"Look! Look! There he is!" Jenna squealed excitedly.

And loudly.

I managed to tackle her into a nearby bush before the boy noticed either of us. She struggled as I held her down, watching as he disappeared around the corner before pulling back. She came up sputtering, red hair littered with various twigs and leaves as she turned to glower at me.

"Maddy what the hell was that?" she demanded through slanted brown eyes.

I ignored her, stepping out of the prickly shrub and offering my hand. She grasped it and I began to tug her upright—when she abruptly yanked me back down, nearly ripping my arm from it's socket. The breath was knocked forcibly from my lungs as I hit the ground face-first.

"Ow!" I moaned, body throbbing, "What the hell was that?"

Jenna shushed me.

"Arianne and her minions just passed by," she explained in hushed tones, "And if she caught us climbing out of a bush we'd be the school's biggest joke!"

Our eyes widened simultaneously with horror, but for completely different reasons. Jenna's biggest fear was being a social outcast. She cared what others thought of her and was always following the latest trends and wearing the hottest clothes. I on the other hand, hated being noticed.

Any sort of attention was bad in my book.

Attention brought expectations, and expectations brought failure. It was a never-ending cycle. I was perfectly content with being the invisible girl no one knew existed, which is pretty hard considering I lived next door to The Seth Clearwater. Being linked to that boy, no matter how loosely, was an instant attention grabber, and is also why it's my biggest kept secret. I doubt even Seth knew I lived next door to him, which was all fine and dandy to me.

We silently waited until the blond and her horde of squealing followers were gone before emerging out of the brush, scattered in shallow cuts and debris.

"My hair!" Jenna wailed, fingering the tangled strands, "Gosh Maddy, why'd you have to go all postal and shove me in a bush!"

My eyes narrowed at the distressed girl.

"Because you were trying to get Seth Clearwater's attention!" I accused.

She rolled her eyes at that, but didn't deny it.

"You can't be invisible forever," she pointed out, then grimaced at a particularly stubborn twig.

I batted her hands away, easily removing the unwanted item.

"Not forever," I corrected, plucking at another stick, "Just until high school ends."

She scoffed and I shot her a curious look.

"What?"

"Good luck with that," she snorted, "You're really cute Madds, some guy's bound to notice you eventually. It's a mystery to me why none have approached you yet."

I smiled a secretive smile.

"Because I'm a pro at what I do," I stated smugly.

Little did I know, that was all about to change.

"New partners!" Mrs. Jewls announced as the entire class (excluding myself) groaned. It didn't really matter to me who I was paired with as long as it wasn't someone that would draw any attention my way.

The middle-aged women seemed to enjoy the reaction, grinning sadistically as she stuck her hand into the little blue tray and retrieved two tiny slips of paper.

"Mariah Hautner and Dustin Young," she read.

A blond boy at the back of the room gave the guys around him high-fives while a freckled girl at the front crossed her arms in a clear pout. I'm guessing she wasn't his biggest fan?

"Tom Tucker and Alex Brady."

The two boys to my right bumped fist, clearly liking the outcome.

"Madeline Mitchell and Seth Clearwater."

My whole body stiffened.

Did she say-was I- are Seth and I partners.

There was a mummer of confusion amongst my classmates, all wondering who this 'Madeline Mitchell' was and why they'd never heard her name before.

"It's that girl with the really long black hair!" someone shouted and I found myself mentally cursing them while also making a note to get my hair cut.

I didn't hear Seth at all. He was probably too busy wondering why God had punished him by pairing him with such a loser. Not that I blamed him in the slightest.

It took Mrs. Jewls a couple more minutes to read off the rest of the names before instructing us to meet with our new 'lab buddies.' My body shook with nerves as I anxiously waited for Seth to approach me.

Oh god, everyone was staring!

I hated feeling like this. Vulnerable. I was suddenly very much aware of the leaves that scattered my hair and the fresh cuts gracing my cheeks and forearms. I probably resembled some sort of wild woman, and the feral expression I wore didn't help in the least.

"Umm, hey I'm Seth."

His voice being so close startled me and I shrieked, falling unceremoniously from my chair. The air was littered with snickers of amusement and I pointedly avoided Seth's eyes as he gently helped me back in my seat before taking his own. My skin still burned form his touch, he was scorching and I tried my best to ignore it, scooting my chair as far from his as the desk would allow.

"You okay?"

I nodded, still avoiding his gaze.

"You know…" he began after a moment's silence, "You look kind of familiar. Have we met?"

His inquiry stunned me so badly my eyes shot to his. Did he…recognize me?

His hazel eyes widened as he took in my features, examining every inch of my face as if it were a precious painting in a museum. My eyes mimicked his, trailing his brown skin along his shapely nose, defined cheekbones, over a strong jaw line and finally settling on his full lips. He was ruggedly handsome yet still possessed a boyish charm, something I found endearing. We sat like that for what seemed like hours before finally it became too much, and I dropped my stare to the wood of the desk.

He was shaking. I could feel it even from my end of the table and was instantly concerned. Was he alright? Was something wrong with him? The thoughts bombarded my mind without warning and I suddenly wondered why I cared so much. It was like within the moment our eyes met a bond was created. A new connection almost. But how could you have a connection with someone you hardly knew?

It was then that Seth raised his hand.

"Mr. Clearwater?" Mrs. Jewls acknowledged from her desk.

"C-can I be excused?"

The urgency of his tone didn't go unnoticed and she wasted no time writing him a pass.

He never did return to class.

A/n: Well? Please R&R!