The Academy - Introductions (7 page)

“He’s just twitterpated,” Silas said. The shadow of a grin
stretched from his face, as if he’d just been laughing and was about to start
into another fit.

Victor shot out a fist to punch at Silas’s arm. “Shut up or
I’m leaving you here.”

I looked to Kota. He shook his head and rolled his eyes.
“Come on. Let’s do something else.”

“Where do you want to go, Sang?” Silas asked.

I thought about it. “Is it bad if I say can we just walk
around? I’d like to see what’s here.”

“A sensible request,” Kota said.

We left the store. Again I was next to Silas at the end and
Victor and Kota on the other side of him. This time instead of talking to each
other they took the time to point out different shops they thought I’d be
interested -- mostly clothing and shoes. I hid my grin at their attempts to
catch my eye and see if I was impressed. I wasn’t sure what they were wanting
me to say.

We were circling a courtyard where the mall split into
different directions when someone walking by bumped hard into me. I staggered
backward, catching myself before I fell. My hand went back to my arm,
protective of the wound.

“Hey!” Silas spun around. He caught me by the shoulders and
brought me close to him before turning his head at the guy that had bumped into
me. “Watch where you’re going.” His voice was deeper now, almost a growl.

My heart thundered in my chest. Silas’s hands felt so big
as he held on to my shoulders and he stood so close that I felt his body
warmth. I think it made me more nervous than the confrontation.

“Dude, she bumped into me.” The guy had dark hair, was
thin, had a goatee and looked about our age. He had a couple of friends
lingering behind him. Their pants hung low on their hips and they all wore
oversized sport t-shirts. The guy who bumped into me gave me a look, tilted his
head back and directed his chin at me. “Hey girl.”

“I saw you lean into her,” barked Silas. He moved in front
of me, shielding me. I gasped a little, stuttering. I wanted to say let’s get
going but I couldn’t mouth the words. He seemed so angry. He turned his head
back toward me. “Just stay behind me,” he said.

“Dude, fuck you. You don’t know shit.” The guy was slurring
his words a little, making it difficult to understand him.

“Come on, Silas,” Kota said. I glanced at Victor. His fists
were clenched, his jaw was set as he glared at the guys but he didn’t move. It
was like he was waiting for something. I shot him a look and he caught my eyes.
I gave a quick shake, my eyes wide, silently pleading with him just to back
off.
Let’s go
, I urged wordlessly.
I don’t want trouble.

There was a silence that lingered on and my hands started
to tremble. I reached up to Silas to touch his back, warming my palm against
him.

Suddenly Silas turned around and urged me forward. Kota and
Victor followed. This time Silas put me on the other side, so I was walking
between him and Victor.

“Should I...” I started to say.

“Just keep moving,” Silas ordered through clenched teeth.

We turned into another part of the mall and passed a few
stores before Silas pointed at a bookstore and we moved together into it.
Victor grasped my good wrist, guiding me to the back. My heart was about to
explode. It was close enough that he was almost holding my hand.

Silas and Kota stayed near the front, glancing at the new
novels on racks near the wide windows. They occasionally glanced at the door.

At the back near the children’s books, Victor tugged me out
of the alley and pushed me until my back was against a wall of books, hiding me
from view from the front. He checked around me, glancing toward the door. He
pulled back to face me. His fire eyes held a glaze as he looked at me and he
brushed back a lock of hair that had fallen into my eyes. “You okay?”

I nodded and tried to speak but hadn’t realized my throat
was dry. I swallowed and then started again. “It’s fine. Did they walk away?”

“I think they followed us a little but lost interest. Just
hanging out for a moment to make sure.”

I wasn’t sure how to suggest it, but it was almost like it
was rehearsed the way they worked together. Without talking, they split up and
knew exactly how to handle things. There was nothing for me to say. It wasn’t
like it was possible or that they planned the situation. Like their silent
communication, I supposed, was it just something they managed to do together?
Do good friends get to know each other so well it’s like they can simply work
in such a coordinated fashion?

Kota poked his head around the bookshelf. It spooked me a
little but I caught myself. “You guys okay?”

I nodded, smiling.

“We’re good,” Victor said.

“We’ll just hang around a few more minutes. Just look like
you’re browsing.”

“No problem,” I said. Now that the situation felt over, I
was glancing at book titles, my eyes instantly attracted to some of the thicker
volumes.

“You like books?” Victor asked, catching my look.

“Who doesn’t?”

Kota almost gave a hoot in laughter. I didn’t catch what
was so funny. Victor just smiled. “Have at it,” he said, ushering with a hand
for me to lead the way.

I felt like they were going to follow me. I hadn’t anticipated
that. I lost myself in the shelves, checking for the fiction section and then
noting the authors and cover styles of the novels.

“I think it’s grouped by genre,” Kota said.

I knelt, looking at a few titles I recognized. “It’s kind
of mixed up. I think these are more horror but they lumped them with general
fiction.”

He looked over my head to check out what I was pointing to.
He put his hand on my shoulder. It seemed such a casual touch, again something
I’d seen other people do or read about. He seemed to do it without thinking and
yet my mind was filled for the moment with nothing but the warmth of his
fingers. He was so close that I could smell the sweet spice of his cologne. I
felt my body tingling. It felt so intimate to me. “Do you like horror?” he
asked.

“Not spooky. More psychologically scary. Something a little
bit smarter than a guy with a knife hiding behind a wall.”

“You like smart killers?”

“I like figuring out the best way to handle bad situations,”
I said, although after the words slipped from my mouth I realized it sounded
weird.

When I looked back at him, a grin slipped away from his
face. “What else do you like?”

