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Iris
"Hey, Colt! Look there's the Orion," I say to Colt but he just hums in response.
I look at him, sitting beside me, circling his fingers on the grass of the lawn. Tonight, Colt and his family have come to join us for dinner and till now, Colt is silent as hell.
"Okay, that is it." I sit in front of him and ask, "What's bothering you?"
"Huh?" He finally looks at me. "What?"
"Tell me what is bothering you!"
"Grandpa," He whispers and I take a sharp intake of breath. I try to compose myself as I know where the conversation is going to lead.
It has been seven years, eleven months, sixteen days, two hours, and three minutes, since Grandpa has passed away, because of brain cancer. He was not only my Grandpa, by blood, but the bonding we had is something I really miss. He was someone I can confide in every time and the one who encouraged me to take dancing. Actually, whatever I am, right now, is mostly because of him.
"What about Grandpa?" I ask him, finally, after mentally counting my breath up to thirty-four.
"Remember how he taught us soccer when we were four?"
"Yeah, you always sucked at it," I say, chuckling at the memory of little Colt, slipping as he tried to kick the ball.
"But eventually I got better." He says, smiling a bit.
"Because Grandpa never gave up on you and he still supported your dream of playing the 'American football'..." I say, using air quotes.
"He always used to call soccer 'football' and we used to literally jump on him until he calls it soccer..." We both laugh at the memory. "But he never said it and it became a habit to hear."
"The stubbornness runs in the family, Colt. From him to mom to me and Daisy... you know that well, don't you?" I playfully nudge him as he rolls his eyes. "But that isn't what you are thinking, right?" I ask him, looking at the sky.
"Nope. Grandpa told you something when he first saw you dancing, you told me?" He asks, looking at me as I see him from the periphery of my vision.
I remember how my Grandpa described me when he saw my first dance performance. I was six back then.
"You know what I saw?" He had asked when I had come back from backstage.
"Um... me dancing? Grandpa, you did see me dancing, right? You weren't seeing some hot old lady, right, Grandpa?" I asked him then with wide eyes. He had stared at me with an amused expression for seven seconds before he started to laugh.
"Yes, honey, I did see you dancing. Actually, I saw the breath of the audience taken away by your graceful movements. I was going to call up the hospital for an oxygen tank, you know." He had replied, winking at me.
"Oh my..." I hid my face with my hands as I felt the blood rushing in my cheeks.
Grandpa again laughed and, then, slowly removed my hands and said, "About the second thing... only not that she is hot, she is absolutely gorgeous too..."
I had groaned at his comment as he laughed.
"Yeah, I remember," I reply, smiling.
"You know, what he told me in the hospital, five-six weeks before he... umm...?" I shake my head in denial as I look at him.
Taking one deep breath, he says, "He told me, 'Colt, you know, there is this spark in your eyes when you play the sport which shows the love you have for it. So, Colten Dias, always follow your heart. Always.'..."
"Yeah, he saw your match just that weekend and was so mesmerized that he couldn't stop talking about how you played..." I tell him, smiling.
"That was the moment I decided that I will be a football player..." Then, he takes another deep breath and says, "UCLA is interested in me, Iris." I look at him, surprised, as he looks back at me.
"Oh goodness, really? Really?" I say, hugging him.
"Yeah..." He says, hugging me back.
"But, why is that bothering you? You are the best quarterback in the city, Colt! And, you wanted to go to UCLA..."
"Yeah, I just wanted Grandpa to be here so I could have..." He trails off as I go silent. I know exactly how he feels; the wish of him being here.
"Especially, with his death anniversary coming up..." I say, keeping my head on his shoulder. Suddenly, I feel the urge of crying as I take a deep breath but I just can't hold it back.
"I miss him, Colt," I tell him, crying, as he rubs my back.
"Me too, Iris. Me too." He says, looking up at the sky.
