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Iris
"What the hell?" Holding my head, I take a step backward. I look up and freeze.
The first thing I notice about him is his hooded eyes. Bright golden orange almost like the sunset. Even though there are the most beautiful set of eyes I have seen, there's something very cold about them.
He is tall, too tall from my perspective, with lightly tanned skin. Brown hair, almost matching the color of chocolate, rests messily on his head. He has worn a black sweatshirt and dark blue jeans with black boots. But it is the unrelenting frown on his lips that matches the cold tone of his eyes.
"What," He says, almost cruelly, "are you trying to do here?"
Whatever trance I was in, I snap out of it but then comes the panic and red alerts in my mind. The space between us is too lessâtoo less for my liking.
I bit down on my molars. "Personal space, please."
Something flashes on his face but it goes as soon as it appears. Though he steps back from me, the frown doesn't change and he continues to stare at me, crossing his arms over his chest.
I try to relax and straighten up my back. I give a glance over his face again and ask, "Now, what are you doing here?"
He gives me a questioning look. "I do not think you are in any position to ask me that."
I raise a brow. "You know, it is a girls' washroom. You don't enter this area until you are a female... or a creep."
"You blind, Bella?"Â He quips and tilts his head. "Look around."
"I am not Beâ"
"Look. Around."
I glare at him, before looking around. At first, all I see is the stalls but then, I see themâurinals. My jaw slackens when I realize I am... I am inâOh god.
"It is the boys' washroom," The guy states. "I guess I am not the creep, here."
"Right, sorry," I sayâbecause I am tired, and also I am literally standing half-naked in front of a guy in a boys' washroom. Not giving him another glance, I put on my jersey shirt and pick up my bag.
I am almost out of this place but stop as I hear him murmur, "Get your eyes checked, don't want this little accident to repeat again."
When I turn towards him, he is leaning against the counter but the frown has been replaced by an arrogant smirk. And I swear to god, all I want to do right now is punch things, starting with this tall human.
I walk towards him. "Listen, Stupidâ"
He scoffs. "Real original."
I ignore him, standing in front of him. "My eyes are perfectly fine. So fine that all I see is a piece of crap in form of a human."
He stands up, properly, and edges closer to me. He rasps, "You are not a great liar, are you?"
He almost has over a foot on me. He smells lemony with a woody hint but there is something I smell too but I cannotâI can, apparently.
I shake my head. "For someone who smokes in school premises, you sure aren't hiding it well."
He leans down to my height and whispers, "Who said I am hiding it?"
I clench my fists. Deep breaths, Iris. Deep breaths.
I am about to walk awayâpeacefully this time but again, this guy interrupts me.
"Are you homosexual?" He asks, surprising me.
Out of all the things he can ask, he asks me this. I don't have any problem with gay people; Love is love. But, right now, this question isn't a bit appropriate.
I reply, "No and why would you even think that?"
"You are the only one who thinks that I am trashâwhich I'm sure I'm not."
"Well, somebody needed to tell you the truth," I say, rolling my eyes.
"You know, you should stop doing that," He says, looking at me, as he straightens up.
"What?" I look at him in confusion.
"Rolling your eyes." He smirks. "You may not know but it might just get stuck there, Bella."
"You should stop smirking. It might just ruin your face even more, Stupid," I say back in fake concern.
"So, now, you care about my face?" he says, raising his eyebrows.
"Look," I start. "I am not in the mood to argue with you and your obnoxious narcissistic arrogant self. So, I am gonna leave."
"Go ahead," He shrugs and takes a step back from me.
"I am going." I start to walk backward, looking at him. He stares right back but with amusement.
Trouble.
That's what he is.
The kind of trouble I have been avoiding all my life. The kind that attracts drama and rumors.
Finally, when I reach the door, I turn and am almostâjust there but no, mister stupid and arrogant has to stop me again for the third time.
"Oh, Bella?"
"What?" I ask, exasperatedânot wanting to look at his stupid face.
"You cannot sing for fuck's sake."
As soon as the words are uttered, my face heats up. I swear to god I willâ
"None of your business!"
With that, I slam the door behind me, ignoring the light chuckles I can hear inside.
***
I hate this day. Colt has soccer practice which means he can't drop me but then I miss my hell of a bus and, now, it can rain anyâ
A raindrop falls on my head, now.
"Really? Really?" I scream out in frustration. I have been walking for straight 14 minutes and 26 seconds.
Let's get this straight. I hate the rain. I don't know why but I just do. I can manage slight drizzling but proper rain is something I hate totally. I know it is important and all but, I just don't want to get wet because of it. I mean rain while I am at school or in a car or at home - anywhere indoors but not while I am unprepared or outdoors, like right now.
