CRIMSON DONOVAN

We all jump startled like popcorn bursting in a pan when Zeke slams his books on the cafeteria table we were sitting at. Ayla, Rowan and I sat alone for only two days before Drexel basically ordered us to sit with them when some boy had boldly asked Rowan out. Hence, the three of us sit with Drexel, Archer, Zeke and Jed now.

I have yet to hear Jed's voice though.

Zeke grumpily sits down and chews and tears his sandwich apart as if it had offended him somehow. We wordlessly observe the seething Zeke and wait until someone decides to speak up. Finally, Archer gives in with a deep sigh and asks, "What's wrong Zeke?"

"What's wrong?" he repeats in a low voice, his silver hair concealing his eyes. "I'll tell you what's wrong! My film came in second place!"

"Wow, that's great! Congratulations Zeke!" Rowan cheers as the rest of the table erupts into happy merriments. "I'm glad my acting paid off well," Ayla claps her hands self-satisfactorily. "I'm never acting again."

"We should probably celebrate the success with the rest of the students who helped," Drexel comments.

Zeke nods his head, "Yeah, we should do that. But that's not the problem! Can you believe that I lost to a little freshman? He barely comes up to my shoulders and he just joined the club this year!"

"Well, you came in second and that's good. You are just angry because a kid beat you," Archer snickers.

"Of course, it's a blow to my ego," Zeke says with a pout. Zeke's grumbles go on for a while, which we all patently ignore. "I don't want to think about this anymore. I want to talk about something else," Zeke decides with a sigh, and then his eyes land on me. "New girl, tell us something about yourself."

Six pairs of eyes turn towards me expectantly. Albeit hesitantly, I clear my throat and ask, "What do you want to know?"

"You are new to this town, aren't you? Where did you live before the move?" Ayla questions.

I mentally prepare myself for the onslaught of questions that are to come from here onwards. "I moved from Korea," I reply.

Their eyes widen in surprise since it was obvious that you couldn't see any traces of Asian descent in me. I reply before they could ask, "My father is American and my mother was a Korean-American. While I derived my looks from my Dad, I only got my nose from my Mum." No one could ever think that I was of mixed race, as I looked American rather than Korean.

"I see, what was the reason for the move then?"

My grip on my lap tightens as I shift uncomfortably in my seat, my throat clogging up, making me unable to form any words. "Uhm, my Mum, s-she passed away last year, so my Dad and I moved here."

They seem to take in my sudden shift in mood as I retreat into myself, and they frantically try to lighten the atmosphere by discussing various topics at once, their voices blending into a cacophony. Despite myself, a small smile tugs at the corners of my mouth as I appreciate their efforts to cheer me up. Drexel looks at me amidst it all, and he gives me a gentle smile that soothes me somehow. Archer who was surprisingly quiet, had his eyes on me with a reassuring smile that made me feel seen and understood.

However, the chatter doesn't last for long.

We jump in alarm for the second time today when a shout is heard across the cafeteria;

"ARCHER!!!!!!"

Archer's eyes widen in confusion as the whole cafeteria including us turn towards the direction of the voice. A familiar boy comes barging towards us, his blonde hair flailing and his face red with rage.

What was his name again? Something to do with money? Bank?

"Kash? Who put your pants on fire?" Archer asks, already looking uninterested.

Ah, Kash was his name.

"You! I know it was you! Don't you deny it!" he shouts, charging a pointed finger at Archer.

"Give me words Kash. Explain."

As Kash growls and punches the tabletop with his fist, Rowan, who was nearest to him, jumps back with a startled yelp. "Hey! Keep your hands to yourself!" yells an enraged Drexel as he stands and grabs the collar of Kash's shirt quite harshly.

"I'm sure you were involved too. You and Archer are two peas in a pod after all!" accuses Kash with a sneer and pushes away Drexel.

Archer stands up and fixes a pointed and irritated glare at Kash, "Get to the point, Grater."

I had seen glimpses of Kash in my classes before, but we never got the chance to talk after our encounter on my first day at school. Kash from that day had been friendly and sweet. Kash from today seems to be angrier than a wild boar in a stampede.

"You dare act clueless?" Kash barks with fisted hands flying about, turns toward one of his acquaintances and holds out his hand. "Marcus, give it to me."

A blue-black-haired boy who was a little taller than Kash hands a T-shirt with the tips of his fingers stealthily like it had caught a virus, and Kash snatches it and flops it down our table. "See this? Look at what you've done to our basketball uniforms! They all smell like rotten eggs and fart!"

