The cafeteria buzzed with chatter, clattering trays, and the faint smell of pastries. Raye had claimed a small corner table, hoping for a quiet spot to eat her lunch in peace. That hope lasted exactly… thirty seconds.
Since Jane was talking to someone , a guy in her art class which happened to be Alex .
Apparently they both knew each other _ plus the guy was a first year and also a very nice person .
Raye had left them to catch up a little , since it felt like she was the third wheel in their conversation.
And also she had been trying to avoid that Kyle of a guy , so standing in one spot meant he could just track her quickly .
Raye was eating her salad slowly her thought trailing off to Danielle ,who was still avoiding them.
She gave a long sigh as her eyes slowly dragged itself to look at the people in the cafeteria.
Then she met him ..
He walked in casually hands in his black tracksuit bagged pants pocket , hair messy maybe because of frequent running of his fingers in it , a head phone slumped lazily on his shoulder .
He also matched the tracksuit with a black sweatshirts .
He had a small smirk on his face when he shook his friends before passing by with the same serious face .
He was handsome , but did he have to always keep such face like he was ready to beat someone Raye asked herself titling her head as she wondered how and why Danielle liked him .
Yeah sure she did _ wait no ...she didn't Raye denied quickly in her head a small pink colour tainting her cheeks. .
Ok she did a little but that was because the guy was being _.
Well she was trying to find the word ....kind... was definitely not it .
But he was just emotional available and sometimes he made her spiral like a broken piano .
Raye held her breath as she just stared at him ..she tried to drag her eyes from him but couldn't.
She eventually looked away , he is going to notice Raye scolded herself in her head as she dropped her gaze to the tray of food .
Does the guy need to be this hot she thought huffing silently , she was about to pull down her hoodie a little again to cover her face when she saw the white sneakers .
Gosh _ she wished it was Jane .....
She really wished .
.....but ,Jane shoe wasn't this size ...!..
Raye bit her lip nervously as she continued to stare at the table not ready to raise her head .
Why was she being stress like this , both mentally and physically.
She wasn't able to sleep ....manageable because of that movie and now this _.
Ugh Raye growled inside her head still playing with her fork ...maybe if she closed her eyes and keep her head bow , he would disappear.
Kyle appeared like he owned the place.
He looked round the dinning searching for someone but couldn't find her in her usual spot. .
A frown settled on his forehead , thinking maybe she didn't come or even came to school at all ..
Then his friend tapped his shoulder pointing at the farthest end , where a girl sat with an oversized hoodie staring intently at her plate .
He spotted her immediately. A small smile spread across his lip _ small ..
But the people who saw it gasped , wasn't he the one who walked in, like he was ready to make an epic fight again .
Then he walked slowly to her table taking his precious time .
Thinking of hiding from me little tragic...that's cute he thought clicking his tongue twice .
He turned back to look at his friend before tipping his head telling them to leave which they did , as they walked casually to their normal table .
"Well, well… if it isn't my favorite troublemaker," he said, sliding into the seat across from her before she could protest.
Raye blinked. "Excuse me? I—uh—"
"Relax, I don't bite," he teased, eyes scanning her like he was memorizing every detail. "Just grabbing a coffee. But apparently, this is where you hide."
Her cheeks heated, and she glanced down at her untouched sandwich. "I wasn't hiding…" she muttered, though her heart betrayed her with rapid, clumsy beats.
Kyle leaned back, one elbow on the table, spinning the coffee cup's lid between his fingers. "Uh-huh. Sure. Hiding, ignoring me, pretending I don't exist—classic Raye."
Raye groaned, swiping at a loose strand of hair. "You know, you really are impossible."
She tried to focus on him but couldn't , and when she did look away she was met with curious eyes ..
Its not every day senior sat with a junior at the cafeteria ...in fact , it never happen !!
Raye could feel her privacy and infamous life crumbling into pieces .
People who never took notice of her now did she thought sighing tiredly as she decided to focus on her sandwich after finishing the salad .
Only if she hadn't sent a text message asking him to show up she thought suddenly frustrated about life .
Ugh ...she should be banned from using a phone now or sending text ..!..
He grinned, eyes softening slightly. "And yet… you still talk to me."
