My charcoal pencil moves back and forth over my blank sketch pad. I've been sitting in front of the same boring pond for hours waiting for some kind of inspiration. Nothing, nothing has disrupted the surface of my bland thoughts. A thin woman in a hot pink jogging suit walks by me without giving me a sideways glance. I look at my watch, 6 am; I'll need to start heading home if I don't want my mom to worry. I throw my sketch pad and pencil into the large brown bag I use to carry my art supplies. Heading up the hill it feels as though the temperature has dropped at least ten degrees, along with the decrease in temperature there seems to be an ominous feeling in the air. I finally make my way back up to the street. The lighting is dim and there's not a car or person in sight.
"You shouldn't be walking out here alone."
The voice comes from behind me, yet I'm too afraid to turn around. I stop in my tracks, should I run, try and fight, or use the pepper spray my mom has made me carry around since I was fine.
"None of those are good ideas you know."
This person is basically breathing down my neck when he says this. I reach for my pepper spray, but his hand grabs my wrist before I can get a hold of the canister.
"Slow down Lei, I'm not going to hurt you."
What the hell. This nutcase knows my name. Stalker! Stalker! I have a fucking stalker!
"I know more about you than just your name, and I'm not a nutcase of a stalker."
Oh and he can read my mind that's just fucking great.
"You should really watch your language, cussing isn't very lady-like."
His hand is still firmly holding onto my wrist while the other is playing with my short light brown and blonde hair. He is going to rape me, I'm quite positive of it, and I'm not going down like that. He brushes my hair back behind my ear, and he whispers in a calming yet assertive voice, "I am Not going to rape you."
He spins me around still holding onto my wrist. He's tall with sparkling gray eyes and flawless skin, he is practically glowing. Wait, he is glowing a faint light is radiating from skin. He smiles down at me and his teeth are perfect, like he had worn braces for years. He chuckles and his laugh sounds like a jingling of thousands of tiny bells. Locking at him and hearing his voice clearly makes me almost feel silly for being afraid earlier.
"You should feel silly."
"Will you stop that! Just because your appearance makes me feel reassured and safe does not mean I trust you!"
"Lei, you should trust me."
"I don't know you. Who the hell are you? What do you want? Where did you come from? And how do you know my name?"
By the end of my rant I know I'm crying, because I cry when I'm mad, and right now I'm pissed off. His hand moves from my hair and brushes a tear from my cheek.
"My name is Justin and I'm your guardian angel."
Is he serious, how gullible does he think I am? I shove his hands off of me and start walking home.
"Don't follow me you stalker or I'm calling the police."
I turn back to make sure he's not following me. He's not, but part of me wishes he was. I check my watch again, 6:30, I spent too much time with that nutcase, and the only way I'll make it home now is if I run. I swing my bag over my shoulder and start running my feet slapping the pavement sounds like thunder in my ears. I reach my house a little while later and open the back door as quietly as possible. My heart is beating so loud I swear it will wake up the quiet little neighborhood in which my mother and I live. We have lived here since my father left us when we still lived in New York. My mom said that that apartment reminded her too much of my father, so she packed us up and moved us to super sunny California. She decided that living in San Francisco would be the best in order for me to go to a preforming arts school. I creep up the staircase and into my bedroom. I shut the door and let out a sigh of relief. A hand clamps over my mouth and I don't even have to look to know that it's that nutcase. I bite down on his hand.
"Owww that hurts you know."
He lets go of my mouth and just as I'm getting ready to scream he clamps his other hand over my mouth.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Now if I let go of your mouth you promise you won't scream and you'll her me out."
I nod my head and he releases my mouth. I look at him and then take off towards the door. He steps in front of me and run right into his chest. He wraps his arms around me and I'm pounding on his chest trying to get away from him.
"Please calm down, I don't want to hurt you and I don't want anyone else to hurt you."
His voice is soothing and relaxing. He takes my hand and guides me to my bed. He sits down next to me and I stare into his eyes.
"Why are you stalking me?"
"I'm not stalking you Lei, like I told you before you ran away from me, I'm your guardian angel."
"You're not an angel, angels wear white robes and they have wigs and halos floating above their heads..."
"I'm a guardian angel, if I went around following you like that I'd get hit or be in prison."
"But can't you go invisible and follow me?"
"No, no I can't. I could however follow you in the spiritual realm but in order to actually take care of you I have to follow you here on earth."
"How long have you been watching me?"
"Since you were born, so sixteen years now."
"What do you want?"
He leans towards me so that his lips are rubbing against my ear.
"To protect you."
He moves back and I fully take in how handsome he is. His features are perfectly formed.
"Thanks, I think you're pretty perfect yourself."
"Will you stop that. I'm not a big fan of you being able to hear my personal thoughts."
"Sorry, can't help it."
He flashes me his amazing smile again, but wait is that a piece of spinach stuck in his teeth.
"What there is, I don't even remember eating anything with… oh, ha-ha not funny.
"I thought it was pretty funny."
"Justin."
"Yea."
