Click, click, click

Jerome Clarke sat on the couch in the Anubis house living room, furiously clicking his pen. He sat still, the buzz of the other residents moving around him made his head ache and heart beat faster. He'd been staring at the same biology problem for the past ten minutes.

Click, click

Welcome to Mara-land, population: Jerome!

Click, click

Mara

Click

Jerome suddenly snapped out of his haze and looked down at his blank sheet of paper. Since when do I do my biology homework? He thought as he ran a hand through his dirty blond hair. He glanced around the room studying the others; Patricia sat at the table, her headphones stuck out of her ears as she worked on her homework, a strand of gum was being twirled around her pinkie finger. Nina and Fabian sat at the other end of the table, glancing over a notebook and whispering fiercely. His eyes glanced over to Mara, sitting in the comfy chair near the door, her eyes looked down on the pages of the textbook she was studying. Her dark wavy hair hung slightly in her face and Jerome watched as her quickly tucked a piece behind her ear, not taking her eyes off her reading.

Click, click, click

"Dude, what is your problem?" Alfie suddenly plopped down next to him on the couch, swiping the pen and then giving him an odd look when he saw that Jerome had his biology textbook open. "Are you... doing your homework? For Sweeties class?"

"Yes Alfie, what else would I be doing after school?" Jerome exclaimed with an annoyed tone, secretly hoping Mara would hear his comment about doing his homework. She didn't even glance up from her textbook.

"Usually anything but your homework," Alfie said. "Dude you've been acting weird all day, it's not the aliens is it?"

"Alfie, no," Jerome shook his head. "Enough with the aliens, there are no aliens, alright. I'm just trying to solve this problem, that is all!" Jerome was stressed and suddenly he just wanted to be alone and think. He grabbed his homework and stormed out of the room and down the hall, leaving Alfie with a deflated look on his face.

Jerome slammed his door shut and chucked the text book on his bed and began to pace back and forth from Alfie's side of the room to his own.

Mara.

Her dark curls and her lively eyes. He had never noticed the way they crinkle when she smiles, or the way she lights up a room when she gives a little laugh. She was perfect, how had he never noticed her for her perfection before? Everyone thought Mara was perfect, and now Jerome was finally seeing her clearly.

The only problem was Mick. Meathead Mick. Jerome just couldn't understand what Mara saw in him, she was smart, studious and respectable and Mick was, well, he was athletic, Jerome would give him that. But Jerome was charming and funny and he could give her so much more then Mick could: candle lit dinners, the right amount of attention and he would never call her boring.

But at the same time he had a lot of baggage, he hadn't seen his father in years and his mother has such a busy job that she rarely has had time for Jerome or his sister since they were very little kids. No one really knew that side of Jerome, even Alfie didn't know the whole story. What would she think?

She would probably think nothing of it, he thought quickly and then shrugged that off. She was Mara, Mara who over analyzed everything, of course she would think something of it. At least he had the campaign and the few days of Mick being gone. Talking without boundaries had been great, getting to know the real Mara, not the Mick-crazy, cheater and jealous girl he had seen over the term.

Jerome stopped pacing, sat down on his bed and slumped over, he just couldn't get Mara out of his mind, it was useless obsession, she had Mick now and judging by the way they looked at each other if he tried to interfere he would get no where. Jerome, as much as ladies man as he was, had never had a real girlfriend. Not counting the girl he had gone out with the previous Summer, which ended in disaster after one date.

A sharp knock at the door made Jerome sit up straight, he ran a hand through his hair and said, "Go away Alfie." The one thing that annoyed Jerome about Alfie was that he never got the hint that somebody wanted to be left alone.

"Um, if I'm not exactly Alfie, am I still not aloud it?" Mara.

"What? No," Jerome stumbled on his words. "Come in Mara."

She slowly opened the door and walked in, examining the room, cringing slightly at the pile of dirty laundry Alfie had on his side. Jerome's side of the room was very tidy, he had cleaned it over the weekend and now mentally thanked himself for it.

"I can see you're very busy with your," She gave a sideways glance at the opened textbook that was now lying on the floor, "homework? Having trouble with biology?"

"No, not at all," Jerome said, a bit flustered. "just taking a mental break, you know how Sweetie is always telling us to practice all those new age homework techniques." He gave a strained smile, hoping she wouldn't cringe.

But Mara chuckled and gave him another sideways glance. "I just came in to thank you for all the help with the campaign, you really are the brains behind the operation after all."

Jerome felt tongue-tied but gave Mara a firm nod and said, "Just being friendly, I guess." Mara smiled.

"I'm supposed to help Trudy set the table for supper, so I should probably go," She nodded at the door.

"Of course," Jerome said, standing up and walking over to the door as Mara began walking out. "and Mara," He paused as she turned around. "I'm always happy to help."

"I realize that," She said, her eyes filled with gratitude. "now, at least."