After drinking the concoction, Monica dismissed them and told Sara to go and enjoy the festival, as she had already more than helped them. The girl didn't need to be told twice and, after stripping off her witch's robe, she grabbed her two friends and left. After a short stroll through the market, the three went to the park. Flashes of pulsating light glittered on the grass and winding patterns decorated the tall trees and the leaves hanging on the bushes. The place was normally beautiful but now it seemed magical.

Sofia, who couldn't stop smiling in awe, ran her fingers through a bush's long, stiff leaves. Winding tattoos that twisted in intricate spirals ran across the wide surface. In contrast, the lines on Sofia's body seemed softer, almost as if they corresponded to an idealized version of her circulatory system.

“It's fascinating, isn't it?” Dave reached out to the leaf to caress it, and as he did so, his fingers met hers. “I wonder if these markings are random or have some kind of meaning.”

Sofia, very aware of the pleasant forest scent that emanated from his skin, turned towards him. Dave was looking at this plant with the same interest as he would admire an incredible archaeological find, and not as the typical park shrub that it was. His fingers traced the luminous lines almost as if he was trying to memorize them, and the magical light emanating from them reflected in his eyes and highlighted their color. There was such a pure and sincere fascination reflected in them that Sofia couldn't help but smile.

“Meaning?” she asked.

“Yes. This is an oleander, nerium oleander, and this one here is a holly, ilex aquifolium. Their properties are similar, they are both toxic, but the markings on their leaves are very different. Of course, they are both different species, and the oleander's toxicity comes from oleandrin while the holly's comes from alkaloids, theobromine and... I'm sorry... I must be boring you,” he said, twisting his lips into a little apologetic smile, and started walking along the dirt road.

“Not at all, it's very interesting. Do you like nature? I've noticed that you always pay a lot of attention in Rosa's class,” Sofia commented with a reassuring smile as she walked beside him.

“Yes, ever since I was little I've loved everything to do with natural science,” he said, and looked up at the huge trees that raised their bare branches above them.

“Dude, if you're really interested, I can ask my sister to explain it to you, she's the one who knows all about these things,” said Sara.

“I... thank you, but I don't want to cause any trouble.”

“Nonsense! Monica will be glad to have someone she can pester about herbs,” she said as she slipped an arm around his shoulders.

“Tha... thank you,” Dave licked his lips and took a discreet step to the side to move away from the invasive gesture.

“Sara! Sara!”

Lola came running from an area in the park that was next to a huge tree, where she and her group of friends were doing a botellón. The girl, who was dressed to the nines as usual, was wearing a tight, long-sleeved dress with a notable cleavage, high boots and so much makeup that she could paint a picture rubbing her face against a canvas. The light tattoos that covered the skin on her face made her resemble one of those faeries who were as beautiful as they were treacherous.

“Oh, hi...”

When she noticed Sofia, Lola twisted her mouth into a grimace of disdain and looked her up and down as if she were an insect. Sofia smirked and held her gaze with her head held high. She wasn't going to indulge her by letting her contempt get to her. However, Lola had something more interesting to focus her attention on. With a haughty move, intended to make her contempt clear, she turned to Dave and the expression on her face completely transformed into a wide smile and a flirtatious gaze that made Sofia roll her eyes.

“You came! Wasn’t I right about how cool the show is?”

“It was good, yes.”

Dave looked away and his eyes met Sofia's. He tilted his head to the side in a silent question, but she smiled a little and shook her head to play it down. She didn't want to involve him in her problems with Lola and her minions. Not when he himself had said that he had trouble making friends.

“You don't always have to be so modest, I mean, you can get a little excited.” Lola brushed his arm with a suggestive gesture and moved a little closer to him. Dave tensed his muscles and licked his lips. “Come! Some of the guys from class are out there drinking. Yes, you can come too, it's not like I can throw you out with roach killer.”

“Thank you very much. You're such a lovely person,” Sofia replied, struggling not to bare her teeth in a snarl.

“Yes, I know. I'm absolutely perfect.” Lola shook her long black hair with exaggerated pride.

Proving that she didn't know how to respect boundaries, and either didn't know how to read body language or didn't care, she grabbed Dave by the hand and pulled him towards the little group gathered under the tree. The boy let the girl drag him away but, from the way he ran his tongue over his lips and turned his gaze away, it was quite obvious that he was uncomfortable. Sofia curled her lip a little, clenched her fists and made an attempt to go to Lola. It was getting harder and harder to suppress the growl she felt in her throat.

