Art.

What. The. Hell. I woke up to the worst noise that I had ever heard. Oh wait, that was just my phone. But who would be dumb enough to call me at…. 6 frickin o'clock?! I rolled over and checked the caller ID, refusing to lose the warmth of my covers by sitting up. "Jake" the screen read. Now, there is no way that Jakey could ever be this stupid. He called me once, on a Saturday, before noon and I ripped him up. I didn't mean to of course, it was just my natural inner demon coming out to play. I only knew one person who it didn't really affect, and… Well, never mind. Great, now I'm blushing. My phone kept ringing and I realized that I was just staring at it, fantasizing and lost in thought. Like always.

I groaned and pressed the answer button, hoping that Jake wouldn't be too cheery for my Morning Monster.

"Hello?"

"Art! Why aren't you up?!"

"Uhm. I AM up. In case you didn't notice." I snapped back at him.

"Artismia Dawson, answering the phone like an angry grizzly bear does not qualify as 'being up'," Jake chirped back at me. Really, that's what he sounded like to me. Why couldn't he be like his brother? They were twins, they're supposed to be at least a little alike!

"Jake, my name isn't Artismia. And I'm getting up as we speak. What do you want anyway?" I pushed myself out of bed with a groan, wincing as I lost the sweet shelter of my covers. I hated mornings. Put that along with the fact that my mother kept our house freezing and Jake was interrupting one of my last sleep-filled mornings before school began, and you did not get a very happy Artemis.

" Aaaarrttt!" Yes, he really drew my name out like that, " How can you even ask me that?!"

" Because I really don't know why your calling me before that sun is even up?" I stated my response as a sarcastic question, something I usually did when I was trying to bite someone's head off.

"It's only the most exciting, exhilarating, fun filled day of our lives!.... High School!"

Oh crap! I had completely blanked on what day it was last night! Usually, It'd be easy to remember because school would start back up on a Monday morning, and I would set my alarm on Sunday night for 6 AM. But this year, for some reason (probably involving the "downfall of American intelligence" as my father likes to put it) they moved classes up to a Wednesday. That must have been why my parents were all set on making me pack my book bag and eating early. They probably said something about it, but I had been too busy making my plans for Friday, not realizing that we would be back in school. My stomach got butterflies just from thinking about it. I wonder if I'll have to cancel now?

"Heeellllooo? Art, are you there? Earth to Sergeant Dawson, can you hear me?" Oops. Jake had been talking at me the whole time I had been zoned out.

" I, yeah, I'm here. It's just I forgot about school staring back earlier this year and-"

"What you mean," He said in That tone of voice, " Is that you forgot it started on a Wednesday because you were too busy dreaming about your secret lovebird." Uh-oh. How did he find out?... He's always known about my gift, the gift of love is what he calls it, but I don't ever remember sharing with him about my love life.

"Jake! Please-"

" Chill Arty! I'm just kidding around! Anyway, what are you wearing? I'm assuming that you've already planned an outfit." Actually, I hadn't, and by the tone of his voice I could tell that he was more than willing to assist me in my little problem.

" I don't…"

" But you got new clothes over the summer, yeah?"

"Uhhm yeah." I had already jumped up and over to my closet doors when I realized what today actually was, and now I was stepping inside and talking through my 'options' with Jake. Sometimes, I think he might be a little more fashionably intuitive than I am. But, nonetheless, I have style, even if it is all my own.

We finally agreed on something simple, dark skinny jeans that seriously bordered on leggings and a lacy tank top layered with a Chinese-style shirt that had a dipping neckline (happily made modest by my lacy undershirt). Jake would have left the under shirt off if I hadn't of fought with him about it, and he would have had me in leggings, too! But, as this was the least skankiest of his options, it's the one I chose, and tweaked slightly. Instead of putting on the teal suede boots like Jake had instructed me, I grabbed my blue converses, sticking my boots in my bag when I noticed that someone, most likely my best friends, had wrote " Smile! Your mom chose life!" with a smiley face all over every available space on my shoe.

By the time I got done talking my outfit through with Jake and putting it on, I realized that his phone call had made me miss my bus. My parents had already left, thinking that I had slipped out without their notice again, and I was now stuck with no way to get to school. With a sigh, I glanced at the living room's great grandfather clock and decided that I would have to walk like fire to make it to school on time. Grabbing my bag and slinging it over one shoulder instead over across my body, I high tailed it out my front door, checking to make sure it locked, and out onto the eleven mile walk to Fairland High School.

I hadn't gotten very far when I heard a car horn bleep and tires stopping next to me. I looked up from where I was headed and strained to see through the tinted windows of the deep purple GTO beside me. It didn't bother me that I was staring into some strange car, or that a stranger had pulled up next to me. I could sense that this man cared about me and, I'm not sure why, had no intent of ever hurting me.

See, that was my gift. Not empathy exactly, but love. Yeah, L-O-V-E. Pretty lame gift, huh?

Author's Note: Sooo? What did ya think? Love it? Hate it? Criticize? Just click the button and review! Oh and tell me who you think Art's secret lovebird is! If you get it right I might have a surprise…. A surprise for all of you who review too! Can you say preview? ;)