Chapter 11: Rosaline

Rosie was fuming when she went out of her apartment. Red was all across her face, neck and hands if someone looked at her would have told her that she looked like a tomato. And she was stomping down the street, walking in a fast manner so when she slammed into someone else almost falling back, she couldn't contain her anger.

"Watch were you're going!" her eyes widened when she realized she screamed at someone she knew.

Jesus Christ. Someone kill me. She would have not cursed at herself if it had not been Lysander Ainsworth who was standing in front of her looking surprised. Normally, she wouldn't care what anyone thought but he was one of her classmates and none of them could know about her past, much less the truth about her or how she really was.

"I am sorry?" he said calmly whilst raising an eyebrow while the other descended upon his right emerald green eye.

"I…I…I am sorry. It's just…I am a bit mad." She said looking down. She hated to admit she was wrong but at least she would admit it, she wasn't like…

"It's alright. We all lose our temper sometimes." At that she looked up he was dressed formally with black and green victorian style clothing. Her heart stuttered in her chest at the sight of him looking so handsome. She looked away.

"One should always keep their temper and not take it out on others." She spat in a bitter voice remembering, unpleasant memories flashing before her eyes. She had talked in a tone that had surprised Lysander.

"Not everyone is perfect."

"Perfection is a perspective. In someone's eyes we can be perfect." She said looking back at him.

"And we can be imperfect in someone's eyes too." She couldn't give him retort without sounding childish so she said nothing at first.

"I am sorry for snapping at you Mr…"

"Lysander." The boy said. Rosie felt blood rushing to her cheeks.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Call me Lysander not by my last name." he said calmly.

"I won't." she said and Lysander didn't insist though he was disappointed. And she couldn't bare the silence so she changed the subject.

"I have to go." She said trying to get away from him. The effect he was having on her wasn't good. She wanted to strangle him and shout at him and scream at him for breaking her cup, for reading her notebook and finally because she wanted and she wanted to take it out on someone. And she couldn't do that to anyone really. She wasn't that type of person. Not anymore.

"College?" she nodded impatiently and made a move but he stopped her with words.

"Would you like me to take you?" Rosie looked up at Lysander confused. Why would he do something like that? But then again she didn't know how to get there.

"I do not wish to bother you."

"And I do not think your friends would like you to be lost." He said smiling a little. She wanted to say something nasty but instead she pressed her lips together. Lysander waited patiently. How did he know that she didn't know how to get to college?

"Fine." She said at last and Lysander did something that surprised her. He held out his hand.

"Would you like me to help you with your bag?" Rosie, stood shocked. Gears were starting to spin in her head. This person, this boy was a charmer? Wasn't he? She tightened her hand on the straps of her backpack.

"No." she said a little more forcefully than she intended to but upon realizing how rude it sounded she immediately smiled. "but thank you." he raised an eyebrow. Damn. She thought. I can't start acting like this just because of my biases. Innocent until proven guilty. Innocent until proven guilty. "I like to carry my own weight." Which was true. At that he withdrew his hand but there was a strange look in his face. She didn't give it much thought and started walking. He fell into stride with her. They walked at the same pace. Not her behind him. Something that fascinated Rosie. She clenched her jaw. This was not something surprising here it was different. It was the west. She had to stop being so fascinated by every single little thing she wasn't a little girl anymore.

"How has been your experience at school so far?" asked Lysander which jolted Rosaline back to reality.

"It's been…pleasant." she said carefully. She didn't want to say it had been a fascinating, unearthly experience to be so free. Lysander and no one else but especially Lysander. Not because she liked him or anything but because he didn't need to know anything about her.

"And have you liked the classes?" he asked politely and she had to stop herself from staring at him in wonder. She looked at the distance as if she were somewhere else and not aware of him walking beside her but that was hard. She was completely aware. No one asked her if she liked her classes, or offered her to carry her things, to show her around or read her notebook. Something, that, made her wary and snappy because she couldn't hide herself well enough. She didn't want to show herself to anyone. Much less a man.

"They have been interesting. And yours?" she said airily.

"Good but I have been a little distracted."

"Really?" she asked without much enthusiasm.

"Yes by a story in fact." She turned her head to him and realized he was also staring at the distance which somehow made her disappointed. A though that she pushed down ferociously, he couldn't like her and neither could she.

"Anything that you would recommend me?" she asked poiletly.

"Not if you don't like J.D Sallinger."

"I like J.D Sallinger!" she said excitedly. Lysander looked at her surprised.

"Really? Have you read Nine Stories?"

"I have!" she said with her eyes sparkling and she immediately cursed at herself. She wasn't supposed to look excited! She wasn't supposed to be open! What was wrong with her? She looked to the side at a coffee shop which she had suddenly found interesting. She wasn't avoiding Lysander's gaze. No, she wasn't. "That is, I found it quite interesting."

"It is." He agreed. "I really like A Perfect for Bananafish" she cursed silently it was her favorite story.

"I didn't really like it." She lied but Lysander wasn't disappointed.

"What did you think of it?"

"That it had weird ending." She said still staring at the shops. Which was true. She hadn't understood the finale very well. Lysander, to her surprise laughed.

"That is true. But it made sense to me after a while."

"Did it?" she asked surprised but still not looking at him. A perfect day for Bananafish's ending had never made sense to her. Not even 2 years after reading it. "it never made much sense for me."

"No? I thought it would."

"And why would you say that?" she said finally looking at him. He smiled when she did so.

"And she finally looks." He said softly. "To answer your question. It's because you're smart." He said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She looked at him doubtfully.

"How would you know that?" Lysander blushed suddenly as if realizing that he had said something he shouldn't have. Ah, trying to compliment me. She thought. Probably to make me feel better. She was about to say something but Lysander beat her to it.

"I read on your notebook, your thoughts…"

"About books and that stuff?" she said clenching her hands into fists in front of her stomach so that he wouldn't see them shake. She locked her eyes with him and he seemed very uncomfortable.

"I didn't mean to pry…"

"But you did." She said softly. "and it was to search for information to contact me." His shoulders slumped a little when she said that. She still wanted to kick him, to scream at him maybe beat him bloody but it wouldn't be fair. They didn't say anything for the remainder of the trip and Rosaline appreciated the silence she didn't want to talk much. Especially when she was on a murderous mood. When they reached the college they parted ways with polite goodbyes and both of them spent the rest of the day busy. Rosaline's learning about the human body while Lysander's day was filled with design, equations and more.

Neither of them noticed that they were soon going to have a class together on Friday. Neither of them noticed that it was one thing that they both held a big passion for: writing. The one thing that would eventually connect them.