II

There was no way that Keith Phillips couldn't have noticed such a loud and exuberant girl. Ceramics was usually such a quiet class. Everyone busy was getting their hands dirty with clay as they molded out shapes and figures. It didn't matter that he was normally quiet anyway. Pepper was a quick girl who got her assignments done and then spent her time prancing about this way and that, talking and bugging her friends out of boredom.

The water was cold as he dipped his hands into the bucket, bringing it back to grip onto the mound of clay on the wheel before he pressed on the pedal. The excess water flew everywhere as he pressed against the clay that spun quickly and centered itself against his forceful nudges. She was there. Staring at him.

Pepper wasn't very discrete. She was very open. Willingly revealing to everyone who she was and what she wanted. He liked that. It was hard enough to understand women when they were hiding things. There she was, explicitly revealing to him that she had an interest. At least for a while before he felt the absence of her stare and it went elsewhere. He paused, glancing up to see she was smiling at Nikolaj that passed by her. The blonde haired exchange student didn't even notice her with his head phones pulsing loud music into his ear and his hands pounding away to mold a fresh batch of clay.

"Ain't he just such nice eye candy?" Pepper nudged the girl that stood beside her wearing a bright orange jacket. Liz…was her name…that's right. Liz rolled her eyes and laughed.

"You're ridiculous Pepper."

"Wha? It's that accent! A girl gotta' love the accent." Keith frowned, losing concentration as he pressed too hard and the clay fell in on itself, leaving a hole on the side. He really didn't understand women. He had an accent, didn't he? Yes, a country accent if he believed what those other girls had said to him all those times. Sometimes he could hear it in Pepper's voice too; she wasn't normally from Kansas if he remembered correctly. Texas? Tennessee? It wasn't his business to know.

The thoughts were pushed out of his mind as he went back to work. He re-centered the clay before using his thumbs to form the hole. The class had a 5-inch cylinder due Friday. He had to get it done. He would have come to the class during seminar but instead they had an assembly. The prom assembly. Emily had been elected for prom queen and he had to watch from the sidelines as Matt Brooks walked with her on the gym floor for everyone to know who they could vote for. The two could end up being king and queen together. But in the end it would be him that Emily would dance with.

After all, Keith paid for the dress. Slowly his eyes moved over the class room, not finding Pepper even though her voice was loud in his ears. Her voice was just a huge echo in this god forsaken place. He didn't pay attention to the words, it was all nonsense. He could make out barely little.

"Not going to Prom…for my birthday…Nook…sleepover…almost over…"

Even Emily didn't talk that much. He leaned over his clay, pinching the edge as he slowly pulled it up, the wall forming as he did so. Pepper was adorable. She wasn't skinny like Emily; she had a little bit of meat on her. She wore no makeup and was all natural; she brought and wore the same jacket to school every day. She seemed fun and relaxed; someone he could actually hang out with.

For a moment, Keith had considered asking Pepper to the prom with him. They barely spoke two words to each other when the girl had moved here. Besides that, he had heard her talk on and on about not going to the prom. Each time it was a different excuse, and the more that she ogled over Nikolaj, the more confused he got if she was truly interested or not. And of course, Emily was…

"Keith, the bell is going to ring soon you have ten minutes to clean up!" Mrs. Lockhart declared, running this way and that as she helped students and herded the other ones trying to get out of working. He sighed, grabbing a ruler and checking the height of the cup he had made. Four inches. Another failure. Instead of saving it he quickly squashed it back together and took it off the wheel, throwing it into a bag before working to wipe off the access and get rid of the water that had practically covered everything. The bell had already ringed. He was stuck staying behind to finish cleaning as he glanced toward the door, Pepper singing some strange Japanese song as she hastily put on her jacket and hoisted her backpack over her shoulder. She left with Liz.

As Keith left ceramics class, Emily was the one there waiting for him. He wiped water onto his jeans, now in a bad mood after having to clean so much. "Alright, let's go." He stated, starting to walk past her. A smile creeped across her face as she moved closer to him, her hands moving over his chest and moving around his sides. He scowled, pushing her hands away.

"Not now, woman!" He snapped, looking away from her.

"Awe, but you haven't been given me any attention at all lately!" Emily whined and whined…and whined. Keith sighed, ignoring her as she huffed and went the opposite direction. Emily's bitching was annoying as all hell. He took the long way out of the basement floor before going to his locker and getting his things.

The ride to Mark's house was quick and easy. It was just a little down the road of the school where the houses started to distance themselves and the more urban homes started to be revealed. Keith parked his truck in the driveway where two other hand-me-down cars were parked. The house itself was a simple one story trailer-esque looking building. They were known as the country bunch at school. They didn't even realize how many of these 'country bunch' controlled the place.

Keith exited the truck, placing his hands into his pants' pocket as he walked around the house into the backyard where the fence door had been left open. Mark standing on the picnic table and shouting out nonsense was no surprise. Will and Walker were busy starting up the grill and grabbing whatever was in Mark's fridge to start cooking.

"Ah, Keith is here!!" Mark cried out, jumping off the table and running toward him. "I was just telling them how I had jumped over that table before you guys had all got here." He ran back to the table about to try his death defying trick before forcing him to stop when no one was paying attention to him. "Watch darn it!! I can do it!"

Everyone turned away where they had gathered around the grill, the sizzling sound of cooking meat distracted them. Nodding with satisfaction as their eyes set on him, Mark ran until his back faced the fence, took in a deep breath and ran as fast as he could forward before making a huge leap as he came closer to the table.

Mark's knees hit the edge of the wooden table before he fell over on top of it. His pain was met with fits of laughter. As Will doubled over, leaning against the grill for support and they seemed to laugh forever but got a hold of themselves when the meat was done cooking. They ate with a gusto that would astound so many people. It did astound Mark's mother who ranted about eating all the planned dinners for the week.

Their stomachs full and almost bloated the huddled around in Mark's living room playing random video games on his PS3. Keith and Walker sat on the couch while Will and Mark raced each other on the screen.

"Walker, you have…that animal science class with Pepper, don't you?" Keith asked suddenly, staring at the screen to try and hide his interest.

"Pepper? That know-it-all bitch?" Walked stretched out his legs, narrowing his eyes as he yelled at an order to Will to speed up. "Yeah, I can't stand her! Always so quiet but then she opens her mouth and it always has to be about something or other." He grumbled, leaning forward to smack Will upside the head. "I told ya' to speed up!!"

"God, shut up already, ass hole!"

And just like that the home made wrestling match began. Keith sighed, watching the guys roll around the floor punching and pinning each other. If the three weren't already on the wrestling team he'd see this as much gayer. He wouldn't allow himself to be involved. Instead her stared at the wrecked cars, abandoned on the screen and considered Pepper in Walker's class. Seemed like the complete opposite of the girl he knew in ceramics. Was there something he was missing?