"Megan! Maggie! Ahhhh!"

The two girls stopped mid conversation and mid walk to turn around, only to find a wild eyed Annika hurtling down the hallway right toward them. Maggie threw up her arms in front of her face and cringed away.

"Pleasedon'trunmeover!" she squealed in fear. Megan was frozen, too daunted to do anything.

"Annika, I'm still young, please, whatever I did to piss you off, let me live!" Megan shouted, snapping out of her stupor, grabbing Maggie, turning back around, and sprinting around the corner to escape the horror-I mean, Annika, who was still chasing after them.

"No! Wait! I have to tell you somethiiiiing!" she shrilled, wheeling around the corner and continuing the hunt-I mean . . . no, yeah, hunt describes it pretty well.

Except, well, she actually didn't keep on hunting.

Instead, she slammed face first into a 6'1", lean-muscled, smart-ass, smoking hot Douglas Can.

Oh, wow, he smells wonderful, was the first thing Annika thought. Wait, what? Agh, stop it, Annika! You creep! she scolded at herself internally. Yeah, but . . . seriously, he smells really, really, really good.

I wonder what body wash he uses.

And shampoo.

And conditioner.

Annika almost crashed onto the floor, when two steady, firm hands grabbed around her waist and righted her so that she didn't crack her head open.

"Woah, are you okay?" a quiet, expressive, melodious voice asked her concernedly.

"Oh, yeah, I'm . . . f-fine . . . ."

Oh my God.

Douglas. Can.

Is holding me around the waist.

Wait. Doesn't he go to Biotech?

"Don't you go to Biotech?" she blurted out, staring into those dark mocha eyes. God, it should be a sin to look that good. Suddenly a smirk bloomed on his lips.

"Thanks," he said, his quiet voice turning intoxicating to Annika's ears.

Oh . . . crap . . . please don't tell me I said that out loud.

"You did," he offered helpfully. He finally released her from around the waist and stooped down to pick up her fallen books from the crash. Beneath long lashes, his eyes flicked up to meet hers, and they simmered with a muted emotion she couldn't read.

Love? a voice whispered in her head.

Or amusement at your idiocy and clumsiness, a more matter-of-fact voice piped in.

Shut up, she told the second one.

Oh, great, now I'm talking to voices in my head.

In one single, fluid, graceful motion that took Annika's breath away, Doug stood up and held the books in front of her, not breaking her gaze once.

"I think these are yours."

Yep, definitely a tinge of amusement there.

"Oh, yeah . . . ." she said sheepishly, taking them from him. Their fingertips brushed each others and little zings of electricity sparked up her arm and throughout her whole body. "Thanks. And sorry about bumping into you." Doug shrugged.

"It's fine. Yeah, my brother forgot something at home, so, my mom dropped it off and brought me with her. Yeah, I'm still going to Bio later, I just slept in."

Cue awkward silence. Extreme, prolonged, torturing awkward silence.

"Uh, but, why are you going through Satz to get out?" Annika asked with extreme observation. Doug shrugged.

"Visiting Barth, Ferraro, already visited Vallo. . . . Yeah . . . well, uh, bye….."

He nodded his chin at her in farewell, pushing up his glasses endearingly.

Well, he may be athletic, tall, sculpted by the Greek gods . . . but those glasses are killer, Annika thought dreamily. Not to mention so cute…

{author's note: Okay, but like, we all know that Annika thinks that Doug is so much more than "cute." Remember, he's smoking hot, guys. I mean, those camo pants and chiseled, god-like arms? And, hello? His obnoxiousness? *leans back in chair and hand-fans face. Lets out a wolf whistle (jk I have no idea how to do fricking acrobatics with my lips to be able to whistle)* Whew, is it just me or is it warm in here? }

He turned to go, then turned back around.

"Wait, do you take geo?" Annika's heart flipped.

Be. Casual. This is an opportunity to show your intelligence.

