Secrets of the Night

As I stepped out the once bright yellow cab, which looked as filthy as it smelled, I decided today would be a fresh start on things. The sound of New York startled me as soon as I’d taken a step out on the pavement. Man, this was a loud city.

“Honey, get our bags,” my mom chirped at me, while her attention already had shifted back to the cab driver.

“How much do I owe you?” She continued to speak while leaning in, trying to get a peak at the meter. My mom was a loving, free-spirited, and at times, a crazy woman. That last part, was kind of what had led to the big decision of moving to the Big Apple. And also a bad break-up. Her ex-boyfriend Dale had been a cheating dick, and my mom being - well, my mom - dumped his ass in an instant. They had been together for almost 3 years, and she was undeniably heartbroken. But Janine Cole had zero tolerance when it came to cheating and betrayal. And out the door Dale went. And so, after a lot of ugly-crying while gulping down an insane amount of Ben & Jerry’s, she decided that we needed a change of scenarie. New surroundings, new people, new impressions and maybe even a new love.

From the moment we opened up the door to our new and affordable, yet so very old and dusty appartement, the time flew by. We were halfway through unpacking, when we decided to call it a night, and eat some well-deserved pizza. My mom had thrown some pillows on the floor and lighted a few candles, making it cozy for us. Tomorrow, the last of our furniture would arrive, and our apartment would soon look like a home.

While I ate my slice of pizza, I thought about the taste of the pepperoni. It tasted differently here in New York than it had back in Portland. It had more flavor to it, more spice. Left my tongue tingling after each bite. After almost half a day here, I already got the feeling that New York wasn’t for everyone. It seemed so loud and bright… So hard. Even the damn pepperoni fought against me.

“Are you ready for school tomorrow?” My mom asked, breaking the silence.

“Huh?” I looked up at her, instantly snapped out of my deep train of thoughts.

“Where did you go, Cake? I asked if you were ready for school tomorrow.” She smiled, the candle lights resonating in her big, blue eyes.

“Oh. Yeah. It’s going to be great.” I said, faking enthusiasm. I wasn’t really excited about starting at a new school. I mean, no one really ever was. It was tedious being the new kid on the block. Everyone always stared, and then there was the matter of all the questions and making friends. Yeah, I wasn’t a social butterfly. If people were somewhat lucky they simply could make their way into the crowd undetected. But the all mighty God didn’t gift me with such luck. Moving and starting at new schools wasn’t that new to me. Since my mom practically was the real life version of Dora the Explorer, we moved around a lot. So, being the new kid quickly became my thing. And that was also how I knew, that I rarely went undetected. Mainly because of my looks. I inherited my long, wavy, dark brown hair and smooth olive skin from my Brazilian, deadbeat dad. At least, I had that to thank him for. My eyes were a pretty mix between brown and blue; they were a pronounced kind of green, almond shaped eyes, that had a bit of sparkle to them. And with the set of plump lips I got from my mom, I knew I was a stunner. And a pretty face always attracted attention. Well, mostly attention from guys. And while that fact didn’t bother me one bit, I wasn’t really a people person. I was the polar opposite of my mom in that department - she was exceptionally outgoing and never missed out on her opportunity to smalltalk.

“I think I’m going to hit the sack.” I said while wiping my mouth with a napkin, and dropping it on my now empty plate. Getting up, I gathered our plates, and carried them out to the kitchen, placing them in the sink.

“Good idea. Got to get your beauty sleep for tomorrow.” My mom winked at me, joining me in the kitchen while cleaning out the rest of our late dinner. I smiled, but couldn’t resist the small roll of my eyes. “Goodnight, mom.”

As I finally jumped into bed, after a quick but much needed shower, I exhaled slowly, letting unconsciousness win me over.

My alarm on my phone woke me from deep sleep. “Oh, come on, it cant’ be six already,” I mumbled drowsily to myself. I rolled over and slapped my phone a few times, finally hitting the snooze button. Sighing, I rolled back and snuggled deeper into my pillow. A few minutes later I heard a soft knock on my door, followed by a twisting of a handle.

“Are you up?” My mom asked, the strong scent of fresh coffee invading my room.

“No,” I groaned, pulling a pillow over my head.

“I made coffee.” She said.

I had to suppress a snort at the ludicrous need of pointing that out.

“No shit.” I replied, the pillow suffocating my words.

I heard her soft chuckle disappear into the kitchen.

“Come on,” she called.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I muttered back.

Getting out of bed, I initiated my morning routine. Halfway through I glanced at the time, which made me sputter toothpaste all over my sink. “Crap,” I groaned, realizing I was going to be late for my first day of school. I quickly made my way back to my room, stumbling along the way. As I frantically reached for my drawer, I stubbed my toe.

