Congratulations to Amanda Williams for answering my song question! She was the only one. Remembering Sunday is an awesome song by All Time Low, one of my favorite bands ever. Anyways, I give all you readers out there, althought there are only few ...CHAPTER TWO!! Whoo! Thank you everybody who subscribed! And those of you who reviewed (all five of you, lol), it means a lot. And please, I'm begging you, if you have the time to subscribe/favorite me, please leave me a review. I love getting them and it's quite impressive when you've got a lot, I must say! :D Anyways, enough of my babbling. Onto the story! Enjoy!
Chapter 2.
ACCIDENT
Gym should be illegal. It's humiliating.
The drive back to school was relatively quiet. Thankfully, Sebastian focused on his driving instead of my multiple horrified facial expressions. I shuddered to think of how disastrous next period would be for me normally, and the thought of Sebastian watching my every move like a hawk made the thoughts even less appealing.
Sebastian effortlessly glided into his previous parking spot and turned the engine off. In the eerie silence, he sighed and faced me.
"Time for Gym," he whispered, grinning at me.
My eyes widened in horror and I bolted out the door with my backpack in my hand. I heard his laughter while he closed his door and followed closed behind me.
"We never got our tardy slips, you know," I reminded him.
"I won't tell if you won't," he said, winking at me.
Wordlessly, we headed towards the Gym and I glanced quickly up to the sky. Dark, ugly clouds hung overhead, threatening a storm at any second. I was convinced it would rain sometime this afternoon; it was only a matter of time considering this was Washington state, but I was praying that a thunderstorm would magically appear in three seconds. Even despite rain, all of us would be forced to run a mile today. There's three words that can thoroughly describe Coach Riddell: tough as nails.
Sebastian and I parted ways at our separate locker rooms, and I hurriedly stripped out of my clothes and pulled on the embossed gray T-shirt and red mesh gym shorts that made up our P.E. uniform. The rest of the girls filed out as I was tying my laces, and I stumbled along behind them as we headed towards the track.
You see, running isn't exactly a hidden pleasure for me. I'm not terrible, but I'm leaning more towards the slower category. Coach Riddell ordered us to warm up by jogging a lap around the track first, and we congregated with the boys around the first turn.
I always hate that feeling where my legs turn to jelly before the real running even starts. I was silently cursing myself for not stretching before we began, and I resorted to blaming Sebastian.
Funny. I was doing that a lot today.
"What were you doing during second period?" Jodi asked, suddenly showing up beside me. She matched my pace with little difficulty.
"What do you mean?" I tried to concentrate on steady, even breaths while my brain focused on the ABC's.
She waited, as if there was something fully obvious that I wasn't understanding yet.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" I demanded.
"I saw you from in the library, Brooke. With your hands all over the new guy," she explained. I exhaled and tried to formulate an excuse that wouldn't create an explosion of gossip.
"Jodi, I--" I began.
"Brooke, relax. I haven't told anyone. I just want to know," she said. I instantly felt a large weight lift from my shoulders, and I sighed.
"Before I even met him, Sebastian drove by my house and splashed me this morning. I saw his car at school, so I confronted him about it and he just started talking to me more. But when you saw us, I was only feeling his forehead because his hand was so cold!" I explained.
Jodi opened her mouth to add something, but right then Sebastian passed us. My heart stopped when he turned around and winked at me before taking off again. Jodi clutched at my arm and squealed aloud, but my face was frozen in shock.
"Brooke, snap out of it," Jodi hissed.
I blinked a few times before returning to Earth. "What?"
"It's time to run," Jodi muttered. We slowed to a stop at the last turn and moved to the center of the track while we waited to be placed into groups according to our speed. To my complete dismay, Jodi and I were separated, and to my absolute shock, I was placed in the fast group. Even worse, I was in the same group as Sebastian.
"Excited about running?" he asked, flashing a wide smile at me.
I scowled at him. "Totally," I muttered sarcastically.
He chuckled. We stretched at the starting line for a few seconds before Coach Riddell blew the whistle and we were off. Surprisingly, I wasn't gravitating towards the back of the group.
