Page 13 of Soulless Rivalry

She had long, luscious black hair and olive skin, and seemed pretty petite from where I stood. The closer I got to their table, the more put together she looked. Her makeup was done to perfection with pink glitters on her eyes, flawless winged eyeliner, and plump pink lips. Her nails were done in a cute pastel pink; they weren’t too long but they weren’t short either.

Everything about this girl screamedperfect, and the smile she had on as she effortlessly laughed with my friends made me a little jealous.

She looked like everything I wished I could be.

“Hey, babe!” Briar was the first to notice me, prompting their new friend to turn my way. Her smile turned into a grin as soon as she saw me and she got up to greet me. “Elyssa, this is Sinem. Sinem, this is my bestie and Mia’s cousin, Elyssa.”

I mustered a shy smile, ready to extend my hand towards her when she suddenly engulfed me in a hug.

My eyes widened in surprise, both at her bold display of affection and at how surprisingly strong she was. Damn, were those abs I could feel against my stomach?

“It’s so nice to meet you!”

Her smile was contagious because I found myself returning it against my better judgment.

I was wary of new people; for all I knew, she could secretly be a friend of Viola or Batista, there to help them make my life hell.

“Sinem is in my Introduction to Business. She’s new here.” Briar must’ve sensed my hesitation because she almost immediately provided more info about her.

Briar was an art student, with a minor in business.

Gulping, I nodded and took a seat next to her. “It’s nice to meet you, Sinem.”

“Mia said you played violin, I love that!” she chirped.

“Yeah,” I cleared my throat. “I’ve been playing since I was twelve.”

Because my grandfather needed me to appear more sophisticated and not like the poor mixed girl from a bad neighborhood he was so ashamed of.

Sinem looked at me in awe. “That’s so cool. I wish I could play an instrument.”

I smiled awkwardly because I didn’t know what else to do. Sinem was so… joyful. So nice, and she had that naïve vibe going for her. It was refreshing.

For once I told myself I needed to let go of my usual doubts and maybe make a new friend.

The conversation flew easily from there, the four of us yapping and laughing while Lorenzo seemed immersed in his book. I caught him sneaking looks at Sinem once or twice, which was not a surprise given how beautiful she was.

“Hey, you got henna on your hands!” she exclaimed before grabbing my left hand and almost making me spill my water all over our table.

Then the weirdo brought it to her nose and inhaled deeply.

What. The. Fuck.

“Ugh, I love the smell of henna! Yours seems fresh too.”

She smiled like she couldn’t see how fucking weird smelling someone’s hand, not to mention someone you just met, was.

Briar nearly choked on the forkful of broccoli she had just put in her mouth and Mia did her best not to burst out in laughter. Hell, even Lorenzo had looked up from his book and seemed put off.

Noticing how silent our table had gotten, Sinem’s smile dimmed a little. She looked smaller all of a sudden, like she just realized she had done something weird and was waiting for us to chastise her.

“I—I’m sorry. I just really love the smell of henna.”

Her small voice, coupled with how truly apologetic she looked, made me burst out laughing. I just couldn’t help it; the situation was weird as fuck but I could tell she truly hadn’t thought twice about it. She just didn’t seem like she had a filter or thought things through before acting.

Briar and Mia joined me and seeing how we weren’t freaking out, Sinem’s smile slowly got back on her face as she too laughed along.

“Girl, you need to slow down, okay? Lyssa here isn’t keen on being touched,” Mia chuckled, gulping her water.

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