“Stop, you she-wolf! Don’t make a scene!” Sara placed a hand on her shoulder to restrain her.

“And what do you want me to do? Let that brat keep bothering him? He's uncomfortable! Shouldn't we do something about it?” she protested, growing more and more furious.

“Yeah, mate, you're right, but you can't solve everything with a fight. You'll only make enemies that way. Calm down, put your fangs away and now we give Lola a little warning.”

Irritated, Sofia turned her head away and felt that restrained growl vibrate in her throat. Yes, Sara was right. Confronting Lola and her little group had only resulted in enemies she didn't need, but she had no other way to get them off her back when they insisted on wanting to befriend her. Now they were doing the same with Dave, but he was too noble, too peaceful to put Lola in her place.

The four of them arrived at the place where Lola's friends were drinking. It was an area with several rocks that they were using as seats, and a bench that only God knew where they had stolen it from. That it had been stolen was obvious, because its legs were covered with the cement used to anchor it to the ground. Scattered all around the center were several bags, some already empty, and multiple bottles of alcohol and soft drinks, as well as various snacks such as chips and candies.

Besides Lola's usual friends and the boy who always went with them, other classmates had also joined the party. The girls surrounded Dave like a flock of hungry pigeons and almost pushed each other over so they could greet him with the traditional two kisses. Dave was so tense that the hair on the back of his neck stood up, and although he responded to the custom with cordiality, his discomfort was obvious considering the way he licked his lips and turned his gaze away.

When the round of greetings was over, Lola bent down by the bottles to prepare a drink in a plastic cup. Dave seized the distraction and excused himself to get back to his friends. He was breathing a little faster, though he seemed to be trying to control it, and he glanced sideways at the little group as if he could anticipate a new assault.

“What have I done to her? I thought she'd get tired of me in a week.”

“It’s usually like that, but it doesn't look like she's going to get tired of you anytime soon. Do you want me to stop her? Because I don't mind, I already have a reputation for being the class’ jerk, so...” said Sofia, refusing to admit that a part of her wanted to pay back in spades all the scorn Lola gave her on a daily basis.

“No... no, it's okay. I can handle this,” he said as he glanced sideways at the other girl, who was already approaching with a glass.

“It's been another mind-blowing queimada, Sara. Too bad the effects last so little,” she said, standing so close to Dave that she brushed his arm with her hand. The boy took a deep breath and ran his tongue over his lips.

“Of course, if they lasted any longer people would be freaking out all night. It's just a trick to have a good time for a while and that's all,” said Sara with a broad smile.

“I saw that you shared the bowl with her. Too bad, I would have liked to be the one to share it with you, but there's still time,” said Lola, who offered him her glass while she ran a finger across his chest.

“I don't drink alcohol,” Dave said in a dry, harsh voice that Sofia had never heard before, and his body language changed to match it.

Every muscle in it tensed. His chest began to rise and fall in long, deep breaths. His gaze had stopped being elusive and he was now watching Lola out of the corner of his eye, and his jaw and lips were tight, as if he was holding back a grimace that was struggling to emerge. All that display along with the raised shoulders made it clear that he didn't want any trouble, but that he would have no qualms about responding in kind if they kept pushing him.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Sofia bit her lip. It was a very rich body language.

“Not even a little bit?” said Lola, drawing a charming smile on her face as she narrowed the space between her and the boy to bring her face close to his.

“I don't drink alcohol,” he replied as he looked straight at her eyes, his voice much quieter and deeper. The hair on the back of his neck was so bristled it looked like he was wearing hair gel. “And she has a name.”

“I think he's already made it clear enough that he doesn't drink, don't you think?” Sofia interjected, pushing Lola away from the boy. “Wait, what did you say?”

When she realized what Dave had just said, Sofia forgot all about Lola and turned to face him. The glow in his marks had become a little more intense and seemed to be pulsing across his skin to the rhythm of his heartbeat. Because of that brightness, the blush on his cheeks went almost unnoticed, but even so, when their gaze met, Sofia was able to see it. She could also feel her own skin responding in kind, perhaps because it had been a long time since anyone had seen her as anything other than ‘that jerk’.

“Tche!” Lola clicked her tongue and turned away from the two of them. “What a waste. All the cute guys are either idiots, or gay.”

Both Sofia and Dave turned to Lola and frowned.