Yet.
Sebastian synchronized his pace with mine and ran beside me, not having even broken a sweat yet. Meanwhile, I was panting by the first lap, rejoicing that I hadn't already tripped over my two left feet.
"Having fun yet?" Sebastian asked.
"Tons," I replied breathlessly. He remained at my side the whole time, seeming unfazed by the lack of cheering for him. Jodi applauded my efforts as we passed her, and I felt my endurance slowly disappearing. It was very refreshing when a light drizzle began to fall from the sky as opposed to plain cloudiness, and Sebastian laughed aloud when I sighed in relief.
Other students began to pass us, and I wondered why Sebastian hadn't deserted me yet. I glanced at him for a moment and envied his relaxed attitude.
"Aren't you tired yet?" I was surprised by my volume.
"Nope," he said, as if he was enjoying a personal joke.
I rolled my eyes and focused on my own strides as we finished up our third lap. I desperately did not want to finish last. Sebastian's even, light breaths were annoying me. How was it even possible to run a mile without your breathing patterns changing at all? That's just it--it was impossible.
His easygoing attitude was slowly causing my temper to flare. As we rounded the track and approached the finishing point, I pushed my legs as fast as I could go, and Sebastian did the same. We charged through and I gasped for air while I balanced my hands on my knees. While my eyes were on the ground, I saw two sneakers approach me and I glanced up, only to find that it was Sebastian to congratulate me.
My exhaustion disappeared and left something else in its place: anger. I pointed my finger in his face.
"Why aren't you tired at all?" I demanded.
He flinched back at my finger, then narrowed his eyes at me. "I suppose when someone is as slow as you, it's not that hard," he said coldly before he turned and walked away.
A mixture of hurt and confusion crossed my face while I turned on my heel and sat down beside a concerned Jodi.
"What happened?" she asked, glancing past me for a second towards Sebastian, who was standing by himself with a blank expression on his face. I wasn't sure if raising my suspicions about his lack of fatigue was such a good idea. Knowing Jodi, she would probably just assume I was in need of a nice dose of Midol and drop the subject.
I just shrugged. Jodi's group ran next, and I returned her cheers with forced exuberance. I wasn't even sure if it was Jodi's name I was cheering anymore as thoughts flooded my brain. I had a hard time focusing when someone's finger tapped my shoulder. I turned to face them and stifled back a groan at who it was.
"What do you want?" I grumbled.
Sebastian sat down next to me, his face completely serious like stone. "I'm sorry I said that," he said, his honesty audible in every syllable. I nodded slowly, not sure if there was anything left to say.
It remained silent until Jodi finished her last lap, and by then he had already left. I sighed to myself. Maybe I was wrong; Gym was more depressing than exhausting. Jodi accompanied me to the locker room, firing questions about Sebastian at me the whole time.
"Jodi, can we please change the subject? I would love to go one minute today without anybody mentioning him," I said, balking her from questioning me any further.
Her face fell a bit and we changed in silence. A twinge of guilt struck me, but I tried to ignore it. I still hadn't shared that we'd had breakfast together, figuring it would spread across the entire school like the common cold. I could hear it now: "What was that boring girl doing with him?"
If I had any hope of surviving my last year-and-a-half at this school, I would have to do so with a good reputation and a low profile. Jodi quickly forgave me and began to dive into a conversation she'd had with Tobin Noel, a handsome Senior, and her object of affection as of two hours ago. I laughed with her as she explained her first conversation with him, which took place after she accidentally ran into him and scattered both of their books everywhere.
Feeling a sudden wave of honesty wash over me, I confessed everything about our little breakfast adventure. Jodi looked so immensely shocked for a few seconds that I wondered if she'd seen a ghost, but then a loud, shrill squeal erupted from her throat and she hopped up and down around me. Her sudden psycho outburst caused all of the girls around us to stop and stare, and I felt like I had "STUPID" stamped across my forehead.
"He likes you!" Jodi said exuberantly.
I stared at her skeptically.
"I'm serious, Brooke. Come on, you don't honestly think that he would follow you around so much if he doesn't like you," she said, questioning my sanity.
