3

SOLEIL

I'm standing outside the magician's tent eavesdropping on his conversation. He's speaking to someone in hushed tones. I peer through the curtain and see he's with a woman.

Her thick dark hair hangs down her back. She's dressed like a belly dancer in red with harem pants and a cropped top exposing her stomach and her blue skin. Suddenly she disappears and in her place stands Captain Zurg from Buzz Lightyear.

The scene around us shifts and Zurg is now standing next to Spiderman. The captain does this weird dance and transforms into spiderman. I'm so confused I rub my eyes to clear my vision because evidently I'm seeing things.

The scene changes again. I'm now walking down the sidewalk of Creole Square and see Brice. I smile in greeting determined not to come across as a bumbling idiot.

As he gets closer, we lock eyes. He smiles back. When he's a few feet away, spiderman comes crawling along the wall behind him. However, this doesn't look like the friendly neighbourhood Spidey. In fact it looks like he's after Brice. I speed up wanting to reach him first. I need to warn him.

"Hey!" I'm shouting and flailing my arms wildly about. Before Brice can turn around Spiderman has him surrounded and trapped in a box. Weird but better than being trapped in a spider's web. I'm banging on the box, screaming in Panic.

"Brice!"

"Soleil!" He answers back. He sounds so far away.

"Briiiiiice!!" I shout but this time I don't hear him call back. He's gone...

*

I wake up with a start relieved it was only a dream and a weird one at that. My head is pounding and my mouth is dry. I check the time; 03:03.

I'm not superstitious but 3AM is notoriously known as the witching hour. My gran says that Jesus died around 3PM and set souls free so his adversary in doing the opposite mocks the hour by horrifying his prey around 3AM.

I say a quick prayer and get up to head to the bathroom. I may as well get my day started because I am not going back to bed for a repeat rendition of blue belly dancers and evil superheroes. I haven't even seen a Buzz Lightyear cartoon in years.

I chalk it off to being so close to the school finish line. My childhood is coming back to me in droves and my crush is now haunting the recesses of my mind. I just wish he'd notice me. That's what I wrote in that big ass book at the fare.

Argh if im thinking about him this early, it means that my overactive imagination needs to be put to better use since the brain juices are flowing. I crack open a math textbook. Hmmm Fun - not.

I drag my feet through the halls of Milton High. Our prestigious school is located on a 1500 acre estate in the KZN Midlands. It's one of the best boarding schools in the country. I left to spend the weekend with my gran who stays about an hour out. She's the reason I'm back in time for the new week instead of spending the day off in bed as I should be. She's old school and likes to remind me of the tough old days where women weren't educated and she often regales me with stories of walking in the rain without shoes just to get an education. What does a headache and a ride to school in a Merc compare to all of that?

My early morning headache has died down to a dull throb. I make my way to my locker and find Char organising her books and packing her bag. I dramatically bang my head againt the metal and immediately regret it. I let out a groan.

"What are you over there moaning about?" Char quickly runs her gaze over me. "Are you having a bad hair day?" She asks sympathetically when her eyes settle on my head.

"I have this incessant headache that's been bugging me since I woke up this morning. I couldn't force my hair into the usual bun. This is the best I could do."

It's not slicked back as is my usual go to style, but rather loose with whisps of my hair all over the place. However, I can still feel the hairband restraining my locks and putting pressure on my skull despite my best efforts. I'm quarter to just letting my hair down and I do not let my hair down. It's thick and tends to grow up and out. I have it heat trained since someone COMPLAINED that they couldn't see past my head which is why I've relegated myself to the aisles closest to the walls during class. I refuse to sit at the back. Nothing good can come from the back.

"Sucks to be you, huh?" Char pouts before slamming her locker shut. I groan in misery. "Let's stop by my dorm. I've got something that may help."

"I've already taken two asprins."

"This is better than asprin. I got it from Talia Demarco."

I raise my brow in surprise but say no more and follow her lead. Talia's family is in the pharma business. She always has access to the latest drugs that have just finished going through clinical trials. I'm no guinea pig but the girl stays hitting 90s in chemistry and descends from a line of doctors and chemists. Needless to say, I trust her more than I trust the school nurse.

"I'll wait for you here," I tell Char when we reach Hawk House. Our residences are names after birds. I stay in Hadeda and our house is as noisy as the bird it's called after.

I park myself on a bench located just outside on their well manicured lawns. I'm in no mood for pleasantries and wish to avoid people as much as possible.

I release my hair from the prison of my hairband and massage my temples moving my fingers to the back off my head. A breeze rustles through my locks and I moan in pleasure at the relief the cool air breathes on me.

"Hey," I hear a male voice say.

"Hi," I respond more out of instinct than trying to make conversation.

"Are you okay?"

"As well as can be expected." My tone is short and clipped. I don't even bother opening my eyes. Wish he'd catch my drift and buzz off.

"Maybe you should adjust your expectations," he drawls, his voice dropping an octave.

I'm really not in the mood for some stupid boy spitting lame game. I drop my arms and snap my eyes open in annoyance ready to tell homeboy where to get off.