The corner of her mouth twitched. She had no comeback for that. Instead, she nibbled her sandwich in silence, feeling oddly aware of how close he was, how calm he seemed even amid the cafeteria chaos.
Kyle's gaze flicked to a guy at a nearby table making a joke to his friends.
Raye laughed, the sound spilling out naturally, and Kyle's brow rose. "Really?" he asked, voice low, just enough for her to hear.
She quickly shut her lips , raising her head up to look at Kyle who had a brow raised suddenly serious. .
The joke was funny though she thought wondering what switched his mood all of a sudden .
"What?" she replied, too caught up in her own amusement to notice the tiny shift in his expression.
Raye didn't mean to laugh out but the guy sitting at her back kept roasting his friends and it was really funny .
"That laugh… I don't like it coming from someone else," he muttered, more to himself than to her.
Raye felt her stomach twist a little—not quite alarm, but… something.
"Huh ?"
She managed to hum , trying to shake it off, she raised an eyebrow. "why is that ?"
Kyle's smirk returned, sharper this time. " I just like being the only one who hears it."
Raye's heart did that stupid, fluttery thing.
She bit her lip, trying to act casual while her brain short-circuited.
"You're unbelievable."
She return to her food , still wondering what the heck was that all about .
She shouldn't laugh in public anymore , for goodness sake that was like telling someone to not breath air .
"And yet… you're still here," he countered, his eyes locking onto hers. There was no smirk this time, only a steady, unreadable intensity.
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, aware of the tension building around them, and for a brief moment, the cafeteria noise faded into white noise.
Kyle leaned back, voice dropping into playful calm again. "Drink your coffee before it gets cold… or I might have to drink it for you."
Raye rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the small laugh that escaped. "Fine… but only because you asked so nicely."
He tilted his head, satisfied, and for just a second, the teasing disappeared entirely. He just watched her, like he was memorizing her smile, the way her fingers traced the edge of the cup, the little way she blinked when she wasn't paying attention.
And Raye—well, Raye realized that somehow, her world felt a little… more chaotic, more thrilling, and far too focused on him.
The moment hung between them until a familiar voice cut through the air:
"Raye! Come on, we're gonna be late for class!"
Jane stood at the edge of the table, backpack slung over one shoulder, waving her hand dramatically like she was leading an army.
Raye groaned, suddenly aware of how long she'd been sitting there, lost in a world where Kyle existed solely for her amusement and torment.
Kyle leaned back, eyes tracking Jane, and muttered with a grin, "hello beautiful ".
Jane smiled softly, tugging her bottom lips trying to find a word while Raye rolled her eyes sky high ..
"Hi senior Kyle "
Kyle scoffed dramatically standing up with a serious face .
" Don't be too formal , call me kyle " he said giving her a small smile , he turned to Raye who was looking at Jane while shaking her head slowly.
He raised his hand ruffling her short hair while she turned to him immediately with a frown .
"Be good, trouble " he said pinching her cheeks before walking slowly from her table. .
Raye shot him a sharp look blushing furiously, speechless.
Trouble , I should throw that word back to you she thought huffing .
Jane rolled her eyes and gave a playful nudge. "Stop flirting and get moving . The stairs won't climb themselves."
Raye stood up handing her a chocolate bar ,before picking her backpack up from the bench .
"Jane , you are too easy to please "..
"Says the girl who still have heated cheeks , please we are both in the same situation " .
Raye took a step a little faster than Jane coming to stand at her front as she said .
" I have internal battles, cause I don't want to agree to those things ..while you just head on ...though the boy is cheesy "
Jane raised a brow chuckling slowly .
"He isn't cheesy , he is hot, deal with it girl ".
She took a step before Raye on the stairs walking slowly to their class .
"Why aren't you having awkward feelings about him ,like Joshua "..
Jane turned back to give Raye a stupid face who grinned at her ..
"It's called a gut feeling , and beside I don't see anything wrong with him and even you know that too ".
As they walked down the stairs toward their next class, Jane leaned close to Raye and whispered:
"By the way… he's smirking a lot. Just saying. Watch out cupcake ".
Raye's blush spread across her cheeks, and she huffed softly, nudging Jane. "You're ridiculous."
Jane just grinned, tugging Raye along as they both entered into their class .