.......

Kyle and I avoided each other on the following week. We were both becoming accustomed to the awkwardness we created for ourselves due to that one act.

But, there were some rare occasion where it seemed like we've forgotten about Sunday morning. In these occasions we would look at each and talk like everything was normal but the soon we were close enough to touching distant; the heat between us would escalate, reminding us why we shouldn't be acting like everything was normal.

Other than this loss of normalcy everything else went the same as it should.

But I was kidding myself if I thought me and Kyle not talking only affected us.

When Sav wasn't busy concentrating on Ryland—whom I had been official introduced to on Monday lunch time when he sat with us—she was busy talking to me about him when he wasn't in school at certain days. And as a result of his absence, Sav noticed the tension between me and Kyle. At first, Ned had noticed that we weren't talking but he was too busy with his unexplained dislike toward Ryland to care much about us.

It was on Friday at lunchtime when Sav confronted me about the issue.

"What's up with you and Kyle?" She asked me.

"Nothing." I said quickly. Too quickly, because now she was frowning suspiciously at me.

"But, you guys are not talking."

I shrugged.

"What did he do?" She asked, jumping into conclusion yet again.

I tried to hide the fact he had done something, he had took my first orgasm. An experience I wanted him to repeat again...and again.

Gosh I really needed to take my head out of the gutter. But Kyle started something; he ignited something within me that was now slowly growing the more I thought of him.

"Nothing. He didn't do anything." I lied.

"Doesn't seem like nothing. Where is he anyway? It's been more than twenty minutes. They haven't showed up yet?" She checked the time on her wrist.

"They don't live in my pocket, Sav." I mumbled grumpily.

She gave me that suspicion look once again. I shrugged, shaking my head.

It was then that she decided to change the tact of subject.

"So, last time we spoke you told me James asked you out on a date, is that really happening or were you just trying to shut me up about him?" She asked, dipping her fries in ketchup as she took a bite.

That brought a secretive smile upon my face. James had managed to call, text and even Skype me during course of this week. It was yesterday that we sorted out the time and place for our date. It will be tomorrow by seven pm that I'll be having dinner with him at this local restaurant called Carlos.

"Key?" Sav asked me snapping me out of my reverie.

I shook my head smiling, "Yeah it's still happening."

"Omigod Really!" She squealed. "When?"

"Tomorrow evening."

"And you didn't think to tell me?" She rambled.

I frowned. "I did tell you."

"Yeah but I thought you were lying...you were supposed to spill every detail you guys talked about. Key, I'm supposed to know these things." She was frowning at me and her tone told me she was kind of hurt.

"Sav, you've been busy with Ryland to hardly even notice what day it is." I shot back.

That shut her up and soon enough her hurt fled from her eyes; it was replaced by that coy and sly look in her eyes.

"I do know the day. It's Thursday." She said confidently.

I slapped my forehead in obvious derision. "No, Sav it's Friday."

She scowled. "Friday? What?"

"That's what I thought." I muttered to myself.

She was about to speak more of her shock when a sudden movement in our table caught our eyes.

"Hey guys!" An alien-like squeaky voice bombarded our ears.

It was the smell, a rosy perfume that attacked my nostrils and the next thing I saw was the sight of Mandy Braxton's perfectly dressed self, taking a sit across from Sav.

"Sav and Keya right?" She trilled again in that voice that I found annoying.

Sav and I looked at each in a brief moment of shock before turning to face her again

"I'm Mandy Braxton," She took out her hand to shake Sav's.

Sav automatically shook her hand and then it was my turn. I was still in shock at the turn of events when my hand mechanically moved to shake her hand. It was a feeble hand shake and I could tell by her strained effort to touch my hand that she didn't like doing it.

After the ordeal, we then watched her safely take her lunch out. It was packed lunch of vegetable sandwich, carrots, apple and banana. She arranged these contents in order, the order of what she will eat first. Then taking our hand sanitizer she securely cleaned her hands and used a paper towel to wipe out any invisible dirt around the table.

Sav and I looked at each other again and we both thought the same thing through our twin expression.

