Persephone

I hate school.

Normally people with straight A's say that they love school and they are going to go to college and get a good steady job and live their normal life. Me? Nope, you wouldn't catch me dead saying any of that crap. I just wanna finish and get my GED so that I can get a better job than flipping burgers and the local McDonald's for the rest of my life. I'm gonna ditch this town as soon as I get the chance.

Anyway back to why I hate school, today in particular. Today is Homecoming and of course everybody is anticipating the dance tonight and I really don't want to go but I have to because I was nominated for Homecoming Queen. I didn't ask to be nominated I just got nominated. Every year since I was a freshman I have been nominated and, to my great embarrassment, I won in tenth grade.

I hate all the attention. Plus that one win got me a mortal enemy and her name is Morgana. She has been shooting for Homecoming Queen every year and somebody else always wins. She hates all the Queens and wants to make their life crap because she is jealous that everybody likes them more than her. It doesn't surprise me though; she's a real piece of work.

As I lie in bed waiting for my alarm clock to go off I think of ways to play hooky. I could say I'm sick and run to the bathroom and pretend to throw up.

No, that won't work because if my mom comes and checks up on me and she doesn't smell puke she will get suspicious and send me to school anyway.

I could ditch. I mean it's not like it's my first time ditching I do it all the time with my friend Matt. Why would this time be any different?

Oh, right…Matt was nominated for Homecoming King. And since this is his first nomination I promised that I would be there for him. My stupid mouth gets me into trouble all the time.

Beep, beep. Beep, beep. Beep, beep.

I slam my hand on my alarm clock and search for the off button with my fingers. When I finally found it I switch off the alarm and sit up. I pull the switch on the lamp on my nightstand and dull light fills the room. I see the pictures on the wall of me and Matt at the fair, one for every year we went, five in total. In my favorite one we were at the fair sitting on a bench and a light snow had covered everything making it look like a little winter wonderland. We were eating a funnel cake with strawberries and powdered sugar on it. That was taken last year.

I wish that every day would be like that, perfect, sweet, and simple. But life isn't perfect, sweet, or simple. Life is rough, tough, and unfair.

And on that high note I got out of bed and got ready for school. I walked out to the kitchen to find my mom cooking bacon and eggs.

She was a slim woman especially for someone who ate meat all the time and had a desk job. She was small and petite, we were nothing alike physically. I was tall and curvy in all the right places. Sometimes I wondered if she adopted me or I got switched at birth. I knew that wasn't the truth though because once when I was young I asked her that and she said that she was there the day I was born and I was most definitely hers.

I laughed quietly as the memory resurfaced. She turned and said, "What? Is there something on my butt?" I laughed louder and shook my head. I went into the cabinet and pulled out a glass. Then, I went to the fridge and poured me a glass of orange juice.

"Get out two plates and forks and set the table," she said as she flipped the bacon and stirred the scrambled eggs.

I did as I was told and by the time I was finished she had the food done and was serving it up. I put my hair in a ponytail before I ate so that it wouldn't frizz from the steam.

Another difference between me and my mom was that she was a strawberry blonde and tan (thanks to tanning beds) and I had black hair and was fair-skinned. Well mostly everyone in our town was fair-skinned because when you live in Maine it doesn't get very sunny in the winter. I looked like a living Snow White. In fact that's what all the adults used to call me when I was young. I'll bet some of them still call me that when my back is turned.

After breakfast I grabbed my bag and jacket and headed for Matt's house. He lived a few blocks away from me and he had always driven me to school. I rounded the corner of his street and I saw his car in the driveway heating up. I knocked on the door and his brother Nathan answered the door.

Much different from Matt, Nathan was large and bulky, very muscular. He had a permanent pissed off look on his face. He almost seemed to want to fight everybody. Just to prove that he was better than them. He had a huge ego is what Matt told me. I believed it too.

"Oh, its you," is all he said as he stood aside and let me through the door. He shut the door behind me and shouted down the hall, "MATT YOUR GIRLFRIEND'S HERE!" I hate it when he calls me that. I open my mouth to correct him again but I was cut short when Matt shouted back, "SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!"

He came out of his room and walked over to Nathan and said in a hushed voice, but not hushed enough for me not to hear it, "You and I both know that she's Hades'."

"Excuse me? I don't think I heard you properly Matt, but it seemed like you said that I'm Hades'. Hades is just a myth he's not real. And anyways, I wouldn't date him, he's creepy," I shudder at the thought.

Nathan smiles and slaps Matt's arm and says, "Yeah, he's just a myth and he's creepy." He winks at Matt and walks off to the living room probably to play Halo Reach or some other violent game. Matt gestures to the door and we both walk out and get in his Jeep.

As soon as my door is shut I ask, "So what did you mean by 'she's Hades''?"