My mouth hangs open at the start of a tirade but not a word comes out because Brice Le Roux is looking down at me with those gorgeous grey eyes of his. After my mind wraps itself around the situation at hand, I try again.

"I don't think I'm expecting much from an asprin other than for it to do its job."

I close my eyes again feeling light headed and I'm not sure if it's due to my head or my heart. My body is currently malfunctioning and the universe is doing me no favors by bringing Brice this morning.

"Here you go, Soleil." Charlondra deposits a thick ass tablet into my hand, along with a bottle of OJ and a bottle of water. "Hydration and sugar," she replies to my silent question.

I nod my head and pop the pill, acutely aware that im being watched.

"Are you sure you're alright. I could walk you to the nurse's station," he offers like the gentleman Milton has groomed him to be.

"Yeah. I'm fine, thank you." I get up and throw my backpack over my shoulder.

"I think you should go see the nurse."

"What? Char you know we don't trust-" Charlondra elbows my side and essentially tells me to shut it with her eyes.

"I insist you go. Your gran would be mortified if anything happened to you and I don't plan on explaining a damn thing to Mrs Black."

Is she insane? She wants to leave me alone with him. Now is not the time for her to grow a social conscience and play matchmaker.

"You don't mind accompanying her - do you?" She prods Brice.

"No, not at all." He smiles in my direction and it's devastating. Those dimples should be illegal.

"I'll catch up with you in the next period."

With that, my so called best friend turns her back on me and walks away. I'm rooted to the spot for a moment before I feel a warm hand on my back ushering me in the opposite direction to the sick bay. We walk in silence past the residence houses and step on the cobblestone path walkways. The bell for first period rings and prompts me into action.

"Hey Brice, right? Brice, I'm fine. My friend is being extra today. I was actually avoiding Nurse Collins. I assure you I am not in need of medical assistance."

"Oh... okay. Where are you headed then?"

"To the library. I don't have classes scheduled for the next two periods. I would go back to the dorms but I'm not trying to get roped into doing anything."

"I see... lazy or anti-social?"

"Both," I wince.

"May I join you?"

"Huh?"

"The library. Mind if I tag along?"

"Uhm... yeah. Sure. Of course not. I mean you can tag along to the library. You do pay a boatload of cash to use the facilities at anytime even if it's tagging along..." I ramble before I have the good sense to shut my mouth.

We detour from the path heading to the sick bay and turn towards the library which is housed in the Greco building. We continue on in silence and I see him occasionally look over at me from my peripheral vision. I gather the courage to sneak a peak at him. His side profile is perfection. Straight aristocratic nose, angular jaw and high cheekbones. His hair and brows are ink black creating a stark contrast to his skin.

I stumble over my feet because I'm an idiot. He reaches out to steady me because his reflexes are sharp.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asks skeptically with that dark brow of his raised in question.

His hands are still on my waist.

"I'm being a clutz. I think I need to have a seat," I say mostly to myself.

Sheesh girl you need several seats and to sip some of that water because you sure are acting thirsty!

His hand remains on my back over my blazer and we manage to make it to the library without any more incidents. I go to my usual spot I often occupy with Char. Brice follows, his hand no longer on my back. I can breathe again but I also miss his touch. Is that weird?

I take out my English set works, a notepad and a pen. He does the same. He winks at me when he catches me staring and a tingle races down my back. I take a seat and start reading.

I've been reading the same page for last 10 minutes. Nothing is going in. I cant help but sneak a look at him over the pages every now and then. He is distracting me.

For someone who's an A student, I'm really behaving like a dumbass. How is this happening? I pull out my phone and shoot Char a quick text.

In the library

You wont believe who's here 👀

Clark Kent?😜

No loser 😒

Brice?

Yes!!!

What do I do?

How about you stop texting me and talk. to. him.

I'm tired of hearing about him🙄

Help! He has me tongue tied 🤤

I'm sure you have enough brain matter to string a sentence together🤨

Its now or never. We're leaving Milton forever in a few months...

I tap my phone on my hand in thought trying to figure out what to say. Char makes some valid points as always. However, this thing with Brice - my crush - isn't giving conversation. Its giving stalker tendencies. I've never thought of what we'd talk about. I simply have a gallery of montages featuring the romantic dates we'd go on together where we stare adoringly into each others eyes. The library was never part of that reel. Neither was conversation. I'm coming to the conclusion that having a crush on this guy has reduced me to a creepy idiot.

"Be right back," I state before excusing myself to browse the shelves.

I wonder off into the fiction section and have to wrestle myself into not checking any books out because there is absolutely no time for fluff reading with finals coming up.

I'm reading the blurb of a Patterson novel when I feel someone move behind me. It's him. I can smell his cologne. It's fresh yet spicy with notes of amber, leather and tangerine.

"Soleil?" His voice is deeper. I can feel the heat from his body seeping into mine.

"Yeah," I whisper trying to be quiet and hold my composure.

"Will you go out with me?"

♡

29/06/2022

The next update will be from Brice's POV 😛

Wonder what's going on in his mind...

Did you go to boarding or day school?

Whats one of the wildest stories your parents ever told you about their school struggles?

My mother insists that she walked to school barefoot but the story sometimes changes and she says she wore the same pair of shoes for years 🤣