"Um, that's exactly what I think. Sebastian is so...gorgeous. And I'm so lame!" I cried, collapsing onto a bench beside me. Jodi groaned and took a seat beside me.
"Brooke, I love you, but these self-esteem issues that you have are really starting to make you delusional," she said. I rolled my eyes and looked away unseeingly, but she made me face her again.
"Brooke, I'm completely serious," she said firmly. "You're smart, you're funny, and you're much prettier than you give yourself credit for. Trust me on this. I'm your best friend, Brooke. I wouldn't lie to you about this."
I sighed, still not fully convinced. "I guess you're right."
"I am," she confirmed. "Now let's get out of these sweaty clothes before we knock someone out," she suggested, laughing. We laughed for a few minutes straight while we changed, and then she wished me good luck before she raced off, only supplying a short explanation about how she had to cross the entire campus in a matter of three seconds. I paused as I stepped out of the girls' locker room to retie my pathetic ponytail when I felt cool breath tickling my neck. I turned hesitantly and ignored how my heartbeat kicked into overdrive.
"Hello," Sebastian murmured.
"Hi," I said uncomfortably, my arms dropping to my sides once my ponytail was redone.
He chuckled. "I couldn't resist sneaking up on you again. It's much too fun."
I rolled my eyes. "Maybe for you."
"Admit it, you love the things I do to you," he taunted, his eyes teasing. I resisted the burning urge to jut my tongue out at him like a bratty baby and decided that sarcasm was the better way to go.
I sighed. "You caught me. I am madly in love with you!" With the delivery of those last words, I clutched his collar and brought him close to me. It was only lighthearted cynicism, and yet I could feel my stomach tie into a thousand knots at his closeness. His golden eyes smoldered as they gazed into mine, and before the stare became too intense to bear like this morning, I released my grip on him and took a step back. Had I gone a little too far?
To my relief, he laughed. Was I the only one who felt that aching in my abdomen when I came too close to him? Did my nearness have absolutely no effect on him at all?
"For a second there I almost believed you," he said, interrupting my thoughts that never seemed to shut up. The fluorescent exit sign at the gym doors flew past us as we burst through them and into what we were all aware was pouring rain. I followed Sebastian as we headed under the roof of South Building.
"Only in your dreams would I be madly in love with you," I retorted, our faces only inches apart.
"I'm afraid the proper term would be 'nightmare'," he corrected.
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Very funny," I muttered.
He laughed and bounded off into the rain, seeming completely indifferent to the sheeting rain. I was embarrassed to find myself staring after him, but quickly shrugged it off. It's not like my mind hadn't been consumed with him all day, why not my eyeballs?
I massaged my temples with my fingers and closed my eyes, silently imagining myself into my happy place. I didn't get to spend much time there before I was dragged back down to Earth, and into English class.
"Brooke Dessen!" Ms. McDaniel said loudly.
I opened my eyes and sat up. "Yes?"
"Pay attention. This isn't Yoga 101, so stop meditating in your little corner over there and concentrate on me," she snapped. I figured that my little ditching fiasco would cause me enough detention, and biting Ms. McDaniel's head off with an excuse nobody would give the time of day to wouldn't help anything. I gnawed on my lip to prevent a stream of profanities from spilling out and sank into my chair, staring at the dry erase board unseeingly until I was saved by the bell.
The cafeteria didn't hold any more comfort than the rain did, seeing as I usually sat at a table with a few acquaintances that hardly even acknowledged my existence. I waited in the lunch line and settled for a small salad since my appetite was near nonexistent thanks to breakfast à la Sebastian.
I exhaled, awaiting another monotonous lunchtime, when I heard a familiar voice call my name from across the cafeteria. To my absolute horror, the majority of the lunchroom turned to gape at me, and I wanted to sink into my shell and die. I reluctantly made my way towards the table where a pleased Sebastian sat by himself. I hadn't even imagined that he might have the same lunch as me, but it didn't come as much of a relief, more as a minor annoyance.
"Thanks a lot," I muttered.
"I can leave..." he offered, standing up.
