Chapter 7: Chapter 7
I woke up the next day feeling great.
"Good morning," Rachel said from her side of the room. "You look happy today. What's the secret?" she asked, and I rolled my eyes at her.
I walked up to the bathroom and took a quick shower, and when I was done, I rolled my hair into a ponytail. I was actually happy that I got to be paired with Lex.
"So, you coming? I'm really starving." I turned to Rachel, who was patting her stomach sadly, and I chuckled.
"Let's go," I said with a shake of my head, and she followed behind. We went straight to the cafeteria, got a table, and were given lunch. We both ate our lunch quietly until I decided to break the silence.
"You are paired with the crazy witch, huh?" I said, and Rachel raised her head to look at me with a frown.
"You mean Manny? She's nice," she mumbled after taking a bite from her sandwich. "But she has an attitude switch," she added.
"Yeah," I agreed.
I saw June and the others walk into the cafeteria and take a table in front of us.
"Hey Destiny, Rachel, how you doing, guys?" June asked me with a smile.
"We are good," we replied in unison.
Frex winked at us, then started gulping his food like a hungry lion, while Manny kept an expressionless face, and Gold was quiet as usual.
"Who are you paired with?" I asked June, and she looked up at me.
"Um, I don't really know her name," she replied with a shrug.
"You are paired with a girl?" I asked again, and she nodded.
"I'm paired with the werewolf guy," Frex butted in, and Manny giggled.
"Gold is paired with a hottie," Frex said, winking at Gold, who rolled his eyes.
Manny gave Rachel a wink, and Rachel winked back.
"Are you guys a couple or something?" June joked and laughed.
"I guess so," Frex added.
I just kept laughing, and the other students were looking at us weirdly.
"I wished I was paired with Lex," June said, and my body stiffened. "Or the werewolf dude," she added, and I glared at her.
"Hey! Don't eat me up," she laughed at me. "You wanna keep the cuties all to yourself, huh?" she added, and I rolled my eyes.
"Whatever," I said.
"Don't you think we should start training now?" Gold suggested.
"Why are you in a rush?" June asked him as she popped a fry in her mouth.
"Because he wants to see the hottie again," Frex laughed, and Gold gave him the finger.
Once we were done, I met Lex outside the cafeteria, and when he saw me, he gave me a smile, which I returned.
"Nice to train with you," he said, coming to stand next to me.
"Let's go," he added, and I nodded, following him. We walked into an empty room, and there were two sharp swords placed in the middle of the floor. Lex taught me how to use a sword really well. He told me his father taught him how to use a sword when he was nine years old. He also said his father was no more, and he didn't have a mother either, so he was an orphan.
That's why he used a sword perfectly well, I thought.
"I'm so fucking tired," I said, lying on the cold concrete floor like a starfish, and he joined me.
"I guess we are done today," he said as he turned his head to look at me.
"Yeah," I agreed, wiping sweat off my head.
"Tomorrow, I want you to meet me here by 8:30 AM," he said and got up while I rested on my elbow to look at him.
"Lunch is served by 7:00, so don't be late," he added.
"Yeah, whatever," I mumbled and rolled my eyes, and he smirked.
"I'm serious," he replied with a serious face. "Remember, we only have two days left for us to be chosen," he added, and I released a sigh.
"I know... You must really be determined about this," I asked him.
He only nodded, then left the room. I stayed in the empty room for like two minutes, then got up and left, going back to my room. I looked around the room and sighed. Rachel wasn't back yet, so I decided to take a nap.
I woke up at 3:24 AM. I slept for fucking nine hours. I turned to the other side of my bed and saw Rachel sleeping like a pig and snoring, and I chuckled. I looked at her and sighed. She couldn't even wake me up when she got back. I couldn't sleep throughout the remaining hours and stared up at my ceiling as I kept thinking about Dad and how he's doing. I missed him so much. I won't let you down, Dad, I thought.
It was now 6:38 AM. I went to take my bath. I turned the shower on and let the cold water flow through my body. I left the shower and saw Rachel awake already, looking like a lost dog. I ignored her, brought out my lotion, and rubbed it on my body.
"Hey girl, you missed a lot yesterday," Rachel said as she turned to look at me.
"Yeah, tell me more about it," I replied sarcastically.
"Well, we went outside and had lots of fun with Manny and the rest of the guys," Rachel said, ignoring my sarcastic comment.
"And you didn't wake me up?" I asked her with a brow raised.
"I'm sorry, girl. Just didn't want to disturb your beauty sleep, you know," she smiled, and I laughed, shaking my head.
"Take your bath. It's almost 7:00," I said, and she nodded.
I waited for Rachel, my thoughts occupied with the fight and everything else going on. When Rachel came out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her waist, she quickly shrugged on some clothes.
We headed to the cafeteria together, where I spotted June and her friends waving us over to their table. We gladly took our lunch and joined them.
"So, you guys ready for tomorrow?" Frex asked with a smirk as he glanced around the group.
"I'm more than ready for it," I replied confidently, and they all smiled.
"I haven't seen Kelvin today. I thought you guys were paired together," I added, turning to Frex.
"We're meeting at the garden. You'll see him there," Frex answered with a casual nod, and I nodded in response.
We ate in silence for a while, and when I was done, I stood up. All heads turned toward me.
"I'll be going to meet Lex," I said, and they nodded. I started walking away, heading toward the empty room where Lex and I usually trained.
"You're late," Lex's deep voice greeted me as I stepped inside.
"Just one minute late," I snorted, but his glare froze me in place.
What's his problem anyway? I thought.
"Okay, let's start," was all he said, moving to the middle of the room.
Lex was a great teacher, and I didn't regret training with him, even if he could be annoyingly strict at times. He stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath.
"You're not bad," he said after a pause.
"And so are you," I replied with a playful wink.
He stood still, staring at me intently, the air growing thick with an unspoken tension.
"Why are you staring at me?" I asked, feeling a sudden awkwardness under his intense gaze.
He started moving toward me without blinking. Instinctively, I stepped back until my back hit the cold, hard wall. There was no more space to retreat, and he didn't stop closing the distance between us. His unwavering gaze burned into me, making my heart pound.
"Le... Lex, you... okay?" I stammered breathlessly.
Without a word, he lifted his hand, gently holding my chin and tilting my face toward his. His lips came closer, and I found myself frozen, staring into his deep green eyes. They held something I couldn't quite decipher—something that both terrified and entranced me.
I noticed the fiery strands of his red hair brushing against his forehead. And before I could process it, his lips were on mine.
The kiss was deep and consuming, leaving me too stunned to close my eyes. But as he deepened it, my body seemed to move on its own. I closed my eyes, leaning into the kiss and returning it.
My mind spun.
Did I really just have my first kiss with Lex?