Chapter Three

Thea's lips curled up as she mixed a small amount of cyan and magenta, "A nice vibrant purple.   "This is going to be awesome!"  Thea beamed as she swept the brush across the canvas, "I'm definitely handing this in for midterms in two weeks."

“I still don't see what he sees in you or why they're always around you," whined a slightly accented voice behind her.

Looking over her shoulder she stopped herself from rolling her eyes.  Remember that Wendy and her friends are just jealous, she thought on a sigh.  Thea closed her eyes as she wondered why she stayed after school to work on her piece.  After several heartbeats she opened her eyes and stared blankly at the half done painting.

"I'm not sure who you're referring to," responded Thea as she cleaned her paintbrush.

"I'm referring to Gabriel," she scoffed as she rolled the 'r' in his name.  Wendy moved closer as she pretended to examine Thea's painting. "It's funny how he's always with you yet you only vaguely smell of him."  Looking her up and down she smirked.

Puzzled she shook her head, "I'm sorry?"  What the hell does she mean by smell of him?

"Don't worry about it," mocked Wendy as she smirked toward her friends.  "But it is a shame your painting got ruined."

"My painting isn't -."  Thea's eyes widened when Wendy's nails tore across the canvas.  Thea jumped to her feet as she turned and gaped at the short haired Asian girl. "What the hell," she yelled as she threw her paint palate into Wendy's chest.

Wendy growled as she took in her silk shirt, "I'm going to make you regret that bitch."

"You're going to make her regret what," asked Cyrus as she strolled confidentially into the classroom.

Wendy sneered at the ruined piece before looking back at Thea with a taunting smile. "Nothing.  I was commenting on how she smelled of sunshine and roses."

"What does my smell have to do with anything," snapped Thea.

Wendy rolled her shoulders as she smirked, "Nothing."  With a sympathetic look she and her friends giggled, "Sorry about your painting!  You should be more careful."

Thea shoulders dropped as she stared at the floral painting, "This is just too much."  How'd she rip canvas with her nails though?

"Do you want to tell me what really happened," questioned Cyrus.

"Her nails just GREW," Thea tried to use her hands to describe how Wendy's nails elongated.  Her fingers fluttered around as she tried to show how long they grew in her nervous and shocked state.

Cyrus looked worried but she shook her head, "No one nails can just grow out like that." She turned to stare after Wendy as she continued, "You must have been shocked when she pulled a razor blade or something.  We should report this to the principal."

"We should." moaned Thea as she gave the ruined artwork a long look. "I had planned to give this painting to my parents for their anniversary after it was graded.  Crap!  I have to go buy new supplies."

"It’s fine we can catch the train to Addly or Zion to pick you up some new supplies," replied Cyrus as she threw the leftover supplies into a small waste bin.  "Don't worry about it I'll -."

Thea frowned, "Please don't say you'll buy them for me.  I get an allowance! I can afford to replace them."

Cyrus gave Thea a playful stern look before she giggled, "You're so independent."

Thea bite her cheek to stop herself from making a sharp resort. "It's not like my parent's and I are poor.  We just don't have the type of money you guys do. Imagine my surprise when I found out the boy I'd been playing with since elementary school is THE Gabriel DuPont." With a twist of her lips she looked at her hands.

"Have you spoken to him about why he never told you specifically," asked Cyrus as she fell into step next to her.

"And what am I supposed to ask him?  When'd he'd say his last name he'd mumble something that sounds like De'Oink."  Thea gave Cyrus an unamused glare as she snapped, "Or I can ask why didn't you tell me your family owned almost everything in North Point?  Or," she continued sarcastically, "I can go DuPont...North Point! What do they have in common?"  Shaking her head she mumbled, "It makes no difference to me he's still just Gabe."

Cyrus gave a relieved sigh as she looked away.  "I'm happy she's not some money hungry female," mumbled Cyrus quietly. She'd told Gabe as soon as she'd made the slip never considering that Thea wouldn't say anything to him.  Cryus scratched her head as she looked at the other girl.  "Isn't your birthday coming up in a few weeks?"

Thea nodded happily, "Yip!  I'll be 16 soon."  Thea danced around as she let the last name thing drop, "I'm so excited!"

"Did someone say something about a birthday coming up," came Roderick's deep voice.

Cyrus wrapped her arm around Thea's waist as they walked, "I sure did!  And she'll be turning 16 very soon."

Thea shifted uncomfortable looking into Gabe's fathomless green eyes.  She forced a smile, "I was thinking of going to a restaurant in Zion to celebrate."  Nervously she looked around, "Did you guys want to go?  Maybe we can take the car I hear Roderick has," she added in an attempt to lighten Gabe's mode.

