Feathers, page 3
The only good thing about the whole fiasco was that Michael did listen when I said I didn’t want a luxury car. He allowed me to choose. I ended up picking out a Ford in the end. While I had reservations, I’ll admit that I also couldn’t resist this car when I saw it. It was a pretty black Mustang. I didn’t really look too much at the price tag either though. It might have changed my mind, and Michael wasn’t about to let me get away with that.
So, there I was, driving a brand new Mustang into the school parking lot. As I turned off the ignition, I couldn’t help but sit there for a moment and reflect on what was about to happen. No doubt the entire school would be talking about the new girl now. Already, Raziel had claimed that he’d gotten questions about his cousin coming there. Somebody had started the rumor. But Raziel refused to tell them anything about it. They’d just have to wait and see for themselves. Of course, they would. Everybody would definitely want a good look at Michael Renaldi’s daughter now that she was going to be living in Madison.
I finally forced myself to get out, but I remained standing by my car. Raziel wasn’t there yet. He’d said he might be running a little late that morning because there were a few things he had to do. Just my luck, I thought. My first day, and I’m all alone.
I was so lost in my thoughts I didn’t even hear someone walk up near me. “Excuse me.” A male voice said.
I jumped, turning quickly and staring in disbelief at two brilliantly green eyes. There was a guy standing near me. But he was the most handsome guy I’d ever seen. He had jet black hair, and eyes that were as green as emeralds. Judging by the backpack over his shoulder, I took it he must have been a student there. But I’d never seen him before.
Before I could get anything out, he spoke again. “Are you new here? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”
I quickly pulled myself together, feeling a bit more then embarrassed. “Uh, yes. I am.” I managed to say.
The guy looked at me for a moment like he was looking me over, and I felt my cheeks burning more. But then, he just smiled. “I see. If you’d like, I can show you where the office is so that you can get your schedule.” He offered.
I honestly couldn’t believe it. He was really nice. “Sure. You don’t mind, do you?” I asked softly.
“Of course not.” He replied. “Come on.”
I quietly followed him out of the parking lot and to the front of the school. Somehow, all of this made me very nervous. Just what was a guy like this doing helping someone like me? He couldn’t have known who I was just by looking at me. Still, I decided to push all of that aside for the time being. I could at least be polite. “Thank you for this. I really appreciate it.” I managed to say.
At that, he turned and stopped for a moment. “It’s no problem. I’m Sean Morrison, by the way.” He said.
“Sean Morrison?” I said. I didn’t recognize the name. But I guessed I could ask Raziel later.
He just smiled at me. “And I’m guessing you’re Mia Renaldi. I’d heard Michael Renaldi’s daughter was coming here.” He said.
“You know who I am?” I said, feeling a little more then dumbfounded.
“Of course. You look a lot like him, and you’re very, very pretty.” Sean answered.
I felt myself blushing then. But something about this felt strange too. There was something about Sean Morrison that was just unnerving for me. I just couldn’t put my finger on what it was.
We were both quiet as he led me inside. There weren’t a lot of people there yet, which I counted as a good thing. The main office was right there near the doors, and for that, I was grateful. I wasn’t sure how long I could stand being around this guy.
In the office, an older woman was sitting behind the front desk. She looked up when she heard us enter. “Well, you’re in early Sean.” She commented, pushing her thick framed glasses back up her nose.
“Good morning Ms. Hardy. I was just bringing you a new student.” Sean told her.
“Oh. You must be Mia Renaldi. Mr. Renaldi called the other day to make sure we had everything ready for you.” Ms. Hardy said, standing up. We both watched as she shuffled over and went into a file cabinet to pull out my schedule.
“Thanks for the help. It was really nice of you.” I said, making myself look at him again.
“Like I said, it’s no problem. I can show you where your first class is too. I have nothing else to do this morning.” Sean replied casually.
But before I could answer, I heard the door open again. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Raziel said, walking over to us. He was addressing Sean though. The feeling of hostility was definitely there.
“Good morning to you too Raziel. I see you were running late again. Another late night rendezvous?” Sean asked him quietly.
“That is none of your business.” Raziel snapped. “Just what are you doing with Mia?”
“Nothing at all. I was showing her around, beings you couldn’t make yourself be on time.” Sean answered. He seemed very unconcerned over Raziel being so mad at him for whatever reason.
“Don’t give me that. Nothing you do around here is without a reason.” Raziel said, grabbing his shirt.
“Raziel?!” I said in disbelief. I really wasn’t sure of what to do. Raziel had never acted this way in front of me before, though I’d known that he’d had his share of fights throughout his school years.
By then, Ms. Hardy was speaking up. “Raziel Renaldi, stop that this instant! Let him go!” she yelled.
Raziel reluctantly did as he was told, but he was still eyeing him. “Get your schedule Mia. We’re getting out of here.” He said quietly.
I quickly did as I was told. A part of me was more then worried about what might happen if we stuck around any longer. But Sean didn’t look too concerned. Instead, he simply walked back out of the door. I followed as Raziel walked out as well. I made it out there just in time to hear him speak. “Stay away from her. You’ve already been warned about trouble.” Raziel was saying.
