1 - A Good Day
Becca is my name. And Tris is my bicycle, she’s 3 years old and a bit rusty but still nice to be stepped on everyday.
She means pedalled on NOT stepped on.
Geez Becca, you’re giving your creator a headache. Just stay still and let me tell the story.
She looks up and shrugged as she got on her bike. Wind brushes her silver hair back, making it clash on her green helmet. Passing the big tree up the road, the leaves crunched under her bicycle, making a sweet satisfying noise. She stopped in front of the tree, she didn’t care what tree it is but at 12 feet tall it’s just relaxing to see. She took refuge here, once from the rain but it didn’t bring any good memory so she grumbled.
Nevertheless, this is her favourite season of the year, summer’s too hot, winter’s too cold, and spring is... just too lively. Autumn suits her personality the best which is why she was smiling as she’s admiring the tree but not for long. A long honk disturbed her peaceful morning, an annoyingly familiar one.
And of course it’s gotta be Lucas, a childhood friend who has gone astray. They were close when little but that change after puberty. Hits the worst of them all. Becca turns her head sourly to the maserrati next to her. Time for a bicker.
“What?”
“You’re blocking the road, Bec! You want me to hit you or something? You blockhead”
“Are you stupid? I’m at the side of the road. Look, there’s nothing in front of you, like your future, or is that too much too see?”
Lucas’s cheeks blush making his red hair stand out even more.
“Fuck you Bec! You’re the one with nothing!” he shouts as he drove off with his stupid ass honk.
“Idiot” Bec grumbled.
Becca took a deep breath and look forward, time to get to school. Of course Lucas would take her parking space, why wouldn’t he. She parked her bike next to his car and kicked it with her thick boots which resulted in him hitting her with his duffle bag in the hallway, intentionally. Thankfully, they have the same class because then she kicks his bag a good 2 metres as she walks to her seat behind him.
“Oops,” Becca snickered.
“Here” she kicked it back to him
Lucas rolled his eyes and curse but that just makes her smile.
No one, absolutely no one dares to mess with Lucas. At 6′1, hella rich and captain of the football club, he’s pretty intimidating. Becca’s the exception, she knew the guy since little, even bathe with him once. She shuddered as she remembers that, ugh. Truthfully, Lucas is... a decent guy, he doesn’t bully anyone like his friends, well except her but still no one dare to oppose him when they see his underlings. Jocks, popular handsome jocks hanging out with pretty petite cheerleaders. Oh, so typical.
Brrrttt brrrrttt
“Who’s phone is that? Turn it off now” the bitter professor said, she’s wearing something ancient again matched with her big glasses and short black hair. Do all math teachers dress like this? The previous one also did. Becca sigh as she clenched her phone.
“It’s Becca’s maam” Lucas answered. Totally unnecessary but as she stared at him who was two seats in front of her, his phone rang and that gave him a smack in the head by the professor, sending the entire class into laughter.
As soon as classes end, they both check their phones and immediately look at each other. Without saying anything she rolled her eyes and walks to the door before stopping in front of him.
“I finish at 5” she briefly said as his friends who listen became screaming monkeys and roots for him.
Unfortunately, the whole school knows about their cat/dog relationship and that they go way back. And that is exactly why she has no friends except her decathlon team, she liked them, they judge you based on what you can doyour and not by rumours or gossips but yeah they’re mostly nerds that gets trampled by people like Lucas, his group at least. That’s also why Becca’s late to her team’s meeting, she’s now stuck in a bathroom with Lucas’s girlfriend, Patricia and her two girls.
“Dear Beccy, you should stay away from my Lu, he’s mine” she said while circling Bec and her 2 friends giggle at the door.
“Yeahhh bec” the left one said with mockery “stay away from her man”
“Look at her, she looks like a slug,” the other one said.
Patricia take a lock of her silver hair and raised it up, disgust painted at her face.
“Ew, what kind of color is this? You look like a fish”
Becca rolled her eyes and sigh.
“Look here, Patricia. I’m late for my meeting, unlike you, I have a brain to feed” she pushed her shoulder away. Patricia grabbed her hair roughly and pulled it back, pain rushed through her scalp.
“What did you say? Bitch!”
And there goes her hair, all in a tangled mess, thanks to Patricia and her witches. Fortunately, they were loud enough that people came in the bathroom and stopped the fight or she would have broken her nose already, her patience was running thin. She’s a black belt in taekwondo and maybe she should demonstrate some moves for Patricia.
Leaving the bathroom unable to fix her hair, she felt worse than before. She loves her hair, she got away from painting it in exchange to help decathlon, never did she guess she would find friends there. Win-win for her.
“What happened to you?” The girl asked while positioning her glasses, hiding her pretty face and Asian features.
“Don’t mind it Mina, got into a scowl with some cats” she said brushing her hair and taking her seat in the round table filled with 4 other bright students.
