A Vampire Story C - 2
Chapter 2
Arriving one hour early for school was never a treat to behold. The classes were dark and the campus yard had a soft rolling fog that emitted a feeling of creepiness. Although it was far from winter Ayer shuddered hugging her arms around her body as she crossed the yard to get to the Student Clubhouse, an area of the campus reserved for shops that ranged from pizza and smoothies to computers and text books. It was closed at this early an hour however the front steps is where she planned her rendezvous with the new student.
She expected to be waiting for a while however she was shocked as she walked closer to see a tall lean figure leaning against the statue of a giant gold rooster which stood proudly between the row of stairs leading up to the Clubhouse. Home of the golden dicks.
"Oh wow, you and I are going to get along swimmingly. No one is ever on time to meet me," Ayer spoke with a smile, inwardly groaning at her double entendre.
"Ha! Swimmingly, I get it. Because we are apart of the swim team," a hard jawline smiled down into her face and she couldn't help but greet him with the same.
"And now you are laughing at my jokes. Keep that up and I'll have to ask you out on a date." This was another joke but he did not laugh along with her. Instead he smiled earnestly. She cleared her throat awkwardly, "though my boyfriend might get upset."
"I should have known, you are much too beautiful to be single." He ran his hands through silver-blond hombre hair pushing it out of his ocean blue eyes.
She blinked for a full minute trying to compose the blush that shaded her cheeks as she could feel the heat rise in them.
"So um... let me see your schedule I'll show you to your classes and then I can show you around the rest of the school." She started to walk and then stopped hitting the palm of her hand lightly against her temple. "Oh wow.. I am so rude. Before we start all of that I should tell you my name. I'm Ayer."
"I caught you off guard with my promptness. Blame it all on me. My name's Luca. Nice to meet you Ayer," he held a hand out that was obviously manicured and Ayer slid her smaller rougher hand in his ashamed for once at the hard work that paid her bills. Luca didn't seem like the type to have worked a day in his life.
"Nice to meet you as well," she moved her hand out of his grasp quickly and tucked a strand of auburn hair behind her ear. "Okay, let's get started shall we?"
The rest of the tour went on without much else to blush over as the schools history was one that Ayer was extremely interested in which to her translated it was boring. She showed him the Art Studio, the Music Hall, and her favorite History Lectern. It was at the waterfall built by previous sculptors that had attended the university that the tour ended and Ayer reached her hand into the water as she did many a time before and sprinkled it into the crown of her head.
"For good luck," she explained. He asked no questions as he reached his hand in and mimicked her actions that smile never leaving his face. He seemed extremely pleased with her company and this for once did not feel like it had anything to do with her beauty. Maybe because she saw him as a beautiful creature too. Maybe because he seemed to actually listen to her ramble on.
"So I am also new to this town. Do you think after school one day we could do a tour of the town? I just want to get to know this place better and besides I heard you have one of the oldest theaters here and it is still intact mostly the way it was originally built?" He looked innocent enough as he asked. She guarded him carefully for a moment deciding if he would be a friend or a creep.
"Sure," she decided on friend. "You are correct actually and I love going there. We could meet up one day and I can tell you a little more about the town's history."
"Perfect! I'll see you at practice. I've gotta head to my car... I left my breakfast in there and I need all my nutrients before class." He waved as he headed in the general direction of the parking lot and Ayer headed toward the Clubhouse. Suddenly she felt rather ravenous as well and the shops were sure to be open.
Tears that were too hot to hold behind lids that were too tired to open leaked onto skin that was too dark to be deemed a non-suspicious member of society. Another black man dead and the world watched as the communities gathered in anger as another cop abused justice. This was the heaviness that populated her mind as she read the news during her lunch break. She loved history, it was her major and so she knew without a doubt this was not a new story to hear.
This was a tale old as American history and it was exhausting to be black and proud in a country that her people had built and yet struggled to achieve in. Ayer never saw herself as a victim. She was a survivor and no matter what she tried her best to be strong however it was not strength that left her as the tears cascaded down her face. Rage is the feeling that dominated her. Rage at the idea that the young man she was trying to be a mother and sister to could die at any moment in the same regard.
A nice young man albeit young and wild but not so free to do as he pleases. She had warned him several times upon leaving class of the horrors of being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time so he had since always retreated to the libraries or museums to escape his high school reality. Even these things could bring him into trouble he did not ask for and so she committed herself to the task of insuring his safety despite the retorts of how "responsible" he was and how he "didn't need to be babied."
He wasn't a baby. Didn't he understand that was the point?! That was the time a young black man was safest and he had surpassed the cute phase where all seemed innocent and pure. He was looking more and more like her father a man with broad shoulders and chocolate skin. He took after him in so many ways that it frightened Ayer because she knew what it was to be in the real world. She'd always been seen as inferior to her fellow people of color because of her lighter complexion and too dark for the racist white populace that spit in the general direction of anyone beyond the realm of snow white.