“SON OF A...” I cried out in pain.

“Cake, you’re going to be late,” I heard my mom call from somewhere in the apartment, blissfully unaware of the chaos unraveling in my room. Ignoring her unconstructive comment, I continued to put on a black shirt, now limping back and forth. The shirt clung to my slender waist, and I buttoned it down to show off an appropriate amount of cleavage. I threw on my washed out, tight jeans that made my butt and thighs look great, followed by my favorite pair of sneakers. I finished off my look with a black leather jacket. Quickly, I sprayed on some deodorant, knowing that I would thank myself later. I slung the strap of my black bag over my shoulder while running out the door.

“See you later, mom,” I called out.

“Wait!” I heard her yell, right as I was about to slam the front door shut behind me. As she rounded the corner of the hallway I heard her say “catch,” before tossing me an apple. The toss was semi-awkward, making the apple head straight for the floor before reaching me. My reflexes made me react quickly. Squatting, I leaned forward and caught the green fruit in one hand, holding on to my bag strap with the other.

“Dear god,” I muttered as a response to her clumsiness.

“Have a great day, honey!” I heard her sing as I left.

I had made it to history class just in time, being the last one to make it through the door. I mentally praised myself for my quick walking. Franklin High was a much bigger school than my old one, back in Portland. I had lost about fifteen minutes searching the halls for the damned school’s office, so I could pick up my new schedule and curriculum.

The small room buzzed with smalltalk, classmates telling each other about their frivolous escapades over the weekend. Inwardly I rolled my eyes at the cliché that is High School. Spotting a tall, dark figure, standing behind the teacher’s desk with his back to me, I quietly made my way up to him. Although I assumed he was the teacher, his very, and I mean very fine ass made me doubt my assessment. As I got closer, I got a better look at his back. Wearing a black t-shirt didn’t hide the fact that this dude was insanely well built, making me instantly hope that his front was just as nice.

“Excuse me. I’m-” I started to say.

“Miss Katherine Cole, I presume,” he interrupted, as if he had sensed my approach. He turned to face me, his motions so smooth it took me aback for just a second. Looking up from the papers in his hands, his eyes locked on mine. Fuck. This guy was so hot my knees almost buckled. He looked no older than twenty five, which I knew was still too old for me - but I couldn’t bring myself to care. His eyes were the most exquisite shade of gray and blue, encapsulated by black rims. It reminded me of a mix between steel and arctic ice. His dark, long lashes matched his soft-looking, dark brown hair, that easily could get confused with black, in a darker setting. His hair wasn’t long nor short - it was something in between, and it made me want to run my fingers through the silky looking strands. As my eyes traveled down to his full set of lips, I suddenly felt like I was on fire. It felt like pure heat coursed through my veins, starting from my neck and gathering in my lower stomach, making it twist in desire. My pulse quickened, and I subconsciously let my tongue slide across my own bottom lip, before taking it in between my teeth. The movement drew his attention, and his eyes flickered down to my lips, his jaw clenching slightly. His gaze lingered there for the briefest of moments, before meeting my own again. The buzzing sound of the bell made me do a startled jump, effectively bringing me out of my trance, and ruining the moment. He cleared his throat before speaking.

“Welcome,” he said, his voice deep and rough. Suddenly nervous and at loss for words, I just nodded my thanks.

“My name is Jason Decker. Students here refer to me as-“

“Mr. Decker” I finished his sentence, now that I seemingly had found some of my bravado, sending him a flirtatious smile along with it.

“Please, take a seat.” He said, utterly unaffected by my playfulness, returning his attention back to the papers in his hands. Slightly embarrassed, I turned to find a vacant spot before I heard him speak again.

“You can borrow my book for this class today. I’m aware of that new students get their books in the first period of the first day here.” He said, as he extended me the book. The thing looked ancient. It wouldn’t have shocked me if it just disintegrated right there in his hand. His big, masculine hand. Made me think about what else about him was big and masculine. Mentally scolding myself for my unholy thoughts, I reached for the book. It had “Atlas of World History” written across the front cover, with thick, black and red letters.

“Thanks.” I said, trying with my million dollar smile, again. He didn’t bother to return it. He had simply resumed ruffling through the papers on his desk. Well, damn. I wasn’t used to being brushed off like that. Boys didn’t throw them self at me per se, but I had litterally zero problems with getting male attention. And I couldn’t even bring a hint of interest out of this man. Suddenly, I felt off my game. Oh my god, am I unattractive in New York?