"So you guys are Kyle's friends, right?" She asked us as she took a piece of chopped carrot in her mouth.

It was her sentence that snapped both of us out of our shock. Sav began to crudely stare at her. I, on the other hand, confirmed her inquiry.

"Oh, that's great. Just great!" She repeated in that squealing excited fake tone.

"You won't mind me eating here then? Since we all know Kyle." The way she emphasised the word "know" had me looking suspiciously at her. Exactly what was she implying by that tone.

Sav was giving me a sheepish look and in an attempt to hide her amusement she asked the question that was eating at me the moment the girl stepped into our bubble.

"So what brings you here, Mandy?" She asked boldly.

She smiled cheerfully at Sav and then to me as she said, "I just want to get to know Kyle's friends."

"Why?" I couldn't help my outburst.

"Cos, I want to know what I'm getting myself into before involving myself with him." A hint of annoyance escaped her calm tone.

"So you and Kyle are like a thing now?" Sav crudely asked.

"Not yet." Mandy gave both of us her smirk which was so disarming in a frightening kind of way. "I just like Kyle."

I frowned; I couldn't explain my sudden dislike towards her. I don't know if it was her flakiness. I sensed some my dislike was stemming from jealousy. But I just didn't understand Mandy's intentions.

"Why now?" I asked her, not failing to hide my disapproval.

"What's that?" She asked, as if she didn't hear me.

"I said why now? Kyle has been chasing you for how long now and you always dismissed him. So what changed your mind?" Sav gave me a surprised expression at my boldness.

"Well, since that party on Saturday, I saw a different side of him. He's always been so forthcoming with his intentions but when we talked on Saturday he's was kind of nice and funny..." She replied, faking her content smile.

"Y'sure that wasn't the drunken talk." Sav muttered low in her breath. I failed to hide my smile.

"What's that?" Mandy asked her.

Was she deaf or something? I wondered.

"Have you slept with him?" Sav suddenly exclaimed.

"What?" Mandy's disgusted look was unmistakable in her perfectly calm expression.

"Read my lips." Sav said. "Have. You. Slept. With. Him."

I had to hand it to Sav, she wasn't afraid to ask what people like me always failed to ask because I was too chicken to do it, but still curious to know.

"No and that's none of your business." This time she didn't hide her disgust.

She was just unpredictable with her fake austere; if she showed us her true self maybe I might just like her.

Suddenly Kyle and Ned came into the scene. Kyle sat next to Mandy opposite me whilst Ned, sat on the seat opposite Sav.

"Hi...Mandy," Ned greeted and I watched how stiff she became between the sandwich. She leaned towards Kyle's side.

"Did you know that you were the cause of my cheeks being swollen red on Monday?" Ned teased.

I grinned and Sav was failing to hide her laughs.

The poor girl looked really uncomfortable as she leaned towards Kyle's side, blatantly grabbing Kyle's arms. "What's he talking about Kyle?"

"Forget him...why are you here?" He asked, his tone was neither annoyed nor happy, just neutral.

"I want to get to know your friends." She turned her attention towards him. And as if forgetting all about us, she gushed over him.

Suddenly Kyle averted his eyes from her to look me. It was as if he was looking for my reaction. The minute he did so was the when the awkward tension suddenly became present between us.

It didn't help that I felt as if the heat of the room increased in degrees when his eyes still raked all over me.

"Mandy says she likes you, do you like her too?" My mouth decided to make things even more awkward, even though I knew my answer.

"Uh..." He scratched the back of his neck and Mandy was looking expectantly at him, somehow glad that I had asked the question.

"That's none of your business, Ned!" Sav's sudden exclamation wrought our attention towards her.

I realised that Sav and Ned had been having a conversation through my awkwardness and by the look of it, it was quite a heated conversation.

Ned's exasperated expression was unfailing when his nostrils flared and his jaw clenched and unclenched. Sav on the other hand was staring at Ned in disbelief.

"What happened?" Kyle's voice echoed through our shocked silence.

"Ned's being a dîck about Ryland, that's what." Sav doesn't hide her contempt.

Ned snorted in derision.

