It all started like any other Monday; getting up late, rushing to get ready for school, missing breakfast and being marked tardy. Chemistry was the worst class to have at eight in the
morning, especially with Mr. Roland! He was, no doubt, the strangest and strictest teacher on the entire campus; what, with his coke-bottle glasses, his ghostly-pale skin and his Irish red
beard that went from his sideburns all the way to his mid-chest.
As I sat down in my assigned seat next to the window, Mr. Roland handed out an assignment, about something we've never learned, no doubt. I sighed as I saw assignment. A full five
pages of chemical formulas and other crap like that. Stupid stuff really. I mean, when am I going to need to know how oxygen and helium react with boron? Honestly, it's not like I want to
become some Professional Chemical Reactionist or something. Who actually wants to learn this stuff willingly?
"Samantha?"
I was pulled from my day dreaming, and looked up at who had called my name, my gaze fell upon a boy I had never seen before; tall, muscular, deeply tanned skin and silky black hair. Very
attractive. Then I remembered that he had asked me something.
"Yes?" I said as I tried not to ogle.
"Your Samantha, right?" His voice was smooth as velvet with a hint of a foreign accent.
Wow. What a voice. "Umm, yes, that's me."
A wide grin spread across his face; "We're lab partners."
I couldn't help but smile in return.
He took his seat and turned to me, stirring up the air and wafting a smell so amazing my way that I inhaled deeply. Mmmm. I thought to myself as he turned towards me.
"I'm Blaine. I just moved here from Seattle." He reached out his hand towards me, and I reach towards it without hesitation. He smiled again as I took his outstretched hand. His skin felt
different, very smooth, soft. Almost like holding a kitten.
"Samantha," I said, introducing myself. "And I've lived here all my life."
"Oregon is really pretty in the spring, or so I hear. Is it?" His voice stunned me again.
"Depends," I laughed slightly. "Right in the beginning it's actually pretty gross because of all the melting snow, but it is very beautiful once it's all gone." I realized our hands were still
clasped. "Oh, umm, sorry" As I pulled my hand back, I felt my cheeks turn crimson. I generally don't blush because of boys, so this was odd.
Blaine was still grinning, and it suited his face perfectly. He ran his hand through his silken black hair. It was cut short and gelled into a haphazard nest of spikes. He turned to the front just
as Mr. Roland came to our desk. I was still admiring his face, so when he turned I noticed that he had an ear piercing on the top of his left ear. It was just a loop earring, but it had something
etched into it, but I couldn't see what. I made a mental note to ask him one day. If we ever became friends…
I felt something bump against my leg. I looked down and saw that Blaine's foot had nudged mine. I looked up at him, confused. He nodded slightly to Mr. Roland. I turned to face frontward.
"Miss Stalworth?" His nasally voice almost made me cringe.
"Yes, Mr. Roland?"
"What is the answer?"
I had obviously missed something while I was admiring my new lab partner. I looked at the board, hoping that it would give me the answer, but the equation might as well have been Greek.
I'm pretty sure that it might have been, too.
"45" I heard a velvety voice whisper.
I repeated it without hesitation, "45."
"Very well done, Miss Stalworth." He turned his questions elsewhere.
I turned to Blaine and he was also looking at me, an amused look playing at the corners of his eyes.
I breathed a sigh of relief, "Thanks for that. I was distracted."
"Anytime." He sounded genuine. "So, what were you distracted by?"
Oh crap! What do I tell him? "Oh, I was just distracted by your gorgeous face. No big deal, I'll answer the question on my own next time." Hah! Yeah right. "I was, umm, looking at your earring."
Ugh. Way to creep him out on his first day. "It's really cool. What's etched into it?" So much for waiting till we became friends.
His eyes locked onto mine, and a sea of butterflies crashed into my stomach. He had the most beautiful eyes; an icy blue that turned into a frosty white around the edges. They contrasted
against his deeply tanned skin that just made him all the more unique.
"You're perceptive." He smiled, reached for his earring, and handed it to me.
I reached to take it from his hand and, again, felt it's odd texture. It sent the butterflies crashing again. The ring looked like pure silver and was extremely lightweight. How odd. The
engraving was of a tiger, but with wings. It was something that I had never seen before.
"This is an unusual picture," I said, handing it back. "I've never seen it before."
He turned it around in his fingers, and looked thoughtful. He sighed, "It's sort of a family crest. It's been in my family since the 1600's. It's pretty ancient." He laughed slightly.
"That's cool. My family doesn't even have an middle names, never mind a crest." I laughed too.
"Mr. Oneida and Miss Stalworth, is there something that you wish to discuss?" Mr. Roland sounded perturbed.
I turned to face the front and, reluctantly, moving my eyes away from his gorgeous face. "No, Mr. Roland."
"Oh? Well then why all the chatter?" His beady eyes glared at me. I had an almost fully formed excuse in my head, something about Blaine being new and all. I took a breath to start my lie
and was cut off by the velvety voice.
"We were discussing the fact that the equation that you have just written on the board is incorrect."
"That isn't possible, Mr. Oneida." Yet he turned around to check anyway.
I looked at Blaine with confusion written on my face. He just winked and the edges of his mouth twitched, as if fighting off a smile. I felt my cheeks grow warm and quickly made my straight
copper hair act as a curtain between us.
"By Jove, Mr. Oneida, you are correct! Well done, and I'm sorry that I was so quick to judge." He was a tad miffed by Blaine's correction, but continued to drone on about gases and solids.
I was, quite frankly, shocked. No one had ever corrected Mr. Roland.
"H-how did you know that?"
"We already covered this at my old school," He shrugged nonchalantly, "I guess I'm just farther ahead, that's all."
The bell tolled and, oddly, I was reluctant to leave. I sighed quietly.
Blaine looked up at me after packing up his books and asked what class I had next.
"English, with Mrs. Benson. You?"
He smiled and I noticed how perfect his teeth were. Of course they're perfect, they have to match the rest of him don't they?
"Same."
My heart nearly jumped out of my throat. All I could manage was to smile and nearly faint. Wow, I must like him, a lot. I thought to myself. No duh, Sam! I contradicted myself.
"Shall we?" He took my hand and I felt electricity charging its' way through my veins. He walked me to class and we, again, spent all class talking. When the Mrs. Benson asked me a question Blaine would help me out, and when he was asked, he answered it flawlessly.
We found out that we actually had all of our classes together, even lunch. I was elated.
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