"No, no!" I exclaimed, gripping his rock hard arm and yanking him back down into his seat. That would be completely embarrassing for him to desert me after that little stunt he'd just pulled. He smirked at my obvious desperation, but remained where he was.
"Not hungry, huh?" he asked, gesturing to my salad.
"Not especially. How about you?" I countered.
He made a face, then looked down. "I'll pass for now."
I rolled my eyes. "Of course you will," I muttered under my breath. I was positive he couldn't hear me, no human ears could, but he perked up after I'd said it, then innocently shifted his gaze downwards again. How on Earth could he have heard that?
I quickly shrugged the thought away. Was he anorexic or something? That was the only logical explanation that came to mind. All the teenage boys I knew stuff their faces like food is going extinct.
"I have the feeling that detention is in our future," I said finally.
"Yes, I suppose," he sighed.
I just nodded absentmindedly, uncaring that I probably seemed like the most uncoordinated creature next to his godliness. It seemed we were both lost in thought, and I poked my salad around with my fork inattentively.
"I have no regrets, though," he murmured.
My God, was he always so frank?
"Um," was all I could manage.
He chuckled. It was if I could feel every pair of eyes boring into my back, judging my every move harshly. Sebastian's eyes were so penetrating that it was hard to look into them for too long. I stared down at my salad and refused to look his way for the rest of lunch. As soon as the bell rang, I sprung out of my seat and dumped my relatively untouched salad into the garbage before I headed back into the halls. In my haste to get to class, I didn't even notice that I had to run back to North building and was caught by Mr. Krauss.
"Ms. Dessen!" he shouted.
I turned reluctantly and cringed. "Yes?"
"Where's that tardy slip for missing my class?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "You were gone an awfully long time."
"Yes, I was," I agreed, clenching my jaw to hold back my sarcasm. I intentionally dodged the first question for my own sake.
"So where's the slip?" he demanded.
I looked down at the ground. "Still at the office," I mumbled.
He was outraged. "You didn't get it?"
"No," I answered feebly.
"Where were you?" he asked.
"I was ditching, sir," I said, trying to maintain respect.
To my absolute surprise, he burst into laughter. I was staring at him in confused awe for a few minutes before he stopped and said, "Very funny, Dessen. Really, where were you?"
"Seriously, I was ditching," I repeated, saying each word slowly and thoroughly so he understood. It felt like I was explaining Quantum Physics to a five-year-old at the grasp he was achieving.
He laughed again as he scrutinized me. "That's even funnier the second time. Honestly, Dessen, where were you?"
"I was ditching!" I persisted.
"You're not capable of ditching. Atleast not by yourself. Who was with you?" he asked, all traces of humor gone.
I gulped. There was that transparency thing again. "Nobody," I lied.
"I was with her," came a smooth, melting-honey, slightly-British voice from behind me. I looked up at the ceiling and let out a quiet groan. How on Earth did he always sneak up on me? And how did Mr. Krauss not see him coming?
"You were?" Mr. Krauss asked, facing Sebastian with his eyebrows raised suspiciously.
Sebastian nodded matter-of-factly.
"What were you doing together?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at us. Oh God, what did he think we were doing?
"We had breakfast," Sebastian said coolly. If I hadn't been with him at the time, it would have been very hard not to trust him. I glanced at the both of them, and Mr. Krauss looked thoroughly convinced, but he still looked unhappy.
"Well, thank you for being honest with me, but I'm afraid you will both have detention after school today with me," he said. I nodded, accepting my punishment, and I turned on my heel and walked away. Sebastian followed me.
"Aren't you happy I came to help you out?" he asked, smiling.
"Ecstatic," I grumbled, speeding up. He didn't hesitate to do the same.
"What have I done to make you upset?" he asked quietly, seeming undeniably frustrated.
"It's not what you've done, it's what you keep doing!" I exclaimed angrily. I felt a little bad for exploding at him, but his unfaltering way of just materializing out of thin air behind me was rubbing me the wrong way.
His eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "Huh?"
"How do you keep sneaking up on me? And...why?" I demanded.
