Oo Chapter One oO

I sunk low, back into my hard, uncomfortable desk. The heater behind me blew warm air across my neck, causing my hair to levitate and eventually become a blonde bush. I was tired, too tired for math. My eyes wandered around the class. It was the usual scene, everyone in their given places and their own personal habits. There was Ash, fumbling with his nails. He now looks up to try and grasp a clue of what Mrs. Bordeaux is doing. He looks so confused, so lost, so out of place…

"Hey, Ash." I quickly whisper to him, sure not to cause attention from Mrs. Bordeaux. She seemed too busy in an enthusiastic conversation about communism. He looked up, a bit surprised.

"Yeah?" His face turned beat red, draping a sea of color across his face.

"We're on page 587. Number 12."

"Oh, thanks. Thanks so much, really." His eyes are wide, showing expanded expression. I sigh, and go back to writing. Ash is so strange, yet so filled with talent. His hands can portray the most amazing pictures. Like me, he was an obsessed artist. I was constantly falling into another dimension, surrounded with shapes and lines, and designs never seen before by anyone. The pen would guide my hand, and my surroundings seemed to dissappear completely. It was extroadinary, it was an escape,--

" Harley," Oh crap. Mrs. Bordeaux. I scrambled to look up and shut my notebook. What the hell were we doing now?

"Yes?" I attempted to cover up my embarassment.

"Could you please answer number 14?" Her tone was annoyed, as usual. My eyes darted around the textbook, finally coming to the question. Biting my lip, I thought about how to begin the answer.

"uhhhh….ummmm….gee…uhhh…" I had not a clue what I was supposed to do.

"Ughhhh, Taylor, #7 please."

There I was, sunken to a new low within my class. It seemed like I could really care less about my schoolwork these days. Especially math; my enemy throughout the years. Despite my ability to be placed in the highest algebra class, I was failing. Completely, utterly, failing. And at this point in the marking period, my grade was going nowhere but hell.

Max is muttering under his breath again. He makes strange noises, and undescribable gestures with his hands. Its as if he is trying to figure something out, with great frustration. As he bites his zipper, he lets out a sound similar to a dying goat. I have never witnessed the death of a goat, but if I had, I'm sure that's what he would sound like. I glanced up at the clock. Thirty-five minutes down, ten slow ones to go. Math seems to drag on and on. Ash looks as if he could drop out of his seat at any second. I studied his face carefully. It had that kind of pinkish tint to it, the kind that I'd always hated. A mess of brown hair covered his head, draping over his forehead. Small lips with braces behind them. Half-shut blue eyes that were usually staring out into space, or focused hard on a drawing. He hardly ever smiles, I've noticed that. People are usually yelling at him, or making fun of him.

Within the past week, I had been considering something. It was a feeling that I was sure of, but unable to confess to anyone else. Out of, well, absolute embarrassment. After suffering from the impact of my last broken relationship, I sort of fell flat on my face. I held on to memories and hope far too long. Becoming desperate, I finally was able to let go of Him. Him meaning, Ryan, my last boyfriend. I'd rather not discuss, or even spend a second thinking about him now…it just hurts too much.

Before Mrs. Bordeaux could manage to let two words out, the bell rang and the class bolted out the door. Ash and I are the last stranglers, as of everyday. He gives me a quick, blank glance that looks so sad and empty. I knew that after Maddy's rude comment yesterday he was upset. It had been at the end of class, when Ash and I were talking as we were packing up. Maddy suddenly butted in by saying, "Harley, why the hell are you talking to him? Ewww…I mean, god he's so…" Before she could continue I gave her a look that said "I'm gonna kick your ass in two seconds." Ash rushed to turn and leave. He was pissed, and I can't blame him. No, he may not be the most popular guy in school. That doesn't matter at all to me. In the

the end,what matters is your personality, your interests, and your actions. I know exactly how it feels to be left out, kicked down to the ground with dirt shoved in your face, and to be labeled. And I hate those feelings.