He pretends to check his mirrors and carefully pull out of the driveway. "Um…I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, don't give me that crap! You know exactly what I'm talking about. Now answer it!" I demanded.

"It was an inside joke," he tried pathetically. I gave him my best 'don't kid me' look. He avoided my gaze and stared at the road as we drove to school.

"So…are you excited for Homecoming?" He took a sip of his coffee and continued to stare forward.

"You're changing the subject."

"No I'm not! I just asked a different question."

"Thus indicating that you are changing the subject. I will not answer your question until you answer mine." I folded my arms across my chest and sat there starring him down until he broke.

"It was just a joke," he insisted. "I swear I meant nothing by it. I don't even know any guys named Hades."

"No."

He turned his head to look at me, "What?"

"No," I repeated. "I'm not looking forward to Homecoming. The only reason I'm even going to school today is to support you. This is a big day for you and I know it means a lot to you."

He looked really shocked by my answer. Like I had never said anything nice to him before, which I have, plenty of times.

"What up with the weird look?" I asked him.

"That was really nice of you. Thank you. I mean it." He seemed speechless. This was a first for him. In my whole life I've never known him to be speechless.

We pulled up to the school and got out of the car. He headed off to first period and I headed to the front office. I volunteer there instead of first period; well it kinda is my first period class. I usually help with the announcements and, if there is one, new students.

Today when I walked in Ms. Bell smiled and waved from the front desk. Ms. Bell is not your average school principal. She is the kind of lady you'd imagine playing soccer for a living, not running high school. Tall and thin and most definitely fit I'd bet she could out run all of the kids on the track team.

"Hello Persie. We have a new student for you. He'll be here any minute now," she said with a smile. Just after she finished speaking the front door opened and a blast of chilly air came into the room and, against my will, I shivered. I could feel his eyes boring into my back before I turned.

I turned to meet his cold stare. It's not like he hated me it's just that when I looked into those deep, dark eyes I felt a shiver race down my spine. Those eyes looked so familiar and yet so eerily creepy that every fiber of my being screamed that this kid was dangerous.

I don't know how long I stood there starring into those eyes, but I was brought back by the sound of Ms. Bell's voice, "Now, Persie, this is Ian Graves and he is here from…? Where did you say you were from again?"

He was still starring at me when he answered Ms. Bell's question. "Los Angeles."

"Oh, yes I recall now. Quite a ways away and I'm sure that the climate is quite different from sunny California."

I had to look away from his eyes for I felt that if I stared too long my soul would be sucked out of me and taken away forever…kinda stupid I know. But that's the feeling I got when I stared for more than a minute. I turned to Ms. Bell and asked, "Where is his schedule?"

"Oh, right! Ha, ha. I almost forgot." She ruffled through some papers on the desk and pulled out a schedule and a bunch of papers that his parents would have to sign and return the next day. "Now Ian is going to be in most of your classes because he's a senior too. So it won't be very hard to help him find his classes today."

She handed me the schedule and I looked it over. It looked almost identical to mine:

Front Office Volunteer Work

World History

Trigonometry

Gym

Lunch

World Literature

6. Chemistry

7. 2-D Art III

8. Study Hall

I wasn't all that shocked. In a small town most all the seniors had the same classes, but he was in six of my classes. The only ones he wasn't in were 6th period and 3rd period.

"Well the late bell should ring any moment now and when it does Pesephone you know what to do. Help Ian figure out what he needs to do."

"What do you want him to do?" I asked her.

She paused for a moment to think and said, "Well, why don't we start him on sorting out these papers while you do the announcements."

I nodded and walked over to the PA system and grabbed the announcement sheet. Ian followed me and looked at the papers that he was to sort.

"How do these get sorted?" his voice surprised me. I expected a deep, gravely, not-so-nice voice and instead he's got a low, musical voice. I quickly explained the order that they were to be separated in.

As he started I turned on the PA system and said, "Good morning West Grove High! Today we are going to have a fun day! Now please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance." As I recited the Pledge I noticed that Ian was looking at me from the corner of his eye. When I finished I said, "Thank you, you may be seated." I continued to give the announcements and when I finished I turned the PA off and sat down in one of the desk chairs.

"Why were you looking at me when I was reciting the Pledge?" I asked Ian, curious.

"Curiosity killed the cat," was all he said.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He just smirked and continued to sort the papers as if nothing was said. That pissed me off. "Hey! I'm talkin' to you! Pay attention and answer me."

Then the weirdest thing happened, he turned to me and I saw his eyes flash red. His face clearly explained that he was pissed. Through gritted teeth he growled, "Don't. You. Dare. Yell at me." I felt my eyes grow wide and I shied away from him. I was scared witless.

