Amber Eyes

FORTY EIGHT

Chapter Forty Eight

Thursday went by so fast that I don't even remember what exactly happened that day. Once again, Iris meets up with me and for the first time, she's the one who's early. I help her during that time, trying to stay as calm as I can but snapping at her eventually after which she says something to me. Then, Mason arrives and puts an end to our banters.

We spent about two hours trying to be in sync and succeed to some extent. Of course, we can't possibly perfect this in just one day but we have to try to do the best we can. I adjusted my own pace to hers, which was trouble but I had to do that. I'm sure we will still be ranking last tomorrow but I'm also sure that we won't be as bad as I'm fearing it to be.

We practice a bit at night as well but I make sure that neither Iris or I stress ourselves out so much that we aren't able to do anything tomorrow. And just like that, Friday comes. On the last day of the week, we submit our older assignments and get new ones instead. Iris and I don't meet throughout the day though there are people around us talking about our evaluation.

This time, even the fashion and film students are talking about. The thought of it should have made me nervous but it didn't. In the afternoon, I once again sat with Kai and Rhea. Ryker is nowhere to be found and he's not willing to tell anyone of us about what's bothering him. I decide to leave early but just as I'm walking out of the building, I bump into someone and would have fallen if the person wouldn't have caught me.

"I'm so sorry," I mutter as the person steadies me.

"Oh, it's alright. I wasn't watching," he says to me, his grip ice cold. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I say. I look up to see just who it is, only to find a guy, older than me. He's got dark olive skin, short hair and a charming expression on his face. I recognise him almost instantly - he's Gabriel Liamme. The top of Euterpe last year. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. You're a first year? I haven't seen you around."

"Yeah, I'm a first year," I reply. I'm about to excuse myself when I hear a familiar voice call out to him.

"Gabriel, you coming?" Asher's voice reaches my ears and he walks back, probably to find him. His eyes fall on me and he smiles - that small, teasing one that he always does reminding me that it's all a game to him. He walks over to us and if that isn't enough, almost all the others come here to see us too. There are two unfamiliar faces here - which I guess are Diego Matias and Clara Elvar.

Diego Matias has a bored look on his face. His hair is slick black, his skin tanned and gaze so scary that it sends a chill down my spine. He's intimidating, I'll give him that. Clara Elvar is tall and pretty with her fair hair and skin. Even her eyes are a deep, dreamy blue. She would look pretty with a smile on her face which is nowhere to be found right now.

She looks like a dance student. I think she would have been a dance student. And she would've been good.

"Lee," Penny says, a smile on her face as she walks towards her and wraps her arms around me, catching me off guard. My eyes meet Asher's, who's shaking his head, biting back a smile. "I missed you so much. I haven't seen you in a long time."

"Penny," I say as I pull away from her, "we see each other every day."

She clicks her tongue, playfully pulling my hair. "Quit it, will you? Let me be a little dramatic."

"Lee," Gabriel says, "you got yourself a new girlfriend, Penny?"

"She's not my girlfriend," Penny says, pouting, "yet."

"I'm straight," I say with a sick smile. "Not that you don't know."

"I forget." She shrugs, disappointment in her tone.