Roderick gave her a bright smile, "Sounds like fun."  He bumped Gabe and gave him a knowing look, "What do you think?"

Gabe took a slow breath to calm his mind and hormones. I can claim her on her birthday, thought Gabe.  He shook his head and gave Roderick a questioning look, "What?  What are we talking about?"

Roderick brow furrowed as he hesitated, "Thea just asked if we want to celebrate her birthday in Zion with her."

Looking at the white ceramic floor Thea mumbled, "Never mind.  I just thought -."

"But we usually celebrate your birthday with your parents," grumbled Gabe as he turned to stare at her.  "Why change that all of a sudden?"

"Well," added Thea nervously, "I've never really had friends to go out with and celebrate.  Plus my parents are going on a second honeymoon and are only supposed to just be getting back."

Roderick chuckled as he wrapped his hands around Thea's waist, "I think it sounds like a great idea."  With a perplex look toward Gabe he frowned, "Why didn't you have a lot of friends in middle school and freshman year at Dalton Row?"

Thea shrugged as she looked away from his and Cyrus's questioning gazes.

Cyrus frowned, "Was it because of your friendship with Gabe?"

Thea avoided Gabe's penetrating gaze as she mumbled, "That wasn't the reason."

Gabe rolled his eyes, "When we met she was sitting on her family's porch playing jacks.  They weren't playing with her before I started coming around."

Thea pressed her lips together as she stared blankly at him.  "The kids’ parents don't like that my family associates with the snobs from across the creek."  Thea smiled sadly as she remembered her childhood before she met Gabe, "It's really stupid.""

Roderick scratched his head confused, "But those same people shop at your family's store and eat at the cafe."

Thea nodded, "They're polite to my family but don't want to associate with us too much.  I'm not sure why they act like that but it's been like that for decades.  My mom and auntie only had each other."

Cyrus shook her head, "That sounds messed up."

Gabe sucked his teeth before he snapped, "It's old news.  She has me now." With a proud smile he grabbed her hand and twirled her around before dipping her, "And I'm not going anywhere."

Cyrus laughed as she snatched Thea's other hand and started to run toward the school's exit.  "I'm here to stay too!"

After several blocks Thea started to cough and gasp. "Okay!  I’m used to Gabe being able to run like this but all of you!  This is ridiculous.  I need to stop."

"You're getting better.  Soon you'll be able to run all the way home."

Thea tried to catch her breath as she cut her eyes toward them. "I'm almost used to the fact that you guys can run for almost a mile without being tired but the nail thing -."

"What nail thing," inquired Gabe as he stared at her stooped over form.

Cyrus fluttered her fingers while she giggled, "Nothing!  Wendy took a razor blade to her painting.  She was so shocked she though Wendy's nails grew."

Thea shook her head as she continued to gasp.  "No her nails grew."  She patted her chest as she glared at Cyrus, "And can we walk or jog?  Who runs full tilt for almost a mile?"

Cyrus laughed as she went to whack her on the back, "Here let me help you move the air around in there."

Thea stepped out the way before she could land a blow and frowned, "I'm fine. I believe my lungs should remain in my chest.  Last time I was sure you dislodged my lungs."

"You better now," joked Gabe as he walked toward her, "or do you need a piggy back ride?"

"It was only one time! Why don't you guys finish running to my house while I walk," she gave them an amused stare as she finished, "slowly."

Gabe grabbed her bag and put it on his shoulder, "We can walk."  With a stare that told them to leave he smirked, "But if you two want to run go ahead."

Roderick nodded toward Cyrus, "Last one there has to pay."

Cyrus returned his nod and took off. "I'm gonna beat you!"

Thea laughed as she watched them bolt over the bridge, "I can't believe North Point doesn't have a track and field team or a football team."  With a shake of her head as she pondered the reason why they wouldn't have one.  "You guys run like the wind."

Gabe laughed as he watched Thea's expressive face. "Like cheetahs or foxes?"

Amused by his humor she shook her head, "I've never seen either run."  Thea liked down as they walked over the bridge and laughed, "But I did see a wolf run before."  Glancing at him with a silly smile she laughed at the look of confusion on his face.

"When have you seen wolves run?"

"Um," thought Thea as they started up Old Doty Road.  "It was a few years back when my parents took me to the Brookfield Zoo.  We were visiting my auntie in Chicago.  There was this huge exhibit on wolves."  Thea became animated as she continued, "Did you know wolves can trot at 5 miles per hour, or that they can run in short bursts at up to 35 miles per hour?"

Gabe stared at her incredulously before he laughed, "I had no clue."