"Can I borrow your red lead pencil?"
Lydia looked up from her art and stared at the boy in front of her. "What, you don't have your own?"
The boy smiled, revealing pearl white teeth and dimples in his cheeks. "Broke it. See?" He held up his lead as evidence. "I was wondering if I could sit with you and get you to help me with my picture? I couldn't draw if my life depended on it."
Lydia frowned before pushing out the chair in front of her with a foot. He beamed, taking a seat in front of her. As Lydia glanced at his drawing, she saw that his stickman was holding some kind of stick in his hands, and there was some sort of net standing next to him. She scoffed, prompting him to look up at her.
"What? Are you laughing at my drawing?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Lacrosse? Seriously? Of everything you could've drew for the project?" Lydia smirked and shook her head. "I'm doing a masterpiece. I'm recreating the Mona Lisa with neon colors. You, on the other hand...stickmen?"
The boy shrugged. "I can't draw. I thought we were over this already?" He smiled and stuck out his hand. "I'm Jackson. Jackson Whittemore."
Lydia glared at him, but eventually took his hand. "Lydia Martin. You new here at Beacon Hills Middle School?"
Jackson smirked. "Yep. Just moved here over the weekend. You?" He slid the red lead pencil over the table towards her, a white toothed smile on his face the entire time.
Lydia blushed. Jackson was really cute. He had a boyish look to his face and spiky blonde hair with these incredibly blue eyes that seemed to look right through her. She looked away and twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "No. I was born and raised here."
Lydia finally found the courage to look at him.
"Cool. I just got out of foster care, thank god. It's hell jumping from home to home all the time..."
"You're...adopted?" Lydia whispered.
"It that a problem for you? Do you Beacon Hills kids not talk to orphans like me?" He chuckled and pulled out a granola bar. "Whatever. I'll let you finish your masterpiece. I'm going to go somewhere else where I know I'm not wanted."
Lydia sighed heavily, leaning forward in her desk and gently taking his arm. He paused, looking down at her hand on his arm.
"Don't leave. Please. Stay with me."
Jackson looked down at her hand again and smiled. "Sure. I'll never leave you. Unless you ask me to leave you alone of course, then I'll gladly leave but-"
Lydia put a finger over his lips, and his blue eyes widened in surprise. "But do me one favor? Please shut up. Your voice is annoying me and I can't concentrate on my art project which is due next class."
Jackson smiled under the hold of her finger. "I can do that. Mind if I watch? I could learn a thing or two from the master artist herself."
Lydia blushed. "I guess you could. Pass me the blue?"
He handed her the blue, but held onto the lead as she tried to take it from him. "Ever have a boyfriend before?"
"Exuse me? I'm only 13! I'm too young!" Lydia tried hauling the lead from his grip, but he was amazingly strong. "Can you please let go? I have to finish this!"
He tilted his head to one side, looking directly into her eyes. "You have really nice lips. Can I kiss them?"
Lydia almost smacked him, but there was something about his tone of voice that caught her offguard. He was serious. His smile had disappeared and he was now staring at her with such intensity in those powerful eyes that she felt herself getting weaker. She released the lead from her grasp and her chair toppled back. She let out a yelp and fell over, and it wasn't long before Jackson was by her side, his expression shocked.
"Lydia! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" He took her hand and rubbed her palm with his thumb. "I didn't mean to-I'm so sorry. I don't listen very well. I'm so sorry-"
"I'm fine, Jackson. I really am-ouch..." She rubbed the back of her head and winced. "My head. I think I hit it..."
Jackson frowned. "Can...can I?" He placed a gentle hand on the back of her head, and the heat from his skin gave her shivers. She could feel him gently massaging the sore area, and soon the pain was gone. "Better?"
"Yeah. It is. Thank you..." She got to her knees and was looked up to see that she was face to face with Jackson. "Oh...I didn't think you were that close to me..."
Jackson hesitated before a smile crept up on his face. "We could be, you know. Close?" He brushed a strand of her red hair that fell into her face and tucked it behind her ear.
Lydia felt her face heat up and she giggled. "I barely know you..."
"So? We all start off strangers. It's up to us whether or not we want to get to know a person. And I certainly want to get to know you." Jackson sighed before placing a quick kiss on her lips and getting to his feet. "I'm sorry. I have to go. I have to...go somewhere else."
Lydia watched him leave and touched her lips in awe. As she was picking up her chair, she noticed two red pencil leads on the ground, which must have belonged to Jackson. Her lead was on the table with 'Lydia' written on it. She picked them up, smiling at the clever plan Jackson had come up with. Holding two leads in his hands, one face one way and the other lead vice versa, he made it look like it was broken just so he could come over and talk to her. Clever.
She smiled again, continuing her art project and not even realizing the stickman she drew in the bottom corner of her easy 100%.