“Or maybe you shouldn't be so invasive, Lola. My pal here is shy and acting the way you do only makes him uncomfortable,” said Sara, trying to pacify the situation a little.

“Sara, it’s ok. You don't need to fight because me. I'd better go home,” said Dave with a little apologetic grimace.

“No, man, wait...”

Dave didn't let her finish. He just turned around and walked away. Sofia made a gesture to follow him, but just then Lola opened her big mouth and her words made her blood boil. So much, in fact, that she almost failed to stifle the guttural growl that rose up her throat.

“I don't know what you do, Sara, always picking up the weirdos.”

“You know, Lola? Maybe you should learn how to flirt without rubbing against guys like a doe in heat. You'd do much better and you wouldn't attract so many assholes who only care about wetting the sausage,” Sofia said with a cynical grimace.

“What did you say?” Lola turned red with anger and the other girls, upon hearing the exchange, stood up to stand by their friend.

“That you can be heard ranting even from the back of the class. The whole class knows about your affairs with the guys. I'm saying this because of that thing of insulting the only boy with enough judgment to not want to date such a stupid and obtuse girl.”

Without waiting for her to respond, not only because she had said all she had to say, but also because she was finding it very difficult to suppress her urge to growl, Sofia turned around and ran away. She wandered aimlessly for several minutes, becoming more and more enraged as her head boiled with thoughts about what had just happened.

It bothered her because, ever since she made it clear she didn't want to make friends, Lola had looked down on her and treated her with contempt. It bothered her because, even though she was making an active effort to ignor people, having to put up with certain comments and looks was unpleasant. It bothered her because she was treated as a freak and a jerk, and they didn't know anything about her life.

It bothered her because she liked that boy who smelled like forest, and he didn't deserve to be harassed over and over by an imbecile like Lola. Sofia let out a cry of rage and punched a tree trunk. The skin on her knuckles broke into shallow wounds. In the light of the waning moon she saw those scratches close in a matter of seconds, not leaving even a scar. Then she let out a quiet sigh and her anger dissipated. They didn't know her, they knew nothing about her life, but they allowed themselves the luxury of judging her as if they had walked in her shoes since the very day she was born.

“The poor tree hasn't done anything to you.”

That voice took her so much by surprise that she jumped, startled. When she turned around, she saw Dave walking along the dirt road as if he were taking a simple stroll. The tattoos on his skin were still glowing, but they seemed to have dimmed quiet a bit and no longer throbbed as if driven by his racing heartbeat. Embarrassed, Sofia looked away and ran her tongue over her lips.

“Are you hurt?” asked the boy when he approached her.

“No. I didn't hit it as hard as it seemed.”

Sofia was aware of the dent she had left on the bark, and Dave seemed to have noticed it too because he raised an eyebrow and tilted his head to one side. Biting her lip, all too aware of that inquisitive gaze upon her, Sofia turned hers away as she fought back her fear and her instincts.

Again she felt watched, like a prey at the mercy of a hunter, and again the rage with which she protected herself began to surface but she didn't let it take control this time. She didn't want to make a scene again, especially not after what he had said that night. It had been a long time since anyone but Sara had looked at her like she was a person with a name. Besides, she knew his gaze was nothing more than curiosity.

“Thank you for helping me out,” said Dave, and when Sofia looked up she found a small smile of gratitude.

“It was nothing. Lola is an idiot and deserved more than a push,” Sofia replied, controlling the urge to bare her teeth. “Thanks for what you said. No one, except Sara, has ever stood up for me in front of them before,” she added in a quieter voice, feeling the blush that was starting to rise to her cheeks.

“I know what that kind of girls are like. In my previous high school they made my life miserable. Not just me, but also my friends’ lives by association. I couldn't stand by and say nothing while she looked down her nose at you.” The glow of his tattoos intensified and they began to pulse again.

“I guess I partly deserve it. I’ve been pretty rude to them from the beginning, but only when they piss me off. I don’t go after them looking for a fight.”

“No one deserves to be treated like that, and don't think they do it because of something you've done. They will always look for any excuse to torment other people, but in reality they do it because it amuses them or because they manage to win the favor of other wretches like them that way. They are psychopaths.” Dave snapped his head away and Sofia heard a murmur rumble in his throat.

“In your case, what was the excuse they used?”

The boy let out a quiet sigh and looked up at the starry sky.

“That I'm different.”