"You are. I don't know what your problem with Ryland is but don't think your glares go unnoticed every time Ryland is around." She shouted.

Ned rolled his eyes. "I'm not gonna sit through this." He said in contempt as he stood from the table. He gave Sav one final look before stalking off to sit with his other guy friends in a table quite far away from ours.

"What's his problem?" Sav lashed out.

No one answered her because who knew what Ned's problems were except Ned. But, I finally understood Ned's sudden dislike towards Ryland and though I had my suspicions, I dared not utter them to Sav.

Looking over at Kyle, I found out that he had been smirking through it all. It's that look that made me suspect that he knew exactly what was up with Ned.

"So...Kyle," Mandy suddenly exclaimed, realising that the attention was no longer at her. "Gosh, you have a really tone body." She gushed.

"Doesn't he girls, I mean, look at him. It's nice to have a real man around, right Sav?"

I blinked twice or maybe thrice. Was she being serious?

Sav suddenly coughed and the cough was so off I realised that she was hiding her sudden laughter. We both shared at knowing look.

Kyle for the first time looked uncomfortable as he thanked Mandy for her comment.

This somehow made me want to laugh even more.

"I'm telling the truth, babe. You're quite hot." She added sexy in her tone as trailed her hand on Kyle's arm.

Kyle looked over to me. I remained impassive, although jealousy made me frown slightly.

"You promised to take me on a date...when will that happen." She purred next to him.

"Speaking of dates. Kyle, did you hear, our girl here has a date with James." Sav interrupted.

I gaped at Sav, my eyes bulging at her.

"Oh, yeah. James did call me the other day about it and believe me he was not-so-subtle about his intentions." Kyle commented passively staring at me.

I frowned, what exactly was he getting at. All he has done for the past twenty minutes or so was stare at me, making the situation awkward, so it was alarming being addressed at.

He gave me a detached cold smirk.

"Wait...you know James?" Sav asked disbelieving.

His eyes were forced to leave mine in order to reply Sav. "Yeah...I saved him one time."

"Saved him? Really, how?"

"Who's James?" Mandy blatantly interrupted the banter, feeling left out.

She was ignored when Kyle replied, "Long story short, he was about to be beaten to death but I intervened."

"Oh." Sav looked at him in awe.

"Who's James?" Mandy asked again, her tone annoyed that she'd been ignored.

"A friend of Ryland." Sav told her.

"Who's Ryland?"

I could tell Sav's patience was slipping when she held in a groan.

"The party last Saturday...well the apartment belongs to Ryland and James." She explained through gritted teeth.

"Oh." Mandy exclaimed and in that hidden remark of hers, was a satisfied look, as if managing to irritate Sav was an accomplishment to her.

During the banter between them Kyle's eyes had been scrutinizing me and though I tried ignoring him it was hard considering my body yearned to stare at him too.

"We could double date?" He blurted.

"What?"

But Kyle's attention was turned to Mandy. "I promised you at date." He told her.

I was ready to shake my head at the whole idea, but, he continued to interrupt me.

"Think about it, it will be great!" He emphasised the word great. "James won't mind, in fact, he would be thrilled!"

"Uh..."

"So what time and place?" He asked

"Carlos restaurant at seven pm." Sav replied for me because I was still in shock.

"You're free tomorrow right?" He turned to Mandy.

She nodded a huge grin plastering on her face when his attention turned to her. She relished on his smile but at the prospect of having a double date, I could tell that she doubted the outcome when she looked at me with pressed disapproving lips.

"Great. It's sorted then. I'll pick you up tomorrow." He told Mandy.

Turning his eyes toward me, he gave me his challenging grin. Then he stood up to leave, just as the bell went. Mandy told us goodbye before she followed him.

"What has just happened?" I asked.

Sav smirked at me. "I believe you have a double date tomorrow. Good luck having fun with Mandy." She added sarcastically.

"Sav, please. Save me."

"No, can't do. You have face to face this on your own." She said dramatically, before packing her things and getting up.

"I want the full details tomorrow!" She added and I watched as she sauntered to her class.

I suddenly dreaded tomorrow.

.........