***
Thoughts of last night revolve in my mind; how Grandpa was such an important piece in my heart that when he passed away, it felt like that piece ripped off from my heart. He was not only an important part of my life but in Colt's and Caleb's lives too. I was just closer to him so, maybe, I think the news hit me hard and till now, I can't believe it.
As I return from my morning jogging, I see mom sitting in the dining room with her head down, wearing her unicorn pajamas â pajamas she has reserved for her sick days.
"Oh god, not the unicorn pajamas!" I rush towards her as she hums in reply.
"Mom? Are you okay? Oh, what I am asking? Of course, she isn't, Iris!" I facepalm at my stupidity as I look around for a trace of my dad but none to be found."Mom, Did dad â ah!!"
I jump away from her as mom lifts her head â actually a zombie's head, I think. The whole face is sickeningly green and, now, some gooey stuff is dropping from the nose.
Calming myself, I say, "Okay, I really hope this isn't some kind of a joke but, really, mom, you look green... Uh, Dad? You know this is time you hear my scream and â ah!"
Suddenly, someone puts their hands on my shoulder and upon turning, I see another zombie-faced person tilting I-don't-know-the-gender-of-this-zombie face. As the zombie nears, I elbow the zombie and go away near the â
wait, why there's a camera in the opened cabinet?
As if on cue, both of the creatures start to laugh. Actually, only one of them is laughing while the other is half laughing, one-fourth grunting, and one-fourth cursing.
"Oh, this should be one of the best home videos we have ever made." The laughing zombie says with a bit of an English accent.
"Mom." I groan out, looking at her in surprise as she wipes off her face with some wet tissues kept on the dining table. Then, I look at the cursing zombie who definitely is her loving husband aka my dad.
"It definitely would be your idea, right, Dad? Mom, I can't believe you supported him!" I huff out, crossing my arms over my chest but apparently, they are ignoring my rant.
"We are cutting off the part where she...elbowed meâfudgeâso hard," Dad says, grunting in pain.
My dad, Steve Cooper, is a cardiologist. He works at the local hospital and is quite famous around the town, I must say. Whenever I see a random person of our town saying hi to him, I give him a look and he says, 'they can't ignore a pretty face, sugar cube'
"But, darling, it shows how brave our daughter is," Mom replies, taking out the camera. I look between both of them, trying to process up the scene.
My mom, Mia Cooper, is a corporate lawyer and has her own law firm which sometimes keeps her late at night but for the most part, she's always home early. She wears unicorn pajamas when she's sick which makes Dad go out of his mind, being the doctor and all. And when Dad goes all protective, she is the only one who knows how to handle him.
"Parents, it is seven in the morning!" I groan as my surprise turns from embarrassment to anger. "What were you guys thinking?"
"To scare you," Mom says, shrugging.
"To have fun," Dad adds. I swear my jaw dropped a hundred feet below the ground.
"Trying to scare the bejesus out of me is fun?" I ask Dad, surprised.
Dad thinks about it for a second. "Yes."
"Just tell me I am adopted and everything will make sense!" I say out loud.
Mom and Dad look at each other and, then, say to me with utmost sincerity, "You are adopted."
I glare at both of them as they start to laugh. As the laughter dies in ten seconds, Mom kisses my forehead and says, "Let your old people enjoy while you are here."
Turning around to walk up the stairs, I say, "Guys, you aren't even in your mid-40s yet."
"Well, thank you," Mom says, "Get ready and come fast. You don't want breakfast cold."
"Yes, Ma'am."
Mom and Dad, both of them, are firm believers in storing memories and reliving them again. So, till now, together, they have made 32378 home videos, starting from their college days to Daisy and my childhood videos and then, to this day, when they decided to prank me.
Like, seriously, they could have done better thoughâI wasn't scared.
Grandpa used to love them and has been a part of so many home videos.
When he was in the hospital, I, as a kid, took all of the videos and a video player there to show him. I swear those videos revealed a lot of secrets that day like how my dad hated baby Daisy for taking up his 'spouse' time by crying and crying or, how Grandpa got me Mr. Cuddles, my teddy bear, after 27 tries in a shooting contest â he told me he got it in the first attempt â or, how Colt and Caleb ran around the house naked when I took away their clothes â too revealing, I know.