He turned back to his work and a few seconds later Ms. Bell came in to check up on us. I assured her that we were fine and that if we needed anything we'd go straight to her.

I started to do my odd jobs that I normally do and when I finished all of them I went to check on Ian. He wasn't at the front desk where I left him so I left to go look for him. I passed one of the conference rooms and I heard voices. I lightly pressed my ear against the door and I heard Ian talking to somebody.

"Nyx, I need you to shadow-message somebody for me," Ian said.

"Hades you know I'm not Hermes or Iris. Why do you insist on shadow-messaging all the time?" complained a woman. Wait! Ian was talking to a woman named Nyx? Why did she call him Hades? That was the second time today that I've heard the god's name.

"Because it's faster than Iris messaging and Hermes is in class right now. Will you send my message through or not?" He seemed to challenge her.

"Fine. Who do you want to shadow-message?" she sighed in defeat.

"Demeter."

Wait! I know that name! Demeter is the Greek goddess of the harvest, but she's just a myth.

Then it hit me.

She's probably just named after the Greek goddess just like I'm named after the Greek goddess Persephone. Duh, I felt like an idiot.

Just then the door flew open and I fell into the conference room. I lay there, sprawled on the floor and when I stood up I noticed the room was empty. There was no one in here except for Ian and me. And, boy, speaking of Ian, he was truly pissed off. His eyes flashed red again.

Well, I had a reason to be snooping. He ran off and didn't tell me where he was going.

I decided to take the offense and ask him the questions before he got the chance to ask me why I was eavesdropping. "What the heck are you doing in here? This is off-limits. Anyways you were supposed to tell me when you finished sorting the papers."

"I had to make a quick call," he answered simply. The pissed look had vanished from his face replaced by a steely, I-don't-care-what-you-think look.

I grabbed for something to say, but there was no rule saying that you couldn't make a quick call when you're done volunteering in the front office. I gave up and said, "Well, make it quick. I'll be waiting at the front desk." I turned and walked out. As soon as I crossed the threshold the door slammed shut behind me.

I sat in the lobby playing games on my iPhone for the remainder of the period. Ian never came out of the conference room. When the bell rang he came out and we headed to 2nd period without a word.

I walked into World History and sat in my assigned seat. Matt was in his seat next to mine. He leaned over and said, "Wow! You look awful. What happened?"

I pointed towards Ian standing at the front of the room talking to the teacher. Matt followed my finger with his eyes. When he saw Ian a look of confusion crossed his face. "He's a new kid," I explained.

"Oh. Where is he from?" Matt asked. His eyes were still glued to Ian.

"He said that he's from L.A. but I don't believe him." I don't know why I said that last part, but as I was saying it I knew that it was true. I didn't believe that he was from L.A. even though it sounded alright to everybody else.

"Well where do you think he's from?" Matt looked at me and awaited my answer. He put his elbow on the desk and turned to face me. His eyes were alight with curiosity.

"Hell."

Matt scoffed. "Hell? He doesn't look that bad to me. In fact he looks really…friendly." He said it but his eyes portrayed shock. As if I had guessed right that Ian was from Hell.

"Ha! 'He looks really…friendly'. He is most certainly not friendly. He's rude, and mean, and course, and…and he's a jerk!" I couldn't believe that Matt though that Ian was 'friendly'.

"Well, sounds like you two had a little fight. What happened? Did he not want you as soon as he saw you like all the other guys around here? Were you insulted by that?" he had a joking tone in his voice when he said that. He was mocking me and I hated it when he did that, and he knew it.

"No he didn't want me as soon as he saw me and, no, I wasn't insulted by that. We had a…little incident. That was all." I turned back to the front trying to show Matt that I wasn't going to tell him any more. The thing is, Matt doesn't stop until he's ready to stop. This can be really annoying at times and really helpful at other times. Right now was one of the annoying times.

"Matt, I'm not going to tell you so don't even try it," I said before he could even utter a word.

The late bell rang and I heard him turn to face the front. Mr. Griffin stood up and addressed the class, "Hello students," he waited for the collective answer of "Hello Mr. Griffin."

"We have a new student today. Everyone this is Ian Graves. Ian, why don't you tell us a few things about yourself. Say, where you're from, you're favorite hobby, and you're favorite part of World History." Mr. Griffin gave Ian a smile and sat back down at his desk.

Ian looked at the class for a moment then his eyes rested on me. He began to speak, never breaking our gaze, "I'm Ian Graves as Mr. Griffin already told you. I'm from Los Angeles, California. My favorite hobby is…" he dropped his gaze and seemed to think for a minute. His expression looked almost sad from here. It could've been the distance or the lighting, because I'm sure he would never look sad. He's got too high an ego to look sad in front of everybody.

