WINGLESS AND BEAUTIFUL: Episode 21 to 30 - Page 10 of 10

?WINGLESS AND BEAUTIFUL?

?EPISODE 30 ?

Denise was nowhere to be found during lunch, so I
shared our table only with Chaise.

He sat on the chair beside me. We were both facing the
window, our backs facing the rest of Leighton High’s
population. I preferred it that way. I didn’t want to see any of my schoolmate’s face when I ate.

I ate my lunch in silence. I didn’t mind Chaise beside
me. His arm was slung at the back of my seat. He was
comfortable to be with and he learned how to sync with me.
He knew there were times that I enjoyed my thoughts to
myself.

“Freaking hooootttt!” some girl behind us said. The
other girls with her agreed and they all sounded like they
were drooling.
Yep. High school drama. Soap opera every day!

Chaise rolled his eyes.
“I don’t think they were talking about you, you know,” I
teased.

He chuckled. “I know. It’s the new guy.”

“I hope your ego’s not hurt, though.” I hadn’t seen
Denise’s cousin yet. But I’d been hearing a lot about him.
Many of the girls who had seen him already fancied
themselves in love with him.

Chaise put an arm around my shoulders again and gave
me a gentle squeeze. “Of course not! The prettiest girl in
school is still sitting here beside me. He should actually be jealous of me.”

I gave him a gentle push. I know he was teasing. But
words like that actually helped build a little confidence in
me. For a few seconds, even with my scars, I didn’t feel like there was something horrendous about me at all.

Before I went to class, I decided to make a stop by my
locker. I was hoping to see Denise and ask why she wasn’t
able to join us for lunch.

Chaise decided not to walk me to class today, which was fine by me. I was positive no one
would harass me along the way.

Even if somebody did… I’d
perfected the skill of ignoring them. This was high school. I
was just passing through.
But apparently, some people just couldn’t resist.

I know these kids hated me and they liked to make fun of me. And seeing me unprotected by either Chaise or Denise was just too good for them to resist.

As I walked down the hall, a few meters from my locker,
somebody deliberately put their leg on the way, causing me
to trip. Sometimes, I forget that I was clumsy.

Sht! I knew I was going to fall face first on the floor. I
braced myself for the pain that would follow. But just as I
was about to lose my balance, I felt something wrap around
me, catching me, preventing my fall.

I caught a whiff of sweet, masculine perfume as strong
arms held me tightly, securing my balance. The hall seemed
to have frozen, and I was sure that all eyes were on me and
the person who caught me.

The first thing I saw was a red jacket on broad shoulders. It was a guy who caught me. He kept his arms around me, and they felt so warm… so safe… and in a weird way… so familiar.

I dared myself to look up his face and what I saw made
my heart stop beating at once.

My breath caught in my
throat and I fought the urge to faint right then and there.
He was looking down at me with those beautiful blue
eyes that felt like they could see through my soul.

An eternity seemed to have passed us by. Everything
stopped moving. I couldn’t hear anything, couldn’t see
anything. Only his handsome face.

“Are you okay?” he asked.
I couldn’t find the courage to speak. I fought the tears
that threatened to well up in my eyes.

He settled me on my feet. The moment he released me
and stepped away from me, I was taken back to reality. I
stared at his familiar face, which now has a frown on it.
Somehow, something was wrong. He looked… annoyed. At
me.

I stared back at him with a confused expression on my
face.

“Take it easy, okay?” he said in a cold voice. And with
that, he walked away, stealing a sideway glance at the girl
who tripped me deliberately.

I didn’t understand what just happened. He looked right
at me, but somehow, I felt like he looked right through me.

I stared at his back as he walked down the halls, oblivious of the sighs of the girls around him, careless of the way they were staring at him with hopeful eyes. He was walking a perfect straight line with absolute precision and confidence.