“None intended. I was simply being nice. You should try it yourself some time.” Sean answered.
“Stay away from her. I know the last thing you want is trouble for your mom now.” Raziel warned him.
At that, Sean’s eyes narrowed a bit. But he simply turned and walked away. I stood there for a moment in shock. What had just happened? Slowly, I made myself walk over to Raziel. “Raziel, what’s going on?” I asked him quietly.
Raziel sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Sorry about that. I wasn’t expecting him to actually show up today.” He apologized.
“I guess you know him?” I asked.
“You could say that.” Raziel said. He looked down at his watch. “Guess we should get you to class. Let me see who you have.”
I knew this tactic pretty well by now. This was how Raziel avoided subjects. He simply changed them. But I wasn’t about to argue with him now either. I’d seen enough already to tell me that for whatever reason, he had a very strong dislike of Sean Morrison. So I just handed him my schedule. “It looks simple enough.” I said.
Raziel nodded. “Yeah. You’ve got Mr. McCready for your first period. That’s good. You’ll be in class with Anna.” He said.
“Anna?” I repeated.
“Oh yeah. Keep forgetting this is your first day. Anna Smith. She’s one of my friends, and she’ll help you out in the mornings. I’ve got my two afternoon classes with you, so you don’t have to worry about them either.” Raziel explained.
I nodded. May as well agree, considering I had no clue of what I was doing. And after that scene, I really wasn’t too sure about my time there. A part of me wondered if I should mention this to Michael. Maybe he’d have some insight as to why Raziel reacted like he did. After all, Sean had only been nice to me.
Sitting down in my first class, I let my torture test begin. Thankfully, I didn’t have to endure alone. Like Raziel had said, one of his closest friends was in there as well, and sitting right beside me. I really wasn’t that much of a fool when I met Anna Smith. She knew far too much about Raziel to just be a friend. And when I asked her, she did admit to me that she was his girlfriend. Still, I refrained from asking her about the whole incident with Sean. The truth was, I was kind of hoping to just forget about it by then. But, as usual, that’s easier said then done. And it would be proven at the end of the day.
I’d dare say I was having a decent first day at school there other then the morning incident. As the bell rang to let out my last class, I quietly shook Raziel awake. We were in English, and apparently, he slept through this class all the time. The teacher glanced at him a few times, but didn’t bother with him. Though I did see her writing a note at her desk when she looked his direction. I had the sneaking suspicion it may have been notes on what to report to his father about his sleeping habits.
Raziel blinked his eyes open after a minute of me shaking him. “Is it over yet?” he asked groggily.
“Yes. But I think you’re gonna get a note sent home.” I said.
“Again? Doesn’t she ever give up?” Raziel complained, sitting up and stretching.
“You always pick this class to sleep in, don’t you?” I guessed.
“What better one to sleep in? It’s boring in here. I hate going over all these old dead authors.” Raziel said.
I had to laugh as I stood up. “Come on. You know there are at least some good older books out there. You actually told me once that you liked Shakespeare.” I said.
“Shakespeare actually had some action in it, not all this love mush and politics. Who gives a shit about a woman being independent in the eighteenth century and then falling in love like an idiot?” Raziel retorted.
“Speaking of, why didn’t you tell me Anna was your girlfriend?” I asked as we walked out.
“Who told you that?” Raziel asked, looking a little surprised.
“She did.” I answered.
Raziel shook his head. “Of course she’d have to tell you.” He muttered.
“I guess I’m not supposed to know?” I said, feeling a bit hurt inside. I couldn’t believe he’d keep such a thing from me.
“It’s not that.” Raziel said. He quietly opened his locker and shoved his books in there, then slammed it shut. “I have my reasons not to let it out too much. I guess it doesn’t matter if you know though. At least you two can be friends.”
I leaned against the lockers and watched him for a moment. He seemed like he was in a better mood now. So I decided to take my chances. “Hey Raziel, why do you not like Sean?” I asked.
For a moment, he froze. But he quickly recomposed himself. “You really have to ask me that?” he said, looking down.
“Should I not know?” I asked.
But he just shook his head. “It’s nothing too bad. He’s just dangerous at times, that’s all. And the only interest he’s showing now is because he knows who you are.” He admitted.
“Really? I’m dangerous?”
Both of us quickly turned to see Sean Morrison standing nearby. He didn’t look too concerned over the conversation he’d apparently over heard, though he was looking at Raziel with a bit of distaste.
Raziel quickly shot him a look back. “You know it’s the truth.” He said.
“I don’t see where I’m any worse then you now. And I certainly wasn’t doing anything to cause harm this morning.” Sean told him.
“What do you want? I know you came looking for us.” Raziel said, moving over beside me.
“I did.” Sean confirmed. “Actually, I was going to ask Mia how her first day was. I trust she didn’t have too much trouble.”
I quickly shook my head, feeling myself blush a little. It didn’t matter what Raziel said. Sean Morrison was still very hot. “No, I didn’t.” I managed to answer.
