The first day of school. New people, new trends, new classes. It seems like everyone is tan from their summer vacation. Of course I'm the only one who went skiing so I'm as white as a sheet. I feel as conspicuous as someone wearing white in the sea of black clothed people. My bright red hair doesn't help either. It cascades down my back like ripples of fire. When I was little my friends and I would pretend to play mermaid and I would always be Arielle. They would always tell me how lucky I am to have red hair; but now I'm not so sure. It just gives me one more thing to stick out with. Luckily my eyes cooperate with that rule. My eyes are chocolate brown that tone down the color of my hair. I'm also abnormally tall. I'm only 14 but when people first look at me they think I'm 17. Then they see the young-looking features of my face and my flat chest and they put me somewhere around 15. Some nights when I'm in my room trying to sleep, I dream about having a boyfriend. I dream about our first kiss and about how he shows everyone at school how amazing he thinks I am. But the closest I've ever gone to that is kissing my little brother. When I first got here I thought my life would be really bad. I thought I'd miss my friends in the city, and the business of the streets all night and day. But it turns out I made friends pretty quickly. Like my friend David. I moved here seven years ago and ever since then we've been best friends. After about three weeks of hanging out with each other I went over to his house the first time. His mom gave me one look and told him he better not close the door once we got up to his room or she would come up his room and watch us herself. I'm pretty sure that me and David both turned as beet red as my hair when she said that. We went upstairs to his room and I was surprised that the simplicity of it. White walls a couple of posters of bands on them, a black furry carpet on the floor, a desk in one corner and a bed in the other. For a ninth grader he sure was neat. We stood there awkwardly for a while until he broke the silence and said, "So. What do you want to do?" We ended up playing video games in his basement, both surprised that the other actually liked playing Mario kart on the Wii; even though we hadn't played it since we were 10. I went to his house every day after school that week. We've been best friends ever since. Now he comes up behind me and ruffles my hair. I can tell it's him from the way to his body feels behind me. We know each other pretty well. "Ceta," he says from behind me, "ready for the first day of school?" Ceta. Ceta for Cetina. Very uncommon name, it's Russian. I don't know why my parents gave me a Russian name we aren't even Russian, but I guess they just liked it. But I guess it's nice to be the only girl in my class with the name. In a school with 500 people in your grade it's very common to have the same name as at least someone else. I'm the only one with the name Cetina. "Come on," says David snapping me out of my thoughts, "let's get you to class." He takes my hand and takes me down the hall. On my way into the door I bump into Louis. He's tall even taller than me and that's saying something. His black hair brushes into his dark brown eyes that consume me. Yeah, if you didn't get it the first time, he's my crush. Louis for Lucifer. The meaning of his name is almost as bad as his bad boy reputation. He's kind of a badass. He sees me looking at him and gives me one of those really cute half smiles. The ones that stops you in your tracks just to watch him walk bye, or in my case, renders you speechless whenever he tries to talk to you. Like now for instance. He just said something to me. I wrack my brain for information on how to talk. "Um, hi." I finally get out. Stupid. Why say that? I bite my lip. "Hey Cet." He gives me one of those hot smiles again and I almost melt as he walks down the hallway to his class. Cet. He has a nickname for me. I feel like squealing and jumping up-and-down with joy. But all I do is skip into class and sit down in my seat with a big smile on my face. I look over at David. His mouth is stuck in a frown. I poke his arm and he looks at me. I smile, he smiles, and then were both smiling. Nothing can ruin this first day of school. "Hello Cetweena," says a voice behind me. Well, nothing except this person. I grimace. "Hello Roxanne." I say in a dull, flat voice. I sigh. Does she have to do this right now? Luckily, I'm saved by our teacher beginning our history lesson. I doodle in my notebook throughout the whole lesson. When class is over, I have math with David. When I get to math I see Louis! And even better, the only available seat is next to him! I can hardly contain my exited giggles as I hurry into the seat. I daydream of notes passed to me with declarations of love, but all I get is: "How did you answer question number three?" But still, it's better than nothing. Again, I end up drawing the whole class. That is what I usually do. Slack off. Whatever. I don't really try and still am able to pull off B's, some A's, and the occasional C, or on rare occasions, D. Still, I get A's B's and C's on my report card. F's if you count gym, which I rarely attend. Hence, the F. After class, I hope on the way out that Louis will pull me aside and say something like: "hey, I saw your drawings, they are really good." or, "do you want to eat lunch together?" But sadly, nothing of