He was staring again. I smacked a piece of gum and turned to meet his gaze. His eyes changed color, a blue- green. He raised a hand, as if to say hi.
I smiled in response. He snickered, his hands returning to his pocket, but not before I caught the string of blue light that crackled in the air.
I may have been a new student, but I was not blind. I had been in class only ten minutes. That was how long it had taken me to conclude that Jamie Lance had a secret. Heck! I had a secret too. A big secret.
As the new student, I was the topic of everyones discussion. But, no-one had approached me. Was I really that scary? But, it was understandable. If I was just a normal person like them I would be scared of me too. There were rumors that I had been expelled from boarding school. These rumors included me being strong and athletic, arrogant, and part of a trouble-making gang. Its funny, how far off the mark they are. Plus, the fact that I'm beautiful makes my class mates add some flavor and deceit.
Eyes burrowed in my back from all directions of the class. I snapped another bubble.
I had noticed that when I snapped a bubble the teacher would freeze in mid-sentence and wince. I think I finally had reached his limit.
"Ms. Cherise! I'm being tolerant because you are a new student. However, by now you must begin to consider this schools Student Code. Gum may be chewed but if it disturbs a class, it will be confiscated. Am I clear?" His voice made interesting sounds gruff and squeaky at the same time.
I had watched one of those teen drama's a few days ago. The girl in it, when the teacher had asked her if she understood, she had smirked. That is how I decided to respond to this teacher. I gave a smirk and blowing a bubble that deflated silently, leaned forward.
"Crystal. Will do teach." I declared, leaning back in my chair and crossing my legs.
The teachers eyes narrowed in displeasure and suddenly there was a low murmur of conversation. Out of mild interest I changed the frequency of my mind.
"So brave!" That came from the front of the room. "She challenged the G! What guts!" Probably one of those jocks sitting by the window. "So annoying!" My eyes sought the culprit of that thought. It belonged to a thin girl whose brown hair was chin length. She was holding a book on her desk staring at it. I left her alone. She was just one of those book worms who wanted to get everything done quickly.
"Don't tell me, I got another student with a bad attitude!" That thought belonged to Mr. Gearman.
Relief settled in me and I settled back into my seat, turning my attention to the paper on my desk. A smirk fell across my face as I looked at the paper. This was easy compared to my previous school. Good. Life here would be a breeze.
"Ms. Cherise!" Mr. Gearman's voice startled me. "Please, come up to my desk." There was a satisfied look on his face, he had gotten his revenge.
I slid out of my seat, bringing my worksheet with me and walked up to the desk. I could feel the stares and almost hear the teasing chuckles.
I looked up at Mr. Gearman expectantly. Waiting for him to relay his message to me.
He surveyed me over the rim of his glasses, I watched as his face flushed slightly. "Too young for me." Hearing this thought, I grinned.
The room was so silent that you could have heard a cell-phone ring. Which I think I did hear one. But, Mr. Gearmans complete attention was on me. "Zara Cherise, as a transfer student you're going to have to work hard to catch up with your class mates. There won't be anytime for leisure.
I stared at him. "Really? Well, I already finished one of your packets. Is there some more work that I need to do? Since, you know, I do need to catch up with everyone else?" I commented slyly.
Mr. Gearman stared at me. I think I must have angered him because his eyes were blazing.
"Look, I don't need a student with attitude. I need a hard worker." His eyes followed me as I averted my eyes to the paper in my hand. He stopped talking, waiting for me to to look up at him again.
I sighed and handed him the packet that he had passed out.
His hand lingered on the paper as he stared down at it. I ducked down. "Is it to your liking?" I asked softly.
Mr. Gearman gave a weary sigh. "Please, don't chew gum in my class anymore." He muttered.
I smiled. "Understood." I said, turning around and walking back to my seat.
The class settled back into its low murmur of voices and I relaxed into my seat. There was the sound of clattering as someone walked past me and up to the desk.