The whole cafeteria that was watching this scene breaks into a peal of thunderous laughter. I sniff the air a little and true enough, a pungent smell worthy of winning 'the worst smell of the year' (if there was such an award, that is) drifts into my nose. Some students even leave the cafeteria, unable to stand the stench. My stomach clenches in discomfort.

Archer's laughs settle down a tad bit and he shrugs his shoulders. "As much as I wish I'd done it myself, it wasn't us."

"We would've had some ounce of sympathy towards you if your basketball team was exceptionally good. Too bad the team captain is an uptight, talentless, snobbish and stubborn little brat," Drexel comments with a snarl. I look at him with wide eyes, shocked to see the cheerful, considerate and light-hearted Drexel (even though he teases me at times) snarling wickedly at someone for the first time.

"Are you slandering me? Or are you jealous that I have more athletic abilities than you?" Kash asks priggishly with a tilt of his head as he crosses his arms over his chest in a challenge.

"You play basketball with your hellish mouth. All you do is order people around and bully them into doing your dirty work. If you call those your so-called athletic abilities, I would rather be jealous over the Pokémon underwear you wear," Drexel juts back.

Ooh. That was a nice comeback. I wring my fingers together and watch the argument unfolding in front of me with interest. Ayla sprays her perfume onto her handkerchief and places it over her scrunched-up nose. Not even a second passes before she pulls away with a disgruntled expression, bringing her perfume once again to spray another round of perfume into the cloth. She discretely showers the air with it, making the air smell with the scent of roses. I was thankful only for a minute before the scent mixed with the stench, making my stomach churn in return. Zeke and Rowan start fanning the air with one of Jed's books. 

"I don't wear Pokémon underwear!"

Oh, that smell was getting worse.

"Should we release that video of drunk Kash running down the streets half-naked?" Zeke asks excitedly jumping in his seat, still flapping the book away into the air.

Kash is obviously at a loss for words as he opens and closes his mouth like a goldfish. He takes a deep breath and glares at the boys at our table, "You...you are insulting me because you are jealous and not as privileged as I am!"

"The only unabashed way to accept an insult is to ignore it," comes in a deep voice that silences the whole room. "If you can't ignore it, top it. If you can't top it, laugh at it. If you can't laugh at it-" Jed pauses, closes his book and looks up at Kash, "-then it's probably deserved."

The whole cafeteria falls silent as a grave. I watch in surprise along with the others as Jed places his book on the table and stands up face-to-face with Kash. "You are just embarrassing yourself here. I am the one who trashed your locker room," he declares monotonously to my utter astonishment.

Sesange!(Oh my god!) Who was Jed and where was he all my life?

Not even the worst smell of the year can stop everyone from dropping their jaws. From their reactions, ranging from shock to complete disbelief, nobody was expecting it to be Jed of all people.

Kash seems to be the first one to grow out of his momentary shock as he blinks his eyes repeatedly in confusion, "J...Jed? It was you? How...why the hell did you of all people..."

Jed's blank expression suddenly morphs into a face that flies off the handle. "Your teammates ruined my science project last week. For the first time in my life, I got an F grade for my evaluation. So I made sure I 'scientifically' bit back your butts," then he sits down and calmly opens his book. "Now, we are even."

He goes back to read his book silently, not the least bit bothered by the several heart attacks he had caused due to his unexpected revelation. The basketball team just stands staring at Jed wordlessly. Some of them leave, while Kash and some of his friends stay standing their ground, probably debating their next move. The boys and girls at our table also stare at their friend with awe-struck eyes.

Zeke is the first to burst into a loud fit of laughs suddenly, shortly followed by Rowan who clutches her stomach as she heaves in laughter too. Soon enough, everyone at our table erupts into laughter, trying to stop themselves from falling onto the floor. Jed just shakes his head and goes back to reading, but I don't miss the small satisfied smile that he hides underneath his book.

Kash blows his fuse as his face turns red. "SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU! You'll pay for this Jed! I'll make sure that-" he cuts himself off when his eyes land on me, "-Crimson?"

Everyone at our table, even Jed, turns their heads toward me in question. I do my best not to show my uneasiness.

"Crimson? Do you know this guy?" inquires Drexel. I'm not naïve to not know the underlying question beneath Drexel's inquiry.