He shrugged. "I told you. It's fun." I noticed he dodged my first question. I couldn't help but wonder why, though. And the fact that he avoided answering it only made me more curious.
"No. Sneaking up on people is creepy," I insisted.
He looked hurt for a second. "I'm sorry."
"I'm not trying to ruin your fun or anything. I'm just really not in the mood," I said, softening my tone so as to not wound him. He still looked a little crushed, and there was that persistent twinge of guilt again. I just really love to crush people's spirits, don't I? I began to turn so I could abandon yet another awkward situation when Sebastian's hand grabbed my elbow and turned me to face him.
"Brooke, I have something to tell you," he said quietly, his tone urgent.
"Um, okay," I mumbled, a little scared by the intensity in his eyes.
He glanced around us at the halls buzzing with students before he spoke again. "Not here. Meet me after detention today so I can give you something. It's important."
I nodded at the severity in his tone, then wondered if this could be the answer to his first question. Only I didn't think he would get so somber about it. What if the truth was as far-fetched as my suspicions, after all?
There I go again with my hyperactive imagination.
"I have to get to class," he murmured before he was gone. I swallowed. He sure was a strange boy. I sauntered to Science class and took my seat beside Hailey Garner, a shy girl at my former table who was usually ignored also.
"Hi," I said absentmindedly.
"How was your vacation?" she asked.
"Pretty good," I lied. It was tremendously boring, actually. "How about yours?"
"It was fine. How are things with you and the new guy?" she asked casually. Oh, God, she heard about it, too? I felt my heartbeat speed up as she waited patiently for me to answer. I tried to regain my composure and find my voice.
"How did you hear about it?" I asked calmly. I cringed internally as I awaited her answer.
"I was in the office getting my schedule changed and I saw you while I was waiting. Don't worry, I haven't told anyone," she explained. It was cruel of me to immediately assume that there was nobody for her to tell anyways.
I just nodded.
"So, what happened?" she asked, perching her fist under her jaw.
I drew a surprisingly shaky breath. "Nothing happened. I was just feeling his forehead because he was freezing cold. We're just friends," I explained, adding extra emphasis on my last sentence.
She didn't look even halfway convinced.
"Come on, Hailey," she taunted. "I saw you guys in Gym, remember?"
It had completely escaped my mind that Hailey was even in my Gym class, let alone observing me and Sebastian's behavior. Were Sebastian and I under a microscope with other students as well as Jodi and Hailey? The thought made me gulp. With the amount of thoughts crammed into my head today, I was surprised it hadn't exploded yet.
"Um, what do you mean?" I asked quietly as Mr. Bell began to pass out a stack of busy worksheets for us to fill in while he went and got coffee from the teachers' lounge. I wrote my name on my paper with my quivering hand.
"He watches over you, Brooke. It's like he wants to take care of you. And the way he sneaks up on you is the cutest thing I've ever seen. Honestly, he seems like the perfect guy for you," she gushed. I was pretty sure it would be rude to roll my eyes at her, but I desperately wanted to just so she could see how idiotic she sounded. How could somebody determine so much out of such simple gestures?
"Yeah, right. Sure," I laughed.
She shook her head, looking disappointed by my response, and turned to her paper. I did the same and finished my paper quickly, forcing myself to complete it purely for the distraction. The bell rang, and there was only one class left for me, which was my elective and also my favorite class: Pottery!
Pottery was always a fun way to finish off the day. Although I doubted today would be fun; facing detention after school and then my angry mother wouldn't exactly be a picnic.
I took my seat in pottery and put on an apron. Our teacher Mrs. Vendetta (brilliantly named, I must say) passed us large balls of clay and told us to make whatever we were "feeling". This was a normal day in Pottery class; you would have to create something truly horrifying to get any grade beside an "A". Mrs. Vendetta ordered us to behave before she excused herself to the bathroom, and I began to mold absentmindedly when I heard someone mockingly calling my name.
"Hey Brooke!" called Sophia Anderson, a blonde Senior who was never very nice to anyone. How did she even know my name?
I glanced up at her, waiting for her to continue.