As Mr. Hot and Forbidden yet annoyingly standoffish embarked on his teachings, I found an available seat in the back, next to some blonde chick. Dropping my bag on the floor, I took off my jacket and threw it over the back of my chair. As I sat down, I noticed that my cleavage had earned some stares from some of the boys, and I rewarded those stares with a flirtatious smile. Judging by their slobbering faces, that smile still had it’s effect. If I had napkins, I would’ve been passing them around. Jason must have been a fluke. Maybe, he’s gay? The thought made me kind of sad, it would have been a tragic loss for womankind. But the way he’d looked at me had told me, that he wasn’t. He just wasn’t interested in playing games with a schoolgirl, whether said schoolgirl was hot or not. Disappointment washed over me. Sighing, I opened up the relic of a book and flipped through the pages.

“We’re on page 263.” The girl on my left whispered, her breath all minty and fresh. Good dental hygiene AND helpful. What a treat this chick was.

“Thanks.” I replied, instantly finding the page.

“I’m Maya,” She continued, looking at me expectantly.

And so it begins. Scratch my earlier statement.

“Im Kate.” I whispered back, sending her a polite smile, before returning my focus to my book.

“You’re new here.” She stated. “Is it your first day?”

She kept her voice low, her body now slightly turned my way.

I nodded without looking at her, hoping that she wouldn’t keep on chatting throughout the entire lesson.

Luckily, she didn’t.

The hour flew by fast thanks to my eye-candy of a teacher. I didn’t hear a word he said, but I could hardly be blamed. And judging by the faces of the rest of the girls in class, I wasn’t the only one who was going to fail history. Even though I rarely took my eyes off him, we didn’t make eye contact. His gaze roamed around the room as he walked back and forth, making sure people payed attention and contributed. But it never quite reached me. Whether he was trying to avoid me or just flat out didn’t like me, I really couldn’t tell. Either way, I felt myself growing more irritated by him as the minutes ticked by. Fuck him, and his fine ass.

When the buzzing sound of the bell cut through the last of Jasons words, the lesson was over. When he had gathered his belongings, I watched him determinedly walk out and disappear into the hallway, not giving me an opportunity to return his book.

Slowly, I pushed my chair back, stood up and stretched. These chairs were shit to sit on, and my ass and left foot had fallen asleep somewhere between the High and Late Middle Age.

As I leaned down to pick up my bag, the Maya girl poked the back of my shoulder. Inwardly rolling my eyes in annoyance, I turned around to face her.

“So I was thinking,” she began, her voice light yet adoringly confident. “Some friends and I were talking about going out tonight, to get some drinks. You should come.” She smiled.

For just a fraction of a second I was stunned by her invitation. First of all, it was Monday. And Maya didn’t look like the type of girl who would be out on a school day, indulging in underage drinking. Standing there, with her long, blonde locks framing that heart shaped face of hers, and looking at me, with a set of light, blue eyes, she was the picture of innocence. In my opinion, she looked like someone who would be better off by studying rather than partying.

“It’s Monday,” I said, feigning disapproval.

“So?” Her sweet smile changed into a smirk.

“So,” I continued, putting on my jacket. “I just moved here. I got shit to do.”

She kept her smile in place, seemingly unfazed by my rudeness. “Well, then it’s a perfect opportunity to check New York out,” she replied. “Starting with Hive tonight.” A small smile escaped my lips. Damn her.

“Persistent, are we?” I said, with an unintentional amount of humor in my voice.

Something about this girl made me want to tell her to fuck off, but at the same time I felt sort of amused by her smugness.

“We are.” She chuckled, tugging down the ends of her blue cardigan.

Rolling my eyes, I sighed and conceded defeat.

“What is Hive?”

I started to walk towards the exit. Eyeing the crowd of students gathered at the door, trying to push past each other, I slowed my pace.

“It’s a bar down town,” she answered, walking up next to me. “It’s super chill and secluded, zero chance of getting busted.” She grinned. “And they don’t check for ID’s. Come on, it’ll be fun.”

Considering that I rarely passed up on an opportunity to have a good time, I agreed to meet her there at eight. Even though Maya didn’t look like the type of person I usually hung out with, I was pretty sure that by the time the third round of tequila hit my system, I wouldn’t even care.

She proceeded on giving me the address to the bar and her phone number, in case I had trouble finding it, before scurrying off to her next class. She had offered to help me find mine but I had respectfully declined. I was a confident, self-reliant, young woman. I could damn well find it myself.

Of course, I didn’t find it, and I continued on being late for the rest of my classes, making the best of impressions.