When Rowan had mentioned that a few of his friends would be joining them, Astra hadn't expected half his school to show up. Apparently, there was some sort of competitive bet going on between two groups today, and everyone had come to watch.
Seeing the crowd before her, Astra took a deep breath, trying to calm the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. The familiar pressure of too many people, too much noise, too much emotions, too much everything pressed against her consciousness.
[Don't worry, Astra. You got this. This is not your first time in such big crowds.] She gave herself a mental pep talk, mentally patting her back. Still, she couldn't help but wish Rowan had given her a heads up about the turnout.
Rowan, completely oblivious to her internal struggle, grabbed her wrist and started pulling her through the crowd, heading toward a more secluded area of the ranch. At least there was that small mercy as apparently one of his friends owned the property, which meant they had access to more private spaces away from the main gathering.
"Look who finally decided to grace us with his presence," Emrys said out loud when he noticed Rowan making his way toward them. But then his eyes traveled to the girl walking beside him and he stiffened for a split second before a smile appeared on his face. "And he brought a guest."
He jogged his way to them, "Hey. My name is Emrys Harding."
Emrys was a tall boy with ash brown hair that was carefully styled and emerald green eyes. A set of dimples appeared on his cheeks whenever he smiled, giving him a boyish charm that Astra knew probably worked wonders with girls.
"Astra," Astra gave him a nod before letting her gaze drift past him to the two other boys standing nearby.
The first one looked like he'd been plucked straight from a prep school brochure. His black hair was styled with not a single strand out of place. Dark eyes peered through round glasses that somehow managed to look stylish rather than studious. He was wearing a polo shirt, paired with tailored pants with not a single wrinkle on his attire.
Generally speaking, both Emrys and this boy were good-looking. But Astra's attention was focused on the person she had seen last night on the balcony. Back then, she was too overwhelmed and was not paying much attention to others around her. She did not even take a clear look at the person who had given his jacket to her. Now that she looked at him again, she realized he was quite good-looking.
He had the appearance of what some people would call carelessly sexy. Unlike the suit he wore yesterday, he was now dressed in casual clothes. His jawline was sharp but retained a hint of teenage softness. His black hair fell messily across his forehead as if he'd run his fingers through it countless times. The top two buttons of his shirt were open, revealing the line of his pale neck and collarbone.
He was talking about something with the boy next to him. There was a lazy smirk playing on his lips that confident smirk softened into a smile when his eyes met hers.
He stopped whatever he was saying to his friend and went up to her, "You came."
"Hmm," Astra gave him a nod and looked away almost immediately.
She could feel multiple gazes on her and emotions like jealousy and envy churn inside her with a mixture of anger. She breathed through it, keeping her face carefully neutral even as the feelings threatened to overwhelm her.
"Hold up," Emrys interrupted, his green eyes narrowing as they darted between Astra and his friend. "You two know each other?"
"We met briefly yesterday," Ziyan informed.
"And why am I finding out about it now?" Rowan questioned, sending a glare at Ziyan who did not seem to see it.
"I didn't think it was important," Ziyan shrugged.
"Hah-" Rowan scoffed in disbelief.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Astra. My name is Silas Patton," the third boy whose identity Astra did not know finally introduced himself and held out his hand.
Everyone paused and stared at him as if he had grown two heads. Even Astra was looking at him strangely.
"Why are you talking to her like you are in a billion-dollar meeting and she holds the key to your success?" Emrys questioned. Rowan nodded his head, agreeing with him.
Silas cleared his throat, a slight flush creeping up his neck. "Force of habit. Dad's business meetings are starting to get to me."
"I'd say," Emrys snickered, throwing an arm around Silas's shoulders. "Next thing we know, you'll be wearing a three-piece suit to our school."
Astra watched their interaction silently.
"Don't mind them," Ziyan moved closer to her. "They're always like this."
"Keep your distance from her, young man," Rowan said pointedly, positioning himself between Ziyan and Astra.
"Last time I checked, I am two months older than you," Ziyan pointed out, that lazy smirk returning to his face.
"That's irrelevant," Rowan waved his hand dismissively. "The point is–"
"The point is," Silas interrupted smoothly, "we have a competition to prepare for, unless you've forgotten why we're all here?"
"Oh right, totally forgot about it," Rowan exclaimed, running a hand through his hair.
Catching Astra's questioning look, he gave her a sheepish smile. "Remember when I mentioned there was some competition between two groups? Well..." He gestured to himself and his friends. "We're one of them."
Astra's expression remained perfectly neutral, her face a blank canvas that gave away nothing of her thoughts.
"It's just a friendly competition!" he added quickly. He pointed to a group gathered near what looked like an obstacle course. "See those guys over there? They are the ones who challenged us. The loser has to do the winners' homework for a month."
"Friendly is a relative term," Silas commented dryly. "Last time we had a 'friendly' competition, someone ended up with a broken arm."
"That was one time!" Rowan protested. "And it wasn't even during the competition – I fell off the bleachers afterward."
The memory sparked amusement in all of them, their emotions creating a warm, humorous atmosphere that was almost... pleasant. Astra found herself relaxing slightly, adjusting to their emotional frequencies like tuning a radio to the right station.
"So," Ziyan turned to her, that soft smile from earlier returning, "want to be our good luck charm?"
Before Rowan could object to this blatant flirting (and Astra could feel his protest building), a shout came from the obstacle course area. The competition was about to begin.
"Saved by the bell," Emrys laughed, clapping Ziyan on the shoulder.