Victor had disappeared. Being alone with Kota now made my
stomach twist, especially since he insisted on standing so close. I couldn’t
back away unless I wanted to bump into the bookshelves. Was it normal for
friends to stand so close to each other? I wished he’d stop looking at my eyes
and face. I wanted to shield myself from it. “Depends on my mood, I guess.
Mystery, fantasy...”

His head tilted. “Classics?”

“British, preferably. Sherlock Holmes or King Arthur.
Although I did like Gone with the Wind.”

Silas appeared from behind Kota. His brows were creased and
he had his arms tucked into his body as if trying not to touch anything. “I’m
pretty sure they’re gone.”

“Good,” Kota said, straightening up and giving me enough
room to stand next to him now. “The last thing we need right now is an
altercation.”

Silas nodded in agreement but glanced at me and then dodged
his head around, his eyes scanning the store. “Where’d Vic go?”

“We’ll get him,” Kota said. That gentle power from Kota’s
voice became more prominent. Why did it feel like he was giving orders? “Meet
you in the front.”

Silas nodded and headed back.

“He doesn’t care for bookstores,” Kota explained to me as
we wound our way to the end of the aisle. “The lanes are narrow so he hates
bumping into them.”

I smiled to myself at the thought of Silas being so
concerned but I couldn’t imagine him clumsy. He seemed to be fully in control
of his body.

It turned out we didn’t need to hunt for Victor. He was up
front making a purchase. The store attendant was just putting it into a plastic
bag as we approached.

“What’d you get?” I asked.

He turned to me, smiling coolly. “Some sheet music.”

“He plays piano,” Kota explained.

Victor narrowed his eyes at him. “I was going to tell her.”

Kota bowed his head, looking apologetic. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” I said, trying to lighten the mood. “I’m jealous.
It’d be really neat to learn to play.”

“Why haven’t you?” Kota asked.

I shrugged. “Never had a piano to fiddle with.” My father
made enough money for a big house, but he always said he couldn't afford to
keep up with the whims of his kids and he rarely allowed things that cost
money. I wanted to try to explain it but it felt too awkward, too soon.

Again looks were exchanged between Kota and Victor. That
was going to drive me crazy. I vowed to myself to try to catch their looks and
understand this language they had between them. Were they feeling sorry for me?
Confused? Thought I was pathetic? Were they going to laugh about the poor
stupid girl later whose parents wouldn’t buy her a piano and walked alone in
the rain at night?

We left the bookstore and continued the tour. Walking
between Silas and Victor was awkward. I was either brushing arms with one or
the other and I kept trying to make my shoulders sink in, drawing my arms into
my body. I was walking like an idiot, doing my best to not touch them. I wasn’t
supposed to get so close so soon that I could just walk with my arm touching
someone else’s, could I? Since I wasn’t sure what was appropriate the best
thing to do seemed to be to keep a distance.

After a while, my shoulders were sore. It wasn’t necessary
anyway. No matter how I walked, Silas eventually needed to lean into me to get
out of the way of people walking by and Victor walked like a snake, swaying
back and forth across his path. As soon as I relaxed, Silas’s forearm brushed
against mine. I was sure people thought we were holding hands. Victor on
occasion bumped into me and only smiled when it happened. Something told me he
was doing it on purpose.

I could smell the food court before we ever saw it. Silas’s
hand went right to his abs. His stomach gurgled. I glanced up at him, trying
not to laugh at his mortified expression. He gave me a half smile and nodded.
“I think it’s time for some lunch.”

“How about sushi?” Victor suggested. “Do you like fish,
Sang?”

“No fish,” Kota interjected before I could answer. “Not
after last time.”

“I wasn’t going to take her there,” he said.

Silas shot him a look.

Victor gave a frustrated sigh. “Sang, what do you want?”

“I didn’t bring any money, guys,” I said, blushing. I didn’t
want to add that I didn’t have any at all to bring. My father didn’t give
allowances. “You all pick something you like. I’m still kind of full from
breakfast anyway.” That wasn’t really true. I was actually kind of hungry now
that I was smelling frying oil and sweets.

“You’re getting something,” Silas commanded. “Besides,
Victor’s paying.”

My mouth popped open in an ‘o’ expression.

Victor nodded with confidence. “It’s my turn, anyway.”

It was a thing, I thought. They took turn buying each other
lunch? I wondered when my turn would be. It would be really embarrassing when
they discovered I couldn’t repay them like this.

There was a small debate about where to eat but Kota
suggested a hamburger place. Victor got an Angus beef hamburger with Swiss and
mushrooms, holding the condiments. Silas ordered three double cheeseburgers and
a large fry. I mimicked Kota’s order, a chicken sandwich and medium fries.

Victor removed a black credit card from his wallet and
swiped it. His parents gave him a credit card? From what I’d read about in
books, black credit cards were reserved for the really rich. Maybe the novels
I’d read weren’t accurate so I dismissed it. After the order was paid for, I
whispered a quick thank you to him. He blinked at me, his face turning red but
he waved me off.

Silas shooed us away to find a spot to sit while he waited
on the order. We filled our drinks and then walked out into the middle of the
sea of tables and chairs that surrounded a running carousel. I wanted to point
to a spot close to the middle to see the paint on the horses but Kota was the
first one to suggest a spot, one close to the outer edge of the court yard. It
wasn’t crowded but he picked the place furthest away from where other people
were sitting.

We got to the table and Victor quickly pulled a chair out,
looking directly at me. I blinked, muttering a thank you and allowing him to
slide the chair in as I sat. Victor sat next to me, Kota sat in front of
Victor. Silas plopped down in front of me with the tray of food.

“People are animals when they get hungry,” Silas said. “The
guy behind me was demanding a taco.”

I laughed and Silas’s dark eyes lit up. He passed the food
around.