"Yeah, I do. Why?" she replied with nonchalance. She tried not to get too lost into those smoldering, breathtaking, chocolate orbs as she looked back at him while she talked.

"I heard from one of your classmates that it's pretty difficult-"

"Who?"

Doug's mouth (Will I ever kiss that mouth? Annika wondered. Agh! Stop! Bad thoughts! Bad thoughts!) fought to not smile.

"Maggie. Although she doesn't seem to be the brightest bulb-"

"I beg your pardon?!"

Annika whirled around in horror to see Maggie standing near the corner of the hallway behind their conversation, hands on her hips and her eyes flashing with indignation.

"Maggie!" Annika barely kept from shrieking. "Were you eaves-?!" Maggie waved a hand dismissively and cut her off.

"Oh, calm yourself. And if you're going to be mad, get pissed at Megan, too." She turned her head to someone standing out of sight, and raised an eyebrow. " 'Cause she's also here."

It was like one of those movies where the situation just kept getting more and more mortifying. "Megan?!" Annika cried.

Two small eyes accompanied by a mop of hair, wisps of eyebrows, and tan skin peeped out from around the corner. "Uh . . . hi?" Megan squeaked.

"Oh, hey, Megan," Doug greeted. More of Megan's form popped out from around the corner and she waved a few fingers.

"Um, hi, Doug."

"Ok, past the salutations-" Maggie said loudly. She spun back to face Doug. "I will admit that perhaps my studying habits could be better and that my mouth runs before my brain, but you didn't even know that girls could have voice cracks until a couple of weeks ago, Mister . . ." Maggie took an inhale that prepared for the rest of the rant. " 'Oh, Mr. Vallo was such an easy teacher, I go to Biotech, bleh bleh bleh!'" Using a high, falsetto tone, she concluded the diatribe and crossed her arms, glaring at the entertained sophomore.

"Maggie, let's go," Megan whispered, tugging on Maggie's arm. Maggie smacked Megan's hand away without looking away from Doug. Megan sighed and leaned forward to whisper something in Maggie's ear. Maggie's eyes narrowed thoughtfully and she tapped a finger on her chin. "Fine," she said shortly. She grabbed Megan's arm and dragged her back down the hall they had appeared from.

" . . . your friends are certainly interesting," Doug murmured, and Annika could hear the humor bubbling in it.

"Yeah, no kidding," she said with exasperation, turning back to him, and massaging her temples. "Sorry about that. So, why do you ask about geo?" Doug shrugged again.

"Well, if you ever need any help, it's cool if you ask."

"Ask . . . you?" Annika almost had to hold the wall for support. Doug dipped his chin in a nod.

"Yeah, me," he said with a half-smile that Annika found to be rather sexy, in that subdued, brooding, mature way. "Later, annika489." He turned and walked, head far above everyone else's.

Annika watched him lope through the throng of middle schoolers to get to Mrs. Barth's class and then turn when the door was right beside him.

Then he looked back at her, and Annika's heart squeezed and started beating double time.

It skipped a beat entirely when the corner of his mouth quirked up to give another one of those brain-melting smirks that made her weak in the knees.

She was falling really damn hard.

And she knew it with certainty when he entered the room and her heart drooped sadly now that she couldn't see him.

She sighed.

"Why couldn't he have been a nerdy, klutzy, gangly loser?" Annika grumbled as she turned and walked to the end of the hall, about to turn the corner. "Why did he have to be this hot specimen of the Can variety?"

Just as she was about to turn, Maggie jumped out and grabbed her by the arms.

"Ahhhhhh!" Annika bleated in terror.

"You better fucking DM him, Annika Sharp! You better do iiiiiiiiit!" Maggie shrieked. Megan grabbed onto her as well and started jumping up and down.

"Stop! Stop! This is harassment! Guys! Guys!"

They didn't stop.

It was still going on when Doug stepped out of the classroom and saw the commotion.

The sides of his mouth curled up and he chuckled.

Annika was still yelling at them to stop when he left Satz through the Honor door.