Athena's Enigma

13 - Getting to Know You

“Are you alright? You’re being kind of quiet today." 

I looked up from my hands into Logan’s bright blue eyes across the table and sighed. “I’m fine.”

“Really?” Logan seemed doubtful as he leaned back in his chair. We were sitting outside waiting for the rest of his friends to meet us. “You didn’t speak to me at all in the car and barely said two words to me in class today. I might not know you that well but I know something’s up.”

I focused on my hands again before mumbling, “I just have a lot on my mind.”

“Did something go wrong this weekend with your mom or anything?”

I met his gaze with a small smile. “No, don’t worry about that. I’ll be fine. I just have a lot of…things I have to deal with right now.”

“Well…maybe I could help you if it’s taking so much out of you?”

I gently shook my head. “That’s really nice but I have to handle this myself.”

Logan opened his mouth to reply but was cut short as his friends arrived. They all took their seats and started us in a conversation that I paid little attention to.

The truth was, Peyton seemed to be a bigger obstacle then I had initially thought. Last night when she was over, she didn’t do much but I could tell that it was only the beginning. She barely spoke to me. I tried to turn on the television to break the ice but even then she didn’t say much. She didn’t watch the TV and although I wasn’t watching her, I could see out of the corner of my eye that she was studying me. It was a little unsettling and when I asked her why she said it was because she had to learn my habits and more about me as a person. I don’t know what she learned for staring at me that she couldn’t learn asking straight up.

Regardless it bothered me to know that where I was, she could be watching me or ‘studying’ my habits. Another thing too: my mother’s owl showed up that morning. I spotted it when I exited my apartment building. Polias hooted to signal that he was present and I reflexively ducked when I met his huge brown eyes. I mentally cursed him and my mother as I proceeded to greet Logan and get into the car.

That was why I was so quiet. I had to think all of my thoughts carefully to make sure that I didn’t do something wrong. I had two pairs of eyes watching me and it was unsettling thought.

Halfway through the conversation with Logan and his friends, I realized that I was being stupid and paranoid.

“You guys know that the Snow-Ball is coming up in January,” Hazel enthused.

Ally gasped. “Oh my God! No way, I don’t have a dress, or shoes, or…”

“…a date?” Matt supplied seductively.

Ally pushed him playfully but agreed. “It’s going to come up so fast. How am I going to plan all this stuff out in time?”

“January is still three months away,” I couldn’t help but point out. I glanced over at Logan and wondered if we would last until then. At the same time his voice penetrated my mental wall: ‘That sounds like just the right time to put this charade to rest.’

I widened my eyes upon hearing that. I couldn’t believe he wanted to end our ‘relationship’ so publicly.

I returned my attention to the group and tried to keep my mind focused on the conversation. “What is the Snow-Ball anyway? I thought only high schools held dances?”

“It’s the unofficial college winter ball,” Hazel explained. “Guys wear tuxes while the girls wear floor length dresses and it’s all very pretty.”