"So I heard you and Sebastian were feeling each other up during second period!" she said loudly. Several of the heads that had ignored her previously turned to face me.
"You heard wrong," I retorted, focusing on my work for the first time today.
"I have a reliable source," she snapped.
"There's nothing going on with me and Sebastian. I guess your source isn't so reliable after all."
"Well, that's not what I heard," she said in a sing-song voice.
"What exactly did you hear?" I asked. I was perfectly aware that it was stupid to even get involved in her little game. But I couldn't help being curious. What was being said about us? And why did everybody suddenly care? I was beginning to wish that I had just stayed in bed in my pajamas all day.
"I heard that Sebastian was meeting you after school today to give you something," she said, raising her voice so everyone on Earth could hear.
"Who is this 'reliable source' of yours?" I demanded.
"What does it matter? It's true, isn't it?" she countered.
I knew it was a bad idea to lie, considering that I had no talent in doing so, but what can I say? I panicked. "It's not true."
"You're such a bad liar, Brooke. What are you trying to cover up?" she asked, her voice cold and taunting. White hot anger formed inside me and my blood boiled inside my veins.
"Shut up!" I shouted, breaking a handful of clay off my large blob and chucking it at her. It slammed into her chest with a loud thud and she shrieked. I expected her to recruit the Senior mafia group to come skin me alive, but instead she grabbed her entire blob of clay and heaved it at my head. I ducked just in time to watch it whiz past me.
I bounced up, delighted by my luck. "Ha ha!" I laughed. My giggling was cut short by a large blob of clay heaved at my chest and I coughed for a second. Ouch, that would definitely be an ugly bruise tomorrow morning. I wasn't sure who had thrown it at me, and it was pretty difficult to tell considering that the majority of the students in the class were now flinging globules of clay at each other, ending in quite painful results.
I ducked onto the floor and tried to crawl out the door, only to be caught by a furious-looking Mrs. Vendetta standing at the doorway.
"Have I mentioned that I love your shoes?" I asked overenthusiastically. She glared down at me, and I could instantly tell that she was not amused. I stumbled to my feet and stood up, smiling sheepishly.
"Get to your seat, Dessen," she ordered.
I quickly complied, accidentally sitting on a mold of clay conveniently located on my chair. I jumped up instantly and groped at the excess clay embedded in my jeans and slammed a large fistful onto my desk. I still knew there was a lot of residue left behind, but I ignored it. I clenched my jaw when I heard Sophia giggling, and I instantly knew this was her doing. I turned to glower at her, but was interrupted by Mrs. Vendetta.
"Who threw the first ball of clay?" she demanded. I glanced quickly around the room to look at the damage and cringed. There was clay splattered over a bunch of the posters on the wall, the floor, her desk, bookshelves, cabinets, the sinks, and not to mention my butt.
"I did," I said quietly, raising my hand. I figured that if I confessed before Sophia could point her French manicured finger in my direction, I might be let off the hook, but after examining the damage in this room, I decided that the odds of that happening were slim to none.
"May I ask you what possessed you to vandalize my room?!" she demanded, suddenly becoming frantic.
I gulped. "I threw the first ball of clay at Sophia because I was bored," I lied. Might as well not get Sophia fully involved in this, no matter how vile she was and how much she deserved it. She would benefit too much from seeing me rat her out like a helpless baby.
"You were bored? Why don't I believe you, Brooke?" she asked, narrowing her eyes into little slits.
I shrugged.
"Tell me the real reason why," she commanded.
I shifted my eyesight to the table. "It was a misunderstanding concerning a rumor she heard about me," I finally said.
"Except it wasn't a rumor," Sophia muttered.
"Yes, it is!" I snapped.
"Like I said, I have a reliable source!" she shouted.
"Who? Who is so reliable that you have such blind faith in them?" I exploded.
"Myself!" she bellowed.
"Girls!" Mrs. Vendetta shouted. We both turned to face her, and I was exhaling heavily. I wanted very badly to chuck another blob of clay right in Sophia's nasty little face.
"If the both of you just had to destroy my room, then the both of you can spend the next forty-five minutes after school making it spotless," she said.
"I can't," I mumbled. "I have detention."