Oo Chapter Two oO

Moving quickly down the ancient stairs of my school, I thrust open the steal door and strode out. The sunlight seaped onto my face and arms. It was the very beginning of March, where the preview of the upcoming spring weather is visible. Warmth was all around me, smiles, laughs, and kids chasing eachother down with muffled screams. An eighth grade couple give eachother one last loving lock of their eyes before they break their embrace. My eyes search around aimlessly as I turn on my MP3 player. Black, small, and able to give me the mesmerizing volume I need. And then…I see him.

Ryan looks straight at me. Not a small glance of mear accident. Its like his eyes have shot bullets directly into mine. I'm pinned, standing there on the sidewalk. His expression shows a depressed longing. For the past weeks, this is the only type of look he gives me. No longer do we talk anymore, for hours at a time. I don't believe we've spoken in two weeks. He's still standing there, staring me straight on. I take a hard swallow, only to find my mouth dry and my throat full of knots. I decide to give him my usual low glare. He doesn't deserve or need anything from me. Its his own fault for giving up, for confusing himself as well as me. Its his own fault that he couldn't listen to himself, and that he let his friends' pressure take over his decisions.

I weave my body around him, turning up the street towards my house. I can't let him affect me, I can't let him take control over my concentration. But he was there. His face trapped inside of my mind. Unable to break free and end all torment. Make it stop, make him go away.

"…Harley?" A wave of heat crashes over my heart, causing it to beat at a pace fast enough to explode. My face automatically turns red, I can feel all warmth stretching over my body like fire. I turn, but don't look at him right away.

"Yeah?" I try not to make my voice crack, but it does anyway.

"Harley…I'm…I don't know what to say to you. I…" He stops. Suddenly he begins laughing a little bit to himself. What the hell is he doing? He's so gorgeous. His dark brown hair flowing over his forehead, covering his eyes a little. His smile is amazing, his eyes are so blue, their outer rims golden. I just stand there, admiring him as the wind blows my hair around in a swirl.

"Ryan…its okay, just go on. I'm listening." Giving a small smile I step further towards him. Don't be so stupid.

Don't allow him to trick you again. You know what's coming, don't fall, don't be stupid.

He gives out a small sigh before continuing. "I am so, so incredibly sorry. You don't know how much. For…every negative thing I've ever said to you. You amaze me, Harley. In every possible way…and when I said 'I love you'…I really meant it…and-" Before he could finish I cut him off. At this point my body was pushed closely up to his, our eyes gazing into the other's. His face fell back into the same expression from the movie theater a few months back, his eyes slowly closing, and his lips pulling closer to mine. I felt the softness of his lips as we slowly meshed together. The warmth of his mouth connecting with mine. His arms moved around my body, stopping to rest around my hips. He held me tighter as I pulled my arms around his neck, pulling deeper into his kiss. We'd missed eachother a lot…and we could finally show eachother that.

Minutes must have gone by, as we stood there in eachother's arms. Our kiss finally came to a slower pace, until we pulled away. Ryan continued to hold me though, as we stood there, staring into eachother's eyes. He looked so happy, as if this is what he'd wanted all along. He wanted to be with…me. And although I'd successfully hid it from my friends, this is what I had wanted too.

"I love you," I managed to make out the three words, resting my forehead against his. The world was still whirling around us, but we stayed there frozen in time.

"I love you too," He spoke with such a softness in his voice, I could cry. This couldn't really be happening. I loved him, goddammit. Ryan slowly took my hands in his, and started to speak again.

"Harley," He made sure to stare directly into my eyes. "Please forgive me. You mean so much to me, and when I'm without you, I'm just not myself. Everytime I see you, my heart begins to scream, and I feel like such an idiot. This time I swear, I won't give up. We can do this, we can fight. We can do it together, I know we can. And if everyone decides to leave us, it won't matter, because we'll still have eachother." A tear slowly ran down my cheek, seeping into my cold skin. I don't think I've ever been this happy in my life. I let myself squeeze him closer, resting my head on his shoulder. This was the new beginning. The past could finally be erased. Ryan and I put together the chords that created a song that played forever.