The rain fell hard. I was drenched before I reached the bus. Swinging down the already wet aisle, I chose a seat in the back and plopped onto the battered plasticky stuff. The bus rolled forward, the windshield wipers beating furiously back and forth across the glass to no avail.
We were nearly to the school when the bus stopped again. The students around me tried to look out the windows to see what was going on-I was the last person to be picked up in the morning. The bus doors opened and someone got on.
He was tall and graceful, his elegant stride making him appear to be floating on air. Everyone stared at his black dress pants, his white collared shirt, his black blazer. The clothes were frayed and tattered, almost as worn as the black leather shoes on his feet. But nobody was looking at what he was wearing-we only saw his mask.
It was white and covered the right side of his face, cut around his mouth and leaving an opening for his eye. Students began to snicker at his appearance, but his face was blank. His eyes swept across the bus, lingering on me for a moment, then moving on. One of his eyes-the right-was a blue that reminded me of the ocean. The other was a deep emerald green. His white skin contrasted sharply with his long and shaggy jet black hair.
He floated to the back of the bus, to the only empty seat next to me. "Hey, Phantom of the Opera!" someone called out. I saw anger flash through his mismatched eyes, but when he spoke his voice was gentle.
"May I?" It was barely a whisper, as if he didn't have the strength to say it out loud. I nodded, my eyes not leaving his face, even when he looked away. There was something intriguing about him, even if everyone else laughed. I stuck out my hand, and he stared at it.
"Hi, I'm Christine," I said. He nodded, but otherwise didn't acknowledge me. I dropped my hand and pressed on. "What's your name?"
"I don't have-" he hesitated. "Erik. My name is Erik."
"Nice to meet you." He nodded again, looking past me out the window. He obviously didn't want to talk at the moment. He must be new, I thought, and I understood. I had only been going to Jackson High School for a month. I left Erik in peace for the rest of the trip, and he jumped out his seat and was one of the first off the bus when we got to the school.
He strode through the courtyard and into the central office, the other students pointing and laughing. Not even five minutes here and he was already being targeted for bullying. I frowned and hurried off the bus and into the rain, making my way to the office. But by the time I got there, Erik was gone, leaving nothing behind but a small puddle of rain on the carpet.
I stood in the water, dripping myself, and wondered what his story was. Why did he wear the mask? And why not jeans and a Hollister shirt like the rest of the guys in my class? I frowned and ran my fingers through my long brown tangle of curls. I checked the clock and gasped-I was going to be late to homeroom if I didn't hurry. Pushing Erik out of my mind, I ran to the main school building and hurried to my locker. One minute left to make it halfway across the building. I took off down the long hallway, my feet loud against the hard floor as I ran.
I barreled around a turn-I was almost there-and suddenly crashed into a very solid object. I gasped and jumped backwards, slipping on the wet floor. I was going down,crap, this one was going to hurt-
A pair of strong arms closed around me, pulling me close to keep me from falling. A moment passed, and that arms released me.
"Thanks," I said, looking up into the face of my rescuer. Oh God-it was Erik. An odd tingle went through my body as I realized how hauntingly handsome he was. His mouth twisted into a small smile, but it quickly vanished.
"No problem," he said. "You'd better hurry, you only have a few seconds."
"Oh-right. Um, I'll see you later?" I said, but Erik was already gone.