the sort happens. Next, I have English, which I also happen to have with Louis, but by the time I get there with David, the only seats that are left are two in the very back of the room. Very far from Louis. Some people might say I'm obsessed with him. I would say that I am obsessed with the idea of actually having a boyfriend and getting my first kiss... And other stuff (but not right away...). I know it sounds stupid and horny- so I haven't told anyone- but it's really just the fact that after seeing so many movies where the guy kisses the girl at the end, I want that girl to be me. I don't want to be innocent, or to be that girl in 12th grade that tells you that she's never kissed a guy before. I know everything- sometimes probably more than I should- but I've never done any of it, and it makes me feel even more innocent that at 6 years when I was blissfully unaware. Maybe that's why I fell for bad guy Lucifer. Because he's probably done it all before. I focus my eyes on what I am drawing on my paper for the first time this class, and realize with a start that I drew a perfect detailed picture of the back of Louis. You can see the waves in his black hair, how it curls into wisps at the nape of his neck, the strong, firm muscles that seem to be trying to bust out of his tight t-shirt. It looks like an exact copy. I see David lean over the side of his desk to see what I drew- he likes looking at my drawings- but I cover it with my arm and shake my head. I'm pretty sure he knows about my crush on Louis, so what's the big deal? Is it that I'm embarrassed that I drew him? I don't think so. David's seen me draw him before. Sometimes I even draw David. I think that a see a hurt look cross his face for a moment, but before I can make sure, it is gone. I stare at my drawing for the rest if class. It's the best I've ever done. Ever. And that is really saying something. I am the best artist in my class. I'm not bragging, just stating a fact. It looks as if I took a black and white picture of the back of Louis' head and printed it out onto lined paper. It's that good. But no matter how realistic it looks, there is something off about it. They both look exactly the same, but there is something different with the drawing. But I can't help but think, the one that's off is the real life one.
Later at lunch, me and David sit at a table by ourselves. I guess that you could say that we aren't exactly popular or anything, but the truth is that we have lots of friends. We just would rather sit by ourselves. Sometimes we talk about anything and everything, and sometimes we don't talk at all, and I sit and draw while he reads a book. I glance at him. He sits in his chair with one leg crossed over the other, the book on his lap. His brown hair blocks his eyes from my view, but I don't need to see them to know what they look like. A brown. Not like mine or Louis' (which are so brown they are nearly black), but and lighter brown speckled with gold and bronze. He has muscles too. Not too little, not too much, but just the right amount for David. Hey, I won't lie. He's hot. Like really hot. But he was the first friend I had here, and when I came in 5th grade, I didn't need a boyfriend. I needed a friend. So no, I don't think of him in "that way", but that's because I think of him as my brother. And I don't date my brothers. Except for that one time when I was like 5 and my little brother- Oliver- was 3 and we had a pretend wedding. But that doesn't count. Plus, we got a divorce within five minuets when we got into a fight about who got to throw the bouquet. So I stare at David's face and I know he knows that I'm staring but I don't really care because I'm drawing him and he's used to it. When I'm done I show it to him and he nods in approval. "Great job, Ceta. Seriously that's your best one yet." That's because you haven't seen the drawing of Louis."You could get an art scholarship with that stuff. Well, you know. If you got better grades." I shoot him a look. "Don't say that." I tell him. "It's not like your doing any better." I snap. Ignoring the fact that that is totally not true. He just shakes his head but doesn't correct me. We both know who's smarter here. Him, incase you were wondering. Maybe I could get more A's and fewer B's if I tried more, but I can't and even if I could I wouldn't want to. I will get into a decent collage with my grades, and my parents are paying my tuition anyways. I continue to add to my drawing for the rest of lunch. After that, it's gym. So that means I skip it while David, being the star-student he is, goes to the class. I walk out of the school and into the courtyard that is around the back. It contains a basketball court, a tennis court, a volleyball court and a baseball field. Plus a big grass field and there is the indoor gym too. I sit on a bench and take out my sketch pad. Time for some real drawing. I draw the two men playing one on one basket ball, one dribbling while the other stands between him and the hoop with his hands up, making him look like a star. When I'm finished I hold it back and stifle a gasp. The drawing is amazing. I feel as if it comes alive on the page, the basketball player dribbling, then faking to the right, then sprinting left, approaching the hoop, jumping, DUNK! I shake my head. I'm loosing it. "Nice drawing." The voice behind me makes me jump. "What the hell?" I squeak, turning around to find Louis not