I am just a new girl in their midst, a newcomer to this unfamiliar place, and yet they welcomed me with open arms, offering me the chance to forge new friendships and find my place in this new atmosphere. They did not ask for my story or my history, but instead took me in without reservation. Of course, they are bound to be suspicious of me if I knew their rival..? Enemy?

Anyway, it doesn't take a genius to understand that Kash and the boys have bad blood between them. If they think that I'm acquainted with Kash somehow, I'll have to say bye-bye to my new friends.

And I don't want it to be so.

Kash appeared to be kind to me on my first day; maybe he was genuine in his actions then, but I had interacted with him only for a few minutes unlike the guys at my table whom I had known for about a week. Also, today proved that my initial impression of him did not account for who he truly was. That was disappointing though.

"I'm not very familiar with him," I decide to say finally. "He showed me the office on my first day, that's all."

"Really?" Ayla asks in a careful tone. But I nod reassuringly, "That's right," I tell them before all of us glance at Kash. I hope the blank look in my eyes dared him to lie.

Kash stares right back into me for a while and gives an exhale. "Yeah, that's the truth. But what are you doing sitting with these people? They are not the kind of people you should be interacting with," Kash reasons. "It isn't too late to come and sit with us."

My eyes thin at his suggestion. The two girls beside me intently await my reply. The boys' anticipation and anxious expressions show that they did not want to lose to Kash. The girls anxiously watch me, Rowan's hand fisting the hem of Ayla's top. Drexel's face is masked into an emotionless and impassive expression as he fixes his gaze on me. For some reason, his reaction didn't sit right with me.

Just like them, I don't know them well enough to make a decision. I know they won't be mad if I choose Kash, but I know that I would be mad at myself if it happened. But why would I choose Kash anyway?

"Thank you for your concern Kash," I say politely. "But I think I'll just stay here." I refrain from adding the fact that I was too lazy to get up and change seats while eating.

I could almost hear the sighs of relief emerging from around me. Kash, however, openly displays his disappointment. "I can't do anything to change your mind then. But let me warn you, they are not worth it."

"I'll watch out if it comes to that," I reply as I eat a chicken nugget. Taking a deep breath, he takes back their smelly uniforms and walks away with his friends, but not before sparing a dirty look at the boys at our table.

Only the smell of rotten eggs and...flatulence remained.

We instantly relax when their figures disappear into the distance. For a while, there is a tense atmosphere. "You guys believe me, right?" I ask softly. Ayla quickly places her hand on my shoulder. "Of course, we believe you! Don't we, boys?"

They hastily nod. "We are sorry, we didn't mean to doubt you or make you uncomfortable," Drexel apologizes. The others are soon to follow with reassuring words, which makes me chuckle at their unnecessary panic. "It's okay guys, thanks for believing me."

"People should know to speak up against hooligans like Kash Grater," Zeke comments while swatting the smelly air with a scrunched nose. I wonder what happened between the boys to cause them to not see eye to eye with each other.

"What was more impressive is how Jed dramatically came in like a villain in disguise," Archer slaps Jed's arm, "you didn't even tell us that you were going to prank the basketball team."

"It was my war, they messed with me. They had it coming," Jed states brusquely as Drexel lets out a sneeze. We collectively turn to look at him, but he helplessly shrugs before we break into giggles.

If there was one thing I learned today; you never mess with Jed.

° ° °

The next day, we wait until the teacher comes for the last lesson of the day. Ayla watches me from the seat next to me with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"What's wrong, Ayla?" I finally enquire.

"Do you want to go on an adventure with me?" she asks after a while.

I raise my eyebrows at the random and unforeseen question. "Adventure? What do you mean?"

"There's this thing I've been wanting to do for a while..." she warily looks around before shifting closer to me. "A stakeout."

"Really? Who do you want to spy on? Archer?"

"Yes- wait, no... I mean yes! But not only him, but it's also all four of them. Rowan often sees Drexel sneaking out late at night. But she can't follow him because their mother would be alone at home," she explains. "Rowan is worried and I'm sure the other boys are also involved."

"So you want to trail them...?"

"Yes! And you should come with me."

"Me? Why?!"

"Because there is no way I'd go out into the dark alone! Rowan can't come, so I've never got the chance to follow the boys. Now that you are here, you should come with me! Please please please!"

I contemplate the idea of a stakeout. Maybe I should experience this American teenage life some more?

"Okay then, text me the details."

I wonder what I was getting myself into.

This was fun to write! What do you think will happen next?

What will happen to Ayla and Crimson? What do you think they'll find...?

Don't forget to vote and comment, it'll mean so much to me!