When I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket, I almost pray that it is my savior somehow but no, it is my sister.
"What do you want?" I say to her.
I can see, on the little screen, that my elder sister is rolling her eyes while her best friend-slash-roommate, Ava Kim, is doing her hair. Surprisingly, Daisy is wearing a glittered purple dress while Ava is wearing a black top with a golden-colored skirt.
"What's got your panties in a twist, huh?" Daisy asks, setting her phone on something steady so that both of them can see me properly.
"It is Monday, for god's sake, and really who has a party on Mondays?" I exclaim, ignoring the second raindrop.
"Are you out?" Daisy questions in response.
"You know, you guys should stop asking questions to each other instead of answering the question asked to each other," Ava says, straightening Daisy's hair. Daisy and I both look at her but she just ignores us.
"Colt has practice. I missed my bus. I am walking as a third drop falls on me. Your turn?"
"Ava got a date. So, I am just accompanying her to the par-tayyy!" She literally screams at the word party every time. Ava and I groan at her as Ava completes setting my sister's hair.
"So, you got a date, huh, Ava?" I say, smiling. She smiles back as I notice some pinkness in her cheek.
"Yeah... He asked me out, finally," She says, sighing happily.
"Wait. Wait. You mean Peter asked you out?!" Peter is one of their closest friends and is Ava's childhood friend - not now, though - studying biology at Harvard too.
"Yes! Oh, Iris, you should have seen his faceâ" Daisy stops as she laughs. Ava rolls her eyes but she is smiling at the memory.
"Okay." I smile at them but stop as the rain starts. "Ughhhhh!" I groan as Daisy and Ava both look at me with concern. Then, suddenly, Ava takes the phone.
"Where are you, right now?" She asks, looking here and there on the screen.
"Um, 47 Booker Street... why?" I look at her in confusion.
"Go to Coral's!" She says, firmly.
"Umm... Actually, I donâ"
"Look to your right, Doraemi," Daisy says, taking the phone, as I roll my eyes at her nickname for me.
I do as they say and... there is Coral's!
It seems like it was a name for a vintage diner. Anyways, the café has a strong good vibe about it and the smell of coffee hits my nostril which suddenly attracts me.
"Well, I didn't know it is this close," I say, smiling weirdly.
"Hmm... Ava, didn't you say that your brother is in Coral's right now?" Daisy starts to say something but someone yells from my right.
"Hey!" I turn to look at a guy, standing under a shed, waving at me. As I think whether to reply or not, rain starts to fall - real fast. So, I practically run towards the shed.
The shed covers the stone path that leads to the café and I see a long flower hedge enclosed by a short metal gate. The flower hedge has small white jasmine and blue irises which looked absolutely wonderful and the perfume it gave away made all of my thoughts vanish away.
It's pretty weird that I, Iris, was looking at irises.
"Did she reach?!" I hear Ava ask from the other side. I get the phone to my eye level and say -
"Well, there are a lot of irises around here..." They smile at me and I smile back.
"Ava?" Suddenly, someone says. I turn my face towards the guy - probably 20 - looking down at my phone, confused.
He looks Japanese and his accent is totally weird but cute. He is wearing a black vest paired with blue shorts and, unusually, pink flip-flops with bunny ears on them. Okay, he does look cute but his flip-flops are really humorous.
And, ridiculous.
"Oh, good. I knew you would already be there!" Ava says, sighing with relief.
"Hey, Augustus!" Daisy says, grinning.
"Hey, Daisy!" The guy with bunny flip-flop says, grinning back at her. I narrow my eyes at him as I try to concentrate. He looks familiar... I look back and forth between Ava and this Augustus guy.
"Are you both siblings?" I ask, still looking between them.
Yes, Ava is Japanese.
"Unfortunately, yes," Augustus says and then he looks at Daisy and back at me.
"You both areâ"
"Sisters. Unfortunately," I say, sighing.
"Hey! I am right here!" Ava and Daisy say, simultaneously. Augustus and I start to laugh as we exchange pleasantries.
"Umm... Nice... flip flops..." I say, smiling at him.
"Iris, is he wearing those huge pink bunny ears flip flops?" Ava asks, amused.
"Yes, and it is very distracting actually," I reply, looking at the flip-flops.
"Hey! They are comfy!" Augustus says, defending himself. We three girls start to laugh at him while he glares at us.
"Aren't you supposed to be going on a date with Peter?" Augustus says, trying to change the topic.
"Oh, fudge!" Daisy says, looking with wide eyes at Ava who takes a second more to realize the time.
"Shit!" She finally says.
"Yeah, got that. Bye. Enjoy your date, Ava and Daiz, don't drink much, okay?" I say as they say their byes fast and cut the call. I look at the weather and notice that it is going to rain for a while.
