadulterated solitude. I recognise Riley and Penelope’s voice leading the pack instantly. 138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFhPwHTjLv
“Yeah, pretty ridic if you ask me,” Riley was saying, and I heard the snap of bubble-gum. I shook my head and finished tying my laces.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNtdYJvOPpO
“But the superheroes stopped him so that’s a relief,” Penelope adds and there’s a hum of agreement from the others.
“But like, didn’t you see the news? That one freak got away”
They must be talking about High Frequency – the only one that got away.
“Yes! Oh my God”
“Yikes, did you see his face? He is so ghastly”
“Right? Like for real. Thank goodness Kidwolf was there”
I stop in my tracks, ears perking at the mention of my alter ego. I should leave now that I’m done changing but my interest has been piqued and I’m curious to know what these girls think of my superhero identity.
“Yes, but like, we all know she would stop him. She’s cool like that”
Another murmur of agreement.
“And her style is so chic”
“Uh huh. Plus she gets to hang out with two super hotties”
“Two? Please, I only see Blue Hawk,” This is Penelope’s voice again. “Scorpio is all brawn no brains”
I raise my eyebrows at her admittance. I knew Princess Puma harboured a secret crush on the blue cladded superhero also known as Harry Talonson, but I didn’t expect her to be open with it in her civic identity. I guess when you have friends you can talk about crushes like this openly, freely. Without the confinements of a mask or duty.
The girls’ voices dies down as they exit the stall and I wait for the sound of a latch and the door closing before I leave myself. Stuffing my old gym bag with my dirty clothes, I only realise how empty the locker room is when I look about. Surprising me though, is the presence of Penelope. Ah crud, I hope she doesn’t know I’ve been eavesdropping.
“Katherine, I need to speak to you,” She says, her hands clenching as if it took all her willpower to say those words.
I know there’s no one else here, yet I still glance around. “Who, me?’
“Yes, duh. Do you see anyone else nearby?” She asks harshly.
“My name is Kourtney,” I deadpan.
She waves her hand, clearly unamused. “Whatever. Look, I need to know how far you and Skye have gotten along with the project”
“We have started, if that’s what you want to know,” I reply, my mind drifting back to physics class. “Why don’t you just ask Skye?”
“I did speak to him,” She hisses through her teeth, hands on her hips. “And he has no idea what to do”
I have to stifle my laugh. “Okay. I’ll tell him what to send to you. The rest you and Harry can handle?”
“Obviously”
“Okay then”
Without missing a beat, Penelope struts out of the locker-room, blonde hair swinging behind her. I’m amazed that this girl is the same one whose dedicated to fighting crime alongside me weekly, listening to the orders I hand out. I guess you really can’t judge a book by its cover –me most of all.
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