A.N. Thanks so much RandomReader15 and S.L.S Light for reviewing. I'm glad you both like it. And for other readers, I hope you also drop a few words to let me know what ya'll think.

Marie turned to her locker, after evading Ms. Pantall's arrest by blaming Stone and feigning innocence, with a proud smirk. She was mad at Nick, but she couldn't blame him. The jerk had it coming, but now he was probably gonna get expelled or something and she was going to have to watch her back. Stone was an awful person and had no qualms about hitting a girl. He'd get her back for that final blow eventually.

"That was a really good hit." Someone said from behind her locker door. She knew that voice, male with a slight baritone that indicated he was older. Leaning back slowly, Marie met warm, mirth filled brown eyes. Eyes she met every day in AP Chemistry. Her lab partner for the semester, Tad Addams, was leaning against Nick's locker with a smirk on his handsome face. Her knees went weak, making her legs feel like half-melted wax.

"Thanks." She smiled to herself, ducking back into her locker. She didn't notice, as she gathered up her books for her first three classes, Tad smile. And she definitely missed his moving from against the locker to standing right behind her, until she straightened and met his eyes in the mirror on the door. With a gasp, her hand came over her heart-which was beating abnormally fast-and she stepped closer to her locker.

"Jeeze Addams, you could seriously give a girl a heart attack." Rubbing his knuckles against his shirt, he looked at her from under his lashes, his smile widened into a proud grin.

"So I've been told, though generally there is an act before the words come out." Marie laughed, wrinkling her nose. Her hand came up, with every intention to just push him out of the way, and landed on his chest.

"You're disgusting."

"You can't keep your hands off of me." She jerked her hand away, turning away from him and slamming her locker shut, she scooted around him and headed in the direction of the Science Wing. "You know I never said your touching me was a bad thing!" he called over the noise of students going to class. People paused, glancing between the two of them, whispers rose. She didn't look back, the blush that warmed her cheeks going unnoticed as she prided her composer.

Chemistry came and went with minimal talking. Today had been a note taking day, so she and Tad had played the silent flirting game…at least she was pretty sure they were flirting. She didn't do it often and wasn't ever sure she did it right. Tad kept coming though, so she guessed it was okay. When she got to English, Marie noticed that her brother wasn't there. And when the bell rang, he still hadn't arrived.

Marie sat in her usual seat, in the corner farthest from the door, next to the window, and stared at the board blankly. They were in the middle of reading Antigone-a story about a cursed, incestual, family that was slowly being killed off in terrible ways-Marie had already finished the play and most of the worksheets they'd been given, so she was in for another half-hour of boredom. She pulled out her sketch pad from her bag and a pencil from her hair and began to draw what was on her mind. Ms. Pantall rattled on, something about a dance and then this week's plan of action.

Marie didn't bother to listen; instead she focused on the motion of her hand and the sound of lead against paper. She didn't bother looking down, if she wasn't looking up at Ms. Pantall, the woman would come over and take away her pad. That would suck even worse. Margie and Casey sat in front of her, their cheer uniforms and ponytails with ribbons mocking Marie.

What would it be like, to have friends like that? Other than Nick, Tad and occasionally Brynna, Marie hardly talked to anyone…Tad, he was her only other friend. She chose not to talk to others, but Tad had worked his way around the barriers she put up and forced himself into her life. He was so nice and sweet and funny. And hot! Good lord he was fine! With his brown hair in that messy, just rolled out of bed, spiked style. His mirth filled brown eyes and his smile. She loved his smile most. Of course his body helped, he had that lean, muscular kind of body, with big biceps that she wanted-just once-to feel wrapped around her.

"Miss Gautier, why don't you read the part of Antigone for us today?" Ms. Pantall snapped. Marie shot straight, staring into twenty pairs of eyes.

"Um…sure?" she mumbled, unsure as to what to say. She pulled out her literature book and flipped to the page number she could see over Margie's shoulder. She looked down, intent on finding her next line as Stone began reading King Creon's line. Her eyes zoned in on the picture she'd been drawing. "Oh. My. God, no!" she hissed. The soft grey lines on the paper, the ones she'd drawn unconsciously, connected and became Tad's face, nose to nose with…her own. It was terrible! How could she have done that, what if someone saw it?

Marie glanced to Brynna, two rows to Marie's right. What if Brynna saw and told Tad? He'd never speak to her again! Drawing a guy kissing you was about as creepy as writing your name and your crushes in little hearts all over your notebook…