“Cats? There are cats at our school?” The short brown-haired boy said.
“They’re not real cats, Tommy,” Lola said. Her black skin reflected the light in the room.
Nathan scoots closer to her “Are you okay Bec?” his deep voice reverberates in her ear. His handsome face hidden behind bangs and glasses. She’d seen it once, just once. If only he wears more fitting clothes, he’d look as good as Lucas, even better.
“I’m fine, sorry for being late, let’s start already” she put some distance between them. She said that but she actually hopes they would finish later than expected since she didn’t want to meet that jerk Lucas, this wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for him.
“Okay, that wraps up today’s meeting. Oh my god look at the time, it’s 5.30! I have to go guys! Bye!” Lola bolt off the library.
“I’ll walk you to your bike” Nathan offered
“Sure, bye guys!” She waved at the others.
They walked quietly in the hallway, Nathan’s not a man of many words so she was quite surprised when he asked her midway through the parking lot.
“You sure you’re okay? Did you get into a fight?” voicing his concern.
“You could say that I should punch her face next time”
“Bec, I hope there wouldn’t be a next time”
“Aha, I didn’t know you care about me that much” she joked, punching him lightly on his shoulder. He stayed quiet.
“I do, why do you think I’m walking with you now?” he said sternly.
They say the eyes are the window to your soul but she couldn’t see anything in those eyes because of that damned glasses. What is that supposed to mean, she thought.
Honkkkkkkk
They turned to look at the noise polluter. Lucas and his annoying looking face, he does look annoyed actually.
“Uhm, thanks Nat, that’s my ride, safe trip home” she smiled awkwardly at him and Nathan grinned warmly.
“I hope you know what you’re doing” he pats her head and nods in Lucas direction, she followed his line of sight to an angry-looking Lucas.
“Meetings between families, inescapable really” she shakes her head.
Nathan chuckled, a chuckle that she rarely hear. He went down for a whisper “Sure, let me know if you need an escape, bye now” he went away before ruffling her hair some more. Leaving her with a rumble in her stomach and slightly blushed cheeks.
Honnnnnnnkkkkkkkkk
That honk pulled her back to reality, she went over to Lucas and see her bike already tucked in the back seat. The roof of the car fully opened. There were still a few people left in the parking lot including Patricia who’s staring daggers at her. She’s clearly seen going home with him and begins to internally sigh and externally grumble.
“Get in,” Lucas said as he opened the door from inside. She hesitated looking at Patricia who’s about to cry “Hurry up, we’re late” Lucas pulled her hand to the car.
“Ughh, fine” she put her butt on the comfortable couch and put on her safety belt. Double-checking it and also double checking Lucas’s belt she finally said.
“Let’s go”
Becca focused herself on the sky and the wind blowing on her face but not much is hitting her face as they were going really slow, isn’t this supposed to be a sports car?
“Why are you driving so slow? Didn’t you say that we’re late?”
“You’re scared of cars, right? You really want me to go fast” he replied curtly
“It...it’s okay, I’m fine with it now”
Lucas glance at her, deciding.
“This wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t take your time chit-chatting with lover boy back then” he complained still not increasing the speed of the car.
“Excuse me?” Becca exclaimed “I don’t think that’s any of your business”
“It is when I’m a direct casualty, who’s going to get an earful when we’re late? Me! Since my mom asked me to pick you and your mom to dinner. You know we were late and still took your time with him, great job there Bec”
“Oh! So everything’s my fault yeah? Well, I wouldn’t be late if your girlfriend hadn’t attacked me! And Nathan’s just being a gentleman by walking me out, don’t drag him into this” she huffed and put her arms together.
“Does a gentleman pat and ruffle your head like that? That doesn’t seem gentlemanly at all” he mocks
“Did you even hear what I said? Patricia is at faul....”
“I broke up with her” Lucas cuts her off midsentence
“What? Why?” she looks at him but he’s focusing on the road not looking at her once. “wait, when? She was still your girlfriend a few hours ago, are you lying to me?”
Lucas rolled his eyes
“Why would I lie?”
“I don’t know, to mess with me?”
“Look, we broke up okay, she just did something that doesn’t click well with me”
Becca looks at him curiously as he makes a left turn to her neighbourhood.
“Is it because of me?”
Lucas got startled and hit the brakes.
“Don’t kid yourself Bec” he looks at her with contempt. “You’re nothing to me”
Bec’s expression becomes rigid. The word nothing keeps echoing in her head.
IfI’mnothing then why do you even bother?
“Exactly, why should you care about Nathan, he’s the perfect partner and a thousand times better than you” Bec’s voice distant and cold as ice.
“What?” Blake looks hurt but she didn’t see it clearly, it could only be her imagination since she’s already looking at the road and refusing to look at him.
“Just shut up and drive Luke,” she said as she watches the tree move along with the car speeding at a snail pace, refusing to go any faster.