Those home videos embarrass us so many times but also make us smile and cry at the same time.
"My girl is growing to be a woman, huh?" Dad says, wiping off a fake tear when I see him leaning on the door frame after getting ready.
I look down at myself. I am wearing a black hoodie over a white tank top and grey sweatpants with converse shoes. My hair is up in a ponytail. I am still trying to figure out how I look like a 'woman'.
"I look like a typical teenager, Dad," I say to him. "I have more pimples than rocks in a pebble rock beach."
"That's an exaggeration."
"But it's true."
"I am going to pretend I didn't hear anything." Dad raises his hands. "Colt's not going to pick you up today, right?"
"Yeah," I say, suspiciously. "You gonna droâ"
"Here!" He throws something at me. As I catch it, I see the keys. Not just any keys, my car keys - technically, my mom's car but who cares?
"Really?" I look at him in surprise and excitement as he laughs, lightly.
"Yeah but only for those days, when you aren't carpooling, okay? You know how Mia is about polluting the environment and her car."
Okay, to be clear, this isn't the first time I am driving a car. It is just that I drive a car very rarely mainly because Daisy crashed her car, just a day after she got her driving license. Colt and I always go together or, Dad drops me off at school when Colt, like today, has morning practices. I have driven a car only when Colt's car can't be taken and Colt or Caleb (mostly Caleb) is drunk.
"Yeah, I know. I know. Yay! Thanks, Dad!" I kiss him on the cheek as I dash downstairs.
"Bye, Mom. Bye, Dad!" I say, grabbing a toast on the way.
"Drive safe, Iris!" Mom says from the kitchen.
"Yeah, okay!" I say, closing the door and dashing towards the car. "Ah, the beautiful yellow Porsche. Finally. Finally!" I say, sitting in the driver's seat. "Well, here goes, nothing," I say, starting up the car.
***
"Why do I see Mia's car in the parking lot?" Colt asks as Caleb and walks beside me.
"It is my car today and I can't believe you noticed it now?" I say, looking at Colt in disbelief but he just shrugs his shoulder in reply.
"I thought Aunt Mia wants to sue the school or something..." Caleb says.
"Seriously? Why can't you guys believe I got it today?" I say back, rolling my eyes, but, before they can reply, I crash onto someone as both of us, stumble backward and fall.
"Oh no," I say, looking at the papers falling over us.
"You okay?" Caleb lends me a hand as I take it and stand up. I see Colt picking up the papers and giving them to a girl on the groundâprobably, the one I crashed with.
"Hey, need some help?" I say, stretching out a hand towards her as she looks at me.
I smile at her as she takes my hand and stands up. She is a little taller than me and very pretty. She has platinum blonde straight and long hair and green eyes. She has worn a green Harry Potter classic hoodie and blue ripped jeans with vans sneakers.
"Whoa, we match," She says, looking at my shirt as I realize I am wearing the same Harry Potter hoodie of black color.
"Yeah," I say, laughing a bit.
"Here, this was the last one," Colt says, giving out the paper. I look at Colt, who smiles in a very Colten Dias way, and then, at the girl, who blushes but still manages to smile back at him.
"Thanks, Colt," She says, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"No problem, Tori."
This time I see Colt blushing a bit.
"Iris, do you think that we suddenly are in a rom-com teen movie?" Caleb whispers to me. "Or a book?"
"Caleb, I am afraid so we are..." I whisper back, looking at the scene. As if on cue, Caleb and I turn on our best friend mode and introduce ourselves, one by one.
"Hey, I am Iris Cooper."
Caleb gives a two-finger wave. "Caleb Wallace."
"Victoria Mendes," She replies, smiling at us.
"You seem to be in a hurry?" I ask.
"Fuâoh goodness, I will be late for chemistry!" She tries to go but then I stop her.