Ugh.
Sensing my irritation, Augustus says, "Come on, Iris. Let's go inside-" Suddenly, his phone beeps.
"God, why did I end up with Ava as my sister?" he groans, a second later, as he sees the message.
"Um, what happened?" I ask as we start walking towards the café.
"She just texted me to invite you inside and then, drop you off at your house like, I wasn't going to do that..." he says, rolling his eyes. This is the moment I know I am going to get along with him well.
Just before the main glass door of the café, there is an area filled with wooden tables and chairs that has tiny little lanterns placed on them. Really cute, believe me. I see some young couples sitting and chatting with each other and others are working on their laptops.
"Should I ask about the bunny in the feet, now?" I ask but he just groans in response. "Hey, I was just kidding!" I say, trying to control my laughter.
"Seems like I should just leave you in the rain!" He asks, pushing the door open for me.
"Ugh, no. I don't like the rain. Too wet..." I groan only to make him grin. I roll my eyes at him, turning to look at my surroundings and I freeze.
It is big-freaking-coffeehouse. On my right, there is this big wooden counter filled with employees making coffee or baking cookies, or talking to customers. All the employees have this badge on their white aprons on which Coral's is written.
There are wooden stools near the counter which is filled with people. Then, to my left, I could see a giant blackboard showing the food menu. As I move forward, the main area comes into view. It is filled with tables and chairs but to the extreme right of the café, there are sofas with small coffee tables and a couch with a large bookcase behind them. There is a huge glass door near the sofas which leads to a small garden. I notice some kids playing over there. It's rustic yet cozy.
It's just beautiful.
"You seemâ" Augustus says before I interrupt him.
"Mesmerized? Flabbergasted? Amazed? Yes, I am." I say, still gaping.
"Oh Okay... Let's go..." he laughs a bit at my expression.
"Okay... but, seriously, this is like the best café I've ever been to... I mean it can put other coffee houses to shame, you know..." I say, following Augustus to one of the sofas with a big couch near the bookcase and in front of the window.
"Tell me about it... I come here every time since Sam and I found this place in senior year..." He replies, grinning.
"For two years, huh?"
"Yup and you have to taste the coffee here. It does put other ones to shame, you know." We go towards the sofa near the door to the garden in the back.
"Well... well...well, who's this beautiful lady here?" A guy in front of us says, looking at me. He is around the same age as Augustus is sitting on the sofa, sipping black tea, I think?
He is wearing a black Nirvana shirt with black jeans and has pretty much long brown hair which he made into a bun. I notice his eyes to be gray-blue as they shine bright due to sunlight peeping from the window near.
"Sam, meet Iris. Iris, Sam..." Augustus introduces as we reach the area.
"How ya doing?" he asks, trying to flirt. I look at Augustus, surprised.
"Um, okay. Nice to meet you too, Sam." I say, looking back at Sam, still trying to wake up from this dream.
Nope. This is a nightmare.
"You are planning his death, aren't you?" Augustus asks as I look at him with a grin.
"Dude, he destroyed one of my favorite characters, Joey. Of course, I am planning his death."
"Whoa. I was just trying to have a good impression," Sam says, defending himself.
"A simple hello would have been okay, Sammy," he replies, rolling his eyes but breaks into a smile as Sam smiles back too.
"So, we need to drop Iris -" Augustus says, taking his car keys from the table before Sam interrupts him.
"Drop Iris? Okay, Iris. Listen here, I know how complicated senior year can be. The studies, the friendships, break-ups, fight with mom and dad... but you shouldn't..." Sam pauses as I look at him in bewilderment and then in four seconds, says as the realization strikes him, "You need to drop her at her home, right?"
"Yes," Augustus and I say, simultaneously.
"Oh! Sorry, I am actually majoring in philosophy like Gus here... so it is a habit..." Sam explains, rubbing his neck.
Now, this is one hell of a person.
"It is okay. Uhm... before we go, can Iâ?" I say, laughing internally before Augustus interrupts me.
"You need coffee, don't you?" He says, amused, as I just smile at him. He cracks up into a smile and proceeds towards the counter.
"I will wait in the car..." Sam says, whistling away from us, as Augustus goes to the counter.
When he comes back, he hands me my coffee and tells me, "You sure are like my sister, just the younger version!"
"You know I really wanted a big brother but I got Daisy instead," I say, giving him my best happy puppy look as he smiles back in response.
"What is wrong, people? Chop! Chop!" Sam yells from the door in a slight English accent.
Augustus and I both roll our eyes at him and say, "Shut up."
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- a u t h o r ' s n o t e -
a weird sassy iris chapter. lol.
until next chapter,
inerys