Secrets In The Garden / l.h ✔️

6

~Ophelia's POV~

It was hot out again on Friday, even when I woke up at six AM.

In fact, it was so hot that I woke up a little sweaty underneath my blankets, the sun pouring into my room through the somewhat open blinds on my window. Groaning, I sat up and smoothed a hand through my messy tendrils of hair, pushing them out of my face. After I realized I had slept through my alarm a little bit and that it was now six thirty, I gasped and scrambled out of bed, running into the bathroom so I could get ready.

My shower only took about ten minutes, as I didn't have time to be dilly dallying, and then I headed back into my room to do my makeup. I kept it simple, not bothering to put on a pair of false lashes this time and instead settling for simple mascara by itself. On my lips I wore a nude lipstick and made sure the rest of my makeup looked good before I strode into my closet to find something to wear to school.

I ended up picking out a green and white pleated plaid skirt, which I honestly couldn't remember the last time I had worn. It was probably one of the many items of clothing that had been lost in Naso and then somehow found again when we moved here and I unpacked everything I brought. Somehow, it still fit me, though.

The shirt I picked out was a simple white tank top, knowing already that it was going to be very hot today, and then I slipped my feet into a pair of white sandals. It was too hot for me to wear long sleeves or pants or even just sneakers. And because my hair was so long and thick, I ended up tying it all up in a bun on top of my head. Lastly, I put on my necklace, deodorant and spritzed a little perfume on before I decided I was all ready to go.

After I checked up on my granny to be sure she was still sound asleep in bed, I slung my backpack on and headed out the front door. I needed to get to the bus stop already.

Once I got on the bus and eventually arrived at school, I headed inside and glanced around, trying to find Saniya. It was pretty normal by now that she would wait for me to get here, but I didn't see her pretty face anywhere. Maybe she was with all her friends in the cafeteria, since I knew they all ate breakfast there together.

Shrugging it off, I walked down the hall towards my locker so I could grab my notebooks and switch out a few textbooks. As I jogged down the steps, I slowed down a little when I spotted my locker, or more so the people directly in front of my locker who were blocking it completely. It was a guy and a girl, the two of them seeming to be in a rather heated make out session right against my locker. Why they had to do it there, I had no idea.

I recognized the guy's dyed blonde hair easily and knew his familiar tall and broad figure, but I wasn't sure who the girl was. Probably some girl from our grade.

At first, I wasn't sure what to do. I needed to get into my locker but I didn't want to disturb them, and I most certainly didn't want to have to have another encounter with Luke. I'd been rather good about avoiding the guy at all costs, like Saniya told me I should.

Eventually I managed to muster up a little bit of courage and gripped the straps of my backpack tightly, wishing Saniya was here to tell him to get away so I didn't have to. Alas, she wasn't. I had to do this myself. So I began to march my way over to the two of them, stopping just beside them, just enough so that I knew they'd definitely see me. However, neither of them even noticed me, or they just ignored me if they did. "Excuse me," I said awkwardly, glancing between the two of them. I got no response and couldn't help but to frown deeply, starting to grow a little annoyed. "Excuse me." I said a little louder, doing an incredibly exaggerated throat clear so they couldn't have an excuse to say they didn't hear me.

Luke broke apart from the girl and his eyes snapped down to meet mine, filled with annoyance as he tightened his arm around the girl. "What?" He snapped, narrowing his eyes at me.

Although I didn't exactly appreciate his attitude, I disregarded it. "You're on my locker. Can you please move?" I said, keeping my voice as polite as possible as I stared up at him. He had no reason to be such a jerk if I was nice, so I was going to be nice. Besides, it wouldn't solve anything if I snapped back at him and got angry. Anger never solved anything.

Instead of doing the polite thing and doing what I asked, he just stared at me for a moment, studying me closely. It was a little uncomfortable, to be honest, especially when the girl was still kissing his neck in front of me. "You look familiar." He mumbled, narrowing his eyes at me in thought. Did he not remember me? I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Can you please move?" I asked again, pretending he hadn't said anything. I didn't want to have to talk to him longer than I needed to, but he was just ignoring my question.

"I'm busy." He said flatly to me, not sparing me another glance as he began to make out with the girl again. I blinked in surprise and cleared my throat again, knowing they could hear me and yet I was ignored. Exasperated, I tapped him on the shoulder excessively, frowning deeply. "Please move so I can get in my locker." I spoke, and he growled in annoyance as he broke away from her to look down at me again. At this point I was getting fed up, but I didn't want to be mean so I was trying to keep my voice polite.

"What's your name?" He asked me with narrowed eyes, making me pause and look at him. Why did he want to know? "That's not important." I responded dismissively, not wanting him to know. I was supposed to be avoiding him. "Tell me and I'll move." He tried, but I shook my head. "No." I refused, squeezing the straps of my bag tightly.

A grunt left his lips and he rolled his eyes, stepping away from the girl to turn to me entirely. "Then tell me where I know you from. I've seen you before and I know I didn't fuck you because I would remember." He said, making me narrow my eyes at him. "I was the girl who accidentally hit you in the stomach on the first day of school." I answered, and his eyes flashed with recognition. Then, an amused smile rose on his lips. "Ah, right. You're Saniya's friend." He hummed, perhaps recalling how angry she'd gotten at him.

A chuckle left his lips. "She really doesn't like me." He noted to himself, but he didn't sound bothered by it. Just amused.

Luke stepped away from my locker with the girl and I frowned at him, stepping up to it. "Maybe because you dumped her after you got bored." I grumbled under my breath, beginning to put the code in for my locker.

Behind me, he scoffed. "And you know that how?" He asked, making me glance over my shoulder at him. "She told me. Said you're an asshole and a player." I told him, unzipping my bags and stuffing my notebooks into it before I slammed my locker and turned to face him. "And it looks like she's right." I added, glancing over at the girl next to him before I walked past him.

I had no desire to be involved in drama or to be around someone like him. He would only make things more complicated for me.