"…playing fetch with my dog." A few people laughed at that and Mr. Griffin shot the class a stern look. "And finally, my favorite part of World History is that my introduction is history."

The class laughed openly at that last remark. I even had to try to keep a straight face. Mr. Griffin stood up and said, "Thank you Ian for letting us get to know you better. Now if you'll take a seat next to Morgana there, Morgana raise your hand, we will get started."

Morgana raised her hand and Ian walked, no, he sauntered over to the empty seat next to her. She gave him a dazzling smile and flipped her perfect brown hair and held out her hand for him to shake. He took her hand and shook it politely.

"What a piece of work," muttered Matt.

"I know she's really something." I glared at the back of her head hoping that my eyes would shoot lasers and blast her head right off her shoulders.

Whoa! Where did that come from? I've never liked Morgana, but I've never wanted to blast her head off. So why did I want to now?

Ian looked back at me and Matt as if he heard what we were saying. I gave him a 'What?' look and he turned back around.

Thankfully class wasn't as long as 1st period was. When the bell rang I gathered my stuff and walked to the door. Matt was right on my heels and so was Ian. I turned in the hall and said to Ian, "You don't have my third period so I can't walk you there."

"Well who does?" he asked in that wonderful voice of his. I thought for a minute and as I saw Morgana walk out of the room I said, "Morgana."

She turned and regarded me with utmost hate. "What do you want Snow White?"

"What is your third period?" I bit my tongue and held back a string of colorful words I could use to describe her.

"Trig, Dummy," she sneered.

"Good! Could you be a dear and escort Mr. Graves to his next class…that's Trigonometry for you Dummy." I replied with as much of an attitude, maybe even more, than she gave me.

Her eyes lit up when I said escort, the whore. A big smile grew on her face and she answered sweetly, "Of course I will. Come right this way Ian. You are going to love Trig. It's so much fun. Of course I'm not really good at it…" She talked all the way down the hall and around the corner. Ian had to follow her or he would get lost, but I could see him tune her out.

I smiled as I walked down the hall to Biology II. One free period without him would be amazing. Let Morgana entertain him for a while, I was through with it. Until my free period was up then I would have to deal with him until sixth period. Matt was keeping pace with me and he was unusually silent on our way to Biology II. I looked at him from the corner of my eye and he seemed to be thinking about something really hard.

"Whoa, what's burning?" He looked at me curiously. "Seriously, I smell smoke." I sniffed the air like a dog. With every breath I drew closer to his blonde shoulder-length hair. "I think it's coming from you. Are you thinking again?" I asked playfully.

He rolled his eyes and tried, pathetically, to hide a smile. "Yes, I was thinking again. I'm a bad boy. What's my punishment this time? Sent to my room? Not allowed to talk for three minutes?" he was being sarcastic with me, which was really cute when he did it.

I smiled and thought. Then I responded, "You have to pay for the ice cream today. And I want extra hot fudge."

"Oh, no! Not the extra hot fudge! You're gonna buy me out of house and home." he mocked me.

I playfully bumped into him and he bumped me back. "I think you can afford extra hot fudge Mr. I-Get-Money-All-The-Time-From-My-Rich-Family."

"My family's not rich. The only rich one is my Uncle. And he's a jeweler."

"Alright, Mr. I-Deny-That-I'm-Rich-All-The-Time."

"Hey will you quit it with the long name thing?" he complained.

"Okay, okay, Mr. Complainer." I smirked at him and he just pouted a little.

Class went by fairly fast, which kinda irritated me `cause that meant that it was time to go deal with Ian again. I headed down to the gym and as I passed the Trigonometry room Ian shrugged off the wall and joined me.

I stared straight forward and tried not to look at him.

"So how was class?" he asked trying to make small talk.

I ignored his question for I had decided in Bio that if I ignored him he would ignore me and I would be okay with that.

"Class was good thanks for asking. I got a seat next to Morgana again. We had to compare our notes and solutions to forty problems. That wasn't so good. She's really bad at math and claims that she needs a tutor. And lucky me she asked if I would tutor her because I'm so good at Trigonometry." He waited for a reply but I would not humor him.

"I can tell you how many times she flipped her hair over her shoulder and how many times she smiled at me…" no response from me, "Fifty five times and seventy two times. I think that she was trying to flirt with me."

"No really?" I said sarcastically. "You'd have to be really blind not to notice that she was flirting with you. She only likes you because you are new and don't like me." I looked back ahead of me and said nothing else.

"Who said I don't like you?" he asked softly.

That caught me by surprise. I stopped and looked at him. When I met his eyes I saw them flash purple. Not red like earlier, purple. I could feel myself getting caught in his gaze. I had to look away to think straight again.

"What do you mean 'who said I don't like you'?" I whispered.

"I mean exactly that. Who said I don't like you? Name one person." he whispered back.