Warm but Mystified

"Do you have to talk about them all the time?" a familiar voice asked as he approached our table. I narrowed my eyes at the person and figured it was Jake, so I put my fork down.

"JB, you've finally arrived. "We've been waiting for you the whole time," Howie said as she set her spoon down.

"You don't need to yell at him, Howie; you know the college coach doesn't appreciate his exuberance," Toby remarked.

"Exactly," Jake snapped as he yanked a seat from one of the other students at the table next to us, avoided eye contact with me, and perched on the chair.

First and foremost, he changed his surname and then faked he didn't know who I was, despite the fact that I'm his twin sister for Heaven's sake, so I became infuriated and rose up furiously from where I was seated.

"Jake, can we speak privately?" I asked, my teeth gritted.

They were all caught off guard because they hadn't expected me to know him.

"I'm assuming you've met before," Howie interjected, breaking the pause.

"Actually, yeah, we do," Jake answered, struggling to find the proper word.

*****

Lizzie and I haven't spoken in two days, despite the fact that she is my roommate, and she had dumped me today as well, no matter how early I woke up, she'd already left for lecture. I wondered if Alan Wolfe was one of the boys she was with because Howie and the others sit close to the window while Lizzie and her trendy gang sit right in the middle of the cafeteria and I can't see the guy' faces because of the crowd.

Lizzie seemed like a nice person to hang around with, but cool kids will always be cool kids, no matter what.

I dressed up for class as usual, wearing a purple flowery pattern jumpsuit and curling my long blonde hair into a messy bun before heading to class. This is the first day this week that I do not have psychology class, but rather sociology. The sociology class was slow compared to the other courses, and we couldn't sit wherever we wanted, so we were divided into groups of two, and that person will sit next to you for the remainder of the semester, and you will both be project partners.

I warily peered through the entire class to ensure that the blonde grocery guy was not in the sociology class, and I was right because he is not in the class, which means he does not offer sociology, and I felt pleased. Our names were called along with our partners, and my partner's name was Iago Rodriguez, and I noticed the class door swung open and a silhouette of Iago, his backpack draped on his left shoulder on his white drop shoulder tee and tapered fit pleated pants, flickering his disinterested stare at the lecturer who growled at him, "You've started your tardiness this semester as well?"

"Uhmm.....maybe," he answered, his face bland, as if he didn't care. He then offered me a faint smile and came to sit on the empty seat next to me. Despite the fact that I had been hanging out with the misfits, as they call themselves, I hadn't had a one-on-one chat with him aside from that lethargic direction he gave me on my first day.

Something in his eyes felt warm and lovely to me, but I couldn't understand why his expression reflected the opposite. So I decided to strike up a conversation with him.

"Hasn't it been a long day?" I whispered softly with a sidelong glance, and he nodded, firmly facing the professor, jotting down what the lecturer was saying with an uninterested look.

'He simply nodded!? 'How boring will the class get?' I mused as I scribbled nothing specific and drew circles in my notebook.

I find him odd because he acts sociable at first, maybe a little, and then all of a sudden he has this disinterested expression he gives to ignore you, which made me feel like he was trying hard to avoid being friends with me for some reason I can't seem to figure out.

I only answered, "Same here," and proceeded to listen to the lecture till it ended

I was relieved that the lecturer had not yet decided on the project we would work on for the semester and had left the class when he had finished educating us. I was thrilled when it was over since the session was the most boring class I'd ever taken, and all I wanted to do was leave.

I stuffed my books into my backpack and slung it over my shoulder.

"It's always boring the first day of class, but don't worry, it won't be next time," Iago said abruptly as I rose up to leave, prompting me to turn around and smile.

With a deep sigh, I exited the classroom and made my way from the campus building to the cafeteria, where I noticed rain splatters on my body. I got at the café a little drenched, but I went in regardless.

Rain splatters violently against the high, glass windows, as students scramble to avoid getting their belongings soaked. The pungent odor of white socks overpowers the warm aroma of freshly prepared food. I went to buy cheese burgers because the place was quite noisy today and I didn't want to stress myself out too much after such a boring lecture.

When I arrived and sat down with them, they were all talking about marvel's Tony Starks, or Iron Man, and his failing relationship with his girlfriend, Pepper Pots.

"Tony should have been a better boyfriend instead of merely worried about rescuing the world," Howie hissed, her lips pursed.

"Pepper is his girlfriend, and he doesn't give a damn about her," Elina gnashed her teeth.

Toby's mouth dropped open, "what are you even saying lina, I'm pleased they broke up because she doesn't get that without him, the world will be in turmoil and she won't even live to see their relationship succeed," he snarled.

"Back us up, Jess," Howie said, rolling her eyes at Toby.

I gave her a once-over for asking and answered, "Well, I think Tony Stark did the right thing by ending the relationship with her, because if he didn't, he wouldn't be true to her or himself. All he wants is to save the world, whereas Pepper wants him to be more engaged in their relationship and himself since she cares about him. I believe that rescuing the world should be his top concern, and if he does not, the evil will take over the planet", I continued to eat my lunch.

"Do you really have to back him up, Jess? Have you forgotten about the females' code? ", Howie questioned, her shoulders slumped.

"Jess, you were meant to back us up," Elina said, her lips pouted.

"Anyway, Jessie," Elina continued, her mouth full of food, "what dress have you planned for the Saturday party?"

"Party?" I questioned, puzzled, because I hadn't been told anything about a party.

"Don't tell me you're not aware of the Kim Hugh's Chill out party that takes place on the first Saturday of every semester?" Howie's eyes flickered as she said that.

I nodded, still puzzled by what she had just said.

Toby stroked Howie's concerned face and tried to reassure her, "but now she knows."

Kil didn't say anything to me as usual, instead he was on his phone doing who knows what, as if what they were talking about was none of his business, and Iago, as well as Jake, were nowhere to be found.

"Where is Jake?" I said, interrupting their conversation.

"As usual, basketball practice." "His coach is so vicious and harsh, he never spares him," Elina growled as she prodded her sandwich.

They went on to discuss how bright the Saturday night party will be.