two inches from my face. I can feel my cheeks turning bright red to match my hair. I swallow, then say in a shaky voice, "Um... Wha... What are you doing?" He flushes and straightens himself up, wiping his hands on his pants as if they were dirty. Hey, maybe they are. "Oh, uh sorry." He looks awkward and uncomfortable for the first time I've ever seen him. There is a tense silence that settles over us that has to be the single most awkward moment of my life. Then he brakes it. "I like to draw too." He blurts out, saying it like its a terrible secret he's revealing to me. "Oh, really?" I did not know that. "That's really cool. Are you good?" I ask. He frowns. "Not as good as you." Another one of those half smiles that make my cheeks burn and my insides melt. "Well,"I start, because this is it, what I say now will map out my future with him,"I would like to see your drawings sometime." I gulp. His eyes widen once they understand what I am throwing out there. "Well, maybe you could, uh, come over and see them sometime." He says, and my heart leaps. "Yes. I'd love to." He smiles, and a look of relief seems to sweep across his face. For the rest of the gym period I show him some of my other drawings. I don't show him the ones I drew of him. When the period is over, the vulnerable look on his face disappears. I am going over to his house tomorrow night. As I walk into school for my next class I don't feel like screaming or doing a happy little jig. All I feel is extremely nervous. I walk into my science class, and for once in my life, I am not 100% ecstatic to fin that Louis is in it. I am only 98%. The other 2% is full on pure nail biting frantic tenseness. There is only one seat left. Between David and Louis. Gulp. Both look up at me when I approach the seat. I give them a weak smile and slide into the desk. I can feel both their stares boring into the side of my head but do not return either of them. For once I do not draw at all. I stare strait ahead. Suddenly everyone stands up. I didn't hear the bell. Confused, I look around, then I realize that we are doing a lab. I look on the board for my partner, and see that it's David. Someone is giving me the sheet. It says, Life Cycles of Stars. Great. REALLY exiting. That's 12th grade Science for you. I walk over to David and sit down. As we work through the lab, I notice that him composure is stiff and awkward, which is odd because we are always so comfortable near each other. Well, if he wants to tell me he will, but I'm not going to dwell on it because I have my own problems. But instead of moping in a pit of self-pity, I focus all of my attention onto my lab. Why am I even sad? Shouldn't this be the greatest day of my life? This is what I've wanted since I moved here in 5th grade. "I want this, I want this," I tell myself over and over again, but the queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach argues otherwise.
We finish the lab all too soon, and the part of my brain that had had something to do now didn't have a distraction anymore, so I felt more restless than ever. "This is insane," I tell myself, "It's just a guy." The rest of Science class is relentless torture. I try looking around the room, and subconsciously my eyes will rest on Louis, who will catch my eye, and then we both look away. I start to think of it as a game. Who ever can go without looking at the other the longest wins, but technically it's unbeatable because we can't stop looking at each other and whenever we meet eyes we turn away. This goes on for what seems like forever, until the bell rings and I find myself practically sprinting out the door. We can't keep doing this; running away from each other. What kind of relationship would that be? I take a deep breadth, I should go talk to him before I chicken out. I turn around and, BAM! I run smack into Louis' chest. For the brief moment that I am pressed against him, I- oddly- get a whiff of his smell. He smells like lavender and oranges. And the sound he mades sounds something like: "Umf!" and I gasp and then step back and then we are all standing there really quietly. Suddenly I have both the urge to jump out of an open window while insanely screaming, but since there is not an open window nearby I settle for something else. "Hi." I smile very pleasantly, as if moments ago I wasn't just smelling him. "Uh, sorry about that." He clears his throat. "Oh no it's fine I wasn't looking where I was going. My fault." he apologizes. That's so sweet that I can feel a blush creeping onto my face already. Why do I blush so easily? It sucks I can't do a poker face. I watch his face as the corners of his mouth turn up into a smirk. "Well I'll see you later, I guess." I say, stepping aside and starting to walk down the hall. "Wait, Cet." I stop, and turn around to face him. "Yes?" I bite my lip. "I was wondering if I could have your number? You know for… Um… In case you can't find my house tomorrow." He smiles weakly. "Ok." I say-hopefuly calmly- inside I am screaming: "Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!" I am so happy right now. He even gives me his number too. Lucifer Miles. It looks so good programed into my phone. Okay, sometimes I am such a girl. "What do you have next?" I ask, hoping I don't sound too desperate. "Oh, uh, Art." he smiles, "You?" "Omg me too!" I say, a little too excitedly. He chuckles. "Well," he holds out his arm, "allow me to escort you."