I DO NOT OWN 39 CLUES!

XXX

Everything would have been wonderfully...wonderful if only that annoying, stuttering Amy wasn't there. And her barbarian friend, Hamilton, made matters worse. Ian began to wonder how on earth he of all people got into such a university. After all, the Tomas weren't always known for being intelligent. They were known for being good at all the 'macho' things---hiking, shooting, war, sports, etc. But academics? Not quite.

Amy was obviously not paying that much attention to what the professor was saying or whatever he was writing. Oh, the poor thing. She was just so flustered! Ian never really knew that the sight of him still sent shivers down her spine. He could never understand her. Why couldn't she just accept the fact that they weren't (in Ian's opinion and in his family's) really meant to be? Like the sun that never rises in the west and the tide that never stays high.

That was a little redundant, Ian thought.

And as for Hamilton...well, he wasn't paying much attention either, which made sense to Ian. And what about that nerd that kept looking at Amy like she was Angelina Jolie? It was creepy, and so was the geek. Thank goodness Natalie wasn't there. He wouldn't want creeps like that boy staring at her like that. If that ever did happen, then he would have sent whoever it was to the ER.

When class finished, Amy hurriedly went out of the room, her face drained of all its color. Ian decided to follow her, but he was hesitant. He didn't want her to throw a fit or to start screaming, and yelling, and saying things about him that would ruin his cool image. No Kabra would want that to happen.

The nerd of a boy was following Amy around like a puppy following its master. He was blabbering on and on about math and trigonometry and what not when Amy finally stopped walking. She faced the boy and said as calmly as she could, "Look, just, please, stop bugging me and following me around. It's kind of weird."

The boy gave her a hurt look, his shoulders slumped and he tried doing the puppy-dog-eyes move, which wasn't exactly puppy-dog-ish. His eyes just looked all watery. Pathetic, much. "Oh, okay."

Ian cleared his throat loud enough for Amy to hear. She looked at his direction, and she froze like a statue with its mouth hanging open. Ian walked to her gracefully, making the others stare at awe. He towered over the boy with Amy, who looked kind of irritated to see Ian Kabra standing beside him. Ian grimaced at him, sending a clear message that he didn't want to have this nobody around---ever.

"I think you could leave now," Ian told the boy. He heard his name, but he didn't really remember it. Besides, who needed to know something as unimportant as that? He flashed him a smile, but his eyes still had the same annoyed look in them. "Right, Amy?"

Amy shrugged. "I guess." Her voice was just a whisper.

The boy glared at Ian, but smiled when he looked at Amy. Stupid good-looking people. They always made the less fortunate feel so intimidated and stupid and...well, everything else that made a person feel like garbage. Yup, good-looking people always had that effect on most kids. Probably even on teachers. "Well, I better get going, Amy. See ya later." He waved good-bye as he walked away.

When he was a good distance away, Ian finally broke the awkward silence. "So, Amy," He said in his confident voice, the one that made Amy's stomach churn. "It sure has been a long time, now hasn't it?"

Amy Cahill avoided his gaze for as long as she could. But then the temptation of looking at his handsome face was just too good---and she had to show that she grew stronger with each tear she shed. All her life, she had been so infatuated with Ian, but growing up made her realize that someone like him probably wasn't worth being in love with. "I guess so," She answered, her head bowed down facing the floor. She didn't want him to see her blushing like she always used to. She was surprised that she didn't stutter this time. "So..."

Silence.

Ian put his hand under her chin and tilted her head up, making Amy blush even more. Now their eyes were locked to each other, making Amy lost in his deep gaze. She never felt like that before. Stupid emotions; sometimes she wished she didn't even have any emotions at all! Being apathetic sounded easy enough. Or at least it did until she tried it. She tried not laughing at her high school batch mate's jokes---she laughed. She tried not to cry when she hurt herself during PE---she cried. Until the time came that she gave up on the whole apathetic act since it was just too hard for her to do. Why did movies and cartoons and books make it look so simple?

"Um, hello?"

Amy shook her head, bringing herself back to her senses. Oops. Had Ian been talking to her the whole time while she just stared at him like the fool that she was---yes. Definitely. Just the look on his face said that she really was just staring at him, totally oblivious to anything else. Sigh. "Uh, er, what...could y-you repeat what you just said?" Amy stuttered.

Ian rolled his eyes with a deep sigh. How ridiculous. "Well, I was just saying that we better just get straight to the point. If you're wondering why I'm here of all places, rather than in my home country, then it's because my parents forced me to go here for safety measures. If you know what I mean." He cocked a brow.

Amy didn't say anything for a while. No, she actually didn't quite know why. Ian looked annoyed this time. "You don't know what I mean, do you?" He asked her in a very exasperated tone. Wow. His voice surely has changed. It was deeper now. And so was Hamilton's. As for Dan...well, Amy supposed his had changed too. Everything else has changed about Dan except for his fondness of ninjas.

"You'll never grow up," Amy had told him once after he broke a vase because of his 'ninja skills training'.

"Look who's talking, grandma," Dan had retorted as he unwillingly picked up the shattered pieces of the ceramic vase. "You're just too serious. Have some fun. Seriously."

She had to admit, he had a point.

"I'm here because my father's afraid that the Lucians might plan to do something horrible against him and his family," Ian continued. He remained calm, as if he was used to telling this story to anyone who asked him. It was like it was the most natural thing for him to do. "And many Lucians, like my parents, study at one of the best universities there: Oxford. So now my father wants me to stay here for my whole college life, or even for the rest of my life. I see no threat. What could they possibly do to harm us?" He said it so mockingly that Amy almost believed that the Kabras really were invincible.

"But," Ian went on, "I don't want to worry them. Especially not my father. And I suppose being away from my mum's better than nothing." He smiled, but Amy knew well enough that it wasn't any joke. "As for Natalie...she can take care of herself. I haven't seen any other girl like her who carries a dart gun around where ever she goes."

Amy was quiet the whole time.

He removed his hand from under her chin and gave her a heart-stopping smile, showcasing his pearly white teeth. "I suppose it's okay to say it was nice to see you again," Ian said smoothly, "I just hope you get rid of that annoying boy who follows you around like you're his obsession. It's very creepy."

"Right," Amy mumbled.

And so he left, walking as confidently as ever. She wondered how he managed to do that: walkingaway as if nothing had ever happened. She only wished she could do the same thing every time she confronted Ian. But she was Amy Cahill, and no Ian Kabra.

Sorry that it took so long to get this done with. School started (God, I just hate it) and I've been very busy with deadlines and homeworks and MATH since I'm not very good with MATH, but I'm pretty okay with science and social studies/history. So, sorry again.