"Whoa, Usain Bolt, chill down. The class is this way and Caleb and I have the same class right now."
"Fucking goodness." Her eyes widen and she turns around, frantically. "I justâActually, I am new and yesterday was my first day and I already got a detention for being late, due to which I couldn't attend the music class... Oh god, now you must think I am such a clumsy and weird person!"
She groans, covering her face.
Detention you say, huh?
"You are not a clumsy or a weird person." Colt bends to her height and removes her hands and says, "You are just handling a lot of things right now."
Victoria looks at him surprised as Colt smiles at her, straightening up, as they both stare at each other for sixteen seconds before looking away from each other.
Well, that is so not weird to do that.
"And we do know clumsy and weird..." Caleb says, pointing towards me.
"Hey." I punch him on his arm. "Okay, Victoria, let's just ignore him and go," I say, linking an arm around her as she chuckles.
Before we start to walk, Colt asks, "Hey, Victoria, care to join us in lunch?"
Caleb and I look at Colt and then at Victoria in amusement and surprise. Victoria smiles and agrees to it.
"Do well at the Gym!" I say to Colt, smirking and eye-pointing at Victoria. He gives me an I-will-tell-you-later-so-shut-up-and-go look as I just wave at him, laughing.
"So, off to chemistry class, I guess?" Victoria says, looking at Caleb and me.
"Yeah. On our broomsticks!" Caleb says, raising my hand, and both of us, girls, give him a look.
***
"My whole life is a joke, full of notebook submissions and exams and practices and no play and no video games..." I mumble as I bang my head on my locker, repeatedly.
"Well, Bella, as much as fun, it would be to see you with one horn. I just don't want to." Noah says, keeping his palm between my head and locker.
"Noah, I am not in the mood. I am just tired and..." As if on cue, my stomach growls loudly. "...and hungry!"
"I didn't know," Noah says, sarcastically.
"Seriously, Noah? I have eleven assignments due this Friday and I have to practice my dance till I have perfected it. So, leave me alone." I tell him, harshly, as he just looks at me, smirking, and amusement wrote all over his face.
"I thought they were kidding but, seriously, you turn into a grizzly when you are hungry." I glare at him but he just shrugs.
I huff and walk away from him.
"Oh, come on!" He says, trying to match my pace. "You are offended on that?"
One minute and forty-seven seconds, and Noah still try to talk to me.
"You know we have to buy the food first in the cafeteria" This is the fifteenth time Noah tries to converse with me while I just huff and go to our lunch table.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Victoria asks, looking at me in concern.
"Hey, Vic," I say, flopping down beside Caleb, putting my head on the table, as Noah later sits beside me.
"I am Noah Radcliffe," Noah introduces himself to Victoria as Victoria smiles and introduces herself. Now, Noah turns to me and, bending a little, whispers, "You know, they made burgers today."
Maybe it is the way I looked at what he said that Noah chuckles and walks away, not before whispering to me, "You look adorable when you are hungry."
I roll my eyes at him as I tune in to the conversation happening on the table.
"So, Victoria, The Breakfast Club or Mean Girls?" Nick asks, drinking the milk.
"The Breakfast Club, obviously," She replies.
"Why?" Alyssa and Tom say, simultaneously, which shocked Victoria as she looked between both of them.
"Because she has better taste than you two," Michael says, shrugging his shoulders as Alyssa throws a peanut at him which he catches with his mouth, incredibly.
"Brava! Brava!" Caleb says, laughing.
Michael starts to say, "Okay, this question is going to decide our friendshipâ"
"Pressure, much?" Victoria says and Michael looks so shocked that all of us laugh, except Victoria. "I didn't mean toâ"
"It is okay. I just didn't expect you to say that." Michael laughs, too. "Well, do you read books?"
"If you mean study books, yes. If you mean casual reading, except Harry Potter, not big of a fan," Victoria replies, shrugging.
"You do respect novels, though?"
"Yes."
