Honey and Spice | ✔️

Chapter 5

Nathan

I jolt up, awake. I woke up late for school. Actually, I woke up right when my alarm sounded, but I laid back down to get a few minutes of shut-eye. Well, I slept for 20 minutes and ergo, I’m late. It's too late to take a shower so I brush my teeth and change into my clothes at the same time. Dad always drives me to school because school is along the way to his work, but since I'm late, he left without me and I have to take the train.

A still-warm cup of coffee sits on the kitchen table. I take a tiny sip of it and add two more heaping tablespoons of coffee-mate into it before downing the rest. I say goodbye to Mom and Eva, and head to the train station.

*

The train is packed with people who are impatiently tapping into their phones, calling their bosses or colleagues to update them on their progress or problems or whatever stocks there are. A middle-aged woman is chatting loudly to her friend, telling her that Joe is apparently dating Cassie. The guy beside her gives her a dirty look. I spot a handful of my school mates (though I don’t know them personally, I know most of their names; I practically know the whole school) with a panicked look on their faces and some unconcerned as if they're used to being late. I reach for the pole for balance, but it's full of people holding onto it, so I put my hand back down and try to steady myself.

I put on my earphones, listen to Vance Joy and block out the rest of the world.

*

Being late to school means writing down your name and reason for being late on a sheet of paper outside the general office and standing in the foyer until the usual morning announcements are done, and then we go to class. It's so boring. Everything is boring, actually.

Well, except for yesterday when I was at Ryder's house playing the guitar. That was the first time in a really long time that I did something fun. Plus, I have acquired a new skill besides scrolling through Tumblr, re-reading books or wasting my pen ink on flower doodles every day. I feel the corners of my mouth turn up a little. I open my notebook and start doodling tiny flowers on the corner of the page as Mr Lee starts the lesson about probability.

Ryder

I catch myself thinking about Nathan during lunch. I don't know why. Something about his smile, maybe, when he said goodbye to me left me with a nice warm feeling inside. Or maybe it's because I've never had any people except my grandma or my aunts - occasionally Nick and Sin - at my house and yesterday was probably the best time I’ve had. I still remember his small fingers struggling to get the chords right and his excited smile when he finally got it. I smile at the memory and vaguely realise that everyone at the table has stopped talking. I look up from my food and see six pairs of eyes staring at me.

"What?" I pull the corners of my mouth down in a scowl.

"Dude," Poe breathes. "Ryder just smiled."

Ethan adds, "Yeah, man,"

I reply, "I smile plenty of times." which is a big lie.

"No, you don't," Poe scoffs. "You barely crack a smile when Derek makes jokes!"

That's because his jokes are lame and unoriginal, I want to say but I keep my mouth shut. Better not waste my breath on him. 

"You okay, bro?" Nick teases me, playing along. He - and also Sin, and probably Nathan too - is probably the only person who has seen my rare smiles in my life.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." I wave all of them away. "Why are you all spooked at me smiling? What about Vahn?" I tilt my chin towards Vahn. Then, he smiles at me. It's a playful grin that shocks me to my core. This is probably a once in a blue moon thing. To be honest, it enhances his already-hot features by a hundred times. Sinclair looks like he wants to be me so bad, I almost laugh.