“There. You asked and you were answered. Now leave us alone.” Raziel ordered.
“You’re far too uptight Raziel. I was hoping to ask Mia out sometime.” Sean said.
“Not happening! Now leave!” Raziel yelled.
Needless to say, I was in shock then. I couldn’t really figure it out. I barely knew Sean Morrison, and he was talking about asking me out. Maybe it was a good thing Raziel was there after all. There was no way Sean couldn’t have been up to something with that one.
Sean just shrugged him off though. “That’s fine. Guess I’ll see you two around then.” He said. Then he walked off.
Raziel shook his head, grabbing my hand. “Come on. Let’s get out of here before I really do hurt him.” He muttered.
To say I was confused with all of this would’ve been an understatement. But at the time, the best I could do was follow Raziel out to our cars. I didn’t see a sign of Sean as we left the parking lot, but I guessed that was a good thing. Raziel was obviously steaming now. I didn’t get it myself. Just what was Sean up to? By now, I was sure that it wasn’t coincidence that he’d come up on me that morning. What I didn’t know was why he’d go out of his way to cause this kind of trouble.
After getting back home, I decided to once again try to put all of these strange things to the back of my mind. Instead of thinking about them, I tried to keep myself busy. I worked on homework for the first hour, then decided to fix dinner for Michael and I. I debated on whether to mention the fighting to him though. But in the end, I decided not to. I didn’t want to start trouble from the beginning. I was just starting my new life here. And it had to get better.
Michael himself got home around six. He seemed pleasantly surprised when he realized I’d fixed us dinner. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it certainly made for good one on one time for us. But sitting down at the table, I prepared myself for the eventual question I knew was coming. And no doubt, it did fairly quickly.
“So how was your first day?” Michael asked me.
“It wasn’t too bad. I have my afternoon classes with Raziel, though he sleeps through English.” I said. No, I didn’t feel bad over telling about that one. After all, Raziel had said that the teacher had sent notes home before.
Michael just laughed. “That one doesn’t surprise me. I’ll bet a letter is waiting for Raphael in the next few days once again.” He said.
“Raziel says it’s boring, so he just sleeps there. I guess it’s not the most exciting class, especially with Miss Harris teaching.” I said.
“I’m sure the old woman can’t stand having our children in that class. She didn’t like me or Raphael either. We never slept through her classes, but we certainly didn’t do what we should have.” Michael admitted.
“She’s too monotone. I was about to go to sleep with him at one point too.” I said.
“Some things never change.” Michael said, sighing to himself. “Anything else interesting today?”
I almost felt like there was a double meaning behind that question, though I couldn’t tell what. But I debated on telling him the whole truth about what had happened. “Well, Raziel ran late this morning and I met someone who offered to show me around.” I said, hoping to maybe do a roundabout on the subject.
“Really? Who was it?” Michael asked, looking curious.
“Sean Morrison.” I said, hoping I sounded normal enough.
Michael looked rather thoughtful at that one. “Sean Morrison. Well, there’s a surprise. I wasn’t even aware he was back yet.” He said.
“Really? Was he out of town?” I asked.
“Yes. Sean sometimes goes to visit his father from what I know. His mother Sara works for me. She’s the manager of one of my shops.” Michael explained.
“I see.” I said. This was a real eye opener. Raziel’s words about Sean’s mom made a little bit of sense now. “Are they new around here? I don‘t remember seeing him last summer.”
Michael shrugged. “They’ve been here since the end of September. Sara actually came to Raphael when she was looking for a job, but I was the one who hired her. Sean’s a nice boy too, though he’s a bit reserved most of the time. Tell me, what did you think of him?”
How can he ask me that? I thought. But I still swallowed the lump threatening to form in my throat. “He seemed really nice. But I don’t think Raziel really likes him.” I admitted.
“I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Raziel tends to be jealous of Sean Morrison when it comes down to it. I think you’ll come to know that soon enough.” Michael replied.
“Jealous?” I repeated.
“Yes. Raziel was the most popular before Sean came here. I’m sure you’ve noticed that he could attract a lot of attention as well. Raziel just feels like his toes have been stepped on some. Not to mention that Sean tends to top him in just about everything academic. Though if Raziel applied himself more, that might change.” Michael explained.
“I see.” I said. Really, it did make sense when it was put that way. Raziel did like attention. So I decided to just let it all go for the time being. It would probably just become normal in the next few weeks.
I found myself thinking that as I took my shower that night. In fact, I was determined that come the next day, I would walk into that school without even thinking anymore about it. After finishing up, I decided to get ready for bed. By then, it was nearly ten. Walking to my door, I called out a good night to Michael downstairs, then moved to climb in my bed. I had to admit, the warm sheets felt good. Snapping off the light, I closed my eyes and tried to shut my mind off for the night. But that would turn out easier said then done. Instead, I kept ending up thinking about the day’s events. Just what had happened there with Sean Morrison? I didn’t get it myself. Even if Raziel was jealous, why was Sean trying to provoke him like he had been? It didn’t make any sense.