It was exhausting to be young gifted and black. Always proving to everyone she was black enough but also intelligent and this in itself was insulting to her entire race.
"Hey babe," Max brought her from her thoughts and she smiled up at her long time boyfriend swiping the tears from her face, "whoa what happened?"
"Is 'nothing," she sniffed and regretted it instantly. Her nose was full of mucus.
He grabbed the newspaper she had in front of her and it took him a quick second of reading to figure it out.
"Babe I told you to stop reading these. It will drive you crazy," Max meant well but it irritated her to the extreme that he could be so blasé about it all. Was he not also a person of color? His Puerto Rican ancestors had been looted severely of their lands riches and yet he could ignore it all. It was enough to make her disgusted.
"I can read whatever I like, thank you very much." She snatched the paper from his grasp and folded it neatly before tucking it into her bag. "You wanna explain to me why you are late again?"
Her lunch was nearly over. They used to meet up daily like clockwork. Lately he'd been further and further from the allotted time.
"I had to catch up on some work. I had a heavy weekend," He smirked in a way in which told too much. He had been drinking and likely not alone.
"You know what, forget it. Just stop bothering to show I am over waiting for you." Her frustration was pure and raw still and it easily transferred over to the anger she felt for allowing this infuriating male to constantly cheat on her. It was an insult to her intelligence that he thought he was getting away with it. Her heart had been too giving.
"Ayer wait! I'm sorry seriously. I just had a rough weekend with the guys. I swear I wasn't up to anything," he knew she could tell. Knew he was caught but insisted on lying to her. He reached out to grab her hand and she stopped in her tracks, turning to face him.
"Yeah well tell the guys they should probably stop sucking on your neck like a fucking hoover," she snatched her hand away from his turning and darting away before he had any other lies to say. She was done with the bullshit. Done giving in to his insincere apologies and weak lies. The world was fucked up enough.
"You'll be back!" He yelled at her retreating back a blush forming in his cheeks as he realized people were staring. "She'll be back.." he murmured to himself and retreated from the area of his shame.
The cold water helped cool her mind from murderous thoughts as she moved one arm and then the other up over her head and plunged them gracefully into the water before her to propel her across the expanse of the pool. She finished first, rage being her motivator today though she didn't need much help. She was team captain for a reason.
"Damn.. who shit in your cheerios," Fatima always knew when something was up. They joked often that Fatima was likely an empathy as she was a dark Muslim beauty with oval eyes that knew too much.
"Fucking Max. I am over his shit. Finally. I am done with him," she leaned over to catch her breath once out the water, panting from the exertion.
"Ahhh finally eh? I've never heard that before," she rolled her eyes and the smile on her face was contagious. Ayer smiled in return and punched her friends shoulder.
"You better be lucky you are missing an arm or else I'd show you up right now," Ayer smirked now.
"You better be lucky I am missing an arm or I'd ruin that pretty little winning streak," Fatima responded with a matching smirk.
Fatima was the time keeper now after a tragic accident that forced the hand of a surgeon to amputate her left arm at the shoulder. While swimming was still possible she gave up the chance to compete to instead become a boss ass coach, if Ayer did say so herself.
"Coach, what was my time?" Luca emerged like a God from the water, droplets falling off in golden ribbons off his tanned body.
"Ehh you got in just two seconds shy of this beast. Gonna have to do some laps if you wanna catch up to her," Fatima replied with wide eyes that clearly had no intent of innocence as they took in the sight of this man before them.
"Your right. I might have to ask for private lessons," Luca joked as he looked over at Ayer. His focus was laser pointed to her face, her eyes, and it felt like he could see into her soul.
"Maybe I'll have to take you up on that," Ayer did not look away, did not feel shy despite just meeting him this morning.
"So have you decided on a day to hit the movies?" He asked walking beside her as they moved out of the way for the next two swimmers.
"I think tonight would work perfectly if you are down," Ayer was serious this time. She would Prove that she was done with Max.
"That sounds lovely," he smiled and the radiance beamed down onto her warming her to her toes.
"Great, it's a date." The word was purposeful. Intent loud and clear. This seemed to catch his attention however he did not mention the elephant in the room : her before mentioned boyfriend. Instead they sat on the bench quietly watching as the rest of their team warmed up for the daily practice.
Ayer couldn't focus too much on the splashing water and noises echoing off the walls. The smell of chlorine filled her lungs with each breath and yet she did not notice. Tonight she was going on her first date in weeks despite having a boyfriend and she was suddenly very nervous despite her prior bravery. Was she really over him?