Secret Affinity

4

Dad took time away from work to take me to school since it was the first day. He showed me the the bus routes in case I got tired of walking and wished me good luck for my first day. Facing the glass doors of Juniper High, I wondered what my luck had in store for me.

Students were pacing through the hallways reuniting with their friends and teachers and some figuring their way to their new classes. I was one of those collecting my schedule and heading to my homeroom.

Next to a drinking fountain on the second floor was room 301 with a plaque on the door that read 'Math Headroom'. I walked in to see several students already seated and talking among themselves and a man with round glasses and neatly parted hair adjusting a poster on the blackboard.

When he saw me, he gave me a welcoming smile. “Hello, there. Have a seat anywhere you’d like.”

With all the seats near the door and at the back taken, I was left with the farthest front row corner. The desks were in pairs, so I sat alone for the next fifteen minutes. That was when a girl entered, looked around, and sat in the seat beside mine. She didn't have much choice since the class was full, but as the new girl, I didn't expect to be approachable quite yet.

“Hey, I’m Arial,” I said. “Just call me Ari.”

She was rummaging through her backpack, but paused to give me a quick look. “I’m Crimson. No nicknames, please.”

Purple and green streaked in her blonde ponytail, thick glasses framed her eyes, and a white collared shirt was tucked into her jeans. Why did I feel as though this person was an outcast in school?

The class started shortly after and the man at the front introduced himself as our calculus teacher.

“Mr. Gregory’s a chill teacher,” Crimson told me, and opened a bag of Skittles. “Everyone knows him, but you seem new.”

“I moved here a month ago,” I said. “How’d you know I was new?”

She shrugged. “I know pretty much everyone in this grade. All the teachers, too. Ask me about anyone, I’d tell you.”

“Should I be…?” I trailed off.

She rolled her eyes. “You shouldn’t be scared. I’m not a stalker.” She popped a Skittle into her mouth. “I just participate in a lot of s**t. I get too busy for friends or long convos, so don't expect much from me as your desk buddy.”

I turned my attention to Mr. Gregory as he began to hand out the textbooks. “I'll try not to talk too much.”

“Don't get me wrong.” She pulled out an elastic rubber band. “You’re new, so I’m fine with hanging out. Skittles?” When I shook my head, she tied the band around the leftover packet.

“So, just because I’m new?” I said.

“You’re not involved in the crap load of drama that goes on this school.” She smiled at me. “Bon chance, mon ami.”

Less than half of class was spent with rules and regulations along with the course outline. We were given review for the rest of the day, but I was distracted. Crimson did her work like a madwoman in stress - it was amusing to watch. Her writing was dark like it was pressed with an angry hand, and she was in desperate need of a quality eraser.

Halfway through class, the door opened allowing a student in. While the rest of class continued working, I didn’t take my eyes off him.

“Late on the first day, Mr. McCoy,” the teacher said, but there was no disapproval as if it was expected. “Take a seat and grab this textbook along the way.”

Arian didn’t notice me until he walked by my desk. We made subtle eye contact before he grabbed an out-of-use desk and placed it at the back of class. I turned back to my review sheet.

He arrived last in class with disheveled hair, no excuse, and nothing but a pencil in hand. And he took a University Calculus course? I peeked at Crimson. I might be wrong for assuming this, but he seemed worse than Crimson, and I thought she would struggle.

Then again, people here were tough to figure out. Schools in Sunnywind were lively but well disciplined, and it seemed like a small world. The lifestyle here was a bit different, but all it took was a bit of time to get used to.

The rest of school went by like a breeze. Surprisingly, Crimson was in all four of my classes, and the last time I saw Arian was when the final bell rang and he dropped by my chemistry class. Despite these strange encounters and eating lunch alone in the cafeteria, I considered it a decent first day of grade 12.

I went home by foot and finished some overall touches in the house before finishing homework. Dad worked overtime and I tried to make things as easy as possible for him. Of course, I could only expel my loneliness by having dinners with or babysitting my neighbors.

