Free Fins 4 Ur Sins by Naomi Fraser Page B

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to me even though the bus is packed, the groups are too cliquey. My hair falls
to one side, over my shoulder and, occasionally, I peek through the curtain of
protection the strands provide. The bus is warm at least, and a few minutes
pass before someone unexpectedly taps me on the shoulder.
    To my shock, Lakyn’s standing
there, a dimple forming in his tanned right cheek. He smiles, wide and
friendly. “Is this seat taken?” he asks, his blue eyes holding the colour of
melted steel. The irises somehow reflect the muted colours outside the window.
“It’s nice to see you again, Eloise. But I don’t believe you gave me a definite
answer about going to the beach with me yesterday.”
    I stare up at him. “I didn’t?”
    “No.” His eyes narrow, and the
smile drops from his face. He gestures to the vacant aisle seat and asks again,
“Is anyone sitting here?”
    “As in, beside
me?” God, I hope that didn’t come out as snarky. I never meant it that
way. I just can’t believe he’d truly want to sit next to me.
    “Yes, next to you.” Amusement
colours his tone.
    “Ah, no.” I say, gathering my bag close, but I can’t take my gaze off the perfect line of
his jaw. My stomach somersaults and I swallow. “I thought you . . . I mean . .
. well, the other classes are catching the next bus. You’re not in either of
these form classes.” I take a quick look behind me and sink further into my
seat. At least half the bus is staring at us. Heat circles my cheeks, and I
hold my hand to the side of my face, and then fluff my hair over one shoulder,
hiding my expression from onlookers.
    The bus pulls away from the curb,
and I rock back. Hastily, I move over until my elbow presses against the
window.
    He laughs. “Don’t worry, I
swapped with another student. Coach is taking that one, and he doesn’t mind.”
    “I bet.”
    Lakyn prepares to slide into the
seat. “I wanted to ask, how were you after swimming?” Once he sits, he turns
and looks at me with great interest. “Your lungs? I
noticed at the pool you used the . . . puffer, is
that what you call it? I think that’s what Coach said it was.”
    “I’m fine.” My voice is small. No use pretending Lakyn doesn’t know what’s going on.
    “Good.” His voice warms me, and I
relax a little as he stretches out in the seat, adjusting his uniform. “As long as you’re breathing properly. I can’t believe what
they make you wear here. It’s restricting in this weather.”
    I frown, confused. “What do you
mean?”
    “The clothes. This uniform.”
    “Sure. Yeah. But I suppose it’s
the same for every high school.”
    He makes a small sound of
surprise. “Really? I thought you could wear whatever
you wanted to. Where’s your friend?”
    “Bethany?” I shake my head. “Not
sure. She could be on one of the other buses. I’ll see her at lunch.”
    “Good,” he says again. “We won’t
be interrupted then. Well, what was your answer for going to the beach with me?
I’d like you to come.”
    “I . . .” As I ponder how to
refuse, because I don’t want to get back into the water, his blue eyes take on
the sudden dimness of the bus interior, and his irises darken. I never noticed
before that his eyes are quite large. The colour always wows me first, but in
this light, the skin around his eyes spreads back. His pupils enlarge, and his
eyes are rounder, bigger. “Your eyes. They’ve changed.
They’re the most amazing colour. But they seem to be . . .” I blink and pull
back, then smile and look to my lap. “It doesn’t matter.”
    His fingertips caress my hand.
“Tell me.”
    I suck in a deep breath at his
touch and lean a little farther away. His eyes meet mine, but this time his
pupils are so large, his eyes look entirely black. A small smile creases his
mouth and that dimple digs into his cheek. “What do my eyes seem to be, Ellie?”
he prompts.
    Strange. “They take on the colours around you. But before, they just looked like