Michael grins. "You are officially my friend."
"Yeah, okay. She's honored," Colt interrupts, jealous, and Michael gives him a sly grinâthank goodness, I am not the only one who sees it.
Noah returns with one whole big burger. I take the burger from him as I stare at it in awe of its beauty. Not kidding, the burger looks and smells really good.
"You got one burger? What are you going to eat?" I say, taking one big bite.
"We are going to share, Bella," He replies, pulling the hand holding the burger and taking a bite from it as I look at him in surprise.
For an absolute second, I just stare at Noah and then, at the burger. He raises his eyebrows as if challenging me to give the whole thing to him; I would've if I wasn't hungry. I pull the burger from him and take a bite as Noah looks at me in amusement.
He whispers, "You know, Adi says, 'love deepens when two people share food'..."
I grumble, eating, and he just winks in reply. I hear a cough from my other side and see Caleb glaring at Noah.
"Forgetting whatever happened here..." Colt says, waving over Noah and me. Ignoring him, I take another bite from the burger. "Victoria, why don't you join us today at Iris's house?"
"Oh no, I forgot about it." Everyone looks at me. "I justâI am sorry, guys. I forgot about it. I didn'tâ"
"Iris, I canâ" Alyssa says before I interrupt her.
"No. No. No," I say. "I can do it."
She says in turn, "That's what you said before bungee jumping. Remember you literally fainted in the air?"
Ignoring the amusement around the circle, I reply, "But is it bungee jumping? No, right? So, I can handle it. Anyway, pizzas are good today?"
"They are, always," Michael adds in.
"Then, of course, the basement is freeânot like it has anything to do. You all can get your own beersâI am not providing that. Okay, informing the parents..." I take out my phone and text Mom and Dad about the plan. "And done. I am not forgetting anything, am I? Oh! The moviesâ"
"I will choose it, chill," Nick assures me.
"You are my savior, Nick," I say to him, grinning. He salutes towards me, smiling.
"I want to do something." Tom pipes in and there is a silence between us. "What? I am good at working."
Colt comments, "Alyssa can. You? You suck at planning and working."
Tom pouts. "Okay, whatever. I will just get music or beer."
I ask, looking around, "How many are coming?"
"Only us. Others have some work to do," Caleb informs me. "It is a busy weekday."
"Alright, that makes nine of us."
"Make that ten," Noah says as I look at him finishing up the rest of the burger.
"What? Are you getting your plus one?" Alyssa asks, sipping her juice.
"Stacy, right?" Tom says, narrowing his eyes. "We don't want Stacyâwe all have some history with her."
Nick says, "I have history, literally and figuratively, with her. So, no."
Noah, in his utmost blankness, says, "I am not getting my plus oneâit is just my friend."
"He has friends." Caleb scoffs in a low voice but both Noah and I hear him. Noah stiffens but doesn't say anything. I kick Caleb in the shins and he grimaces but doesn't say sorry to Noah.
"You mean Adi?" I ask Noah, smiling. When he looks at me, I mouth, 'I am sorry.'
"Don't be." Noah shakes his head. He runs his fingers through his hair and looks at everyone. "I have some work to do."
With that, he gets up and goes inside the building without a second glance at us.
"What happened?" Tom asks and everyone looks at me and Caleb.
"Caleb," I turn to him, glaring. "What you said was wrong."
"Didn't you dislike him some days ago?" He questions back.
"I am...indifferent to him," I say to him, calmly. "But still what you said was wrong."
"Yeah, whatever," Caleb grumbles, eating his food. As everyone else goes back to discuss tomorrow, I look back at the door.
An enigma you are, Noah Radcliffe.
The weird thing about enigmas, they always attract me.
ââââââââââââââââââââââââ
- a u t h o r ' s n o t e -
Woah! *wipes off the sweat from forehead* this week has been hell--now, i have way more expectations for Hell when i reach there.
another chapter down! what do ya'all think about the book till now? do you have any theories?
until the next chapter,
love, Inerys