forum Under The Painted Sky (O/O CLOSED)

Started March 18, 2019 by Deleted user

tune

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Sterling shrugged, looking into her eyes for a moment longer before tilting his head back to look up at the sky. “Then I will wait for that day to come and will get what I deserve…”

Eden stared at him for a while, confusion and surprise finally showing through. He wasn’t budging. He wasn’t budging at all. Was he truly, actually serious about this? Eden didn’t want to believe that. She once did and she ended up on the ground.

Still, she continued to look at him. Continued to look at the slight cracks he might hold.

“Eden McArthur,” she introduced herself again, not holding out her hand. She couldn’t. “Crystal. Untamed Beast. Blackhole. I’d say I’m looking forward to your amusing and limited yet annoying presence in my boring life, but I make a habit of not lying.”

Sterling looked back down at her and blinked once before sighing and letting a small smirk overtake his lips. “Sterling Ainsley. The Wolf. New kid. Incredibly hot guy that girls drool over. Except for the Crystal. And that is perfectly okay.”

Eden snorted at his blatant comment, and then the title in which he addressed him as struck her. She didn’t comment on it.

“You’ll become old news soon,” she gave him a thin smile. “The girls here are simply looking for something new.”

Sterling shrugged and glanced away again, biting back a sigh. “I hope so. It’s annoying having girls watching your every move…”

Eden quirked an eyebrow. “I did not expect that answer,” she said, “Now come.”

“Oh, do you think I enjoy it, then? Every second of the school day, the eyes of at least one girl are drilling holes into me. I’ve walked down an empty hallway only to be sprung on by a girl who thinks I want her. I’ve found so many numbers stuffed into my locker that they overflowed and spilled out when I opened it. Some people might like that kind of attention. I, personally, am over it,” Sterling muttered, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He began to walk again, not meeting Eden’s eye. She didn’t need to know that, and he was sure she definitely didn’t care. “Let’s just go.”

Eden crossed her arms, eyes on his back. He didn’t like the attention. He didn’t like what he used to be. Was that supposed to lead her on, or was that a genuine truth? It seemed like one. It felt like one. Eden didn’t want to foolishly believe.

So she didn’t question him. She continued to walk, falling into step with him, his long legs giving him a good advantage. She nearly scowled.

“I never said you liked it, did I?” She found herself muttering. “I suppose not everyone likes the roles they have in high school.”

Sterling merely grunted, his gaze anywhere and everywhere but on the girl beside him. He’d said too much, spoken too boldly. She didn’t need to hear his thoughts, and she probably didn’t care, anyway. So what possessed him to say all of that? Why would he decide to say so much to someone who didn’t even care?

Eden tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. He was quiet. Strangely so. It unnerved her. He’d never been that silent before in her presence.

“Did you know that the male penguins sing love songs to their mate?” She broke the silence first, keeping her eyes around her instead of at the male. “Some penguins also choose the same mate season after season.”

She paused when they walked past a tiger cage, tilting her head and walking towards it. The tiger was leaning against the cage’s wall, eyes closed. She crouched down in front of it, wanting to reach out to touch its soft fur.

Sterling blinked at the completely random information he was just given before he chuckled and shook his head. “So are you saying I should serenade you if I want to win you over then? I’ll have you know hat I am not the best singer, Eden. You might not want that.”

Eden snorted, never removing her eyes from the animal she was observing. “I’m not a penguin,” she muttered. “Why would you want to win me over?”

“Why wouldn’t I? Aside from the threats, that is,” Sterling mused with a shrug, finally shifting his gaze to the tiger. He smiled a little as he watched it.

“You’re sure attracted to trouble, aren’t you?” Eden mumbled under her breath, tilting her head to the side. “They like water. Only member of the feline family that does.”

“Trouble? Hm, I suppose. Though I’m most likely to be the cause of that trouble,” Sterling said with a shrug. “They like swimming, I know that. And their stripe patterns are all different for each tiger. No two have the same.”

“Troublemaker attracting trouble,” Eden snorted before trying to fight off the smile that threatened to break her cold facade. Her lips twisted upwards almost imperceptibly. “Their roar can be heard three kilometers away. Impressive, isn’t it?”

Sterling glanced over at her with a raised eyebrow just in time to see her lips twitch up. He smiled a little and turned back to the felines.

“Impressive indeed,” he hummed. “Any other random facts you’d like to share?”

Eden reached out to touch the cage, the metal cold to the touch despite the warmth. The resting tiger lifted its face. Eden let out a small smile again. She adored these animals. “They can run up to sixty-five kilometers per hour. They kill their prey with a bite to their neck or to their back.”

“Bite to the spinal cord for a quick kill,” Sterling mused, nodding slowly.

Eden blinked, scrunched her nose and turned away from the animal, covered her mouth with her arm and sneezed. She sniffled, reaching for her bag to take out a mouth mask. It would be terrible if these animals got sick.

Once she had her mouth and nose covered with the material, Eden stood to her feet. “Sorry for getting distracted. Those are the red pandas.”

“No, it was fine. It was cute seeing you like that,” Sterling chuckled. His gaze shifted to the animals he’d wanted to see. The smile on his lips widened when he saw them, and he stepped closer.

Eden’s head snapped towards him at his statement, eyes wide. Did she hear that right? Did he actually call her cute? He wasn’t looking at her, though. His eyes were on the red pandas and his face was glowing. His lips were twisted into a smile, one that reached his eyes and made him look handsome. It was a genuine smile. Eden looked away from him immediately, clearing the foreign feeling that had crept inside of her.

She folded her arms, letting Sterling see the animals on his own.

“Did you know red pandas have their own family? The Ailuridae. They’re related to raccoons,” Sterling murmured before casting a quick glance at Eden. “Since you seem to like animal facts…”

“I know they’re related to raccoons, but I’ve never been able to pronounce their family name,” Eden admitted, eyes on one lone red panda. “I also know they were first called pandas before the giant panda was discovered.”

Then Eden paused. What was she doing, letting him know what she liked to do? Surely he didn’t care about anything other than her opening up. She was letting him win this way too easily.

Sterling clicked his tongue, humming as he slowly nodded. “I didn’t know that. That’s cool.”