"What now, Gramps?" The smooth voice filled the room and the class fell into a small silence.
Mr. Gearman looked up from his desk. "Don't provoke me, Mr. Lance." "This guy. He chooses the worst moments. How am I supposed to get back my original power? With a girl like that and a troublemaker like this? Why me?"
Unable to resist, I glanced over at the front desk. Jamie Lance leaned over the desk, the palm of his hands on the hardwood surface. He was taller then average and the tail of his oxford shirt was untucked. I observed a piece of his blue tie jutting out of his pocket. I couldn't help but stifle a chuckle.
Mr. Gearmans eyes darted to where I was sitting. He glared at me and I pretended to be writing something down. "Go back to your seat, Mr. Lance." He said stiffly.
I glanced up to find mischieve dancing in Jamies eyes. He had a grin which revealed the whiteness of his straight teeth. I heard girls sigh in bliss.
"Kay gramps." His hands slid back into his black uniform pants and he slowly strolled past me. What happened next, was not an accident. The contents of my bag spilled out. I peeked down at the floor and then up at the cause of the mess.
"Pick it up." I said softly, making sure that I had his attention.
A light flickered across his face and he chuckled. "You going to help? It is your stuff. I might accidentally take something of yours." He lowered himself to the ground and began to gather my things. The bell for the next period decided to ring.
Straightening he handed me my bag. "Sorry, sometimes I'm just a clutz." He slid his hands back into his pocket and I saw the blue string of electricity again.
"I doubt that very much." I said in my most candid way.
His eyebrows raised and he gave another chuckle. I got a good look at him. He had the kind of messy light brown hair that fell over his eyes. A certain sloppiness that made him seem more relaxed than anyone.
He leaned down as I got up from my seat and slung my bag over my shoulder. Instinct told me that he was studying my schedule for classes. I found an excuse to look around and check my watch.
He finally looked up from my schedule and I found myself staring into misty green eyes. I didn't know eyes could change color so much. "Not bad. Lillibeth Cherise, right? Doesn't Cherise mean cherry?" His voice was completely relaxed like the rest of him.
I looked up at him and gave one of my sweet smiles. "That's right. Lillibeth Estzara Cerise. My name means shining cherry." I said calmly, checking my wrist-watch again.
He finally picked up my hints. Calmly he picked up my schedule and grinned. "I'll take you to your next class. Its near mine." He said smoothly.
I wasn't bothered by his attention. It made me feel welcome. Someone had actually confronted me. Not just anyone, but the local easy-going trouble maker.
"Hey!" A voice called from the hallway.
Jamie looked up at the unfamiliar person in the hall way. "What?" He called
The stranger grinned and made a smooth gesture. "You coming?"
Jamie glanced at me and a grin appeared on his face. "Heck no! I'm taking Cherry to class."
His friend looked over at me than he gave Jamie a thumbs up and walked out of sight.
I looked up at Jamie again. "It's my first day here. So, I would really like to not be late." I said placing my hand on his back and pushing him out of the room. For a moment Jamie was startled but in the door way he stopped and held up his hands in surrender. "I can walk." He grinned.
I knew he could walk, but, he was going to make me late for second period. "Then walk." I ordered.
He gave a chuckle and reached his fingers around my wrist. "This way."
Odd waves of thrill raced through my hand and for a moment I lost all thought and was dragged behind him. When I finally did catch my breath, I had enough sense to free my wrist. The strange thrill ended and my wrist felt normal. I sent my gaze towards him, intrigued.
"What is your big secret, Lance? You do prefer being called Lance, right?" I asked mockingly.
He didn't stop walking but slid his hands back into his pocket, letting another one of those dazzling smiles spread across his face. The smile made the rest of Jamies face appear more pleasant. Even making that natural mischievous expression, seem more friendly. "Too many questions!" He said, stretching his arms to the ceiling.