Kamari Ese Avena
Four days since I last spoke to Seven.
I would blame the heat and stress for my hallucinations, because why am I seeing Seven standing before my door, clad in sweatpants and a white t-shirt yet still looking like perfection just as his name implies?
"Hola!" He waves a little, his lips thinning with a smile.
I attempt to ignore him, but then I find myself inquiring. "What are you doing here?"
"You have been avoiding me in class," he states. "I thought I'd catch up with you here."
Seven confuses me, and that alone should be a red flag for a girl like me, but here is the thing about girls like me, girls who find it easy to become so attached to that one person who just randomly drops into our life, girls whose only means of belonging is trying as much as possible for people to see who they are. Once that one person blinks in our direction, I dare to say that it is the end for our sanity, and so is how my story goes with Seven Yusei in the picture.
"You would not give me listening ears?" Seven presses, seeing that I have not replied to him.
"I don't think there is anything meaningful you have to say," I retort, my voice breaking amidst my trying to play it cool.
"Kamari…" he starts and I cut him off instantly.
"It is Mari," I insist.
"Can you at least let me explain," he presses on.
"Explain what?" I demand. "What do you want to explain, Seven? Is it the fact that you purposely lied to me about your so-called non-existent friendship with my sister when in truth you took her to your house!"
I should not be this annoyed, actually, I have absolutely no right to be annoyed at a man I barely know, but it is just this way with him. It is like all my emotions are in one place at once and I would combust if I do not speak my mind.
Seven sighs. "Why are you getting so worked up about my relationship with a dead person," he questions so quietly that I fear I must have heard him wrong.
"What?" I stutter out.
"I was just wondering," he continues, his face a blank page of emotions. "I was wondering why you seem to hate it whenever Elle's name or even her person is addressed.
All my annoyance shatters to the floor at his question, and I am left nothing but a shivering mess of the fraud that I am. Seven looks at me like he sees me like he sees the fact that I am just a fill-in for my dead sister and that I have no life of mine.
Lips trembling, I point to the other side of the hall that leads to his room. "Leave. Leave this instant, Seven." And with that I dash into my room, turning the lock instantly as if his scrutiny would follow me in.
I am a mess.
[]
The dining hall is noisy as usual and I feel a slight headache brewing as I find my way in. I am already going to sit with Jenna when Mika shows up from nowhere to block my passage.
"Mika, what is it?" I request sorely, definitely not in the mood for any weird antics.
"Hi to you too, friend," she answers, pouting. "Are you annoyed with me or something?"
"And why would you think that?"
"Because like I said three days ago, you've been cold and distant. Plus you have not sat with us for a week straight now. Did we offend you?" She blinks her eyes in a supposedly cute manner, but I am more distracted by the brow rings she has on that make her look like Harley Quinn even while trying to be cute.
"Do I always have to sit with you guys, though?" I request.
"No, but…" she starts to say.
"It is no obligation, I don't see why that should disturb you."
"You are definitely mad at me," Mika concludes with a sigh. "Or maybe one of us not me."
It is on the tip of my tongue to tell her she is right, to tell how it has only been two weeks that I have been here and I am already being played by the so-called mysterious trophy boy of the school. My lips are sealed though, I would never mention a word.
"I am not mad at you Mika, I just think you can enjoy your meal with your friends without me being a bother. It is obvious they do not want me around," I answer instead, gesturing behind her where Arlo, Iris and Nuru are seated and I can see all staring at both of us with Iris looking like she would kill Mika for coming up to talk to me.
"But that's not true," Mika starts to protest but I shake my head anyway.
"Enjoy your Lunch, Mika." I then leave her standing there while I walk away to Jenna's table.
Jenna gives me a full grin once she sees me, waving me over to sit and I see that she has already got food for me.
"Hi, Jenna and thank you for this," I grin back, taking a sip of the milk drink that she got for me.
"Always my pleasure, Mari," she replies with a little mock royal bow which makes me laugh. "You look extra smiley today, I take it your rain incident didn't succeed in spoiling your whole mood," she says, referring to yesterday.
I shrug. "I am not going to be sulking throughout the week because of one unfortunate circumstance, don't you think?"
"Well…" she starts to say but suddenly stops, her eyes widening while looking behind me.
"What is it?" I turn back to see what she is looking at and even I can't stop the little gasp that falls out my lips. Seven is on his way to our table, and as if that is not enough he is bringing with him his friends.
"They are not coming here, are they?" Jenna rushes out, blinking rapidly.
I roll my eyes. "They are."
And they do, all settling in the extra places like they belong here. "Hello," Arlo greets first.
My gaze swoops to Seven who just casually sat beside me. "What is this?" I request angrily.
"Seven says if you won't come to us, then we will come to you," Mika chirps, smiling like she just won the lottery.
"And so you all dogmatically follow him like a Choo Choo train yeah?"
I do not care if I am being too paranoid at this point, but suddenly I am annoyed at the fact that Seven Yusei thinks he can waltz in and out of my space like he owns it every time.
"If I were you I would keep that attitude away," Nuru snaps, rolling her eyes at me and I can't but escape the dislike registered in her gaze.
"Maybe if you kept your own stupid attitude in check then I'll hold mine at bay," I retort back, holding her gaze without blinking.
"Mari, that's not nice," Mika whispers.
"No Mika, what is not nice is that you did not say the same to Nuru when she obviously jabbed at Kamari first," Seven lays it out quietly.
Everyone turns to Seven with wide eyes, I did not expect him to come to my defence and point out the obvious, yet I still feel the anger at him again. Who does he think he is, coming to my aid like I am some kind of damsel in distress?
"I don't think anyone asked for your opinion Yusei," I spit out, allowing my lips to follow my line of thoughts.
"Throwing your friends under the boss for a girl who does not even appreciate it, that's so not you, Sev," Nuru speaks up again, purposely eyeing me warily.
"You should keep quiet now Nuru," Iris cuts in suddenly.
I glance at Jenna with an apologetic look, only to find her staring dreamily at Arlo like he is a work of art.
Really Jenna, now of all times?
"Can we talk, Seven?" I request, the tension on the table already messing with my mind. He smiles at me as if I had not backhanded him with my words just seconds ago.
"Sure, let's go."
I can feel everyone's eyes on me as Seven and I walk out of the cafeteria, but I notice the most is how he quietly observes me as if putting to mind my features. I mean, Seven stares blatantly at me in school for the first time.