"How have you been following me for all of these years without me noticing?"
"Well for one, humans are very aren't very observative, and two I can change forms."
"Wait, you can change forms!"
"Yea. You remember that woman you saw earlier, that was me."
"That's just weird."
Tap-tap-tap "Lei, who are you talking to in there."
"Jus…" I turn to look at him but he's not there.
"Lei, are you ok?"
"I'm fine mom, I was talking to myself."
My mom opens the door. I look nothing like my mother. She's tall and supper skinny. I'm on the shorter side of the spectrum and certainly not a size zero. She has long beautiful red-brown hair with freckles all over her caramel skin. Whereas I have short brown-blonde hair and my skin tone is more of milk chocolate color. She's beautiful; she used to be a model before she had me. She looks into my face and she can tell what I'm thinking about.
"It's not your fault; it's your douchebag of a father."
She takes my face into her hands and kisses me on my forehead.
"Now hurry up and get ready, you don't want to be late for school."
"Yes ma'am."
She walks out of my room and down the stairs leaving me alone in my room.
"You're not alone."
He wraps his arms around me and his lips are brushing against my ear again.
"You're never alone."
"You're starting to scare me you know."
He lets go, but spins me around to face him.
"Understand me Lei, you are never alone."
There's urgency in his voice I push him off.
"I have to go get ready, or my mom will have a cow."
"Go on, I have to get ready too. My first day of high school you know."
I turn around and walk towards the door my mind still turning over what Justin said 'you're never alone.' Well of course not, but the way he said it troubles me. I shower and wash my face, stepping out of the shower I wrap a light blue towel around myself and tie my hair back into a ponytail. I go back into my bedroom still dripping a bit of water, it's empty now, no hot guardian angel blocking my view of how messy it is. The bed is undone, and the hamper is overflowing with dirty clothes. My easel is dusty and has a picture of how I think Edward from Twilight should look. The walls are covered in drawings so that you can only see patches of the blue, green, and yellow paint of my walls.
"Lei! Are you dressed yet?"
"No, not yet!"
"Well hurry up I've gotta leave soon."
I go to my closet, now what to wear white polo shirt or a burgundy one. For a private arts high school my school doesn't leave much room for originality. I grab the burgundy shirt closest to me and a plaid, gold, and black skirt. On my way out I grab my side bag black high socks, high-tops, and a black tie. I run down the stairs tying the tie around my neck and attempting to put on socks.
"Awwww, don't you look cute Lei."
"Mom, you've seen me in the same uniform for the past two years now."
"But you still look adorable in it even though you're a Jr. now."
My mom pulls me into a tight hug. She brushes my bangs back behind my ear and kisses me on my forehead again.
"Here Lei, ten bucks for lunch."
"Thanks mom."
"You have your keys right."
"Yes mom."
"And for goodness sakes Lei, fix your socks. You want to look good if you meet any hot boys."
"Mom! Are you serious, what boy is actually going to look at my socks?"
"Well you never know."
She hands me a piece of toast and walks me outside to my black 1966 Volkswagen Bug.
"Have a good day sweetie."
I get into the car and loosen my tie and crank down the widows. The school is about six miles from my house, so I get to AAH (Academic Arts High) with plenty of time to spare. I go into the office and pick up my class schedule for the year. Spanish III, Pre-Calculus, Economics, AP Art, Dance, AP Literature, Jazz, and AP Drama.
"Cool, looks like we have three classes together."
The voice that speaks is unfamiliar, but it is enticing. I turn around and come face to chin with one of the hottest guys I've ever seen. He's tall with a thin muscly build, I can see his six pack through his white polo shirt. His hair is a sandy color and its medium length with curls, it looks like he just rolled out of bed this morning and that's how it came out. His skin is a perfect cream color drastically contrasting his extremely dark eyes.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to look at your schedule. Oh, and by the way my name is Daniel, I'm new here."
I shake his hand and they're really soft like he moisturizes everyday.
"Hi, I'm Lei."
"Oh, I know."
"What?"
"From your schedule."
I look into his eyes and something inside me is screaming that there is something very wrong with this guy, but who cares he's hot.
"So Lei, is it cool if I hang out with you for right now."
"Sure I was just going to go to the library to get my books."
"Oh, cool. I'll get mine too."
Daniel and I walk to the Library and check out all of our books, on the way he's asking me all kinds of things about myself.
"Hey Daniel, do you drive?"
"Huh? Yea of course, why do you need a ride later?"
"No I just thought you might want to put all of those in your car."
"Oh, yea right. Ok, well bye then."
"Later, see you in class."
I get to my car and there is Justin resting on the passenger side.
"What are you doing here?"
"I go here if you couldn't tell by my uniform."
I look down at his uniform; he makes even that look amazing.
"It does look good on me doesn't it? I like it more on you though."
He takes my books from me and sticks them in my car.
"So what classes do you have Justin?"
"Almost all the same ones as you, but, I couldn't manage to get three of your classes."
So do we have first period together?"
He takes my hand into his and we walk together to Spanish III. Let the New Year begin.