"Oh, really?" Sophia taunted. "Why is that, Brooke?"
The words "pure evil" floated into my mind. I slammed my fist on the table. "For skipping second period and having breakfast with Sebastian, okay?!" I shouted.
Half the classroom gasped. Since when do they care?
"Sophia, Brooke, go to the guidance counselor. Now," Mrs. Vendetta ordered. I stood up, gathered my backpack, and stormed out the door, trying to maintain whatever microscopic shred of dignity I had left. I had to admit, when you have clay spread all over your behind, there wasn't much in the way of dignity on your side.
I heard Sophia's footsteps behind me as she caught up to me.
"I saw you, you know," she said. "Outside with Sebastian."
"How is everybody conveniently watching me?" I demanded, more to myself than to her.
She shrugged. "Bad timing? I don't know, but I saw you two when I was up in the library."
"I only felt his forehead because he was freezing cold," I explained.
"Why didn't you just say that?" she demanded.
"I shouldn't have to!" I snapped. I slowly felt my anger drifting away; it was pointless to hold grudges. Besides, I wasn't any good at it. "I liked everything a whole lot better when I was just invisible," I muttered.
"You were never invisible," she said coldly. "Not to the guys, anyways."
I rolled my eyes. "What is this, 'Pep Talk Day'?"
"Whatever," she mumbled.
"Yeah, whatever." I decided to change the subject to avoid an awkward, angry silence. "I'm not going to the guidance counselor."
"Neither am I," she sneered.
"Now what? There's still twenty minutes of class time left," I pointed out.
"You might want to go wash that clay off your butt," she said.
I pursed my lips. "Nah, it's a good alibi for when I get home and have to face my mother's wrath."
She looked sympathetic for a split second. "Yeah."
We were silent now, but most of the anger had disappeared.
"I don't care if you want to date Sebastian," she said finally.
"I don't need permission," I muttered.
"Well, if you don't want the entire class of senior girls to murder you, you might want at least one girl's blessing," she retorted. "He's a nice guy. My mother is friends with his parents."
I nodded. "Sorry for hitting you with clay."
She laughed. "Sorry for letting you sit on it."
I giggled. "Yeah."
By the time we reached the classroom, the bell rang. Sophia raced to her locker and I began to do the same, except right when I turned to sprint away, I barreled into a certain someone.
"Whoa there," Sebastian said, steadying me with his hands.
"Thanks," I said, laughing nervously.
He scrutinized me, his smile growing wider every second. I wondered what he was staring at until I remembered our clay fight.
"Little accident?" he guessed, raising an eyebrow.
I giggled. "I guess you could say that."
He smiled in response, his eyes never leaving my face. "So I will see you in detention, then," he said.
"Um, actually, I have to spend the time cleaning up Mrs. Vendetta's room with Sophia," I explained, smiling shamefacedly.
He looked confused, and he cocked his head to the side.
"We kind of had a little clay fight," I added.
He laughed, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'll tell Mr. Krauss that you will serve your detention tomorrow," he promised. I heard my name being whispered in pathetic excuses of hushed tones from behind me, and I realized we were only standing a few feet away from the pottery classroom, which was full of spectators whose interest had been recently sparked by our presence.
A brilliant idea popped into my brain.
"Uh, so I guess I'll see you later, honey," I said loudly to Sebastian, who suddenly looked extremely puzzled, his brow knit in confusion.
"Play along," I hissed.
He immediately composed his face. "I'll see you later, love," he murmured, leaning in closer to me. It took me a second to realize what he was doing, and my breath caught in my lungs. He was definitely the most convincing actor I have ever seen. He pressed his lips against mine softly and I could feel my head spinning. It was over much too soon, and he smiled at me before he turned and swiftly walked away.
Reluctantly, I spun around to face my audience. The majority of the faces were frozen in such high degrees of awe that it was insulting. I found myself savoring the taste Sebastian left on my lips as I walked into the classroom. Sophia was already inside and had begun cleaning, so I quickly got to work. In a half-hour, the room was nearly spotless, so Mrs. Vendetta let us off the hook with a quick warning.