I opened my bedroom window and climbed down the trellis in the cold darkness. With autumn coming closer, I needed to finish lawn work. That was a given before school work got heavier, too. I skipped to the McCoys’ backyard and knocked on the sliding door.

Elise welcomed me in. “Did you eat dinner?” I nodded. “Julianna went to bed, so no loud noises.”

“Okay,” I said.

In the living room, Evin was on the ground with Liara and Andy was playing on his own to the side.

“My saviour is here,” Evin said when he spotted me. Liara pouted when he tossed her Barbie doll into her lap.

“Poor girl,” I said. He shrugged.

“How was your first day of school?” he asked. I said it was fine. Normal. “Grandma told me you met Arian the other day. Unfortunately.”

“Let’s not talk about that,” I muttered, and he chuckled. “By the way, I was eavesdropping people’s conversations at lunch today and many were talking about you. I mean, the McCoys in general.”

“Ah, it’s probably because all of my family went to that school before,” he said. “Me, mum, even grandma.” My eyes widened. “Yeah, you might’ve heard them call us a mixed family or use the term ‘Rainbow Year’ a lot.”

“Is it because of, like, your different eye and hair colours?” I asked, sitting cross-legged on the carpet.

“Hello, Little Mermaid,” Liara said. “Andy, look!” Andy didn’t seem to realize I was here, but when he did, he smiled broadly and waved.

“So, why do they call you the mixed family?” I asked Evin, reverting my attention back to him.

He scratched his ear. “Well, both sides of my family look completely different, so we turned out different. Dad’s hair is a mix of dark brown and red, Mom’s hair is blonde, grandma’s is black. Grandma has blue eyes, Mom has brown, and dad has green. All three of us have brown hair of various shades," he nodded towards Liara and Andy, "they have hazel eyes and Andy got the grey-green. But Arian took on grandma’s genetics.”

“You love talking about this, don’t you?” I asked him. He appeared indifferent, but I saw the subtle excitement in his eyes.

“It’s crazy,” he said. “It’s totally crazy. Like we have no idea where Andy got his elephant ears and Liara’s super tan skin tone. And none of us has skin as pale as Arian.”

A smile formed on my lips and I hugged my knees. “Your family is pretty awesome.”

“Actually,” he said, “It’s a bit screwed up.”

I was intrigued, especially after a whole month of knowing the McCoys, I finally heard of the father. I didn’t know much at all, and I didn't want to pry into it because I didn’t want to jeopardize our friendship.

Evin left to study, and I took care of the kids. Liara fell asleep on the couch, and I draped the blanket Elise gave me over her. Andy tugged on the hem of my t-shirt.

“Do you want to read me a story?” he asked shyly. “Come.” Dumbfounded, I followed him. The living room light was the only glow towards the stairs, but I didn’t know if I was allowed up there. When the thought struck me, I stopped.

“Why don't you bring the book down?” I asked.

“Okay, but you have to wait here, okay?” When I was about to say something, a motion in the dark upstairs caught my attention. Andy hopped up the stairs, oblivious to the motion, and a thud followed by hushed curses made me gasp. “Sorry, Big A!” Andy ran off.

“Hey! Be careful,” I called and turned on the lights. My energy dropped to my toes when I saw Arian clutching his trampled foot at the middle of the stairs.

I should’ve said sorry, but my mouth wouldn’t open. Whatever he had to say was shown through his eyes when he gave me the darkest, most predatory look. I perceived it as a ‘I-don’t-know-you-but-I-hate-you-more-now’ look. I watched him clomp down and disappear into the kitchen.

Who would stand staying in this house with a human-shaped alien stalking around? Me. Stupid, stubborn me. I still couldn't accept the fact that this person was part of the McCoy family. I still couldn't understand how he was excused despite missing most of his classes and behaving purposeless when he did show up.

Just who was he?