I headed to the sidewalk, making my way towards my beautiful Mazda 3, and passed by the Audi. I hesitated for a moment. Should I wait for him to get out of detention? I promised I would. I veered right suddenly to wait on a bench for him to be freed from detention. I fiddled with the straps on my backpack idly while fifteen minutes ticked by.
The bell rang again and I saw students begin to file out of the doors. I craned my neck to look for Sebastian, and when our eyes met, he smiled.
"Hey," I said.
"Hello." He looked like he was trying very hard to hold back laughter.
"Listen, about earlier--" I began uncomfortably, feeling the heat flood into my cheeks.
"It's okay, Brooke. Sophia caught me in the halls and told me," he said, laughing.
I let out a large sigh. "Good." Atleast that saves me from a load of embarrassment. "So what did you want to give me?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.
He sighed. "This is hard for me, but I want you to have this," he said, digging into his pocket.
"Close your eyes and hold out your hand," he said softly. I obeyed and waited until I felt something cold in my palm. What he'd retrieved was a silver chain with a heart shaped locket pendant. I gasped as he placed it into my palm and enclosed my fingers around it.
"Sebastian, I--" I began, interrupted by his finger over my lips.
"You cheated," he whispered before he replaced his finger with his lips. They were so soft and he tasted so good, but my curiosity was more powerful than my aching heart. I pulled away.
"I want you to have it," he whispered.
"But, why?" I persisted.
"Open it, and you'll know why," he said vaguely. "It was my grandmother Collette's locket. My grandfather gave it to her."
I was speechless.
"I want you to have it," he went on, "because I trust you with it."
Miraculously, my voice reappeared. "With the locket?"
"No. Well, yes, that too, but I meant that I trust you with my secret," he said, stumbling over his words.
I nodded, still nearly unable to absorb it all. This was one of the only presents I had ever received from a boy, and the tiny box of conversation hearts that Jimmy Bynes had given me in fourth grade for Valentines Day couldn't hold a candle to fine jewelry.
"Should I tell you when I open it?" I asked weakly, still dazed.
"Call me," he said simply.
"I don't have your number," I reminded him.
He winked. "Check your windshield."
I just scrutinized him, feeling like there were even more questions than answers now, if that was even possible.
His laughter towards my absolute bewilderment was short. "Do you want a ride home?" he asked as we ambled off into the parking lot together.
I shook my head. "I don't think that's the best idea. My mother will assume you're impregnating me."
His eyes widened for a split second and he looked at the ground.
I giggled at his expression. "I'm kidding. She's at work, anyways."
He let out a relieved laugh.
"If you want to come over, that's fine," I said.
He nodded. "I will see you at your front doorstep."
"But you have to be gone by seven-thirty," I warned.
He saluted at me. "Yes, ma'am!"
And with that, he climbed behind his steering wheel and revved the engine playfully. I rolled my eyes and stalked towards the far end of the parking lot while I fingered the locket in my palm. It was beautiful. I don't understand why he thought I deserved to own it, though. On top of being gorgeous, it looked expensive. I sighed as I advanced on my car and squinted when I spotted a small square of paper positioned under my windshield wiper. I plucked it out and read Sebastian's phone number aloud. When did he find the time to leave it here?
I set the locket and Sebastian's number in the console of my car and backed out carefully, concentrating more on the road and less on my excitement to open the locket. What could possibly be in there? What kind of secret was he hiding? How on Earth did he even know where I lived? And why would my heart not stop pounding in my chest when he'd kissed me?
I pondered these questions as I drove home.
How did you like that? I hope you enjoyed it. Like I've said before, it's been so much fun to write and whenever I come up with new ideas I just love to stay on the computer in my room for hours on end and just write like crazy. Still, I'm not very fast at it, and if I didn't have spellcheck I would be in deep doo-doo. Even though I love writing more than a ton of things on this planet (I even like it more than texting. Call me crazy) it would be nice to know that more than five people are reading it. Lol I know I sound hopelessly desperate, but if it gets ya'll to review, it's worth it. So PLEASE REVIEW!! Bye ;D